help me build a storm tank

Lynx7386 · April 2017

I tend to prefer playing tank and healer characters, and my stam sorc dps has just been feeling completely lackluster lately, so I'm wanting to try tanking on him instead, but I try to build my tanks a little off the wall and outside the box to keep them fun, especially when I need to Solo. My dk tank ran with a 60k hp shield spamming build, my nightblade tank runs a sap build with bahraha's curse and grothdar, I want something interesting for my Sorc too.

So what I've been looking into is a "storm tank" build that uses the storm fist, thunderbug, and storm knight sets, or something similar, to keep a lot of damage going out as I take hits. Paired with lightning form/hurricane and bound armor for ward and resolve, along with critical surge for healing.

Obviously I'll need to keep crit high for surge, so I'm thinking it might be best to stick with the Thief stone and divines gear. Possibly dual wield on the back bar and shield on front, so I can add blade cloak for extra mitigation and damage return.

Do you think its better to go stam or magicka for a build like this, or both? Proc sets aren't effected by stats but will be by mage champion points, and those sets deal lightning damage.

Any other tips and has anyone run a build like this before that can give feedback on it?

WalksonGraves · April 2017

I hear guard damage is always physical, that might work well to trigger the lightning aoe.

Tremors · April 2017

Go magic. You want your buffs to be magic so you can block with stamina. You can keep your ward high too.

If you want your crit surge to heal you for potentially 6/7k per second, use malubeth.

I used to sorc tank like this since Xbox launch. However competitve trials required a dk.

Curragraigue · April 2017

I run Thunderbug on my Stam and Mag tanks and it works well. I use Illambris on the Mag Sorc with Desert Rose and Armour Master with Bloodspawn on the Stam Sorc.

Main difference between them is that Mag Sorc is a lot easier because of the resource recovery from Desert Rose. So plan is to swap Armour Master for Hulking Dragur or Bone Tatters to beef up the Stam. I have tried Stormknight and it does not proc enough for me in a dungeon.

Stormfist is fun on my Stam Sorc but I prefer Bloodspawn for the stam regen and ult boost.

Waffennacht · April 2017

I had a similar idea, just never had the gear to try.

I really wanted Overwhelming Surge, jewellery so I could still run heavy (would be magicka based) Grothdarr.

A stam version would be equally interesting, I just like that damage and high proc rate of overwhelming and the synergy with a sorc.

Lynx7386 · April 2017

Well I picked up thunderbug jewelry for like 1k each, so if I can manage to find storm knight armor I'll give it a try. Not sure if storm fist or ilambris would be a better monster set though.

Probably going Magicka with it, the major expedition from lightning form will be useful and going magicka based will allow me to put conjured ward to good use.

Chilly-McFreeze · April 2017

Will storm knight proc with wards up?

Lynx7386 · April 2017

Chilly-McFreeze wrote: »

Will storm knight proc with wards up?

Hm... not sure

Lynx7386 · April 2017

Ok so I'm thinking a setup something like this;

Front bar:
Pierce armor, encase, liquid lightning, bound aegis, inner light, spell wall

Back bar:
Critical surge (or power surge), evasion, thundering presence, bound aegis, dark exchange, negate magic

Back bar is just the buff bar, put on surge/lightning form/evasion then swap back to front bar. Pierce for taunting, encase to immobilize aoe packs, liquid lightning for area damage. Could swap liquid lighting for conjured ward if needed for certain fights with a lot of burst damage.

Lightning form should do an ok job of proccing storm fist, and thunderbug / storm knight both proc on damage taken, so all I really have to do is focus on blocking.

If storm knight proves unreliable, I can swap it for tavas favor for extra ultimate gen.

WhereAreMyPills · April 2017

I've been running full magicka spec tank with the Storm Knight's Plate and Thunderbug's Carapace - in pvp I'll run Stormfist, but for pve it's swarm mother until boss fights (then stormfist or infernal guardian to help dps). I've been running it since 1T, so it's been a fun build to play around with. I'll get into limitations at the end.

Why swarm mother? Well as a tank, you want to pull the mobs in so the dps can aoe them down - swarm mother is the non-DK answer to chains. You do need a lot of magicka and high regen to do all of that range taunting though (unless you take the stam morph - I don't because I keep that pool pretty low in comparison and use Dark Conversion to get stam back).

Also, the setup is to drop mines and an ice wall (defending ice staff on back bar for magicka blocking in case of no stam left on s+b board; mines and ice wall help with CC and snares (and more DoTs)). Swarm mother, of course, hauls all of the ranged baddies into the mines and wall.

As you may have figured, I pretty much have enough resources to pull the whole room. This build has been tested in vAA and vSO so far, but I'm doubtful as to whether it would hold its own as main tank for vMoL. It's a coin-toss on vHRC, so will keep you posted.

Hope that helps! Open to any questions.

Xvorg · April 2017

Lynx7386 wrote: »

I tend to prefer playing tank and healer characters, and my stam sorc dps has just been feeling completely lackluster lately, so I'm wanting to try tanking on him instead, but I try to build my tanks a little off the wall and outside the box to keep them fun, especially when I need to Solo. My dk tank ran with a 60k hp shield spamming build, my nightblade tank runs a sap build with bahraha's curse and grothdar, I want something interesting for my Sorc too.

So what I've been looking into is a "storm tank" build that uses the storm fist, thunderbug, and storm knight sets, or something similar, to keep a lot of damage going out as I take hits. Paired with lightning form/hurricane and bound armor for ward and resolve, along with critical surge for healing.

Obviously I'll need to keep crit high for surge, so I'm thinking it might be best to stick with the Thief stone and divines gear. Possibly dual wield on the back bar and shield on front, so I can add blade cloak for extra mitigation and damage return.

Do you think its better to go stam or magicka for a build like this, or both? Proc sets aren't effected by stats but will be by mage champion points, and those sets deal lightning damage.

Any other tips and has anyone run a build like this before that can give feedback on it?

Jolting arms have a nice effect on bash...