Tank builds - how do you feel about them?

ducket1

So recently I have changed my mind on tank builds especially when doing undaunted pledges.

So with the amount of champion points floating about and the builds that people have its quite easy to complete pledges with 4 players with high damage.

However I have ran a few pledges with a tank and I quite enjoy it, especially boss fights when the tank takes the attention away which leave the other 3 players to melt down what is left.
I think I will have to set up a tank build up now after changing my mind about them, I'm guessing this will be the same for pledges, when having a good tank takes away a lot of the aggro from high level adds.

I was just wondering if there is many people that run tanks ?
As I know myself I have been more interested in just a high dps build. I have a Dragonknight just sitting waiting for attention so will spec that and see how I get on!

UltimaJoe777

Far as I'm concerned tanks are perfectly viable and can do their job well. Only thing they truly lack is an AoE taunt. Beyond that I can say without a doubt based on majority headcount that tanks are not popular due to DPS and healing being so strong in their own regard.

I will always cherish my awesome tank though

Woeler

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

Far as I'm concerned tanks are perfectly viable and can do their job well. Only thing they truly lack is an AoE taunt. Beyond that I can say without a doubt based on majority headcount that tanks are not popular due to DPS and healing being so strong in their own regard.

I will always cherish my awesome tank though

Let's hope (and I'm saying this as a tank), we never ever get an AoE taunt.

Eterminix

^^^

UltimaJoe777

Woeler wrote: »

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

Far as I'm concerned tanks are perfectly viable and can do their job well. Only thing they truly lack is an AoE taunt. Beyond that I can say without a doubt based on majority headcount that tanks are not popular due to DPS and healing being so strong in their own regard.

I will always cherish my awesome tank though

Let's hope (and I'm saying this as a tank), we never ever get an AoE taunt.

Why would you hope that? That's what makes tanks so lesser desirable for fighting large groups of enemies. All we can really do is focus on tanking the boss...

Eterminix

i feel we dont need one, because then you get these dps that plop it on their bar and queue as a tank.... just one problem i see

UltimaJoe777

Eterminix wrote: »

i feel we dont need one, because then you get these dps that plop it on their bar and queue as a tank.... just one problem i see

Well there's always gonna be trolls lol can't change that (sadly) no matter how hard you try...

thisisScoMan

My main is a tank and I enjoy it.

I mean, sometimes when I'm solo'ing and I'm taking forever to kill something (but they're also not killing me) and then some smart ass DPS with high damage just rolls through and kills it no problem and keeps running, I stare after them in envy.

With the sturdy trait now giving reduced block cost though, there's a lot a tank build can do with CP.

UltimaJoe777

thisisScoMan wrote: »

My main is a tank and I enjoy it.

I mean, sometimes when I'm solo'ing and I'm taking forever to kill something (but they're also not killing me) and then some smart ass DPS with high damage just rolls through and kills it no problem and keeps running, I stare after them in envy.

With the sturdy trait now giving reduced block cost though, there's a lot a tank build can do with CP.

Truth is and no one really gives it much thought but kill stealing does exist in this game for reasons like that. Usually the bigger issue is ninjaing something someone is fighting for but lately I've been noticing kill stealing is a bit of an issue too. However, it's still under the radar due to how frivolous it is.

clocksstoppe

Tank is boring as hell just taunt everything in sight and occasional interrupt. And in pvp* you are useless as tank because you do no damage so your influence is 0. Haven't found a tank build that feels like you are more than just a meatsack that the healer has to constantly heal.


They should redesign tank so that it's less about soaking damage and more about reflecting damage.

UltimaJoe777

clocksstoppe wrote: »

Tank is boring as hell just taunt everything in sight and occasional interrupt. And in pvp* you are useless as tank because you do no damage so your influence is 0. Haven't found a tank build that feels like you are more than just a meatsack that the healer has to constantly heal.


They should redesign tank so that it's less about soaking damage and more about reflecting damage.

My tank can actually heal itself and sustain damage. Also tanks in PvP are those guys that dive in, divert attention from zergs to them, then their allies flank you from behind while you're trying to kill them.

phaneub17_ESO

I have a templar, dragon knight, and nightblade; all tanks, all magicka.

Brutusmax1mus

Fury set needs to have a place in pve

Tourist_McGee

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

thisisScoMan wrote: »

My main is a tank and I enjoy it.

I mean, sometimes when I'm solo'ing and I'm taking forever to kill something (but they're also not killing me) and then some smart ass DPS with high damage just rolls through and kills it no problem and keeps running, I stare after them in envy.

With the sturdy trait now giving reduced block cost though, there's a lot a tank build can do with CP.

