Stalker Revision

[EmptyDevil]

Stalker Revision

The goal is to make Stalker and his faction the most threatening thing to appear in a mission and to give them a real way to dish out punishment, instead of taking one revive from you. They are basically the Anti-Tenno, so they should be experts at incapacitating a Warframe.

 

Marking Mechanics

Stalker would track a player by the actions they perform in the Sol System. Actions would fill an invisible meter that upon reaching 100%, would give the player a deathmark and reset the meter to zero.

Actions that fill the meter:

Completing missions(+1% per mission, +5% per 3/3 successful invasion)

Killing a boss(+100%)

After receiving a mark, Stalker should send the usual threatening message, but without the boss name or reason. This makes it look more like he found you through the chaos you've left in your wake and is not avenging those bosses.

Spawn Mechanics

When spawning, each taunt should teleport the targeted player 15 meters from their squad. This would be Stalker's attempt at separating them from the rest.

If Stalker is defeated while the player is in a squad, he should bring an Acolyte with him the next time he targets the same player, if they are in a squad again. Every time he is defeated by a squad, Stalker should add +1 Acolytes. His squad caps at 4 like a player.

Each Acolyte would focus on disabling the targeted player's squadmates, while Stalker attempts to engage in a 1v1. If Stalker is successful in slaying the player, he will be alone the next time he spawns.

 

Player Death Mechanics

When Stalker reduces a player's health to zero, the player should be put into the standard bleedout state(Including Inaros). Stalker will approach the player and perform a unique head-severing finisher, consuming all revives(including Arcane revives). The player would not be able to continue the mission if Stalker is successful.

Stalker would have 2 unique finishers, one for each form. 

Pre-Second Dream:

Stalker will lift the player to their knees and use Hate to remove the Warframe's head.

Examples:

 

Post-Second Dream:

Stalker will kneel over the player, holding War horizontal to the Warframe's throat and push his weight down on the blade to sever the head.

Examples:

Additionally, Stalker's Acolytes should have their own execution methods as well.

 

After Mission Penalty

Upon being executed by Stalker/Acolytes and returning to the Orbiter, the executed Warframe should suffer a health+power capacity penalty of -50%~ for X hour(s). The penalty could be rushed for X amount of credits/resources.

Drop Table Updates

This section contains suggestions for replacing the underwhelming and outdated drops for a boss-like character.

Endo 80        → Endo 800

Heavy Impact    → Life Strike    

Molten Impact    → Madurai Transmute Core

Energy Channel    → Rage

Intensify    → Vengeful Revenant

 

Stalker's Weapons Updates

With the new trend of giving weapons a unique mechanic/gimmick/passive, it would be a good idea to add some to Stalker's weapons. This would give them a more special feel, like when you beat that unique boss in a game to obtain their gear with cool effects. These effects would serve as a selling point of using them, even if there are weapons with more stats and ETC.

Dread: Fully charged shots knockdown and push the target back. Basically a single-target version of Banshee's Sonic Boom.

Despair: Every 2 hits of Despair will open up a weakpoint on the enemy that deals red critical damage.

Hate: Charge attacks opens enemies to finishers and deals a slash proc.

War: Charge attacks fire a wave of energy that deal slash procs and/or staggers/pushes enemies back.

 

Misc

- Shadow Stalker's sprint speed should be buffed. This would help him close the gap a little faster since he relies primarily on melee in this form.

 

Any thoughts?

Edited February 20, 2017 by EmptyDevil

[GinKenshin]

isn't that the head-Popsicle dead chick that everyone was sad about?  

EDIT: more on topic. I love the finishers and the special weapons affects, but I have a few suggestions: 

The Hate one is just caustacyst pre-bug fix. so to balance it, just make it do a 'reasonable' amount of slash dmg 

As for the War, the wave should only knockdown/back enemies, or just ragdoll (super fun!) 

