Tank build without sword/shield?

sho_nuff

My wife and I each main a DPS, and we can duo most vet content... even HM. I've tanked on alts, too. However, if I use my main, we might have to wait hours in group finder, so she's willing to roll up a tank alt. However, she's ethically opposed to sword/shield.

Are there any viable builds for tanking dungeons that are either dual wield or staff based? She's not interested in maining a tank or trying for trials.

Integral1900

I’ve tanked every pve content in the game two handed and next patch it’s just going to get better, if your looking for builds there are some good ones on a YouTube channel called Sherman’s gaming, the Templar stamina one is a beast. I borrowed bits of it for my dps tank dk. He also did a good magic ice tank for the warden, i used it to solo the World bosses a treat

Is it harder than sword and sheild... depends on the player, and in vet trials you will probably need to go this route simply because that community is a sealed system. You have to run what they tell you. I got bored and left. Two handed is also way more fun plus you get to use it elsewhere. I used to have a traditional tank with massive regen, sixty thousand health, maxed resistances, spewed buffs like a garden hose ... it was all but invulnerable.... and outside of group content is was as much fun as watching paint dry. I swear I could put a brick on the keyboard and go make a sandwich waiting for that stupid thing to kill a troll

In normal... I only do it to get the crystals... I use solo builds mostly, tank/healer/dps combo that walks in there like a god, useful when you are in normal pug groups whose tanks don’t have taunts, healers don’t heal and dps just spam light attacks. A meta dps in a normal dungeon dies quite regularly because they expect the healer to heal, I learned that the hard way. Now I’m totally self sustaining, the rest of the group can either help me or hang on for the ride.

In vet I have a back bar sword and sheild but it’s just a buff bar and I only have it to shut down the insecent whining, my advice is find like minded souls and do it your way. Personally I hate sword and sheild, I feel much safer with a two handed approach

VaranisArano

Ice staff can make for a viable tank build. The Trifocus passive gives the Ice staff heavy attack a taunt and makes blocking with the ice staff cost magicka.

Otherwise, you'll probably be looking at using the Inner Fire taunt from Undaunted. I tank on a sorc DPS with Inner Fire and wards, but I only do normal dungeons with that character, so I can't speak to Vet dungeon tank builds.

sho_nuff

That's what she does when we queue for normal ransoms -- she's a magsorc, too. We just don't have confidence that her DPS build can tank all vet content like that-- especially with PUGs.

Sheezabeast

Maybe sit down with your wife and show her the passives under Sword and Shield, and show her how the passives boost the amount of damage she can block, and how that is key to tanking. If she still refuses, try frost staff tanking. Its kind of a flash in the pan half baked attempt at tanking and not many use it or make it work, but she may be the ice staff whisperer and she could try.

sho_nuff

I did lol. She just really hates the aesthetic. I've read here how a lightning staff is actually better than an ice staff, which is why I was hoping that I could find a build that somebody had designed that could work.

Sheezabeast

sho_nuff wrote: »

I did lol. She just really hates the aesthetic. I've read here how a lightning staff is actually better than an ice staff, which is why I was hoping that I could find a build that somebody had designed that could work.

By aesthetic is it an issue with how large/small the shield is? Because you two could go to ESO Fashion website and pick out the style of shield that she finds more aesthetic. She could learn the motif and be able to use the outfit station to use that style. Some of the larger shields, like Mercenary or Pact, make tanking feel more fulfilling, compared to, say, the small hubcap of a shield that is the Nord style.

jypcy

Not necessarily a great solution, but iirc if you have a 1h in your main hand and your off hand empty, it’ll count as wielding sword and shield without actually using a shield. They might have changed this since last I checked, but that could give her access to the super useful abilities that Sheezabeast mentioned. I’m assuming wielding a shield is what’s ethically unagreeable to her if she’s open to a dual wielding build, so it’d solve that issue at least.

madchuska83

If I slot power surge, boundless storm, hardened ward, and inner rage(taunt) my MagSorc can tank any non-DLC vet dungeon while still in dps gear.

