Neo Steam Online Nightstalker Guide

Neo Steam Online Nightstalker Guide by Lamvao

TABLE OF CONTENTS
-Introduction…………………………………..[NS10]
—What’s a Nightstalker?……………………[NS11]
-Character Creating………………………….[NS20]
—Racial Attributes……………………………[NS21]
-Levels 1-10……………………………………[NS30]
—Newbie Scout Skills……………………….[NS31]
—Dual Wield vs 2h…………………………..[NS32]
-Level 12 and Beyond. . . So Far………….[NS40]
—Nightstalker Skills…………………………[NS41]
—Skill Point Management………………….[NS42]
-Armor………………………………………….[NS50]
—Cores………………………………………..[NS51]
-PvP……………………………………………..[NS70]
—The Nightstalker Nuke……………………[NS71]
—Nightstalker vs Group……………………[NS72]
—Nightstalker vs Player……………………[NS73]

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Introduction
So, you want to make a Nightstalker but don’t know what to do? All these skills? What’s important? Can I take on multiple enemies at once or do I need to just stick to one or two at a time? What about PvP? Did I mess up my skills? Have no fear, comrade! I’m here to help. In this guide I will tell you all you could want to know and more about Nighstalkers and all their glory.
[NS10]

What’s a Nightstalker?
I notice some run into pitfalls in what exactly a Nightstalker is for. It’s a very powerful class, but if you don’t know the very basics of what a Nightstalker is, you will be dying many, many times. Think of Nightstalkers as an assassin class type. They sneak around, pick one enemy, and take it out swiftly and quickly with very little resistance. It does have its weakness, however. Low health and the second lowest defense makes you very easy take down, especially when ganged up on. If you have the right build and the right skills, you will be unstoppable in one on one situations. You can also be a very valuable asset against a group in relaying what you are up against. Never underestimate a Nightstalker. And always keep your back safe around them.
[NS11]

Character Creation
So you want to know, what race is best for a Nightstalker, huh? If you want the optimal performance, choose either Human or Taxn Human. However, if you do not want to play a human, this is the order from best to last.

Human/Taxn Human
Pom
Lyell/Lupine
Elf

Now, if you don’t mind the little less Con and Str, but want to play a different class, here are the specific racial traits that might help you out to make up for the loss.
[NS20]

Racial Attributes

Humans
Humans get a +20% attack speed, which is great help. Since it does not stack over a armour/weapon add-ons, you can feel free to buy a weapon with an attribute other than that. In the battlefield, every bit helps, so keep this in mind when shopping. You also get the ability to cure one status ailment later on, which is helpful in obvious ways. You can’t choose what, but it seems to get rid of it regardless of what level the status ailment is.

Taxn Humans
They have the same stats but a little different racial traits. The only real difference is a speed boost buff that can stack over Double Rush. Great if you need to catch a runner or need to get a move on. But since you can slow/stun/root from afar using a bow, I don’t see much of a use unless you are in a group situation and/or making a get-away.

Poms
The only real benefit poms will get as a Nightstalker is the ability to use armour a 5 levels ahead of time regardless. It’s helpful for all classes, but that’s not much use to a Nightstalker as their powers rely mainly on getting the first hit and nuking them with skills. My opinion is stay out of this class if you are a pom.

Lyell/Lupine
The only difference between is lyells get a self-buff for attack and lupine’s get a self-buff for defense. The Lyell would be a better choice as you will need all the attack power you can get. The buff for defense would be the equivalent to putting a strip of leather over your butt to keep it from being kicked a little less hard. Both lyells and lupines get a movement speed bonus, which would be helpful in racing at an enemy or trying to get away.
[NS21]

Levels 1-10
This is your brief time as a scout. Not a Nightstalker. So get a bit of a feel of what you will be doing here. But even now you will make decisions that will run what type of character you will run! As early as level 6, you will determine what kind of weapons you will be using. I will talk about that in a moment, but as for now, getting these ten levels will be quite boring but easy. Once you spawn, talk to the NPC whispering you with the large exclamation mark over her head. Do her quests through and you’ll get a few care packages and equips. The potions and jewelry will be all you need all your way until 10. From there on the quests until 10 are not recommended. Stay out in the training areas and try to stick the the yellow levels. Those are easy enough to take down and give a good bit of experience. You shouldn’t go through all your potions, but the payoff for using them against those is worth it.
[NS30]

Newbie Scout Skills
Before you become a full-on Nightstalker, you get a few three skills. They are mostly useless, but if you want to know about them, here you are.
[NS31]

[Focal Slice]
Active skill
Name: Focal Slice
Description: Attack an enemy with a strong sword slice.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: 130
Cast Time: Instant
Cooldown: 8s
Advice: Only keep it at one. You’ll want to spam it a lot to get a good bit of damage on your way to ten, but it’s not powerful enough to be of any use later on.

