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Some Questions About Tanking

Ghostwolf2020
Ghostwolf2020
Soul Shriven
I've been playing ESO for just over a year now and only recently started moving into harder content like Vet dungeons and such. Tanking is what I do, I'm good enough to tank most Vet dungeons and what not but even so, there are still some things I'm not sure about, despite playing a tank for the majority of my time in ESO. So, first of all, I'm a magicka based Templar tank and I've seen several builds on the internet for them. Most of them suggest running a one hand and shield on both bars, but I've been running a resto staff to help get my magicka back. Is that something I should change or is it fine? Next question is about gear. I'm currently running Whitestrake's Retribution while I farm for Imperium, along with Ebon jewelry, mace, resto staff, and boots right now until I complete me Imperium set. Now, I've got two questions here: A) Some people in the forums were saying that Imperium sucks for trials and the like, which I hope to do in the future. So, if not Imperium, what should I wear instead? And B) I know that with the build I have currently, I would lose the 5 bonus for Ebon whenever I switch to my resto staff and I want to know if that would really be a big deal. Also I've noticed people talking about the Ebon set bugging out when you weapon swap, even if you have all 5 pieces with the weapons.

Sorry if I sound like a noob, until recently I haven't really taken ESO seriously, I've just been crafting, questing, and running normal dungeons.
  • Ghostwolf2020
    Ghostwolf2020
    Soul Shriven
    I don't know what caused that emoji, it was not intentional.
  • TheDurken
    TheDurken
    So, first of all, I'm a magicka based Templar tank and I've seen several builds on the internet for them. Most of them suggest running a one hand and shield on both bars, but I've been running a resto staff to help get my magicka back. Is that something I should change or is it fine?
    I'm only level 30, but I'm a magDK tank myself. I would recommend trying a Frost Staff as its heavy attack both taunts and provides you a small damage shield, which is much more utility than what you get out of the Resto Staff. :smile:
    I don't know what caused that emoji, it was not intentional.
    B ) without the space makes sunglasses emoji. When I do A-B lists I put a . to avoid the problem: A.) B.) instead of A) B).
    Edited by TheDurken on May 31, 2017 5:38PM
    Dunmer MagDK Tank [Main]
    Orc StamSorc PvP [Because of course]
    Crap ton of other alts [Almost all < lvl 10]
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    The Ebon set doesn't bug out during weapon swap anymore, but if you don't have full 5 Ebon on your other bar it will be detrimental to the group potentially. Poor timing on a bar swap could result in deaths for your group, although it would be unfair to act like it will always be a problem. Generally speaking, though, it's not advisable to break the set, especially when learning content.

    Imperium isn't that bad, it's actually got more of a place now with Morrowind release than in previous updates, but its usefulness varies with each trial. You can compare the damage shields from Imperium to a high-health DK spamming shields. A DK in this situation would be giving comparable shields to imperium (more less depending on how much health they have), but they are on-demand and as often as you can sustain. Imperium is left to chance, but costs no resources as a proc set.

    You don't have to run a resto on your back bar. If you set up your resources so that stamina is slightly higher on one bar, and magicka is slightly higher on the other, then you have the option of which resource you will get back with orbs and shards simply by bar-swapping. Putting a Mage Guild ability on the back bar can boost your magicka just enough to make it larger than your stam pool, if done correctly (since MG passives increase max magicka for each MG ability slotted). (edited for clarity)

    Furthermore, one good way to help you sustain is to use Equilibrium, which is a Mage Guild ability. The amount of magicka you get back scales with your health, and the health cost can be reduced by MG passives as well. Higher health means more magicka, but it also means that casting the skill for resources is less risky, as you have a larger health pool to work with. One morph also gives Major Ward and Resolve, the other reduces the cost of your next magicka ability after casting it.
    Edited by Autolycus on May 31, 2017 9:13PM
  • Ghostwolf2020
    Ghostwolf2020
    Soul Shriven
    Autolycus wrote: »
    The Ebon set doesn't bug out during weapon swap anymore, but if you don't have full 5 Ebon on your other bar it will be detrimental to the group potentially. Poor timing on a bar swap could result in deaths for your group, although it would be unfair to act like it will always be a problem. Generally speaking, though, it's not advisable to break the set, especially when learning content.

