The Riftstalker

When one thinks of a Rogue, images of stealthy cut-purses , thieving pirates or even raucous swashbucklers spring to mind. And while this is also mostly true in Rift, it wouldn't be fitting if there wasn't some sort of loop to be thrown through. The Riftstalker provides the OMG element to the calling by giving Rogues a viable, and powerful, tanking spec.

Pros

• Unusual Role for a DPS calling
• Exceptional avoidance
• Engaging gameplay mechanics
• Can also work well with DPS builds

Cons

• Some groups are slow to accept a Rogue tank
• May overwhelm less skilled players
  
• Less taunt mechanics than other tanks
  

Overview

Using avoidance, mitigation and the shadows to provide solid protection for their groups, the Riftstalker is one of the more unusual tanking souls in Rift. Instead of going toe to toe with many of their foes, the Riftstalker employs the use of damage barriers and increased avoidance by using several planar shifting abilities. As the Riftstalker teleports about they increase their powers and prowess and keep the enemies confused and hunting for their target, not the most conventional tanking style to say the least, but maybe one of the most fun. Perhaps the most interesting mechanic employed by the Riftstalker is a three pronged spear of awesome achieved by using Memory Capture, Flashback and Planar Attraction. Memory Capture gives you the ability to recall a point for up to 5 minutes, Flashback grants you the ability to port to that spot every 30 seconds(as long as you remain within 50 meters of it) and Planar Attraction allows you to grip up to 5 mobs to you, making the Riftstalker an amazing anti-caster tank.

Solo Play

By not casting  Guardian Phase, the Riftstalker goes from being a potent tank to a teleporting stealth bomber. The difference in point distribution from a tank to a DPS build for players who love the soul can have very little variance and still achieve drastically different results. Even if you prefer to level as a tank, the Riftstalker edges out the Justicar for the best choice in terms of damage output and low downtime.

Group Play

One of the main barriers between Riftstalkers and groups is often poor shared experiences by the group of awful Riftstalker tanks. Mastering the soul and having a firm grasp on its unique mechanics can excite a group and win you lots of fans, but showing up unprepared or not committing fully to the tank role can leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

Pairs Best With

Bladedancer

Bladedancer is a no-brainer pairing that enhances the Rogues damage output and maximum avoidance, even with as few as 6 points spent. There are two ways to go with this pairing however, and both are effective – either spend 1/3rd of your total points here or stick with minimum discussed earlier. A 22 point Bladedancer build will provide more flexibility, but will be a less effective tank. As long as 5 points are spent in Quick Reflexes and one in Reprisal the pairing is solid, granting 5% flat increase to dodge, a 50% increase on a cooldown and castable endurance buff.

Bard/Assassin

Depending on whether or not you are looking to DPS or Tank, the third soul should be one of these two. For the tanking build you will want to add about 9 points into the bard to give yourself the maximum amount of effective health, a solid armor increase and an extra endurance buff. For the DPS folk, the Assassin is the way to go as either the tertiary soul, or as the main soul with Riftstalker in the 3rd slot. The upside here is that the dilemma of unused combo points that is fairly common in heavy Assassin builds becomes a boon as they are converted into healing – making an already deadly soul even more fearsome.