Truth is and no one really gives it much thought but kill stealing does exist in this game for reasons like that. Usually the bigger issue is ninjaing something someone is fighting for but lately I've been noticing kill stealing is a bit of an issue too. However, it's still under the radar due to how frivolous it is.

I'm always jumping in to help others (even when they don't need it). Sometimes i get loot even when i come late to the fight. I just assumed that this had a GW2 loot setup, didn't know i was stealing someone else's kill. I feel bad now.

OT: I have a lvl 17 Templar that i want to tank with, but i probably screwed my point spread because i'm new here and not sure how important mana is for tanking. Needless to say, i've not yet been brave enough to queue for anything. So far, ESO is a single player game for me (which i'm mostly fine with).

UltimaJoe777

astorschysm_ESO wrote: »

UltimaJoe777 wrote: »

thisisScoMan wrote: »

My main is a tank and I enjoy it.

I mean, sometimes when I'm solo'ing and I'm taking forever to kill something (but they're also not killing me) and then some smart ass DPS with high damage just rolls through and kills it no problem and keeps running, I stare after them in envy.

With the sturdy trait now giving reduced block cost though, there's a lot a tank build can do with CP.

Truth is and no one really gives it much thought but kill stealing does exist in this game for reasons like that. Usually the bigger issue is ninjaing something someone is fighting for but lately I've been noticing kill stealing is a bit of an issue too. However, it's still under the radar due to how frivolous it is.

I'm always jumping in to help others (even when they don't need it). Sometimes i get loot even when i come late to the fight. I just assumed that this had a GW2 loot setup, didn't know i was stealing someone else's kill. I feel bad now.

OT: I have a lvl 17 Templar that i want to tank with, but i probably screwed my point spread because i'm new here and not sure how important mana is for tanking. Needless to say, i've not yet been brave enough to queue for anything. So far, ESO is a single player game for me (which i'm mostly fine with).

Well it depends on how much damage you inflict. If the player is fighting a mob with say 32k health and deals about 2k damage before someone flies in and 1-shots it with burst damage that technically qualifies as a steal. Anything else can at best lower xp gain, which isn't really all that big to begin with.

MasterSpatula

Well, I just recently repsecced a DK back into tanking. (He was a tank a year or so ago, but I specced him out of it to level alternate skills and never got around to speccing him back into it.)

When I used to run him as a tank, I had split stats between health and stamina, and I seem to remember doing okay. But I took advice I read on these very forums to heart this time, and put all his enchantments into healths and just a few attribute points into stamina, with the vast majority into health.

I discovered I can block about three hits before running out of stamina.

I suited him up in all CP140 gear because I didn't have the mats for CP160 yet. I put a metric crapton of CP into Block Cost reduction. And still, I'm running out of stamina. All my attacks are basically light and heavy attacks, because basically all abilities cost too much to use. I'm obviously doing something wrong, but I feel fairly certain it's not all me.

Ep1kMalware

I've gor a lockdown tankbuild. dk standard, magma shell, chains/talons running tavas favor/eternal yokeda with max health regen I can scrounge up.

also carve, shuffle.

dat ulti regen.

I can outright ignore all eso's wet noodle mecha ics

Ep1kMalware

I dont worey about block cost at all, I put some points into reducrion but I block cancel heavies with a stam leaching enchant and infused weapon.

always full stam.

KingMagaw

In my opinion, tanks are only needed now in vSO and vMOL. Everything else can be done quite easily with self healing DD's, worst case throw in a dedicated templar healer.

PvP tanks are useless.

Gold dungeons run with 4 dd's almost always, silver dungeons only need 2 dd's max, more dd's is just faster.

Personofsecrets

Some people hoped to keep the over taunt system as it used to be. Tanking is now much better without it.

Nefas

KingMagaw wrote: »

In my opinion, tanks are only needed now in vSO and vMOL. Everything else can be done quite easily with self healing DD's, worst case throw in a dedicated templar healer.

PvP tanks are useless.

Gold dungeons run with 4 dd's almost always, silver dungeons only need 2 dd's max, more dd's is just faster.

^ This.

Minute_Waltz

So tanks are no longer needed in AA/Hel Ra? And nMol and even nSO? I can imagine it being quite messy even if you have a group of 10 stam DKs pulling 50k dps (which you can't btw because boss won't sit still for your ground dots AND you won't have your full horn rotation)

Ep1kMalware

Minute_Waltz wrote: »

So tanks are no longer needed in AA/Hel Ra? And nMol and even nSO? I can imagine it being quite messy even if you have a group of 10 stam DKs pulling 50k dps (which you can't btw because boss won't sit still for your ground dots AND you won't have your full horn rotation)

this. exactly I'd rather tank and dps. no need for healer though for dungeons. dont mind buff healers for trials. nso unless you're in boss conals you don't take any d,dmg as a dps, so a couple people running vigor keeps the group up. I can recover 20k hps, so alot of the times I put stalwart guard on my bar and tag the tank with it.

