Solo Tank Build for VMA: Critiques/positive feedback welcome!

Savos_Saren · November 2016

So, I saw Deltia's tank build that was able to run VMA and I was wondering if there's other strong tank builds that are capable of high DPS and can still maintain a "tank" role. Granted, the meta currently is to buff the groups (tava, ebon, bloodspawn) but I'm thinking of solo or four man dungeon gameplay.

I've created a Khajiit StamSorc tank with high weapon damage, high crit, and high surviability. If anyone has any suggestions as how to improve this tank- please let me know. Again, this IS NOT for veteran trials- but it can handle the other 99% of this game's content:

Race: Khajiit
Class: Stamina Sorcerer
Mundus: Thief
Attributes: 64 into Stamina 0 into Magicka 0 into Health

Gear:
5 Seventh Legion (heavy armor)
5 Briarheart (3 jewelry, sword&shield or DW)
2 Stormfist (medium armor)

Stats with Health/Stam food, buffed with bound armaments, buffed with crit surge, briarheart, and seventh legion
Health: 27994 Health Regen: 700
Stamina: 28515 Stam Regen: 1022/b]
Magicka: 9861 Magic Regen: 565

Weapon Damage: 4437 (this could get higher due to the wrath passive and if I'm using DW instead of 1H/S)
Weapon Crit: 56.5% (this is soley on my 1H/S bar. If I DW two precise briarheart swords: 71.5%. One precise sword & precise dagger: 76.5% Briarheart decisive bow: 70.5%)

Spell Resist: 28798
Phys Resist: 31899

[img][/img]

Edit: I think I should mention why I chose Briarheart and Seventh Legion vs Night Mother's Gaze: Briarheart + Seventh Legion both proc together to increase my weapon damage by 949 (+ another 129 from a set bonus), both give a total of 2064 weapon crit, and both heal you for a total of 1869 points (on top of your crit surge)
Please let me know what you think!

Mr_Apollo · November 2016

Hmm...I think youre losing a big thing with all attributes put into stamina, I mean, you have a decent and ideal health pool, but, if you put a decent amount into health, then wouldn't that mean that you could switch one of those sets that boost your health for one that increases damage or resistance? Having a set that also damages everytime you block an attack (like Defending Warrior) or if you use the Jolting set that comes from Tempest Island you can bash an enemy and deal from 4 to5k of damage.

Savos_Saren · November 2016

Mr_Apollo wrote: »

Hmm...I think youre losing a big thing with all attributes put into stamina, I mean, you have a decent and ideal health pool, but, if you put a decent amount into health, then wouldn't that mean that you could switch one of those sets that boost your health for one that increases damage or resistance? Having a set that also damages everytime you block an attack (like Defending Warrior) or if you use the Jolting set that comes from Tempest Island you can bash an enemy and deal from 4 to5k of damage.

Neither one of my sets boost my health. One of them has a slight health recovery bonus. But they're both geared toward damage. Both of my sets are auto-proc as well. You don't have to do anything out of the ordinary to proc them (unlike Jolting). Another reason why I specifically chose both of those sets is because they offer weapon critical- which, as you know, is imperative to a sorc's damage and survival (because of Crit Surge). Jolting adds no critical damage or self heals.

Edit: I do like your suggestion of Defending Warrior, though. I would consider replacing Seventh Legion with Defending Warrior... but I'd definitely stick with dual precise daggers on my DW bar to make up for the lack of crit from that set. Thanks for the suggestion.

DRXHarbinger · November 2016

Pretty cool. But it's not a tank is it lol. It's just a troll build build on stupidly op procs. Both those sets combined proc for over an extra 900 weapon damage.

Get flawless with it make a video of proof, post it here and watch this place light with people who can't repeat your success. I like it. If briarheart doesn't work for you try the old skirmisher set think it's senche now. That set majorly Dissapointed me. You'll need dual wield for it. The 5s cool down is agony.

