Trying to make a PA tank

bellesorciere · September 2012

So I had this character at launch and every time I've come back I get hung up trying to rebuild her with the changes, and never get very far.

I know this build has problems, but that's mostly because I still do not know what everything does. I am not particularly committed to anything in this build, either. I mainly need advice on improving it and how to rearrange points.

I did sort of start from one of Pulsewave's builds, but that's mostly because I needed a starting point of some sort.

Also, this character is level 40, so leveling considerations are not necessary.

PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name:

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Impulse
Level 6: Daredevil
Level 9: Academics
Level 12: Investigator
Level 15: Wordly
Level 18: Negotiator
Level 21: Amazing Stamina

Powers:
Level 1: Power Bolts
Level 1: Power Gauntlet (Rank 2)
Level 6: Invulnerability (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Mini Gun (Rank 2, U-238 Rounds, Challenging Strikes)
Level 11: Micro Munitions (Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenging Strikes)
Level 14: Chest Beam
Level 17: Energy Shield (Rank 2, Phalanx Defense System)
Level 20: Overdrive
Level 23: Concentration (Rank 2)
Level 26: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 29: Unbreakable (Rank 2)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge (Rank 2)
Level 35: Ego Surge (Rank 2)
Level 38: Lock N Load (Rank 2)

Travel Powers:
Level 6: Jet Pack (Rank 2)
Level 35: Teleportation

Specializations:
Intelligence: Preparation (2/2)
Intelligence: Enlightened (1/3)
Intelligence: Tactician (2/2)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
Intelligence: Expertise (2/2)
Guardian: Locus (2/2)
Guardian: Make It Count (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Protector: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Protector: Bulwark (2/2)
Protector: Debilitating Challenge (2/2)
Protector: Defensive Expertise (3/3)
Mastery: Protector Mastery (1/1)

reddestshirt · September 2012

I have just started working on a power armor tank build on my own, though my success has been somewhat limited.

I can help with some points however:

* Micro Munitions and Chest Beam use the same slot, and you will never be able to use them together.

* Conviction will be on a very short cooldown thanks to Intelligence superstat, but you will be locked out of using it whenever you have toggles running. It may be useful to go for a heal with longer cooldown. Good examples are Bountiful Chi Resurgence and Bionic Shielding.

* Lack of hitpoints. You may wish to consider making Constitution one of your superstats. Ego is not of paramount importance as a tank.

* Crippling Challenge. You probably want it. Put it on Power Gauntlet?

* Challenging strikes on two powers is not useless but you may find that it is unnecessary. You should have plenty of threat with just the one on Mini Gun.

* Energy Shield will only benefit from Rank 2 if you actually block, ranking it up does not improve the Phalanx Defense System. Blocking cancels your toggles so you will likely not do it very often or for long.

My own build looks like this:
http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html?v=5&n=&d=1734bPQahid73M09100930H990bQ8039D089F009H0B7F00DL00EI007Q037P03DK057U002W9Y3BYv0tak
It can take on a 5-man Hard encounter in the Power House, but not very gracefully.

bellesorciere · September 2012

The main thing I like about chest beam is tapping it for the debuff. I do know how the slots work in that regard, and swapping between tapping the chest beam and sustaining micro munitions was how I played before. Of course, that might be redundant with U-238 rounds.

You prefer regeneration to the other defenses?

reddestshirt · September 2012

bellesorciere wrote: »

The main thing I like about chest beam is tapping it for the debuff. I do know how the slots work in that regard, and swapping between tapping the chest beam and sustaining micro munitions was how I played before. Of course, that might be redundant with U-238 rounds.

You prefer regeneration to the other defenses?

Regeneration relies on good gear and defense specializations to make up for the low innate resistance, but I think it might be nice for power armor since our self-healing options are quite limited.

I tanked Gravitar twice with the above linked build today, so it's working out alright. I do have the Heroic chest of avoidance with a dodge mod in it though, I think that's pretty much required with that build.

bellesorciere · September 2012

Cool.

How does this look?

Your use of munition bots and support drones is tempting, as I used to have those on this character. I might still do.

reddestshirt · September 2012

Looks good, though you should probably switch Endurance to Recovery. Overdrive scales scales only with the highest of Intelligence and Endurance. A less obvious factor of Overdrive is that it also scales with recovery. Each point of recovery is worth twice as much as a point of intelligence or endurance.

Ranking up Masterful Dodge is likely not necessary unless you plan to go completely without avoidance gear and perhaps not even then. It already pushes avoidance well into diminishing returns on rank 1.
If you are intent on keeping both actives, it would likely be far better to push unbreakable to rank 3.

bellesorciere · September 2012

I got impatient and am already playing. I may respec to move stuff around later. Plus, I have a lot of +rec gear on at the moment.

bellesorciere · September 2012

Resurrecting. I've been experimenting in the Powerhouse and came up with this:
PowerHouse (Link to this build)

Name:

Archetype: Freeform

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

Talents:
Level 1: The Invincible
Level 6: Boundless Reserves
Level 9: Healthy Mind
Level 12: Investigator
Level 15: Quick Recovery
Level 18: Negotiator
Level 21: Amazing Stamina

Powers:
Level 1: Power Bolts
Level 1: Tactical Missiles (Rank 2, Crippling Challenge)
Level 6: Invulnerability (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Mini Gun (Rank 2, U-238 Rounds, Challenging Strikes)
Level 11: Micro Munitions (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 14: Sonic Device (Deafening Dissolution)
Level 17: Energy Shield (Phalanx Defense System)
Level 20: Overdrive
Level 23: Concentration
Level 26: Bountiful Chi Resurgence (Rank 2, Resurgent Reiki)
Level 29: Implosion Engine (Rank 2)
Level 32: Masterful Dodge
Level 35: Ego Surge
Level 38: Energy Wave (Rank 2, Rank 3)

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

Specializations:
Intelligence: Enlightened (3/3)
Intelligence: Tactician (2/2)
Intelligence: Detect Vulnerability (3/3)
Intelligence: Expertise (2/2)
Guardian: Locus (2/2)
Guardian: Make It Count (3/3)
Guardian: Ruthless (2/2)
Guardian: The Best Defense (3/3)
Protector: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Protector: Bulwark (2/2)
Protector: Debilitating Challenge (2/2)
Protector: Defensive Expertise (3/3)
Mastery: Intelligence Mastery (1/1)

What I've found is that fuel my fire makes up for a certain degree of energy management, and I can fight almost indefinitely, with that combined with concentration and overdrive. The combination of orbital cannon and implosion device is a lot better than I expected, and following up with sonic device + micro munitions + minigun clears out any stragglers.

I haven't tried tanking with it, but clearing the powerhouse of five person hard spawns (Dogz, Sovereign Suns, and New Shadows, as I was in Vibora Bay) is not a problem.

My biggest concern is, I think, actually tanking. My previous build can handle most situations without much difficulty. I am not even sure I need con as a primary superstat vs. recovery, which is much better energy-wise, but loses about 1500 health. I definitely didn't need two active offenses and active defenses. Is 10.1k health reasonable for tanking the tougher fights? I could handle a bugged generic nemesis in NemCon indefinitely and keep myself up without too much difficulty, but that was with int + con/end as my superstats and 11.5k hp.

Anyway, this is the recovery build.

Trying to make a PA tank

Comments