Simple, Single-Bar DK (Stam) Tanking Build?

Rainwhisper

I realize that there are a lot of ways to play different classes in various roles, so I am not surprised that there are a number of conflicting guides out there regarding Dragonknight tanking.

What does surprise me is that none of them seem to be written with clarity. Most of them use a number of abbreviations, and make assumptions that players know a lot about various set bonuses and game mechanics (many of which, again, are often abbreviated). Beyond that, they seem to assume that the player is willing to frantically button mash and bar switch to min/max their viability. In addition, they're often just terribly written.

Can anyone provide a simple, clearly-stated example of a Stamina Dragonknight tanking build? Ideally, I really just want to know which DK and 1H+Shield skills to put on the primary bar, and how they're generally used in rotation. If most folks use the second bar for buffs, I'd like to know what those skills are too. I am not looking to be a min/maxed, perfect tank. I would just like to be able to step in and tank for my group of friends who enjoy running group content, but aren't obsessed with have the highest possible damage or beating the toughest dungeons on the hardest settings.

Also, constantly swapping between bars drives me nuts. I am very much not 1337.

Basically, I need someone who can say:

- Use this skill for single-target threat generation:
- Use this skill for multi-target threat generation:
- Use this skill/these skills for damage mitigation:
- Use this skill for self healing: Green Dragon Blood (I assume)
- These buffs are useful before the fight starts:
- Use this skill for damage on a boss:
- Use this skill for AoE damage, if you have the chance:
- Put your champion points here:

I am a Redguard, stamina DK with every weapon and armor line at 50, and every class, weapon, and armor skill raised to at least the point where it can be morphed. I also have Mage's and Fighter's Guild at 10.

AverageJo3Gam3r

If all you want to do is tank:

Front bar: ransack, heroic slash, igneous shield, defensive stance, resolving vigor, aggressive warhorn

Back bar: unrelenting grip, shuffle, caltrops, volatile armor, choking talons, magma armor

Armor sets: 3pc blessings of potentate (sword, shield, necklace), 2pc endurance (rings), 2pc bloodspawn (helm, shoulders), 5pc tavas favor (chest, gloves, pants, belt, boots)

Infused on helm, chest, pants. Reinforced shield, sturdy on all other pieces.

Crushing enchant on weapon.

Jewlery enchants are your choice. Could be block cost reduction, stam cost reduction, etc.

Tower mundus

Use enchants & attributes to get health to at least 25k with tri stat food, then dump rest into stamina.

For CPs:
Green tree: 75 points stamina cost reduction, 75 points sturdy, rest into tumbling

Blue tree: honestly doesn't really matter. Some into blessed, then rest into mighty

Red tree: some into quick recovery, then rest into hardy, thick skin, elemental defender

For rotations:

Boss fights: hold block while rotating through ransack and heroic slash, while casting igneous shield and doing a heavy attack to gain resources. Keep shuffle and volatile armor up. Use warhorn as soon as it's up. Use chains to pull mobs off your teammates and taunt them. Caltrops and talons can also slow mobs down too. Vigor can keep you topped off so healer can DPS. Point boss away from your teammates so they don't get hit by AoEs. Magma armor on your back bar is your oh crap if your healer goes down. Taunt boss, cast vigor, pop it and rez the healer.

For trash mobs: use caltrops to draw initial aggro. Taunt two handed mobs, archers, and casters. Use chains to pull archers and casters into a big pill to be AoE'd down. Once the DPS drops their AoE, use talons to keep all mobs in the AoE.

This is a "starter" tank build. Eventually you'll learn your own style. I've evolved into a more offensive tank with bow on my back bar and four DoTs that I maintain. But the above build will help you do the basic job of tanking while you figure out your own style.

Enjoy!

Rainwhisper

Thank you. That's extremely helpful.

I don't recognize several of the skills you mention: Resolving Vigor, Caltrops and Aggressive Horn. I looked them up, and they're on the "Assault" line, which I think is PvP. I do ZERO PvP. In fact, I don't even have the skill tree.