EDIT 2: I've read the whole thing, and it's perfect. I do have a suggestion for the shadow stalker execution.  he should knockdown the player on their backs (like manic claw attack) and then plant the War through their chest (iirc, he did that in the 2nd dream when the warframe broke the War). this I feel would be for a more badass ending, plus the War is impact, not slashing weapon 

Edited October 29, 2016 by GinKenshin

[xXDeadsinxX]

I'd love to see these things happen. I'm not supposed to laugh and giggle when shadow stalker comes after me in a mission, I should be scared and terrified. The finishers seem very cool. +1

[HellFireHound]

Make him more smarter when you're using higher level MR weapons, things that are maxed out/near maxed out. I know walking about with forma'd gear isn't the smartest thing to do when grinding after you just killed a boss, but he has a higher chance of popping up with rank 0 or so gear versus gear that's maxed out. Sure I like playing tag with him around a map, to summarize: CMERE GIMME SUM SUGAR. Me: oplznogoawayedgelord. *runs around map in circles shooting over shoulder* I wanna clash blades with this guy.

Also, if you're going in missions melee only, he should melee only also. Unless his character is just to crush you with no remorse or leeway, with every sense of the word honor without. And play some kind of scary sentient theme as some intro, give him a cinematic too! And as for you, when you defeat him, it should cut to a cinematic where he's limping away and Hunhow recalls him, but right before you deal a melee finisher he vanishes into smoke leaving you to strike the ground or get your melee stuck in a wall and you pull it out in anger. Love your idea for his finishers! As buggy as the game is, I would still like to see more dazzle and cut scenes than what we have now, as raw as game play is. But DE is DE, we all have a love/hate relationship with their updates. I really hope they look at this thread and make it happen sometime soon!

[SpectreXenon]

This, is actually realllyyyy good, love the concept.

Edited October 31, 2016 by SpectreXenon

[EmptyDevil]

23 minutes ago, GinKenshin said:

EDIT: more on topic. I love the finishers and the special weapons affects, but I have a few suggestions: 

The Hate one is just caustacyst pre-bug fix. so to balance it, just make it do a 'reasonable' amount of slash dmg 

Thanks.

The damage on Hate is fine though and this is not like the Caustacyst because it does not launch a wave. Just buffing the damage is not the route i want to take with this.

25 minutes ago, GinKenshin said:

As for the War, the wave should only knockdown/back enemies, or just ragdoll (super fun!) 

EDIT 2: I've read the whole thing, and it's perfect. I do have a suggestion for the shadow stalker execution.  he should knockdown the player on their backs (like manic claw attack) and then plant the War through their chest (iirc, he did that in the 2nd dream when the warframe broke the War). this I feel would be for a more badass ending, plus the War is impact, not slashing weapon 

The wave causing a knockdown sounds interesting, but there is no reason for it to not deal slash IMO. It is true that War's stats lean on Impact damage, but it does deal Slash damage as well -- slash procs on his Exalted Blade-like wave are fine IMO.

I also decided against Shadow Stalker's finisher being the chest impaling from The Second Dream, because it lacks the finality of a beheading. The Warframe was perfectly capable of 'reviving' to remove the sword from it's chest, so that makes it a very ineffective finisher.

16 minutes ago, SpectreXenon said:

This, is actually realllyyyy good. The weapon upgrades would need a nerf, but besides that I love this concept.

Thanks. What would need to be nerfed? I think the drawbacks of them are fine(Charge attacks being slow and unaffected by speed mods, Dread being a single-target attack, Despair requiring you to hit an enemy twice with the weapon to activate a random weakpoint).

 

 

[GDSK-NXS]

Actions that fill the meter should keep raising past 100%, draining 100% each time a mark is given to avoid having 99%, killing a boss and losing 99%.

I would enjoy the acolytes joining in, but I don't think they need execution sequences. Also, stealing all of the tenno revives would be awesome, but maybe a little counterproductive. I would like to find another way for his killing to make sense if possible.

The War execution mechanic should 100% be the piercing with the war to the chest of the tenno I think, more in-character.