[Blade Whirl]
Active skill
Name: Blade Whirl
Description: Deliver a spinning attack against a target and any nearby enemies.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: 140 (AoE)
Cast Time: Instant
Cooldown: 15s
Advice: AoE is nice. In a good, sturdy class, a skill like this MIGHT be good on your way to 10. However, its power is a huuuge disadvantage. My advice is to steer clear. Nightstalkers are definitely not meant to AoE and it isn’t much more powerful than Focal Slice. If you absolutely positively AoE, it’s average and will be a little helpful, but as I said, not worth it, I think.

[Dual Wield]
Passive skill
Name: Dual Wield
Description: Enables the use of two one-handed swords in combat.
Advice: Must need if you wish to dual wield. If not, save your SP. Every point counts.

Dual Wield vs 2h
As I said before, just because these are easy levels, doesn’t mean they aren’t important all the same. At level six you will make one of the most important decisions you can make. At level six, you choose whether or not to use two one-handed or one two-handed swords. The difference being choosing speed or power.

In choosing two swords, you get less attack power, however you get more speed out of it. For grinding, this is more optimal as skill-spamming isn’t much of a priority. When looking at the swords, the add-ons are generally half of the equivalent of the two-handers. In PvP, you want to get as much damage into your opponent. This is where having two-handed sword is better. Having no attack speed influence how fast your skills go, it’s power you want. And every little bit counts.

So to recap:
One-handers: Grinding. Speed > Attack strength
Two-handers: PvP. Speed < Attack Strength
[NS32]

Level 12 and Beyond. . . So Far
Now you are a Nightstalker! Congratulations, comrade. Can’t say I don’t envy you. So now you open up your skills menu, and you might as well be looking at a blueprint of the Hubble Telescope. Does that one look like a weird face? Yeah. Yeah it does. What about that one with a key? Yep. So, first think you’ll want to do is get your skills into gear.
[NS40]

Nightstalker Skills
[NS41]

[Frenzied Slash]
Active skill
Name: Frenzied Slash
Description: Swing at an enemy in such a way to make it use its own strength against itself.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: Proportionate to the enemy’s Atk power.
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 25s
Advice: Great grinding skill for its moderate Sta cost compared to the damage it does. Spam it as much as you can at lower levels. In PvP, use it as one of the final skills to try and lay the final strike. Just remember, the more powerful the enemy, the more damage it will deal. So don’t underestimate it, but don’t there are better skills for PvP. Think of it as more of your ‘bread and butter’ skill.

[Mangle]
Active skill
Name: Mangle
Description: Attack an enemy with swift, repeated strikes. The Attack Power is random.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: 100
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 30s
Advice: At lower levels, you will think this is one of the crappiest skills. I will tell you that later on, this will be one of the most damaging skills. The damage is random, but as it levels up it tends to stick to the higher damages. With a low Sta cost, use this attack when Frenzied Strike is cooling down to try and speed up the kill rate. Other than that, save this for last in PvP at lower levels. When it’s higher, put it in front of Frenzied.

[Howling Slice]
Active skill
Name: Howling Slice
Description: Unleash the spirit within your sword to attack a distant enemy.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: 240
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 15s
Advice: I would keep it only at one. I don’t know much of a use for it other than dragging a mob from a group. It’s not much good for getting runners, as it won’t exactly stop them or kill them unless they are low on health. Plus, you can put more points into stuff that will close the gap to really lay the beat down rather than try and finish them off at a distance. It really just isn’t a Nightstalker’s style to strike from afar.

[Lifesteal]
Active skill
Name: Lifesteal
Description: Attack and enemy and regain Health based on the damage you inflict.
Requires: None
Max Power: 180
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 15s
Advice: One word: LIFESAVER. If you use this skill correctly, you can save a lot of potions and a lot of deaths. I would recommend keep this skill as high as you can. BUT! There are more important skills other than this. So please stay tuned to where this should go as far as importance. In PvP, this skill isn’t a primary, but definitely great for obvious reasons.

[Camouflage]
Active skill (Self-buff)
Name: Camouflage
Description: Blend in with your surroundings to become invisible. Movement is reduced. Cannot be use if enemies are near.
Requires: None
Duration: 5m
Cast time: 3s
Cooldown: 30s
Advice: Pretty awesome skill. There are few ways to detect a camouflaged Nightstalker and most won’t even know to detect shot unless they get lucky or get caught in an AoE by pure accident. Very good for scouting the enemy’s defenses or quickly taking an enemy by surprise. Unless they have keen eyes, they won’t know what hit’em until it’s too late. But as awesome as it is, keep it at just level one. It only increases the run speed while camouflaged which isn’t necessarily worth putting skill points into. When you have better skills.