    So then should I ditch the monster set and just run Ebon and Imperium?
    i could still wear one monster piece for a little bonus.
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    Autolycus wrote: »
    The Ebon set doesn't bug out during weapon swap anymore, but if you don't have full 5 Ebon on your other bar it will be detrimental to the group potentially. Poor timing on a bar swap could result in deaths for your group, although it would be unfair to act like it will always be a problem. Generally speaking, though, it's not advisable to break the set, especially when learning content.

    So then should I ditch the monster set and just run Ebon and Imperium?
    i could still wear one monster piece for a little bonus.

    I always like to run two 5set bonuses and a monster set. There aren't very many "good" tanking monster sets, though that will depend on what kind of build you want to do. I use 1pc Chokethorn and 1pc Shadowrend, both of which give magicka recovery.

    So if you wanted to, you could do both of the 1pc monster sets + Ebon + Imperium. But really you can do whichever sets suit you most. Some groups may expect you (or ask you) to do certain things so that you synergize better with the group, so that you fit better into the group makeup. This is quite common, and one should not be offended simply because specific sets are desired for endgame content; more competitive groups will ask more and be less lenient, but other more casual groups might not care what you run at all. I suggest that you do what works best in the particular group with which you run, as a cohesive group performs better.

    Some other good options you may want to explore might be Hist Bark, Tava's Favor, Torug's Pact (to boost the Crusher enchantment on your weapon, strongly recommended even without Torug's), Plague Doctor (for max health builds), and Akaviri Dragonguard. There are a few other options, but these are the most popular currently. Alkosh is another one, however it is difficult to obtain and not the most desirable currently, though again that will depend on the group. In any case, having access to the 5set bonus is important, and I always recommend 1H&S on both bars. There are also some interesting setups involving a frost staff, but again there is a tradeoff to using a 2H weapon on the back bar that may or may not suit your group.
  • SydneyGrey
    SydneyGrey
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    So do tanks put all their points into health, or does that just mean they can't ever kill anything and won't be viable for solo?
  • Jciampi
    Jciampi
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    You can put all points into health if you're going to be a shield tank, as shields are based off max health. I run all my points into stamina. Use plague doctors to get the health boost. Then i can block and taunt longer. If you can make all your jewelry be reduced block cost. As if you do it to all three pieces and have the one hand one shield passives, blocking costs less than 500 stam
  • MrsPink
    MrsPink
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    My dktank has all points into stamina. Buffed my health is still over 30k. I run 5 pcs Tavas Favor, 5 pcs Ebon and Blood Spawn. The ultimate regen is amazing.

    Health is important, but stamina is needed for breaking free, blocking, dodging, and just beeing able to run.
    GM of Dark Royalty
    PS4 EU
    Karma's just sharpening her nails and finishing her drink. She says she'll be with you shortly.
  • paulsimonps
    paulsimonps
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    MrsPink wrote: »
    My dktank has all points into stamina. Buffed my health is still over 30k. I run 5 pcs Tavas Favor, 5 pcs Ebon and Blood Spawn. The ultimate regen is amazing.

    Health is important, but stamina is needed for breaking free, blocking, dodging, and just beeing able to run.

    I would go dragon instead of tavas in the new trial btw, the bosses hits to slow for Tavas to be effexctive. Especially the general and engine guardian 2.0, where the later doesnt even hit you directly at all and its just the mobs.

    Just a small recommendation. In any fight where the bosses hit slowly tavas underperforms compared to Dragon in my opinon. But bosses that hit fast has the opposite effect of course, like the twins in maw for example.
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