800 endo is a little too much, 500 I think is better.
Vengeful Revenant and transmutation cores would be nice as rewards.
Also, they should replace the rare resource drop x10, so that way you get 10 orokin cells instead of one, for example, to make it look less worthless.
Not really a fan of rage and life strike, he doesn't have those mechanics, I don't see why he would. He could, instead, drop augments for the frame that killed him (dealing fatal damage) or something like that.

I think Dread should have 100% slash proc on fully charged shots, that would make him AND players using the bow more deadly, or probably increase it's headshot multiplier as it is a bow intended for beheading.
Despair I think should be able to proc puncture on every hit (which reduces the warframe damage output) or be able to stagger in every other hit so that players can avoid it by rolling but still feel threatened by the attacks.
The Hate with a finisher charge attack would be very nice, but the animation for it would've to be made, and well, I think it would be easier to make charge attacks open enemies to finisher (you hit them and they are open to finisher for 2 seconds) and then you can do it in the front or the back with the usual scythe finisher move (but if it can be custom, and instantaneous, then so be it).

Also I feel like the stalker is underpowered, so buffing his weapons with new mechanics instead of raw damage/hp increase is the way to go 100%, dispel was a step forward but I still think he should avoid a lot more than he actually does. Overall, he acts like a rhino with iron skin on and I think he would be a lot more menacing if he actually DODGED attacks instead of just tanking them. It would make him harder to beat without increasing his HP further.

[HellFireHound]

These finishers would be great for Stalker, as well as stances for weapons too (Graphic gore warning) https://youtu.be/xEOMTQO2o5E?t=2m19s Would you consider any of these as a finisher from Stalker EmptyDevil? I personally like the throat impalement then spin for decapitation.

 

[EmptyDevil]

4 minutes ago, HellFireHound said:

These finishers would be great for Stalker, as well as stances for weapons too (Graphic gore warning) https://youtu.be/xEOMTQO2o5E?t=2m19s Would you consider any of these as a finisher from Stalker EmptyDevil? I personally like the throat impalement then spin for decapitation.

 

A lot of those would work too. Pretty much any decapitation would work for a finisher because severing the head from the body should stop anything from getting up.

[GinKenshin]

28 minutes ago, EmptyDevil said:

Thanks.

The damage on Hate is fine though and this is not like the Caustacyst because it does not launch a wave. Just buffing the damage is not the route i want to take with this.

The wave causing a knockdown sounds interesting, but there is no reason for it to not deal slash IMO. It is true that War's stats lean on Impact damage, but it does deal Slash damage as well -- slash procs on his Exalted Blade-like wave are fine IMO.

I also decided against Shadow Stalker's finisher being the chest impaling from The Second Dream, because it lacks the finality of a beheading. The Warframe was perfectly capable of 'reviving' to remove the sword from it's chest, so that makes it a very ineffective finisher.

 

 

oh, I thought it'll be a wave or something, but I think charge attacks do have a chance to make a slash proc, the finisher thing is fine though 

well, ok I guess. don't think DE likes slash procs, and if it does, then THAT will be the old caustacyst. since 'wave' and 'slash' XD

well, he could do the same animation I talked about and instead plant the war on the neck, basically beheading the warframe. so instead of manic claw attacks, SS will just plant the War in our necks XD 

the gif you should of the anime (akame ga kill iirc?) is a bit clunky 

[HellFireHound]

Of course severing the head would be end game for us Tenno, but there's just so many ways to do it. Which would be the most Stalker-y way? What says pure anger, when I get killed I don't want to sit there and go "ffs your cheesy finsher wasted me?" I want to go, "DAUM stalker wrecked me!"

[Armed_Monkey]

hows about the higher MR you are the stalker spawns with his Acolytes buddies 

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Operation:_Shadow_Debt#The_Acolytes

 

Edited October 30, 2016 by Armed_Monkey

[Hearsay]

Only gripe I have with this is execution and new players.  Stalker is a death sentence to newer players without capable gear.  Stalker shows up to one and its effectively automatic mission failure since they would get destroyed by him, which would be incredibly frustrating.  The G3 give you a chance to run at least, but the Stalker locks you in.  G3 and Zanuka are also muuuuuch harder to get marked by.  Plus, newer players can't avoid bosses since they have to fight them to advance.

