Tanker strats/builds?

[Lemac Dushae]

Since tankers seem to be fairly unpopular I went ahead and made one.

I went with Tech origin, Invuln/Energy and have made sure to pick up Taunt and Provoke as soon as they were available. That said, whatelse should I be looking to pick up?

Any experienced meatshields out there?

[Mythas]

With the tanker you want to get all your "always on" through the invuln line. If you only take two offensive powers and go defense you litterally will not get touched. If and when you do it will be for like 12 dmg even at level 30.

Resist Physical
Temp Invuln
Dull pain
Resist elements

There is currently a big debate over slotting out Temp Invuln / Unyielding I prefer temporary, as naturally i do like to move. I think it helps with your targeting if your going to taunt that stray mob thats gonna smish the defenders / blasters.

Resist Energies
Invincibility is another im on the fence about, as temp protects against smashing + lethal, which is what many mobs that melee attack with.

Invuln is a really really good tanking line.

You getting provoke + taunt will make you very favored, use em all the time. Don't worry about damage, you can make a solo tank that doesn't really hold up in groups, or you can make a real tank that can take on purples and ask for harder.

The rest after those invuln skills are up to you. Some go more offense, some go even more defense through power pools.

In your energy melee line, i'd pick up whirling hands as well. An ae attack is usefull to use when provoke is refreshing to keep the agro on ya.

[Gnmish Gearbinder]

I'm Fire/Energy.

From what I can tell, it takes a special person to break from the Invuln/SS or Invuln/Energy pattern but I've heard good things from the ones that have.

So far, I'm quite happy. Blazing Aura wears down the HP of the Minions beating on me so after the first could full strength or so guys drop it usually only takes 1 or 2 hits a piece for everyone else. Right now I'm rushing into crowds or 12 or so in Perez with little concern. If I'm with a group, we rule.

[Meddik]

It may be merely Anecdotal, But at least from a Healer's POV, it seems like I have to do a lot more healing on Fire Tankers than on other types. And I don't mean like 10% higher, I mean like 2-3 times more, almost like having a Scrapper Tanking.

Now, It is very possible that those particular Tankers had focused on Offense, and ignored their defensive line, but I'm really not certain. But From my limited experience, It seems that they aren't the best defensively.

[Gnmish Gearbinder]

Yea, we don't have the defense, but...with Fire/Plasma Shield and Hover on with several Defense Enhancements we can do quite well.

Generally, I can handle healing myself between Healing Flames and Respites. I usually ask that group members hand me their Respites if they can spare em.

At this point, I refuse to play an Invuln/Anything Tanker on basic principle. :lol

[Axterix]

There is currently a big debate over slotting out Temp Invuln / Unyielding I prefer temporary, as naturally i do like to move. I think it helps with your targeting if your going to taunt that stray mob thats gonna smish the defenders / blasters.

Nah, not much of a debate, most people take both.

If you want to be a serious tank, you pretty much want US due to stuns, holds, disorients, knockdowns, and the like. Additionally, it provides active resists against energy, negative energy, fire, and cold, plus smashing and lethal, although those 2 are less than what you get from TI. You can get by with acrobatics from the leaping pool, plus buffs and inspirations, but unless you have a steady group to help you, I wouldn't do it. US is just too useful. A lot of people put it off though. I advise strongly against that. Even against gang members, I use US more and more. The LTs in the teens tend to be elemental damage or have knockdown attacks...stone melee.

If I could respec my character, I'd probably ditch the second energy attack I have and get kick from the fighting pool instead and ditch TI for Tough (toggle resist smash/lethal), which stacks with US (and TI, for that matter). As it is, US has 6 slots for me. Of course, if I was levelling without TI, I'd probably miss it for running across zones and all the times I do have it up.

Enough about US for now:)

You want to be sure to get invincibility at 18. Big time defense from it.