[Murderous Edge]
Active skill
Name: Murderous Edge
Description: Examine and enemy’s weaknesses and attempt to strike at them. Does more damage against enemy’s with status ailments.
Requires: None
Max Power: 220
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 30s
Advice: Very powerful skill. Especially when you can give them those neat little status ailments just before then. Any enemy with any debuff on them will take the maximum damage, so make sure to only use it if they have’em. But! I wouldn’t even use it before using one of my favourite skills call slow strike. But this isn’t the place for that advice.

[Lockpicking]
Passive skill
Name: Lockpicking
Description: Attempt to open a lock.
Requires: None
Advice: Unless you REALLY want to see what’s inside those chests, not worth it. My opinion is, if other classes can do without it, I can too. You could possibly use it to get some great stuff, I think. But it’s truly your call. I would advise against it, but if you really want to, go ahead.

[Assassination]
Active skill
Name: Assassination
Description: Deliver a swift, critical attack against an enemy. More effective when attacking from behind. More effective if used while invisible.
Requires: Sword
Max Power: Proportionate to enemy’s Health
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 40s
Advice: Most important skill in the Nightstalker’s arsenal is this. In PvP, this is a must. Be sure that this is close to your opening move if it isn’t because it does a percent of the remaining health they have, not a percentage of their max health. Please note that it only works on other players if you are cloaked or if you are behind them. Otherwise it will fail and take your Sta, which is a lot.

[Dual Shot]
Active skill
Name: Dual Shot
Description: Fire two arrows in rapid succession.
Requires: Bow
Max Power: 180
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 6s
Advice: A Nightstalker should only have a bow for one reason. And it’s not to use this skill. Waste of skill points.

[Concealed Blade]
Active skill
Name: Concealed Blade
Description: Use the blade hidden in your bow’s shaft to swipe at an enemy. Reduces defense.
Requires: Bow
Max Power: 200
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 15s
Advice: You have a skill that already reduces defense. And not to mention if you are close to an enemy, why do have a bow out? Another waste of points.

[Poison Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Poison Strike
Description: Apply a toxic oil on your blade and attack. Causes poison.
Requires: Variable Oil
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 5s
Advice: Probably a nifty skill near endgame, but there are far better debuff skills at your disposal to put any points into it until then.

[Slow Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Slow Strike
Description: Apply a muscle-constricting oil on your blade and attack. Slows run speed and lowers Defense.
Requires: Variable Oil
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 10s
Advice: This will be your second best debuff attack you will have. Not only does it slow them down, it lowers their defense for the attacks that immediately follow. You even throw murderous edge after it, and you’ll have a lot of damage radiating from this attack. Low cooldown means you can throw this at many enemies in a short amount of time. Make full use of it in PvP. In grinding, it’s great for it’s low Sta cost if you are in a pinch to help take down an enemy.

[Sleep Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Sleep Strike
Description: Apply an intoxicating oil on your blade and attack. Causes sleep.
Requires: Variable Oil
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 10s
Advice: Very good later on when you have the spare SP. Good for PvP because it can help ensure the first strike with a bow. Just note that the first hit will wake them up. Until then, you can take your time for a bit to prepare. Otherwise, if you need the points, you can do without it easily. Just remember, ANY damage from ANYTHING will immediately wake the person up. If you have multiple monsters attack you, it’s a nifty skill to get one of them off your back for a bit while you take care of others. Very reliable in the right uses.

[Exhaustion Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Exhaustion Strike
Description: Add a debilitating oil on your blade and attack. Reduces attack speed and removes one buff.
Requires: Variable Oil
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 10s
Advice: As with Poison Strike, you have better debuffs to put into. Wouldn’t put points into it unless you REALLY want it.

[Root Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Root Strike
Description: Add an immobilizing oil on your blade and attack. Renders and enemy unable to move.
Requires: Variable Oil
Max Power: 160
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 10s
Advice: If I had to choose a third debuff, Sleep Strike or Root Strike would be it. Both are great for runners. Only this will leave them open to attack, but keep them firmly in one spot whether they get hit or not. Other than that, not much of a use.

[Stun Strike]
Active skill (Debuff)
Name: Stun Strike
Description: Apply a paralyzing oil on your blade and attack. Renders and enemy unable to act.
Requires: Variable Oil
Max Power: 160
Cast time: Instant
Cooldown: 10s
Advice: This is not only the most important debuff, but it’s the second most important skill only second to Assassination. It has a fast cooldown and is great for obvious reasons. This in part is what makes Nightstalkers so powerful one on one. This should be your primary debuff, no question.

