Removal of snares - the death of non meta tanks?

iaminc

So in reading the latest set of patch notes I can’t help but feel sorry for those of us that like to go against the meta.

Non meta tanks are limited with CC options as it is and now we have just time stop and volcanic rune to choose from to effectively apply CC to small groups of adds.

I was hoping that zos would rework some skills in NB and Templar to allow a more viable tanking option but alas nothing but nerfs to the abilities we could have used.

Warden and Necro have been designed to allow you to play any role effectively , why hasn’t a cc been added to the other classes during the rework for Elsewyr , this would make it so that tanks have a genuine choice as to what they want to play without fear of being excluded from endgame content.

What does the tanking community think?

Thanks,

A disgruntled non meta player ( I have a tank main and play all classes as tank btw )

lokulin

I'm far from the best player in the game but I do have a tank of each class. Of all the classes, the class I find the most annoying to play is nightblade. At least with templar the way the heals work kind of makes up for a lack of a CC. I don't really feel guilty not running a CC on a templar as usually the heals in group are so strong that any damage coming from trash mobs is easily mitigated.

On a nightblade however I not only feel like I'm not keeping mobs under control, but also any heals I am putting out are not as strong as on a templar, and I often feel like I am leaning more on the group for burst heals when I need them. Maybe I am just playing a nightblade tank wrong but it feels less fun to me.

My main gripe with sorc tanking is the fact that dark deal drops block while all other classes have a way of returning stamina without dropping block.

The class I feel the most snooze mode is probably warden for most content although I don't do anything harder than vet DLC dungeons and craglorn trials. I actually find DKs more work than wardens but they are probably stronger overall.

That all said, although I wouldn't say no to some better burst heals on a NB and some better CC on a templar I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with having different play styles for different classes. Not every tank has to be a CC machine, especially if you are running with a group that is also non meta. I've had a quick look at the necromancer on the PTS and it looks like it will play somewhere between a warden and sorc tank. So yeah, I'm a bit torn between enjoying the class diversity that comes from each class having their own restraints and the wish to have the old classes reworked to be more like the new ones even if I do find the warden (and what I have seen of the necromancer) a bit bland.

ZeroXFF

NB fear will no longer send adds running, it will make them stand in place. Also the target cap on one of the morphs was increased to 6. I'd say it was a buff for tanking.

Also, I'm not sure if I'm reading it correctly, but looks like roots (i.e. talons) will now apply snare immunity. The patch notes say it applies to player effects, but I don't know if it goes just against other players or NPCs too. If it does apply to NPCs too, mass hysteria from NBs might very well turn out to be the best PvE tank CC.

When it comes to templars though, yeah, that miniscule buff to the sun shield isn't going to change anything for templar tanks. They are still bottom of the barrel. Even moreso now in fact since the snare from the ice blockade was nerfed too.