Do you have any substitutions for someone who doesn't have that skill tree?

AverageJo3Gam3r

If you want to be an end game tank, you'll need to do a little PvP to get them. It doesn't take too long, they just lowered the requirements.

Until then, dragons blood can take the place of vigor and endless hail or eruption can take the place of caltrops. But warhorn is huge--it increases your group DPS by a ton. In fact, that's the whole point of the build--to get ultimate quickly so you can get as many warhorns as possible. It's that good. I highly recommend getting it.

To get it, go into PvP (join a campaign in the menu). Pick a campaign that has a good mix of your faction and other players. On XB NA that's scourge and haderous. Not sure about other servers.

You level the assualt skill line by gaining alliance points (AP). AP is most quickly gained by killing other players.

When you first enter PvP, there's a training quest that will show you how to use transit shrines (like wayshrines but for PvP only) and siege. Siege engines are a good way to get AP. Go to the siege merchant and buy some balistas and trebuchets. Now look at your map and look for castles with a little star around them or for crossed swords. That's were battles are taking place. Use the transit shrine to go to the closest castle, then ride your horse to the battle.

For your first couple of times in PvP, I recommend using a bow and 2H weapon. Stay back behind your other alliance members and use your bow to pick people off at range. Heavy attacks, poison injection, and snipe/focused aim are really good. Use reflective scales and moltan armaments for the heavy attack buff and you have the beginnings of a good archer.

It shouldn't take you more than a few days or maybe a week or two, depending on how much you play. And, you might find you like it! That's what happened to me...went into PvP for vigor, then fell in love with it.

Rainwhisper

Thanks very much for the suggestions and for the guidance about how to PvP, but I despise PvP in all its forms and never participate in it in any MMO I play.

Perhaps I will just never be fully viable as an end-game tank, but Standard of Might is the closest I'm going to get to Warhorn.

Are there really no end-game PvE tanks who don't have PvP skills?

OldGamerESO

Yeah its weird about the PvP stuff. Consider this.. not only tanks, but pretty much all the stam classes need vigor and caltrops. Vigor is the basically mandatory on a full (all attributes in stam) character. So yeah, it sucks if you hate PvP (like I do) but its not too bad to get these skills. The quests alone get you quite a bite of movement on those skill lines and if you die a bunch of times its not so bad. Its not like Eve where PvP farms your tears. They kill you and move on.. no gloating. There is also a PvP skill which lets you sprint your horse or run for long distances, much longer than regular horse sprint and you don't have to hold the shift key down. When you upgrade that skill it will make you immune from effects that would have a NPC knock you off the horse... very useful in PvE when you are skyshard farming.

@AverageJo3Gam3r : great write up on how to get the skills! Thanks!

AverageJo3Gam3r

@OldGamerESO thanks!

@Rainwhisper if you're truly set against PvP, I recommend doing something like 5pc footmans (jewlery+2 body pieces), 2pc bloodspawn (head+shoulders), and 5 hist bark (sword, shield, 3 body pieces). You won't need shuffle in this case since it doesn't stack with hist bark. Then use standard of might.

But I still highly recommend trying PvP out. If you're on XB NA, you can tag along with me for a few nights and leech AP until you get it

Rainwhisper

From a game design standpoint, that makes no sense to me. Why would they make PvP mandatory?

I'll just have to try to do the things I want to do, and see if my builds are viable. If I can't do them without PvPing, I have plenty of other games that can hold my interest.

I tossed Unrelenting Grip onto my secondary bar. Will I likely need the mobility of Shielded Assault/Invasion?

@AverageJo3Gam3r - I agree with @OldGamerESO , that's a fantastic write up, and I really appreciate you taking the time to make everything so clear. I wish everyone on the forums wrote with such clarity. I also appreciate the offer for leeching (something I'm never ashamed to do), but I'm on PC-NA.

AverageJo3Gam3r

I've never used a gap closer. I've found that unrelenting grip and inner fire gives me all the mobility I need. Doesn't hurt of have it unlocked in case you need it.