Help with my PA/Gadget/Sorcery Tank, please.

gaiusterminus

So I have been playing this game a while, and spending most of my time making, playing, deleting, and remaking sub level 20 alts. I did finally find a character I enjoyed enough to get to level 40: my main, Professor. Professor, inspired by do-it-all geniuses like Doctor Doom, started as a Con/Pre Power Armor/Gadgeteer character, and is now a Con/Int/Ego Power Armor/Gadgeteer/Sorcery Tank.

I had a lot of fun with him, up until I fought Vikorin the Blind. Well, I hear he's been nerfed since then, but I'm now feeling the same problems with Gravitar: being a super tank is very fun until something one-shots you.

So what I am looking for is a little advice with my build. Right now it's pretty badly unoptimized, but my priorities are PvE tanking, self-reliance, and theme. I'd like first of all to know if there's any glaring errors, or if there's something I should take to be a better tank. I hear people say they can solo Gravitar or Teleiosaurus or whatever as a Tank, and I certainly can't, so I'd like to know what I did wrong.

(Link to this build)

Name: Professor

Archetype: Freeform

Super Stats:
Level 6: Constitution (Primary)
Level 10: Intelligence (Secondary)
Level 15: Ego (Secondary)

Talents:
Level 1: The Invincible
Level 6: Academics
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Ascetic
Level 15: Field Ops Training
Level 18: Brilliant
Level 21: Enduring

Powers:
Level 1: Sonic Blaster (Refraction of Sound)
Level 1: Tactical Missiles (Blast Radius, Crippling Challenge)
Level 6: Invulnerability (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Mini Gun (Rank 2, U-238 Rounds, Challenging Strikes)
Level 11: Unbreakable
Level 14: Support Drones (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Force Shield (Force Sheathe)
Level 20: Inertial Dampening Field (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Circle of Primal Dominion (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 26: Conviction
Level 29: Orbital Cannon (Anvil of Dawn)
Level 32: Divine Renewal (Radiant Renewal)
Level 35: Overdrive
Level 38: Rebirth

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Jet Boots (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 35: Lightning Flash

Specializations:
Constitution: Unyielding (2/2)
Constitution: Fuel My Fire (1/3)
Constitution: Resilient (2/2)
Constitution: Quick Healing (3/3)
Constitution: Armored (2/2)
Protector: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Protector: Bulwark (2/2)
Protector: Defensive Expertise (3/3)
Protector: Resolute (2/3)
Commander: Evasive Action (2/2)
Commander: Multitasker (3/3)
Commander: Durable (2/3)
Commander: Relief (3/3)
Mastery: Protector Mastery (1/1)

One of the ideas I was toying with was taking Guardian instead of commander, just for 'The Best Defense', but I have been saved by my drones so many times I am afraid to weaken them any.

braxzana

Seems like quite the brick sh!thouse, to coin a phrase.

Not sure what you could do to be more survivable except perhaps boost the Block replacer's strength.... I've only just started dabbling with it, but Reconstruction Circuits is a heal-over-time power armor chest slot that APPEARS to work even while you're blocking (which normally interrupts power armor toggle maintains). So you could block (ideally with an augmented block) and trigger the Recon-Circuits to heal up while blocking --- instead of actually USING a heal, which would leave you open to NEW incoming damage while healing.

Also, are you running in Protector mode? Not just hybrid mode? That might play a role, too.

gaiusterminus

I am using protector mode, and I really am mostly invincible. It's just that some bosses can still wipe me out from full health, like Gravitar, and I've heard that's not inevitable. I originally picked Force Shield because of the Force Sheathe giving me what felt like limitless energy, but it doesn't seem to be doing as well as it used to. In addition, I used to be able to use my challenging minigun and my crippling challenge (power gauntlet at the time, now tactical missile) to keep everyone's attention, but it doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to either. It's much trickier to generate the threat nowadays. As for reconstruction circuits, healing is rarely a problem, between the drones topping me off normally and my emergency heal for when they go down. The problem mostly comes from getting one-shotted.

selphea

With the amount of damage resistance you have, if your problem is getting one-shotted you simply need more HP or more dodge. This means it's more likely to lie with your gear than your power choices.

gaiusterminus

I have around 10.5k hp, but no dodge. You may have just identified my problem.

selphea

10.5k is good for most content, but Gravvy tanks tend to have more - up to 14k in fact. It depends on the damage of the hits you're taking. They usually run with a Primary Defense Avoidance and a Dodge core slotted as well, and very likely with Masterful Dodge for the telegraphed big hits.

ajanus

I hate to say it, but your main flaw is not using Devour Essence. I get it though, it doesn't fit your theme, and that's cool, but most "unbeatable" tanks run it...only because you can build for it for damage and sacrifice...3 points for Crippling Challenge...all the while healing yourself constantly.

Imagine: Form of the Tempest, Devour Essence, Circle of Primal Dominion, with Defiance and Supernatural Power, using CON/Dex/Rec

CON gives you heal on crit, knock resist, and insane HP/Defense.

Using Protector and Guardian/Warden (for The Best Defense...I also use the AoE resist one)...you pile even more Defense/Offense on.

Now, what does all this do?

Unlimited Energy (Form + SNP + Rec + Defiance + Energy cost reduction Primary Utility + 1 point in the energy return on hit from CON)
Constant Healing (DE + Circle + Crits with Dex and crit-based Primary Offense)
Constant Damage (Form stacking + DE)
Insane Defense (Defiance stacks with rediculous CON)

I have 10 dodge and 20 avoidance (given), with 17k hp (I use all +HP Primary/Secondaries that have it available)

gaiusterminus

So is radiant renewal a good idea? Would serum be a better choice? Is conviction a good idea? If not, should I pick something else to heal myself or grab a second active defense like MD? Is Overdrive a good ability or would MSA be better? Do you guys think the Commander spec is good, or should I let my drones be a smaller part of my plan and pick up some more direct spec bonuses, like The Best Defense?

gaiusterminus

I'm starting to think INT isn't the best secondary super stat for my purposes, or not good enough alone, at least.

gaiusterminus

Trying Con/Int/Rec, and it'd nice. I'm thinking I should drop Conviction and Orbital Cannon for Reconstruction Circuits and Micro Munitions. I am too often in mini-gun to use conviction properly, and I'd rather generate area threat with Micro Munitions more than get a meager damage increase with Orbital Cannon.

aiqa

IDF is for support purposes? It will not add much to the survivability of this build.

I don't know if you are still being ones shotted by grav, if so then there are some guides that describe how to avoid the one attack she has that can oneshot a tank. Of course there will be times when you can not avoid it and you need to block, if you are oneshotted through your block, you need to rank your block.

The commander spec tree is only really useful when you have tons of pets, for only drones it is not an optimal choice.

For heals, reconstructing circuits and/or bionic shielding should work.

For a rez, in my experience rezzing someone while you have agro is pretty hard, you will be interrupted all the time. So for a rez power on a tank I'd use the power with the lowest charge time, which is serum.