KingYogi415

Top Secret:

SapTank>>>

Cheers!

snakester320

okay so i have a qustion.. .......... ive come back after a break ( WELL KINDA PISSED AS A DPS WAITING FOR HOURS TO GET QUEUES) im only lvl 25 is there any reason for me to queue as just a dps ??? .............. should i queue for both dps and tank roles as a lowbie??? ............ as i did notice lowbie tanks ( as i started one to get runs) have little to no aoe aggro abilitys!!!

GreenhaloX

Bless those that decide to take on the tank role. It is definitely easier to do the group dungeons with someone is tanking and being able to absorb all those hits from the big boss. I'm in the 400s CP now and also finally able to break my health meter into the 30K, but I'm still taking a lot of damages, although lesser than in the 300s CP range. Good thing I have increased CPs to my bastion which seems to make my protective barrier a bit stronger and still looking to add CPs to my physical resistance.

So, I just recently understood what the tank is and what role it plays. No way I can be a tank at this current stats. My question is what does the build of tank involve? What the stats of tank have to be? How high does a tank health meter have to be to be able to effectively use it in those group dungeons. When you have attacks in the 5K and upwards constantly hitting you, a tank must have some very high health and damage absorbing affects. A tank must also have very high CPs added to the physical, elemental and poison absorbing slots, I wonder..

Milvan

I'm leveling a DK tank and I need to say its quite fun. I like how they mixed the roles of control, tank and buff debuff on the same character.
The only problem right now is the broken fiery grip. The target is too low/high is quite annoying.

Lysette

thisisScoMan wrote: »

My main is a tank and I enjoy it.

I mean, sometimes when I'm solo'ing and I'm taking forever to kill something (but they're also not killing me) and then some smart ass DPS with high damage just rolls through and kills it no problem and keeps running, I stare after them in envy.

With the sturdy trait now giving reduced block cost though, there's a lot a tank build can do with CP.

Don't envy a dps - they are glass cannons - if no one protects them, they are gone - your tank will always stand his ground on the other side.

Brrrofski

Brrrofski wrote: »

I used to run a tank on my Dk way back when.

I'm now running a sap tank and honestly, tanking is my favourite thing to do in the game currently.

Resistance isn't everything. I haven't tried trial tanking with my sap tank, but I've done every vet dungeon with no healer with 26k spell and 25k physical resistance... buffed. I play with 27k health and 18k stam. As long as you can sustain enough aggro, block and outheal incoming damage, you don't need crazy resistances.

Trials may be different. I'm comfortable with my sap tank now, so trials will be next. But while I'm sapping to outsell incoming damage, the dodge tank is sacrificing a bit of resistance for ult gain. So you do take a bit more damage, but your constantly getting resources back while also boosting the groups dps with warhorn meaning enemies die quicker.

Tanking is fun again though. Anyone who has a DK/templar tank should try a sap tank too. A lot of fun. Controlling the fight and non stop DPSing. Don't have anyway to measure on xbox, but when I run pugs with it, I know I'm out DPSing some DDs. Also the self healing (and group healing which shouldn't be overlooked) and self sustain means I can go with 3 dps and just nuke things.

Posted that in another thread earlier.

While tanks aren't always needed like you said OP, with the exception of Darkshade caverns probably, having one does make it easier. People don't have to worry about blocking and kiting.

frethopper

Thinking about PVP in particular for a minute; the issue is that defensive abilities are truly secondary to DPS. As a tank, or any kind of defensively centric build, my chance to win a fight against a high damage PC is dependant upon my ability to stay in the fight long enough for my lower damage to stack up. But DPS chars can inflict damage so fast and so easily that this strategy is always rendered next to useless anyway. So with a defensive build in PVP, your best chance to contribute is to try to act as an 'attention getter', and that's pretty darn dull IMHO.

I think PVP would be a much nicer experience overall if we could see more defensive builds, but DPS is always king. I don't know what the answer is, but there may not be an easy answer due to the fundamental design of the ESO class system. However if I were ZOS, I would be tempted to check out the effect of scaling defensive abilities off health or armour.

shepardTHEweak

i been crying for a aoe taunt for a long time now... maybe i will win the lotto first