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Tactician GF: Thoughts. (Advice?)
arakk00
Member Posts: 166 Arc User
I'll open this up with a disclaimer- I'm new to the game, and may be overvaluing the 'immovable object' board. However, upon reaching level 60 and using a few respecs, trying ALL of the Guardian Fighter feat trees, I've personally come to appreciate the Tactician tree as the most versatile and effective for tanking.
I am sitting right around 11k GS with full t1 (Valiant Warrior) armor. These are my feats.
My loadout is as follows:
Threatening Rush (LMB, ALWAYS)
-Threatening Rush is my bread and butter. It synergizes with Enhanced Mark reMarkably well, and I find in most cases just the threat-over-time from the passive is enough to keep trash mobs from heal-aggroing onto the cleric. (IS THIS EVEN A THING? Because seriously, it's so easy.)
Tide Of Iron (RMB, ALWAYS)
-See the feat build? My T4 choice adds 10% damage reduction (physical only, but I'll take it) to targets affected by this at-will. Even BEFORE that, it reduces their damage resistance and restores my stamina meter in emergencies. Also indispensable.
Lunging Strike (Q - Replace with Knight's Valor if party is awful at AoE dodging or if there's a lot of it)
-Lunging Strike looks like a single-target dash attack, but it also generates 100% threat in a cone behind it. In addition, my feat build adds an extra 20% threat (120% of first-target damage as threat to ALL mobs hit) and a 100% chance to interrupt. This is a very heavy tanking skill, especially for bosses with short attack ranges and line/cone AoEs (which make 100% aggro uptime way stronger, since they're always gonna face you. You can point their front and said AoEs away from your party AND get advantage!) It is also your highest single-target damage AND a dash. Don't take it lightly when soloing, either!
Frontline Surge (E, ALWAYS)
-I can't decide on my reason for loving the Iron Vanguard paragon (aside from the fact that Swordmaster is kinda ****ty). Is it Threatening Rush, my indispensable tanking at-will? Or is it Frontline Surge, with everything and then some going for it? Let's review. Large AoE, fairly high damage for a GF ability- in an AoE-, crowd control if the mob of adds gets to be a little too much, and a knockback- short ranged, but dangerous around ledges.
Enforced Threat (R, Usually/Always)
-Another staple. I'm not sure how many people realize that this is really truly an enforced taunt- that affected enemies MUST change targets to you, giving (generally the healer) time to escape and giving you time to build more aggro on stray mobs. Large AoE, applies mark- all in all, amazing ability.
Supremacy of Steel or Fighter's Recovery (1, Basically never used)
-With the sheer utility of Villain's Menace combined with the Tactician capstone (immunity to all CC + AP for not holding up your shield), I don't really use this slot unless there's somehow little/no CC to contend with.
Villain's Menace (2, ALWAYS)
-I put this in the second slot out of personal preference, just because the 1 key is even more no-man's-land-y than Q. 2 is right above W, by contrast. As for the ability itself? INTEGRAL. It's almost always up, your capstone feat providing enough AP to bring your dailies up TWICE in the same group of trash mobs, on occasion. This ability is GOD TIER with Martial Mastery- it lets you ignore all CC without your shield, increases your damage output and therefore threat, and does AoE damage in the first place- end result, you take a lot of hits and can stand in red as a free action, generating AP all the while.
Enhanced Mark (Passive, CORE)
-Have any of the Conqueror GFs tried this? Because it's nothing short of essential for me. The aggro-over-time is great for trash magnetism, and assuming the math is ADDITIVE, you generate 425% (2 + (3*0.75=2.25) = 4.25, 425%) threat toward marked targets. Alternatively, if it's multiplicative, the number is 450% (2*2.25 = 4.5, 450%). I don't THINK the math is this weird, either, but it could also be a weird combo... Giving 650% (2 + (2*0.75*3=4.5) = 6.5, 650%) ... But then again, with the Oathbound Paladin's paragon tree aggro recently flatly stated to be 500%, THIS math would make sense as well. Any way you slice the cake, compounded with the fact that AoE abilities (according to the wiki) generate more Threat than they do damage, this passive SOLIDLY doubles your tanking/threat generation ability. At least.
Ferocious Reaction (Passive, ALMOST ALWAYS)
-I personally prefer Ferocious Reaction because it gives the healer leeway- and my poor tank an 'extra life' if/when they screw up, die, or get CC'd. With what I set out to do (take ALL THE DAMAGE. ALL OF IT), this is the optimal second passive.
I'd love to hear feedback and advice from others, some worthwhile arguments FOR Conqueror GFs, and of course tips for improving either my feat build or my gear- I plan to move to the Dread Legion set, currently.
I am sitting right around 11k GS with full t1 (Valiant Warrior) armor. These are my feats.
My loadout is as follows:
Threatening Rush (LMB, ALWAYS)
-Threatening Rush is my bread and butter. It synergizes with Enhanced Mark reMarkably well, and I find in most cases just the threat-over-time from the passive is enough to keep trash mobs from heal-aggroing onto the cleric. (IS THIS EVEN A THING? Because seriously, it's so easy.)
