New CoX patch rejuvenates the Stalker

Even with the release of Issue 12: Midnight Hour bringing new joy to CoX, there was one Archetype who wasn't so happy; the poor neglected Stalker. Although the Stalkers now had electric armor and electric melee powersets to play with, they were still not much in demand on teams, and even in PvP some new changes had made it harder for them to Assassin Strike foes with certain powers running.

Let it never be said, though, that Castle the Powers Guy is one to ignore a legitimate grievance. Very shortly after Issue 12 launched, a new patch hit the Test server that brought more Stalker joy than we've seen in months. That patch went live today.

As an opener, Stalkers got an increase in base hit points and damage output, improving their performance across the board. Next, they received a surprising boon that has some Scrappers annoyed: a chance to critical hit even when not hidden, at least in PvE. The base chance is 10% plus 3% per additional team member within 30' of the stalker at the time of the attack, giving another incentive to team up. What with the arrival of the Soldiers of Arachnos Epic ATs and their exceptional team buffs, it's looking like large teams are the way to go in future in CoV.

Also benefiting Stalkers in PvE, where they needed most help, is a new 'demoralizing' effect of Assassin Strikes. The target may be stricken with fear after such an attack, and gets their ToHit debuffed.

So what about PvP, where Stalkers are already feared? It gets even better. The Stalker's key stealth power, Hide, will no longer suppress after a missed Assassin Strike attempt (though other stealth powers will) and the Hide suppression that follows from a successful attack has been reduced from 10 seconds to 8.

There's always an ongoing debate in CoX about whether redside or blueside is getting the most love, and the balance is definitely swinging back towards the Villains. We've seen Brute Fury fixed, Stalkers buffed, and Epic ATs worthy of the name. Naturally, some hero players are complaining, but after so many months of 'lol Villains' it's hard to find any sympathy for them.