BS vs NB vs DB

[drgantz]

I want to make a Natural Stalker and am considering one of these three for a primary.  

Will probably use SR or WP for a secondary.

I've read in many posts that Kat is superior to BS, but some comments that I've read in the Stalker category say that BS is awesome for a Stalker.

In the DPS spreadsheet, DB is listed as one of the top, but I didn't see much mention of it in these forums.

Edited September 10, 2019 by drgantz

[Croax]

I would go with BS/SR and later get Moonbeam from Soul Patron Powerpool. That way you will become a Bosskiller machine.

 

NB is similar to BS but i like BS more, because you can control your crits as a Stalker. Dualblades have this combo thing going, which i don't like and BS gets Parry early on, which can be sloted with defense.

 

You would get the best results with SR instead of WP, because you start with good defenses allready. Get Combat Jumping and haste early on and you will feel very strong even without full IO sets. WP on Stalker feels lackluster, because it gets good very very late in the game with a lot of IO sets. 

[Frostweaver]

Midrange attacks on BS are bigger than Katana, which means bigger crits in an attack chain, which slightly edges out Katana in spawn and boss clearing, in my experience. But both are solid. Both would work well if you aren't using shield, since only SD precludes katana. BS also makes a  better proc machine because of the slightly slower base recharge, which, at high globals, doesn't make much difference (4 second recharge versus 4.5 second recharge in an attack chain is pretty much irrelevant) But in the end, the choice is more about concept than ten points of damage here and there. You will still clear a lot of +4 spawns inside the space of 1 buildup, and the animations might be more satisfying in one set than the other. Their playstyle is nearly identical.

DB though...I agree with Croax. Combo damage isn't affected by a lot of stalker's damage boosters, and DB's animation times, while incredibly cool, often feel 'locked in' for minimal return... DB as a set works vastly better on a scrapper, where base damage and random crit chances make more of a difference for light, fast attacks with longish extra animations. With a stalker's hide, a long animation on a big hitter just means more time spent in hide, rather than a long chunk out of your attack chain.

Not to mention Parry...Man, Parry makes an unbelievable amount of difference on a stalker that doesn't use a huge defense-based set. That's why even though Katana and SR work thematically, in practice katana/willpower is much more rugged. (which is an area I don't agree with Croax on) and BS-katana paired with, say, Bio, is a tough-as-nails killing machine.

Edited September 10, 2019 by Frostweaver

[drgantz]

Thank you for your responses.  It is good that you both agree on BS.
Many say that Shield is best for secondary, but I feel that it looks wrong for a Stalker.

I still need to decide on SR and WP.
The character background is that she was a magician's assistant.  Her parents (a magician and assistant) were killed by the mob because they refused to use their illusion equipment to smuggle.
I'm thinking that because she was a dancer, SR would be good, but since she was in illusion boxes that were pierced by swords and saws, WP would be good.
Of course, this is for character conception, not practicality.

[Haijinx]

Having to placate to use a combo would ruin DB for me. 

 

 

[oldskool]

On 9/10/2019 at 2:21 AM, drgantz said:

In the DPS spreadsheet, DB is listed as one of the top, but I didn't see much mention of it in these forums.

I'll add that I also enjoy BS quite a bit on Stalker but mine is paired with Shield.  Kat is also a great primary in its own right but I like it for the style more on Scrappers. 

Now, that bit I quoted.  DB DPS on spreadsheets is for a build that pretty much ignores the bulk of the combo system (Empower can still be useful but requires Placate) and goes high amounts of recharge.  Its possible with an expensive build.  I'll say, I absolutely love my DB/EN and she is built to run the kind of attack chain that makes that DPS possible.  That's not at all reflective of how you'll perform while leveling up nor is it going to be reflective of a build that isn't running some expensive IOs.  I happen to like DB better on Stalker over Scrapper, but again this is a character purpose built to ignore the system it was intended to use.   

 

Broadsword OR Kat will feel smoother earlier and still do really damn well at 50+.