Skill Point Management
So you know all about the skills now, but what do you do about them? Main problem I see is that people just don’t know what to put as priority. What is worth putting a lot into as opposed to what not to put a lot into. I don’t think I could call it an ultimate guide without telling you, huh?

The following is the list of skills to invest in from most to least important:

Assassination: Max at all times.
Stun Strike: Max at all times.
Slow Strike: As high as possible.
Muderous Edge: As high as possible.
Lifesteal: As high as possible.
Frenzied Slash: As high as possible.
Mangle: Give or take, invest at high levels, however.
Camouflage: One point into.
Fly Shot: One point into. (Optional)

This kind of build will keep you very up to date in PvP and keep you going very well in long grind sessions.
[NS42]

Armour
Nightstalker armor is the second worse in the game. Meaning that you can only do support in group vs group, and you have to get the first strike in one vs one in PvP. Like in all classes, always try and get socketed armor. If you get the right kind of cores, you can be lethal force in PvP and grinding. Stick to the armor you get from the care packages until you get the leather set. The semi-rare version has a lower level requirement, so use it until you can wear the socketed version. If you can’t afford, don’t worry about it. If you can, then awesome. That will do you all the way until your fifties when you can wear Timber armor. After that, only invest in socketed.
[NS50]

Cores
The important thing you need to know about core selection is the main elements of how they fight. They fight one on one and survive mainly by getting the first strike. In grinding, the only difference is that you need to be able to survive long enough to eliminate the threats. Below are the cores for optimal grinding or PvP.
[NS51]

Helmet:
Stun defense: To help ensure the first strike in PvP and keep stun times short by monsters for grinding.

Upper Body:
Demon Armour: In a pinch, it can save your life. Great for grinding sessions when you have multiple monsters gaining up on you. It can also help in PvP when you need to outlast being stunned or need that time to survive until cooldowns end.
Pain Ward/Bulwark: Defense boost. Can always be helpful especially in a pinch.

Gloves:
Steel Intake Valve: All classes need this. Extra gold and get neosteam per kill. What’s not to love?

Lower:
Energy Vessel: Not only is it great for grinding, it adds a good bit of help to also assist the upper armor cores as I listed before.

Shoes:
Amplified Inhibitor: Obviously to skill lock them. It rarely EVER works, but there is nothing wrong with hoping, eh? I’d buy this last if I were you, obviously.

Weapon(s):
Pneumatic Gyro: Help get that attack edge to take out quickly.
Power/Impact/Nitro Shock: Since AoE costs a lot and has a long cooldown, it’s more of a pay-off to just stick to ones that just target one person/monster.
Death’s Shadow: Could be helpful in enemy’s with high health with assassination on cooldown. I haven’t used it myself, so I can only guess.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DUAL WIELDERS: For weapon cores, the cooldown is shared for both weapons. If you the core in Weapon 1, Weapon 2 will have a cooldown the same amount of time as the first cooldown.

PvP
Ok, so you’ve followed the guide almost exactly and you have the ULTIMATE NIGHTSTALKER! But hold on, you can’t just run into a group of Elerds and slaughter away just yet. Do you even know what you are going to do once you get in there? Well have no fear! This is all you could need to know about PvPing as a Nightstalker.
[NS70]

The Nightstalker Nuke
So, you have your target. That’s all fine and dandy, but what exactly do you do as far as skills? Order is very important as far as what’s most effective against any type of player. Below is a list of the basic skills you will need to do in order.

1. Camouflage
2. Move behind target and use Assassination
3. Stun Strike
4. Slow Strike
5. Murderous Edge
6. Frenzied Slash
7. Mangle

This is the basic order you want to use your skills in order to get the most possible damage. You may want to use Slow strike first as Stun does inflict damage, but I personally wouldn’t want to risk them stunning you first, which would only end in death on your end.
[NS71]

Nightstalker vs Group
Say it is just yourself and you want to really get at those group of Elerds around the corner. Obviously, you can’t hope to take them all. What you can do is do The Nightstalker Nuke on one member and run. Make sure you choose your target carefully. Make sure you stay well out of range for any detection skills and AoEs and target someone a bit away from the group. This will ensure you can make your get away when or if you successfully annihilated your enemy. After that, just rinse, wash, and repeat.
[NS72]

Nightstalker vs Player
In a one on one situation, if the enemy is unaware, you can just run The Nightstalker Nuke at them and see how that goes. If they are aware of your presence, you will have to do a little bit of groundwork before then. Nightsalkers thrive on getting the first strike. How do you get that? Easy! Get your bow on hotkey and switch to it when the fight is going to begin. Quickly Sleep Strike them, re-equip your sword(s) and go straight to step 2 in The Nightstalker Nuke. At higher levels with a longer sleep time, you can do the entire nuke. Until then, it’s better to start at step 2.
[NS73]

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