Ideally, you want a travel power by about 20 as well, most people take it sooner, at 14. Most tankers take Super leap. Combat jumping provides additional defense and leaping is fast. Landing in baddies isn't that big of an issue due to our toughness. Personally, I'm going with teleport. Teleport Foe is a great pulling tool. Useful for bringing a minion within punching range while I'm in US too. And teleport lets me hop around in US, meaning I can drop into mezzing/stunning type mobs with little risk. Might be a bit hard for you to fit in, since you took both taunt and provoke early.

My typical strategy is to pull some mobs with provoke, duck around a corner, and hit US. The mobs will round the corner, all bunched up, and I'll provoke. At that point, people can cut loose offensively. On the pull, I have TI up, but I switch to US because I rarely deal with mobs that just do lethal/smash and in large groups, there's almost always some LT or boss in there that stuns, mezzes, knocksdown, or does some other annoying thing that drops active defenses. I also use Teleport Foe. Great range on it and it does not require line of sight. It can be used to get a minion on the outskirts solo for a good thumping, but I typically use it on the boss. Guarenteed fail, aggros 'em all, but I can be pre-set up in my spot already. No getting stunned on the pull, no taking damage on the pull. It can also be used to yank a guy back into provoke range, but can be interrupted and only works reliably on minions, so dont' rely on that.

Overall, I intend to get every primary power, except for maybe the last one. Until/if they let me respec, of course. Then TI goes bye-bye.

But my character is designed to group and tank. I can solo, but it is slow. No, door missions with enough people to insure good mob density.

[Xantium]

I went Stone/Stone so I can't really make any suggestions about your primary or secondary powers, but if I had to do it again, I would seriously take a look at getting stamina and slotting the hell out of it. But then again Stone Melee just may eat more endurance than other melees.

Also I know you've already done it, but provoke and taunt both seems redundant.

[Gnmish Gearbinder]

Oooh! But Provoke is AoE!

pfffft.

Sorry, had to shovel in some of the official board BS. :lol

I do just fine with Taunt. I group with two blasters. We rarely have a healer...and when we do...he's usually a bit bored.

Only time we really 'need' a healer currently is against the Vahzilok Barf-Bag attack.

[Lemac Dushae]

Firstly, thanks for all the feedback. My gut reaction was that Invuln would be the best all around primary.

As for Provoke...

Oooh! But Provoke is AoE!

pfffft.

Sorry, had to shovel in some of the official board BS.

I've seen the little head particles appear on clumps of enemies when I use it. Maybe it's because I'm still low level, but it certainly works for me. Does Provoke not hold up in the later levels?

Could another Invuln/XX tanker post up the build progression they used so I could have a refernece? It seemed only natural to me to pick up Provoke at level 6, when is it more usual to have it?

Thanks again.

[Axterix]

Only time we really 'need' a healer currently is against the Vahzilok Barf-Bag attack.

And you can get rid of it there too once you have resist elements and US nicely enhanced. Fire tankers with fire armor and plasma shield take very little, one area where they outtank anyone else.

Has a lot to do with group size too. Small group, less mobs. And your strategy. If you focus on single targets, taunt rocks. If you have the right CC powers, works awesome too.

But personally, I like provoke because it rocks in small groups and big ones and I like using mass AEs in my groups. Nothing like killing 20-30 mobs at once. Plus the animation for it is about half as long as the taunts.

I've seen the little head particles appear on clumps of enemies when I use it. Maybe it's because I'm still low level, but it certainly works for me. Does Provoke not hold up in the later levels?

Provoke holds up just fine. Provoke is more useful than taunt for most people and it will be what you use the great majority of the time. If you get one of the two, most experienced tankers will recommend provoke. The ones that don't take it won't recommend taunt, they'll just say you can get by fine without provoke. Which is true. Just got to adjust, the same way you do based upon what powers the rest of your group has.