Tide Of Iron (RMB, ALWAYS)
-See the feat build? My T4 choice adds 10% damage reduction (physical only, but I'll take it) to targets affected by this at-will. Even BEFORE that, it reduces their damage resistance and restores my stamina meter in emergencies. Also indispensable.
Lunging Strike (Q - Replace with Knight's Valor if party is awful at AoE dodging or if there's a lot of it)
-Lunging Strike looks like a single-target dash attack, but it also generates 100% threat in a cone behind it. In addition, my feat build adds an extra 20% threat (120% of first-target damage as threat to ALL mobs hit) and a 100% chance to interrupt. This is a very heavy tanking skill, especially for bosses with short attack ranges and line/cone AoEs (which make 100% aggro uptime way stronger, since they're always gonna face you. You can point their front and said AoEs away from your party AND get advantage!) It is also your highest single-target damage AND a dash. Don't take it lightly when soloing, either!
Frontline Surge (E, ALWAYS)
-I can't decide on my reason for loving the Iron Vanguard paragon (aside from the fact that Swordmaster is kinda ****ty). Is it Threatening Rush, my indispensable tanking at-will? Or is it Frontline Surge, with everything and then some going for it? Let's review. Large AoE, fairly high damage for a GF ability- in an AoE-, crowd control if the mob of adds gets to be a little too much, and a knockback- short ranged, but dangerous around ledges.
Enforced Threat (R, Usually/Always)
-Another staple. I'm not sure how many people realize that this is really truly an enforced taunt- that affected enemies MUST change targets to you, giving (generally the healer) time to escape and giving you time to build more aggro on stray mobs. Large AoE, applies mark- all in all, amazing ability.
Supremacy of Steel or Fighter's Recovery (1, Basically never used)
-With the sheer utility of Villain's Menace combined with the Tactician capstone (immunity to all CC + AP for not holding up your shield), I don't really use this slot unless there's somehow little/no CC to contend with.
Villain's Menace (2, ALWAYS)
-I put this in the second slot out of personal preference, just because the 1 key is even more no-man's-land-y than Q. 2 is right above W, by contrast. As for the ability itself? INTEGRAL. It's almost always up, your capstone feat providing enough AP to bring your dailies up TWICE in the same group of trash mobs, on occasion. This ability is GOD TIER with Martial Mastery- it lets you ignore all CC without your shield, increases your damage output and therefore threat, and does AoE damage in the first place- end result, you take a lot of hits and can stand in red as a free action, generating AP all the while.
Enhanced Mark (Passive, CORE)
-Have any of the Conqueror GFs tried this? Because it's nothing short of essential for me. The aggro-over-time is great for trash magnetism, and assuming the math is ADDITIVE, you generate 425% (2 + (3*0.75=2.25) = 4.25, 425%) threat toward marked targets. Alternatively, if it's multiplicative, the number is 450% (2*2.25 = 4.5, 450%). I don't THINK the math is this weird, either, but it could also be a weird combo... Giving 650% (2 + (2*0.75*3=4.5) = 6.5, 650%) ... But then again, with the Oathbound Paladin's paragon tree aggro recently flatly stated to be 500%, THIS math would make sense as well. Any way you slice the cake, compounded with the fact that AoE abilities (according to the wiki) generate more Threat than they do damage, this passive SOLIDLY doubles your tanking/threat generation ability. At least.
Ferocious Reaction (Passive, ALMOST ALWAYS)
-I personally prefer Ferocious Reaction because it gives the healer leeway- and my poor tank an 'extra life' if/when they screw up, die, or get CC'd. With what I set out to do (take ALL THE DAMAGE. ALL OF IT), this is the optimal second passive.
I'd love to hear feedback and advice from others, some worthwhile arguments FOR Conqueror GFs, and of course tips for improving either my feat build or my gear- I plan to move to the Dread Legion set, currently.
A <Friendly Dragon>!
Post edited by arakk00 on
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Comments
This is the Tactician's Build I created for speed running Malabog's Castle. Some of it is out dated due to nerfs to the class that occurred when Dread Ring was released, but aside from the alternation of Frontline and Terrifying Impact, most of it still works. I will update it for Mod 6, just currently testing some things.
Honestly, except for very rare situations, you are better off trading Tide of Iron for Cleave. And using Enhanced Mark for those rare situations where you can't damage much, for instance if you are going to kite the add in the Final Boss of Frozen Heart.
The next chance you have to respect, consider moving the 5 points out of the feat for Tide of Iron and move it into Battle Trample. As the unique class feature for Iron Vanguard, I find it essential in high CW parties. Or move it to Into the Fray. Higher level groups will want and expect you to use that Encounter for the trash mob part of the dungeon.
As for the gear, the BIS for PvE dungeons is still the T1 Knight Captain set. But it is extremely worth while to get the DR PvE weapon set from the end chest of VT, especially if you choose to run Trample the Fallen.
Most of your initial Heroic Feats are better served for PvP than PvE. Shielded Resurgence is for dealing with CWs in PvP and you do not need Potent Challenge unless you are timing Enforced Threat very badly. Slotting those points into Powerful Attack instead will serve better in the long run.
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