[quote="ophite"](1) A striker must be able to hit. More importantly, however, a striker must know when it is important to hit. Don't use an important ability when the circumstances are wrong. Save it until the circumstances are right to use it, or, better yet, make the circumstances right (spend an AP, take an attack in order to get combat advantages) and then use your ability.

(2) A striker should be able to choose his target, either through range or by mobility. Think of the common methods of obstruction or evasion, and choose your utility powers accordingly. This applies even to ranged Strikers: have a way to get close, and have a way to get to range. You'll get your extra striker damage more frequently that way.

(3) A striker should ration his damage. Try to gauge how many HP your target has, and put no more damage on the target than necessary to prevent that enemy from getting another turn. If the enemy is likely to die before his turn comes up again, pick a new target.

(4) A striker should choose powers that help him ration his damage. A power that is damage-poor but action-cheap can prevent wasteful damage overages. In particular, look at Ruffling Sting, Press the Advantage, Quicken Spell, and Trip Up. Any of these powers can tip an enemy over the line from 1[W] from dead to "entirely dead."

(5) A striker should use all of his actions. Think about your reactions and minor actions: they can contribute significantly to your burst damage Are they going to waste? If so, what can you do to use them? Every melee striker should consider Battle Awareness. If you've got the Wisdom, it really is that good.

(6) A striker, especially a melee striker, must ration his healing surges. Watch the party's other members. Don't take any hits you're not forced to. If you have stealth, use it in combat. Disappear around corners and hide behind cover.

(7) A striker can reach the back ranks more easily than other targets. Consider your role in controlling back-rank damage and back-rank focus fire.

(8) A striker should kill his enemies as soon as possible. Damage now is almost invariably better than damage later.

(9) A striker should frustrate or threaten attackers. Consider the position of the defender, the edges of zones and hazards, and your reactions and interrupts. Is attacking you a bad choice? Make it a bad choice. Also, consider how these factors work in conjunction. Does the DM know what will happen if you get hit? Unpredictable responses discourage the use of expendable resources.

(10) A striker should consider his DPS from three perspectives: constant damage output, encounter/action point spike damage output, and balls-out daily damage output. Encounter-level spike damage will happen early in the combat and to the first target you choose. It's more important than you think.

(11) A striker should decide whether to use a daily, and use it at the first reasonable opportunity. The marginal utility of daily powers decreases from round-to-round; the measured, early use of a daily can prevent the frantic, necessary use of a daily later.

(12) When your striker damage is conditional, have some way of ensuring that damage yourself. In particular, a rogue should "fill in the gaps" in combat advantage. Consider what you need to get your striker damage. This is another good use for your utility powers.

(13) A striker should consider his control powers. During the first rounds, wasting enemy actions may be more important than burning down their hitpoints: throughout the majority of your levels, one-shotting targets is unlikely. On the other hand, "dead" is by far the best status effect.

(14) A striker should consider delaying. Frequently, especially for a rogue, delaying can add striker damage when you otherwise wouldn't've been able to get it. Having said that, the main number you should be paying attention to is total number of meaningful enemy activations. If delaying would destroy an opportunity to reduce meaningful enemy activations, don't do it.

(15) More so than other character, a striker needs to be flexible in his role. Doing damage is the main thing you do, but if you're a melee striker, you will likely be the second or third most durable person in the party. When acting as a 'defender', remember (a) your reaction powers, and (b) your push/slide powers. You will frequently be able to bump an adjacent enemy off your squishy and, when you are the target, punish the enemy for attacking you.

(16) The surprise round is the most important round of a combat; it's free damage. Throughout much of the game, two striker encounter powers will take down a non-elite enemy; consequently, if you have high initiative and a surprise round, you may be able to knock out a single standard enemy before any enemy gets to act. The importance of this in shifting the momentum of the battle cannot be understated.

(17) However, you will seldom be adjacent to an enemy during that surprise round. Ranged rogues and sorcerers love this: they can start shooting and dealing striker damage immediately. Things are more difficult for other characters. Warlocks may want to carry around a quickcurse rod to start doing Striker damage immediately. Rangers may want to invest in taking a whole turn during the surprise round. Barbarians and (strangely) Rogues may want to invest in charge-enhancing feats and abilities in order to be able to land a striker-damage hit during the very first round.

(18) Pursuit Avengers and Defender|Strikers are not Strikers. They aren't Defenders, either. Their "role," such as it is, is back-rank lockdown and prevention of focus-fire. As ranged enemies can focus-fire much, much more effectively than melee enemies, this is more important than it sounds. Get in there as quickly as possible. You'll quickly find out you're not useless.[/quote]