Savos_Saren · November 2016

DRXHarbinger wrote: »

Pretty cool. But it's not a tank is it lol. It's just a troll build build on stupidly op procs. Both those sets combined proc for over an extra 900 weapon damage.

Get flawless with it make a video of proof, post it here and watch this place light with people who can't repeat your success. I like it. If briarheart doesn't work for you try the old skirmisher set think it's senche now. That set majorly Dissapointed me. You'll need dual wield for it. The 5s cool down is agony.

Well, no, it definitely is a tank. I've tanked all the vet dungeons with this set up. The only thing it doesn't really "tank" is vet trials. I've also soloed all the world bosses in Craglorn and random bosses in Hew's Bane. And, of course, I've run the normal trials on this guy. It's definitely tanky- but it's got very, very strong DPS.

I'll certainly try vMA on this guy. Most likely, I'll run it with a DW/Bow setup then toss on a 1H/S when it comes to the hard-hitting bosses. But I can assure you- this build can tank 99% of the content of this game, though!

I'm not as skilled as the youtube/twitch streamers out there- but I'm guessing in their hands- this build would work miracles.

mr_wazzabi · December 2016

jaburns wrote: »

So, I saw Deltia's tank build that was able to run VMA and I was wondering if there's other strong tank builds that are capable of high DPS and can still maintain a "tank" role. Granted, the meta currently is to buff the groups (tava, ebon, bloodspawn) but I'm thinking of solo or four man dungeon gameplay.

I've created a Khajiit StamSorc tank with high weapon damage, high crit, and high surviability. If anyone has any suggestions as how to improve this tank- please let me know. Again, this IS NOT for veteran trials- but it can handle the other 99% of this game's content:

Race: Khajiit
Class: Stamina Sorcerer
Mundus: Thief
Attributes: 64 into Stamina 0 into Magicka 0 into Health

Gear:
5 Seventh Legion (heavy armor)
5 Briarheart (3 jewelry, sword&shield or DW)
2 Stormfist (medium armor)

Stats with Health/Stam food, buffed with bound armaments, buffed with crit surge, briarheart, and seventh legion
Health: 27994 Health Regen: 700
Stamina: 28515 Stam Regen: 1022/b]
Magicka: 9861 Magic Regen: 565

Weapon Damage: 4437 (this could get higher due to the wrath passive and if I'm using DW instead of 1H/S)
Weapon Crit: 56.5% (this is soley on my 1H/S bar. If I DW two precise briarheart swords: 71.5%. One precise sword & precise dagger: 76.5% Briarheart decisive bow: 70.5%)

Spell Resist: 28798
Phys Resist: 31899

[img][/img]

Edit: I think I should mention why I chose Briarheart and Seventh Legion vs Night Mother's Gaze: Briarheart + Seventh Legion both proc together to increase my weapon damage by 949 (+ another 129 from a set bonus), both give a total of 2064 weapon crit, and both heal you for a total of 1869 points (on top of your crit surge)
Please let me know what you think!

Totally viable.

How the hell do you get 4k wp dmg on a sword + board?

I have a magicka templar "tank" with rattlecage and soulshine who i run through vma regularly.

Savos_Saren · December 2016

@mr_wazzabi

From my calculations- it can actually get up to 4,495 as I'm currently equpipped. Ready for the breakdown?

1335 from my defending axe
129 from Seventh Legion's 2 item bonus
500 from Seventh Legion's 5 item bonus
595 from Briarheart's 5 item bonus
174 from necklace enchant
174 from ring enchant
174 from ring enchant
200 from wrath passive

3281 weapon damage total
+
20% from Major Brutality (crit surge)
6% for three sorc abilities slotted (crit surge, bound armaments, hurricane)
5% for Flawless Dawnbreaker
6% for two fighter's guild passives slotted (trap beast and flawless)

37% weapon bonus total

3281x.37= 1214

3281+1214= 4495 weapon damage total.

If I swap out my Thunderfist monster set for Kragh or Velideth (129 weapon damage), my weapon penetration/damage would be higher. Also, I can swap out my drain stamina enchantment for a rage enchantment to give me another 348 weapon damage.