PlagueSD

Here's my magblade tank build (sap tank). She's very durable and uses lightning staff along with LIvewire set from CWC. Keeps the mobs "off balance" allowing you to do 20% more damage via the "exploiter" passive in the mage CP tree. For tanking, just replace elemental ring with Inner fire.

The synergy between Livewire and lighning staff means everything around you will constantly be "off balance" and Bahraha's will help with heals and take less damage from AOE's.

Build:



In action: (World Boss)
https://youtu.be/E62t_RS2KI4

Lynx7386

Lightning staff is in no way, shape, or form a viable tanking weapon.

Your only real option if she won't use sword and board is to go with a frost staff- however, frost staff does not match up 1:1 with shield for tanking efficiency- it lacks major fracture, it has a long cast time on the taunt, you'll be forced to use inner fire as a taunt instead, and you'll want to invest in stamina skills so you can save magicka for blocking (i.e. you need to get caltrops and vigor).

What class is she planning to use? Warden would synergize best with ice staff tanking

Tucker3711

I have tanked before with duo knives... I survived! The main goal of tanking is to stay alive and attract the bosses attention. If you survive all the hits you get from a boss, you can tank! It is always good for any type of tank to have a way of blocking and/or healing though. While it is efficient to use a shield, I know from experience it is possible under certain circumstances to go without!

BejaProphet

You are going to get people claiming to successfully tank in everything and in nothing, butt naked. There is a sense in which it is true that you can tank in anything. If all you mean by tanking is can I taunt one boss and survive (with no specification on how strong of content you are running). But what if your plan is a sorc who taunts the boss with inner fire and you teleport yourself like crazy all over the room so it can't catch you and your entire group is a freak show of trying to catch the mobs as they try to catch you, and you can't control any of the small adds in the room? Is that tanking?

So the question is going to be what exactly are you hoping to do? Is she going to jump into vet HM with no shield and no frost staff and tank anything in a way such that people will actually WANT to group with her? No.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

Can you tank vet dungeons without a S/B? For the most part, yes. I think some of the DLC dungeons require the tank to eat a lot of damage, so you might struggle with a few.

The bigger problem you have is that you want to use this for groupfinder. I am generally not one to vote kick on sight, but if there is something that would make me consider it, it would be a pug tank with no shield (admittedly, I would let them at least take on the first boss). There is a measurable percent of the playerbase that will absolutely kick a tank on sight that doesnt have a shield on at least one bar. I suppose if you are with her, the vote wont go through, but it's something to think about.

I dont care what anyone says, a frost tank is not as effective as a tank with a shield.

PlagueSD

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

I dont care what anyone says, a frost tank is not as effective as a tank with a shield.

Depends on the fight. Tanking Lord Warden fight with a frost staff is STUPID easy. Any boss that does a lot of teleporting around would be a candidate for frost tanking.

Shezzarrine

Lynx7386 wrote: »

Lightning staff is in no way, shape, or form a viable tanking weapon.

Your only real option if she won't use sword and board is to go with a frost staff- however, frost staff does not match up 1:1 with shield for tanking efficiency- it lacks major fracture, it has a long cast time on the taunt, you'll be forced to use inner fire as a taunt instead, and you'll want to invest in stamina skills so you can save magicka for blocking (i.e. you need to get caltrops and vigor).

What class is she planning to use? Warden would synergize best with ice staff tanking

That is quite wrong, a lightning staff is accually meta for super end game trials tanks. It helps with off balance, but that's basically it. You don't block on it or anything just apply wall of elements

Lynx7386

Shezzarrine wrote: »

Lynx7386 wrote: »

Lightning staff is in no way, shape, or form a viable tanking weapon.

Your only real option if she won't use sword and board is to go with a frost staff- however, frost staff does not match up 1:1 with shield for tanking efficiency- it lacks major fracture, it has a long cast time on the taunt, you'll be forced to use inner fire as a taunt instead, and you'll want to invest in stamina skills so you can save magicka for blocking (i.e. you need to get caltrops and vigor).