As to when, most tankers put it off a bit. Fire tankers generally make sure they have it before 18 (when they get burn). Many wait until 20+. It is a choice they make because they want other powers instead. If you ask everyone but the tankers though, they'd much rather tankers have taunt and/or provoke by 6 or as soon as possible after that.

[Gnmish Gearbinder]

Yea, what Axterix said.

See, what alot of people fail to realize is that CoH rocks for tanks taunting. If I see someone's health dropping, I click their name and pound Taunt and here comes the mob. I ****ing love their assist function.

As for the Vahzilok, I heard that Poison was currently an undefined damage type and we have nothing to protect against it at the time. Currently, zombies are the only thing that makes me feel a little anxious.

[Axterix]

Could another Invuln/XX tanker post up the build progression they used so I could have a refernece?

Let's see, about what my current build has been/will be so far:
Archetype: Tanker
Primary Powers - Defense : Invulnerability
Secondary Powers - Melee : Energy Melee
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Resist Physical Damage
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Barrage
Slot[03] Level 2 : Energy Punch(T)
Slot[04] Level 4 : Temp Invulnerability
Slot[05] Level 6 : Provoke
Slot[06] Level 8 : Unyielding Stance
Slot[07] Level 10 : Dull Pain(Inv)
Slot[08] Level 12 : Resist Energies
Slot[09] Level 14 : Teleport Foe
Slot[10] Level 16 : Resist Elements
Slot[11] Level 18 : Invincibility
Slot[12] Level 20 : Teleport
Slot[13] Level 22 : Swift
Slot[14] Level 24 : Whirling Hands
Slot[15] Level 26 : Tough Hide
Slot[16] Level 28 : Taunt
Slot[17] Level 30 : Health
Slot[18] Level 32 : Stamina
Slot[19] Level 35 : Stun(T)
Slot[20] Level 38 : Unstoppable

How I'm considering going, if they allow a respec:
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Resist Physical Damage
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Barrage
Slot[03] Level 2 : Dull Pain(Inv)
Slot[04] Level 4 : Taunt
Slot[05] Level 6 : Kick (Fight)
Slot[06] Level 8 : Unyielding Stance
Slot[07] Level 10 : Provoke
Slot[08] Level 12 : Resist Energies
Slot[09] Level 14 : Teleport Foe
Slot[10] Level 16 : Resist Elements
Slot[11] Level 18 : Invincibility
Slot[12] Level 20 : Tough
Slot[13] Level 22 : Teleport
Slot[14] Level 24 : Swift
Slot[15] Level 26 : Tough Hide
Slot[16] Level 28 : Whirling Hands
Slot[17] Level 30 : Stun(T)
Slot[18] Level 32 : Health
Slot[19] Level 35 : Stamina
Slot[20] Level 38 : some attack, Weave, or Unstoppable

Both of these are very defense heavy tankers designed to tank in groups against large number of mobs at once, using US combined with teleport to offset the liability of no movement. Not solo, not do much damage other than mob stuff up after the AEs have done their thing. Stun to aid in beating up bosses/lts. Whirling hands for fun. Kick to open up Tough and because it is a knockdown, something energy doesn't give you access to.

[Axterix]

As for the Vahzilok, I heard that Poison was currently an undefined damage type and we have nothing to protect against it at the time. Currently, zombies are the only thing that makes me feel a little anxious.

People say that, but it isn't the case. It is currently fire damage. At a later time, it'll be changed to poison or acid, but when that happens we'll probably see that resist/defense added to things that are focused on fire.

Even so, vahz hit harder than other mobs, their ranged attacks actually hurt, and Morts hit really hard at ranged. Hardest hitting enemy by quite a bit.

[Axterix]

Oh, the storm defender build reminds me of another useful pulling strategy, one I use from time to time that also involves, you guessed it, the teleportation pool. Really useful for Stone and Invul tankers, but others benefit as well.