 

Solution while keeping execution?  Shadow Stalker does it, regular does not.  Regular is menacing enough when you're not strong enough to fight it off, no need to make newer players quit because they get to auto-mission fail whenever the normal Stalker arrives.

[HellFireHound]

42 minutes ago, Hearsay said:

Only gripe I have with this is execution and new players.  Stalker is a death sentence to newer players without capable gear.  Stalker shows up to one and its effectively automatic mission failure since they would get destroyed by him, which would be incredibly frustrating.  The G3 give you a chance to run at least, but the Stalker locks you in.  G3 and Zanuka are also muuuuuch harder to get marked by.  Plus, newer players can't avoid bosses since they have to fight them to advance.

 

Solution while keeping execution?  Shadow Stalker does it, regular does not.  Regular is menacing enough when you're not strong enough to fight it off, no need to make newer players quit because they get to auto-mission fail whenever the normal Stalker arrives.

Why not cap Stalker spawn at MR3? After that, fair game. You can power level up MR easy peasy around 5 then you can focus on keeping stuff around 8. By then, you'd be more than well equipped to handle him.

[EmptyDevil]

6 hours ago, GinKenshin said:

oh, I thought it'll be a wave or something, but I think charge attacks do have a chance to make a slash proc, the finisher thing is fine though 

well, ok I guess. don't think DE likes slash procs, and if it does, then THAT will be the old caustacyst. since 'wave' and 'slash' XD

well, he could do the same animation I talked about and instead plant the war on the neck, basically beheading the warframe. so instead of manic claw attacks, SS will just plant the War in our necks XD 

the gif you should of the anime (akame ga kill iirc?) is a bit clunky 

Beheading an enemy with that animation might look weird, especially with War's blade having that gap in the middle.

Indeed that is what the gif is from. I didn't go for a high quality gif -- just something to get the point across.

1 hour ago, Hearsay said:

Only gripe I have with this is execution and new players.  Stalker is a death sentence to newer players without capable gear.  Stalker shows up to one and its effectively automatic mission failure since they would get destroyed by him, which would be incredibly frustrating.  The G3 give you a chance to run at least, but the Stalker locks you in.  G3 and Zanuka are also muuuuuch harder to get marked by.  Plus, newer players can't avoid bosses since they have to fight them to advance.

 

Solution while keeping execution?  Shadow Stalker does it, regular does not.  Regular is menacing enough when you're not strong enough to fight it off, no need to make newer players quit because they get to auto-mission fail whenever the normal Stalker arrives.

Stalker doesn't spawn enough for him to be a big nuisance to a new player and he is intended to be a difficult threat as well. Newer players won't have to worry about him as much until they reach a certain MR too.

[AhmadAlz]

7 hours ago, GinKenshin said:

EDIT 2: I've read the whole thing, and it's perfect. I do have a suggestion for the shadow stalker execution.  he should knockdown the player on their backs (like manic claw attack) and then plant the War through their chest (iirc, he did that in the 2nd dream when the warframe broke the War). this I feel would be for a more badass ending, plus the War is impact, not slashing weapon 

I really liked the whole thing. it will be great, specially that stalker should be a real threat even for expert players.

 

about the finishers attack I think the suggestion above about the war finisher is good.

[Shirotsuki]

This would certainly be more fun than the bullet sponge he is now.

[Kalvorax]

honestly...i like this a lot...question on the acolytes though...what if your running solo or with less than 3 squad mates?

[Floppinger]

DE could also just give Shadow Stalker some sort of throwing knives. Imo regular Stalker with his bow was more of threat than Shadow Stalker is.