What class is she planning to use? Warden would synergize best with ice staff tanking

That is quite wrong, a lightning staff is accually meta for super end game trials tanks. It helps with off balance, but that's basically it. You don't block on it or anything just apply wall of elements

Lightning staff hasnt been meta since dragon bones nerfed offbalance proc rate. A single DPS or healer can keep off balance uptime at 100% now in a trial, there is absolutely no reason for a tank to gimp himself by running a lightning staff over a frost staff back bar.

I've argued this point countless times before: All you get from a lightning staff is offbalance. A frost staff will give you just as much crusher uptime via wall of elements, a hell of a lot more crowd control, a free ranged taunt (not only free, it gives you back resources, inner fire cant beat that unless you absolutely arent able to let off block for 2 seconds to heavy attack), a moderate damage shield whenever you use that taunt, and much greater blocking mitigation and efficiency than any other weapon short of a 1h/shield.
Not only all of that, but you gain the ability to easily permablock without devoting 90% of your traits, enchants, and champion points into block cost reduction because you now have two resource pools to pull from for blocking, and whichever one you arent using at the time is regenerating.

Nothing beats shield + frost staff for tanking these days, especially if you're a warden and can further benefit from chill chance and frost synergies.

Sugram22

Integral1900 wrote: »

I’ve tanked every pve content in the game two handed and next patch it’s just going to get better, if your looking for builds there are some good ones on a YouTube channel called Sherman’s gaming, the Templar stamina one is a beast. I borrowed bits of it for my dps tank dk. He also did a good magic ice tank for the warden, i used it to solo the World bosses a treat

Is it harder than sword and sheild... depends on the player, and in vet trials you will probably need to go this route simply because that community is a sealed system. You have to run what they tell you. I got bored and left. Two handed is also way more fun plus you get to use it elsewhere. I used to have a traditional tank with massive regen, sixty thousand health, maxed resistances, spewed buffs like a garden hose ... it was all but invulnerable.... and outside of group content is was as much fun as watching paint dry. I swear I could put a brick on the keyboard and go make a sandwich waiting for that stupid thing to kill a troll

In normal... I only do it to get the crystals... I use solo builds mostly, tank/healer/dps combo that walks in there like a god, useful when you are in normal pug groups whose tanks don’t have taunts, healers don’t heal and dps just spam light attacks. A meta dps in a normal dungeon dies quite regularly because they expect the healer to heal, I learned that the hard way. Now I’m totally self sustaining, the rest of the group can either help me or hang on for the ride.

In vet I have a back bar sword and sheild but it’s just a buff bar and I only have it to shut down the insecent whining, my advice is find like minded souls and do it your way. Personally I hate sword and sheild, I feel much safer with a two handed approach

i was going for DPS with my magic warden, but new i wonder should i go ice staff? is it also good DPS? or good overall dam? or i would half to be tank with ice staff?

is damage with ice still good? better then Sword & shield tanks? & ur warden still in light armor? or he needs heavy for this? would i need heavy for this?

so meany questions lol

Samsgaard

It sounds like your wife is not a "tanker" by nature, as she's been playing DPS (very successfully) until now. With that in mind, I don't expect she'll enjoy tanking without S&B.

Sure, it can be done. Indeed, in casual play (e.g., world bosses) it's very easy, especially with a Sorcerer. However, in more complex and faster-paced content, S&B is more effective, and it feels much more fluid. It's one thing for a fan of tank builds to have a non-S&B alt for the challenge of it (or at least, the change of pace); but I wouldn't wish non-S&B tanking on a first-time (and perhaps reluctant) tanker.

The main advantage of S&B is the ability to taunt multiple targets quickly while simultaneously debuffing them. The frost staff taunt is slow and does not apply comparable debuffs. The Undaunted taunt is faster, but it also does not apply comparable debuffs.

As for aethetics . . . with the outfit system, we now have a wide selection of cosmetic shields, including some that are very elegant and/or very small. They don't all look like manhole covers or riot police gear. Also, dyes make a big difference. Some styles that don't look very good at first blush really pop when you dye them.

(The other aspect of the S&B aesthetic is of course the character's pose while in S&B stance. If that's not appealing, I'm afraid there's no cure!)