If you have someone in your group with recall friend, you can go out, taunt a group of mobs or two, then have your group mate recall you and drop you in the position you want to be. This is useful for pulling mezzing type mobs. Get within taunt range, go Unyielding Stance/Root, taunt, and get recalled. Or just run through the first group of mobs, taunt, run to the second, taunt, and get recalled. Saves a lot of damage.

Recall friend does have a cast time, so you'll actually want to do something like macro that says "recall me" (I use my battle cry...f10 by default), then hit taunt.

[freonsmurf]

/bind h "local Recall me in 10 seconds$$powexec_slot 10"

[El Sorriso]

I also have an Invuln/Energy tanker.

I've seen some good builds, but does anyone have reccomendations for slotting?

What percentage should I put into attacks if any. Which Invulnerability powers should be fully slotted and which not slotted at all?

[rewo]

Just a few comments from an ice armor tanker.

My build:
Archetype: Tanker
Primary Powers - Defense : Ice Armor
Secondary Powers - Melee : Battle Axe
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Hoarfrost
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Gash
Slot[03] Level 2 : Chilling Embrace
Slot[04] Level 4 : Chop
Slot[05] Level 6 : Wet Ice
Slot[06] Level 8 : Provoke
Slot[07] Level 10 : Frozen Armor
Slot[08] Level 12 : Swift
Slot[09] Level 14 : Health
Slot[10] Level 16 : Combat Jumping
Slot[11] Level 18 : Super Jump
Slot[12] Level 20 : Stamina
Slot[13] Level 22 : Glacial Armor
Slot[14] Level 24 : Permafrost
Slot[15] Level 26 : Energy Absorption
Slot[16] Level 28 : Icicles
Slot[17] Level 30 : Swoop
Slot[18] Level 32 : Hibernate
Slot[19] Level 35 : Cleave
Slot[20] Level 38 : Pendulum

As far as tanking ability goes, the ice line focuses on avoidance instead of mitigation. Chilling embrace is a great aura, helps everyone out with a snare/slow effect. I do find myself having extreme difficulty with the Vahz due to the vomit, but most other mobs I can take on with little trouble. If I could respec, it would look more like this.

Archetype: Tanker
Primary Powers - Defense : Ice Armor
Secondary Powers - Melee : Battle Axe
Slot[01] Level 1 (Starting Primary) : Hoarfrost - Intial slot
Slot[02] Level 1 (Starting Secondary) : Gash - Intial slot
Slot[03] Level 2 : Chilling Embrace - Intial slot + 2 slots (lvl 3x2)
Slot[04] Level 4 : Frozen Armor - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 5x2, lvl 9, lvl 11, lvl 13)
Slot[05] Level 6 : Wet Ice - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 7x2, lvl 9, lvl 11, lvl 13)
Slot[06] Level 8 : Provoke - Intial slot + 1 slot (lvl 36)
Slot[07] Level 10 : Combat Jumping - Intial slot
Slot[08] Level 12 : Swift - Intial slot
Slot[09] Level 14 : Health - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 15x2, lvl 17x2, lvl 19)
Slot[10] Level 16 : Super Jump - Intial slot
Slot[11] Level 18 : Glacial Armor - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 19, lvl 25, lvl 27x2, lvl 29)
Slot[12] Level 20 : Stamina - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 21x2, lvl 23x2, lvl 25)
Slot[13] Level 22 : Permafrost - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 36x2, lvl 37x3)
Slot[14] Level 24 : Icicles - Intial slot +1 slot (lvl 40)
Slot[15] Level 26 : Energy Absorption - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 29, lvl 31x3, lvl 33)
Slot[16] Level 28 : Maneuvers - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 39x3, lvl 40x2)
Slot[17] Level 30 : Swoop
Slot[18] Level 32 : Hibernate - Intial slot + 5 slots (lvl 33x2, lvl 34x3)
Slot[19] Level 35 : Cleave
Slot[20] Level 38 : Pendulum

I am only up to lvl 17. Thinking heavily of rerolling. but going to stick it out to see if its viable.