Tank help

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  flowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User

  May 2018

  I prob wouldn't bother w/ a build using two forms where one of them is IDF. IDF's scaling in general is just not very good to warrant it, imo. Otherwise, the build is okay. You could get the 1pt adv on TK Shield, and maybe max Aggressor. I'm not sure what R1 Backhand Chop is for, but if the interrupt is useful then go for it. The free power slot could be something like CoPD or Nanobot Swarm, or w/e added utility you want.

  <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
  - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!

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  nafearian Posts: 48 Arc User

  May 2018

  ah okay, I thought that might be the case, maybe invulnerability would work better for the flat dmg reduction as well. I assumed the interrupt would be staple for a tank build, although I suppose it's probably not that helpful if it can't effect anything legendary or above. I think I'll try taking the CoPD in it's place
  
  Thank you for the feedback flowcyto!

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  flowcyto Posts: 12,742 Arc User

  May 2018

  Yea, R3 Invuln is fine as well if you want to take a diff passive.

  <CO stuff> .: Petco :. // A basic FF building guide (see 1st reply) // PSA on Power Activation Delay // Ayonachan's Gift Horse (misc stat data)
  - Be safe and have fun, champs - for science!

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  carrionbaggage Posts: 721 Community Moderator

  May 2018

  I think you've got a pretty good setup so far. With an eye toward Cosmics, Backhand Chop is very useful as an interrupt when pulling/tanking Kigatilik's dogs. Fast-activating controls also work there...but for how often the mob of players stack hold resist on the dog, Backhand is by far the most reliable tool for the job.
  
  Having flat damage reduction is definitely nice when tanking a lot of small hits. IDF does fine for offtanking Teleios Ascendant or a Warzone OM, where you aren't trying to damage the enemies. I'd lean toward Invulnerability as a substitute, as it lets you run Enrage in content where you're trying to fight back (alerts, some events, lairs, et cetera).
  
  For offtanking and gathering a mob's attention, I'd recommend a ranged AoE attack. Something you can tap to spread Challenge over a broad area. Arc of Ruin can suffice if you can't squeeze in another power, but a wider option makes your job a lot easier.
  
  Running either Invuln or IDF takes away one of your energy sources (Defiance or Enrage), so picking up an energy unlock wouldn't be a bad idea for those situations. To get more utility out of Backhand Chop, you could add Chi Flame and take Chi Manipulation. Arc of Ruin's Wildfire has some nice synergy with Thermal Reverberation, but you'd need a source of Clinging Flames.
  
  Building an all-in-one tank is bound to leave some helpful powers on the cutting room floor. I tend to shy away from lunges on my characters, though they do have merit in some situations (tanking Grond in TA is a good example, if his pathing starts to bug out). Aggressor is a nice way to stack Enrage quickly, but I wouldn't consider it a must-have. CoPD is also helpful, but I wouldn't consider it necessary either; especially with your STR stat giving you respectable knock resistance.
  
  All together, the edits might look something like this:

  Issei
  v2.4.2-29
  
  Super Stats
  Level 6: Strength (Primary)
  Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
  Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)
  
  Talents
  Level 1: The Rockstar (Str: 10, Con: 10, Rec: 8, End: 10)
  Level 6: Physical Conditioning (Str: 5, Con: 5)
  Level 9: Relentless (Str: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 12: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 15: Paramilitary Training (Str: 3, Con: 3, Rec: 3, End: 3)
  Level 18: Boundless Reserves (Con: 5, End: 5)
  Level 21: Bodybuilder (Str: 5, End: 5)
  
  Powers
  Level 1: Clobber (advantages)
  Level 1: Defiance (advantages)
  Level 6: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
  Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 11: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 14: Resurgence (Rank 2)
  Level 17: Arc of Ruin (No Quarter, Wildfire, Challenge!)
  Level 20: Haymaker (Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenge!)
  Level 23: Telekinetic Shield (Rank 2, Rank 3, Telekinetic Reinforcement)
  Level 26: Backhand Chop (Chi Flame)
  Level 29: Masterful Dodge (advantages)
  Level 32: Shockwave (Challenge!)
  Level 35: Invulnerability (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 38: Chi Manipulation
  Adv. Points: 36/36
  
  Travel Powers
  Level 6: Lightspeed (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 35: Flight (advantages)
  
  Specializations
  Strength: Physical Peak (3/3)
  Strength: Aggression (2/2)
  Strength: Brutality (2/2)
  Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
  Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
  Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
  Warden: Elusive (2/2)
  Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
  Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
  Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
  Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
  Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)
  Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)

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  nafearian Posts: 48 Arc User

  May 2018

  carrionbaggage wrote: »

  I think you've got a pretty good setup so far. With an eye toward Cosmics, Backhand Chop is very useful as an interrupt when pulling/tanking Kigatilik's dogs. Fast-activating controls also work there...but for how often the mob of players stack hold resist on the dog, Backhand is by far the most reliable tool for the job.
  
