Frost Staff vs Sword/Shield - Summerset

teladoy · May 2018

Now with the changes to the two hand weapons is the frost staff more viable to tank in pve/pvp?

I found in another post that the pros and cons of both weapons are many:

Sword and shield is 2 different traits vs ice staff has only 1
1 offensive and 1 defensive enchantment vs 1 offensive enchantment
Spell/weapon damage from weapon and resistance buff from shield vs increased spell/weapon damage from staff
Instant cast cheap cost taunt vs 4-5 second Heavy attack taunt with a HUGE 699 damage shield. Yes 699 damage shield
15% bonus to blocking ranged attacks vs no bonus at all
60% movement speed when blocking vs no movement speed bonus
bashing costs 40% less stamina vs bashing costs maximum stamina

What do you think?

SirCritical · May 2018

More viable than earlier, sure. Still not viable enough. The good thing is we can have Alkosh lightning staff on backbar

Tbh this is really ridiculous: an offensive weapon from an offensive set, on a defensive role

Funny, isn't it?

Sparr0w · May 2018

Blockade of frost slows targets/can CC, also activates weap enchant, as well as drawing/keeping agro.

Your taunt is free and doesnt take a skill slot, but you have to slot another skill to apply major fracture/breach to the target.

Lysette · May 2018

Iirc there is even a passive which makes your frost staff using magicka for blocking instead of stamina - that is good as well.

Concret · May 2018

More viable PvE-wise,
but lightning staff still beter anyway.

Chaos2088 · May 2018

I get why the frost staff was given the option for a magicka tank. But as some have stated above me already, a destruction staff should be a destruction staff. Yes Frost staffs were not being used because lighting and fire had better dps numbers, well remake the ice staff match those numbers....

And then make a different staff for tanking, like we have a healing staff...

Lysette · May 2018

I see still a tactical advantage in a frost staff - because it can slow the enemy down.

teladoy · May 2018

Concret wrote: »

More viable PvE-wise,
but lightning staff still beter anyway.

Sorry, but in which sense is lightning staff still beter? for tanking?

ssorgatem · May 2018

Forst staff is not viable as the only tanking weapon...

But it is very viable as backbar:

Extra source of magicka (heavy attack)
Low on stamina? block with magicka while your stam recovers
Free ranged taunt that gives back magicka. Not instant, but useful for initial pulls
Blockade of Ice is nice for the CC and AoE enchantment effect.
Possibility to run Elemental Drain (for groups without healer)

Sure, a lightning staff covers half of that too... but it misses the versatility of magicka-blocking and the taunting HA, and the blockade CC... all for slightly higher Off-Balance uptime?

Before Dragon bones maybe it was better, but after the Off-Balance cooldown nerf... I think the healer's lightning blockade is enough.

And the point is... dual-barring S&B doesn't provide any of these benefits; nor much benefit at all, since you can have it all on a single SnB bar.

Spottswoode · May 2018

I use the ice staff for all magicka tanks. The added CC (and particularly the chilled status with Wardens) makes its work better with other magicka dps. It also plays nice with the healers.

kilim · May 2018

Ice staff as backup weapon for sorcerer dps instead of lightning?
love cc, but what about light attack damage and elemental blockade (or whatever was the name) damage, effectiveness comparison?

AcadianPaladin · May 2018

With the change to staves counting as two slots, my DK tank took the plunge and put frost staff on back bar. So far okay. Having an actual ranged attack and blockade AoE is kind of nice.

Tempouille · May 2018

Tanking is a matter of managing block. having the possibility to block with magicka while stamina regen is great. The main issue is that blocking with staff slow your movement speed, that is a major issue as mobilitybis very important. Besides, building for staff tanking is totally different from building for shield only because you need to take into account that your magicka will be drained by block, and that you will have more stamina to cast skills. It is very different from stamina is for block and magicka is for skills in current tank meta.