So, technically, I could get up to 5148 weapon damage.

I think I should grab a rage enchantment and farm for Velidreth. Or do you think Kragh would be better?

mr_wazzabi · December 2016

jaburns wrote: »

@mr_wazzabi

From my calculations- it can actually get up to 4,495 as I'm currently equpipped. Ready for the breakdown?

1335 from my defending axe
129 from Seventh Legion's 2 item bonus
500 from Seventh Legion's 5 item bonus
595 from Briarheart's 5 item bonus
174 from necklace enchant
174 from ring enchant
174 from ring enchant
200 from wrath passive

3281 weapon damage total
+
20% from Major Brutality (crit surge)
6% for three sorc abilities slotted (crit surge, bound armaments, hurricane)
5% for Flawless Dawnbreaker
6% for two fighter's guild passives slotted (trap beast and flawless)

37% weapon bonus total

3281x.37= 1214

3281+1214= 4495 weapon damage total.

If I swap out my Thunderfist monster set for Kragh or Velideth (129 weapon damage), my weapon penetration/damage would be higher. Also, I can swap out my drain stamina enchantment for a rage enchantment to give me another 348 weapon damage.

So, technically, I could get up to 5148 weapon damage.

I think I should grab a rage enchantment and farm for Velidreth. Or do you think Kragh would be better?

Either is good really.

Wrecking_Blow_Spam · December 2016

I like the look of this build, any updates? Can it do Vma?

DigitalShibby · December 2016

@OP you should make your photobucket private. Cute dog btw.

Savos_Saren · December 2016

@DigitalShibby

Thanks for the heads up. It's my wife's photobucket. Yeah, that hottie on there is my wife.

Unsent.Soul · December 2016

jaburns wrote: »

@DigitalShibby

Thanks for the heads up. It's my wife's photobucket. Yeah, that hottie on there is my wife.

Well worth the browse, cute dog too!

nordsavage · December 2016

Tank is a role. What you have there is a heavy armor dps. You wont place on the sorc leaderboards but if all you are looking for is completions then you could do worse. It might even be fun for a few passes.

Savos_Saren · December 2016

nordsavage wrote: »

Tank is a role. What you have there is a heavy armor dps. You wont place on the sorc leaderboards but if all you are looking for is completions then you could do worse. It might even be fun for a few passes.

No, what I have here is a tank. Someone that holds aggro. Yes, some tanks debuff enemies and/or buffs the group- but let's not forget that there's a healer and DPS who can also debuff/buff. This tank happens to hold aggro and debuff. In this game, however, some how the DPS (who are a majority of the game) have set the precedence that tanks will not only aggro, debuff, buff the team, and deal damage- but now the healer has to debuff, buff, and heal the team. Now, the DPSers have started (slowly over time) begun to lower their HP less and less- so that they have the highest "parses". This game is effectively getting "glass cannons" who rely on a tank to wear Ebon in order for them to survive the slightest attack.

DPS is a role, too. But, in no way whatsoever should a DPS not have survivability, provide debuffs, or buffs. Don't be a pathetic glass-cannon puke DPS. Tanks will aggro and buff/debuff when they can. But do your part as well.

HatchetHaro · December 2016

That looks like an extremely interesting build!
Would love to see it actually in action.

Thinking about how I can adapt that to my stam DK.

Iselin · December 2016

That's a very interesting build. I'm just training heavy armor and 1HD+S on my stamsorc who just went straight from level 50 to CP440. I already also use the Stormfist mask and shoulders on him and I think I have some random trait version of most of the same gear you're using from grinding and banking with some of my other CP440s. His jewelry and twin daggers are currently viper though but a viper shield is tough to find.

I'll have to check this out.

soleil.clercb14_ESO · December 2016

hey does the Seventh Legion set have a 1 second internal cooldown for the heal? I know Briarheart does

Rataroto · December 2016

Go 2 tremor 5 viper and 5 black rose, still tanky and deals damages :^)