  Having flat damage reduction is definitely nice when tanking a lot of small hits. IDF does fine for offtanking Teleios Ascendant or a Warzone OM, where you aren't trying to damage the enemies. I'd lean toward Invulnerability as a substitute, as it lets you run Enrage in content where you're trying to fight back (alerts, some events, lairs, et cetera).
  
  For offtanking and gathering a mob's attention, I'd recommend a ranged AoE attack. Something you can tap to spread Challenge over a broad area. Arc of Ruin can suffice if you can't squeeze in another power, but a wider option makes your job a lot easier.
  
  Running either Invuln or IDF takes away one of your energy sources (Defiance or Enrage), so picking up an energy unlock wouldn't be a bad idea for those situations. To get more utility out of Backhand Chop, you could add Chi Flame and take Chi Manipulation. Arc of Ruin's Wildfire has some nice synergy with Thermal Reverberation, but you'd need a source of Clinging Flames.
  
  Building an all-in-one tank is bound to leave some helpful powers on the cutting room floor. I tend to shy away from lunges on my characters, though they do have merit in some situations (tanking Grond in TA is a good example, if his pathing starts to bug out). Aggressor is a nice way to stack Enrage quickly, but I wouldn't consider it a must-have. CoPD is also helpful, but I wouldn't consider it necessary either; especially with your STR stat giving you respectable knock resistance.
  
  All together, the edits might look something like this:

  Issei
  v2.4.2-29
  
  Super Stats
  Level 6: Strength (Primary)
  Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
  Level 15: Recovery (Secondary)
  
  Talents
  Level 1: The Rockstar (Str: 10, Con: 10, Rec: 8, End: 10)
  Level 6: Physical Conditioning (Str: 5, Con: 5)
  Level 9: Relentless (Str: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 12: Quick Recovery (Con: 5, Rec: 5)
  Level 15: Paramilitary Training (Str: 3, Con: 3, Rec: 3, End: 3)
  Level 18: Boundless Reserves (Con: 5, End: 5)
  Level 21: Bodybuilder (Str: 5, End: 5)
  
  Powers
  Level 1: Clobber (advantages)
  Level 1: Defiance (advantages)
  Level 6: Enrage (Endorphin Rush)
  Level 8: Unleashed Rage (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 11: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 14: Resurgence (Rank 2)
  Level 17: Arc of Ruin (No Quarter, Wildfire, Challenge!)
  Level 20: Haymaker (Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenge!)
  Level 23: Telekinetic Shield (Rank 2, Rank 3, Telekinetic Reinforcement)
  Level 26: Backhand Chop (Chi Flame)
  Level 29: Masterful Dodge (advantages)
  Level 32: Shockwave (Challenge!)
  Level 35: Invulnerability (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 38: Chi Manipulation
  Adv. Points: 36/36
  
  Travel Powers
  Level 6: Lightspeed (Rank 2, Rank 3)
  Level 35: Flight (advantages)
  
  Specializations
  Strength: Physical Peak (3/3)
  Strength: Aggression (2/2)
  Strength: Brutality (2/2)
  Strength: Juggernaut (3/3)
  Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
  Warden: Ruthless (2/2)
  Warden: Elusive (2/2)
  Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
  Vindicator: Aggressive Stance (2/2)
  Vindicator: Merciless (3/3)
  Vindicator: Focused Strikes (3/3)
  Vindicator: Modified Gear (2/2)
  Mastery: Strength Mastery (1/1)

  
  Thanks for the detailed reply
  
  I think I'll definitely remove the lunge and take shockwave, it can be hard to pull properly with just AoR. I'd assume taking double passives both of the tanking kind would be a waste, so I'd either stick with defiance or trade it out for invuln. With that in mind it wouldn't make sense to take the chi EU with advantage on backhand chop if I'm using defiance, as the energy management is fine without. Generally though I prefer using invulnerability, I've only gone with defiance for the higher overall dmg resistance - is it possible to tank cosmics etc with invuln? Because if that's the case I'd much rather take it instead of defiance and then use the EU w/t advantage.
  
  
  

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  carrionbaggage Posts: 721 Community Moderator

  May 2018 edited May 2018

  Defiance is ideal for mitigating those large Cosmic hits, but Invuln can also work.
  
  If you're worried that your choice of passive isn't ideal, you can try shoring up your defenses using other tools. That could mean stacking a little more CON, choosing your devices to suit the situation, or picking up alternate gear with +resist mods for specific fights (Cold Tolerance is great when tanking Kigatilik, for example). Whether you're satisfied with a build depends on how high you're setting the bar for yourself, but Invuln is indeed viable for Cosmic tanking.
  
  I used to have a dual-passive tank running either Defiance or Invulnerabilty, depending on the content I was playing. I didn't feel like having two passives was a waste, for the broad spectrum of what I wanted the character to do.
  
  If you do drop Defiance, CoPD could be a nice addition to the build, and would help offset the loss of damage resistance a bit.

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