[o.0-]

I like the idea of having a way to have different scenarios randomly occur with Stalker visits, when the meter triggers for a stalker visit. Some ideas from other threads discussing similar ideas:

• Shadows and low whispers are spread throughout a mission, lighting levels are reduced.
• Screen flickers occur and lock downs occur randomly, nothing more.
• Screen flickers with Shadows and louder whispers happen, as we move from room to room no lockdowns.
• Along long corridors a Shadow Specter is crouched and leaps towards us, but simply disappears.
• The Screen flickers and he actually shows up try and kill us.
• And so on.

 

[_Vortus_]

Like the idea.   Would make the loss of revives scale proportional to MR.    MR 3 and under lose 1 revive, MR 6-4 lose 2 revives, MR 10-7 lose 3 revives, MR 11+ loses all revives.    Just an example.   For the strength of the Stalker would be based on the players loadouts conclave value for normal stalker.  For the Shadow Stalker and accompanying Acolytes it should be much higher.

[AlphaPHENIX]

On 30.10.2016 г. at 1:46 AM, EmptyDevil said:

Spoiler

 

Why you got to bring back Akame Ga Kill memories...why?

[EmptyDevil]

5 hours ago, xcynderx said:

honestly...i like this a lot...question on the acolytes though...what if your running solo or with less than 3 squad mates?

If you're solo, Stalker would come alone. For every squadmate you have, Stalker would bring an Acolyte, but only after he has lost to you before.

5 hours ago, Floppinger said:

DE could also just give Shadow Stalker some sort of throwing knives. Imo regular Stalker with his bow was more of threat than Shadow Stalker is.

They could drastically boost his running speed too.

5 hours ago, SPARTAN-187.Thanatos said:

I like the idea of having a way to have different scenarios randomly occur with Stalker visits, when the meter triggers for a stalker visit. Some ideas from other threads discussing similar ideas:

• Shadows and low whispers are spread throughout a mission, lighting levels are reduced.
• Screen flickers occur and lock downs occur randomly, nothing more.
• Screen flickers with Shadows and louder whispers happen, as we move from room to room no lockdowns.
• Along long corridors a Shadow Specter is crouched and leaps towards us, but simply disappears.
• The Screen flickers and he actually shows up try and kill us.
• And so on.

 

Those are pretty neat.

4 hours ago, _Vortus_ said:

Like the idea.   Would make the loss of revives scale proportional to MR.    MR 3 and under lose 1 revive, MR 6-4 lose 2 revives, MR 10-7 lose 3 revives, MR 11+ loses all revives.    Just an example.   For the strength of the Stalker would be based on the players loadouts conclave value for normal stalker.  For the Shadow Stalker and accompanying Acolytes it should be much higher.

Would rather Stalker's finisher to consume all revives with no ties to MR. This would ensure consistency and equal punishment for all.

When Stalker defeats us, it should look as if he is trying and hoping to cause a death to the Tenno through a traumatic feedback. The finality and threatening message of his taunts feel empty with the way it's currently handled. If Stalker wins, we simply go into bleedout then get revived if we're with a squad or revive immediately while he is still going on with:

"It is done. You are no more."

 

4 hours ago, AlphaPHENIX said:

Why you got to bring back Akame Ga Kill memories...why?

RIP.

[Grievouslover]

I'm new to warframe and when I first started playing, stalker attacked me on Europa. My friend helped me get Loki by taxi to Neptune so I had a lvl 5 Loki and didn't know what mods were. When stalker started talking I thought it was part the story  and I was a little scared. He spawned in and I was about to shoot him when he ohk me with dread.

[Kalvorax]

35 minutes ago, EmptyDevil said:

Would rather Stalker's finisher to consume all revives with no ties to MR. This would ensure consistency and equal punishment for all.

When Stalker defeats us, it should look as if he is trying and hoping to cause a death to the Tenno through a traumatic feedback. The finality and threatening message of his taunts feel empty with the way it's currently handled. If Stalker wins, we simply go into bleedout then get revived if we're with a squad or revive immediately while he is still going on with:

"It is done. You are no more."

so a true mission failure....makes a ton of sense actually.