Tank Gear Configuration

Sahidom

Hello.

I do not write often about gear configurations and builds; however, you may find this gear configuration very potent in terms of tanking veteran trial content. A friend challenged me to test some gear configurations. I used the option (a) off-armor set and went into veteran HRC, killed the trash mobs up to the stairs than pulled all the enemies starting the first boss; and they could not kill the character. The priest's aura kept me from kill but a few enemies there; SO, I walked the whole group to the entrance and forfeited the fight to reset it.

The only skills used doing that were Defensive Posture, Draw Essence, and Volatile Armor. Nothing else, which provides testimony to the strength of the gear configuration. Went into vSS and the mobs there couldn't kill him either.

Monster Helm: Pirate Skeleton (H/M weight, traits: sturdy, enchantments: prismatic)
Armor Set: Iron Blood (H weight, traits: sturdy, enchantments: prismatic)
Off-Armor Set(s):
a) Leeching Plate (s/b + jewelry, weapon trait: powered, shield trait: sturdy, jewelry traits: Health, enchants: Blocking) This configuration will not let you die by combining Defensive Stance + Draw Essence (this skill becomes spammable when surrounded by enemies).
b) Aegis of Gelewne (s/b + jewelry, weapon trait: powered, shield trait: sturdy, jewelry traits: Health, enchants: Blocking) This set is very strong b/c every DPS weaves light attacks. The set's on a 1 second CD cycle, so you can still really boost the group's DPS parses versus bosses. The 15m range helps when the tank must stand away while holding taunt on the boss.

Sahidom

Some video testimony. [Devs: This set combination allows new and low CP players a strong tank gear config. that allows them to handle veteran content with a room-of-error while learning to tank/hold aggro.]

https://youtu.be/KjACEGD77Og

After clearing the enemies to the FIRST boss, I charged in and tried to get some kills on the archers. The priests offered too much passive healing to get them all.

https://youtu.be/aj5N0aaH6e8

pelle412

But you don't really need that kind of gear. You can easily tank vHRC in basic Ebon/Alkosh.

If you find yourself needing such a setup as described, then you may actually be stymieing your own learning progress.

VaranisArano

That's an effective set for a PUG tank who expects to have to rely on themself for survival.

Its not the meta, because the meta assumes your tank:
A. Has competent healers in your group
B. Should contribute to your group effort beyond merely "not dying"

That's why most trial tanks wear sets that focus less on their own survival and more on group support.

pelle412

No, I'm seeing now I wasn't making myself clear. A tank can tank vHRC without relying on healers. It takes a bit of experience but gaining that experience is invaluable to the tank. It's what will lift them to the "next level".

However if you recognize you can't do it without such sets, by all means use them, but understand that they can act as a crutch impeding your progress if you rely on them for too long.

Sahidom

pelle412 wrote: »

No, I'm seeing now I wasn't making myself clear. A tank can tank vHRC without relying on healers. It takes a bit of experience but gaining that experience is invaluable to the tank. It's what will lift them to the "next level".

I completely agree with you. Gaining that experience is invaluable and I have a foreshadowing feeling future trials will lean towards more role independence; in context where more dynamic combat mechanics, enemies gaining penetration, more mobile combat scenarios to disrupt the "stack n burn," since all parses are dependent on this type of static condition,...

It's factual that mobile combat scenarios decrease DPS and increase incoming damage; and increasingly more challenging to maintain heals when combatants move out-of-range or out-of-area effect on healing. The these mentioned trial cases, if realized to increase trial difficulty in-game, would force roles to integrate more skills on survival than specializing on a single purpose type caste.

Another underrated, or not considered, benefit for gaining that experience would be the association on group resource management i.e. tanks sharing the healing workload, healers gain resources to employ non directional and area effect healing, damage roles contributing with minor self-healing and employing skills to reduce incoming damage e.g. major evasion.

IF, bosses or elite enemies, gain higher penetration on their attacks than the 32k resistance cap will then be increased to counter-play this threat factor in boss fights. That threat would increase incoming damage on the entire trial groups. DPS roles will become more "fragile" and may easily collapse due to combat mechanics, and by association, consume more resources from healers.

However if you recognize you can't do it without such sets, by all means use them, but understand that they can act as a crutch impeding your progress if you rely on them for too long.

I agree and disagree. In many cases, you can manipulate the combat engine to mitigate damage; and in those cases the sets become a crutch. This offers players a learning curve on how to adapt and use their class kit/non-class kit skills. There are boss mechanics where block mitigation isn't enough to slow incoming damage with other sets configurations; damage shield consumes resources that stalls incoming damage. Its a judgment call on the tanks end to consider other options to improve damage mitigation: it then becomes a tanking tool than a crutch. Those "tools" reciprocate in aiding the group's resources in context to healing and extending the tank's stamina pool since damage taken influences the blocking cost of the attack.

[Edited] For example, the Imperial tank in the posted video only had 15k stamina. So these configurations may offer options to redistribute attribute points in other areas to strengthen the class kit/non-class kit skills and performance.