I believe NBs are tied with wardens for most class sources of ulti gen, and so even with a reduction to the use of tava’s they can still be built to toss out ultis like candy. Paired with the fact that NBs have the cheapest ulti in the game (and it’s actually one of their sources of ulti gen) means that they can be highly effective at providing major slayer/aegis uptime.

Malevolent offering is another potent tool for tankblades because it’s a big, practically free to cast heal (that also generates ulti). If you see a friendly take a big hit, a cast or two of this usually puts them back at full health. Imo wardens have great aoe heals but this heal beats the burst heals a tankden offers for party members.

Also, this is less direct utility, but having major resist buffs tied to a passive allows you more bar space or a different monster set, which can offer the utility that things like Chudan, spiked armor, balance, rune focus, ice fortress, and immovable don’t.

Edit: and just to be clear I don’t think that tankblades offer the greatest utility of all the classes, but I don’t think they’re limited to only selfish options either.

Nestor wrote: »

If you cant get Utility from your Class Skills, then get them from your sets. Ebon is just one example as it buffs health for all group members.

I have to wonder about you wanting to do more DPS. Tanks increase the DPS of the group through buffs and debuffs on the bosses and by gathering adds so they can be AoE burned. A tank is not supposed to do DPS. My tanks can barely hit 4K alone, but my groups are pulling signicantly more DPS as a group.

The impression I got wasn’t that he’s trying to do more dps on a tankblade, but by virtue of the skills he’s using, that’s how it ended up. And I think that’s appropriate.

A tank’s job in this game is basically to take hits, stack and debuff enemies, buff allies, and survive while doing it. If you do that successfully and how you’re doing it also contributes dps, then that’s great. Just don’t sacrifice the quality of your survivability, debuffs, stacking, etc. in order to do more dps.

Unless you’re in a pug run and buffing the group’s dps won’t do as much as contributing your own. I think it’s excusable in that case as long as you continue to do the rest of your role sufficiently.

Nestor wrote: »

If you cant get Utility from your Class Skills, then get them from your sets. Ebon is just one example as it buffs health for all group members.

I have to wonder about you wanting to do more DPS. Tanks increase the DPS of the group through buffs and debuffs on the bosses and by gathering adds so they can be AoE burned. A tank is not supposed to do DPS. My tanks can barely hit 4K alone, but my groups are pulling signicantly more DPS as a group.

As I mention its more that its a style I am used too, aka Deathknights from WOW, and it does make solo play a tad easier when you can do just a bit more dps. But as mention its only from whats already in the class, Im not looking to pump up my dps in any way as a tank as I know the role first and foremost is to hold the big dudes so the DD's can go ham. Thanks for the input guys, never really thought of ulti gen as a utility but I see it now...cheers!! Now the 100000 dollar question, are NB tanks even a thing still or am I flogging a dead horse?

BejaProphet wrote: »

Also keep in mind our biggest boost to team DPS is from debuffing resistances and for that the biggest part is from pierce armor plus infused crusher. Alkosh as well if you have/use it. Follow that up with war horn, Ebon for health buff and you are only missing a tiny few things. Does a DK have an edge? Yes. But you can get so close only a minmaxer would care.

The bolded is it in a nutshell! Not a min/max'er in any form but do want to be doing the most I can for my group, and I guess I am a bit spoiled by having claws/ ice grips early on in your build on the others. But as other have said there are options so we shall see? Just don't see nor hear of a lot of NB tanks or tanking so curious as to if its even still a thing.

ccfeeling wrote: »

If you really like to be a tank , especially in the hardest content , I would recommend you better roll other 2 class , DK or Warden .

That's what you see in the youtube or forum .

ZOS already stated that DK is the best tank in this game , so they have the best tanking tools , sustain , CC in the game and you will see some skills which will have 2 useful effects that you cannot find in other tanks , skill slot is another big problem for a tank .

Say for example

DK
Choking Talons
This skill provide instant area CC and minor maim

What about NB ?
They have to use Time Freeze , 4 seconds before finally stunning the area enemies
and
Dark Shades or Heroic Slash , minor maim

I don't wanna state all of them , you could do some homework , I just want to let you know the difference against DK/ Warden tank is pretty far , untouchable.

NB still can be end game tank I believe , but the skill level and partner requirement are higher a lot

Yea, that's pretty much what I have been finding...its doable, but t what cost and in the end is it fun and really worth it? I don't think so, so stuck with good ol DK...fire is awesome afterall. But thanks heaps for all the input from everyone!!!

@RavenSworn …care to share your build/setup as there are so few out there to use as a reference? Also would you consider it your "main"...as in do you use it alot for most content?
Thanks for the feedback!

Joxer61 wrote: »

@RavenSworn …care to share your build/setup as there are so few out there to use as a reference? Also would you consider it your "main"...as in do you use it alot for most content?
Thanks for the feedback!

Just a heads up, I don't have a meta setup because truthfully, a DK tank would do better in trials. However, the setup I use is good enough for vet dungeons, both base and dlc.

Gear setup:
Thurvokun / Blood Spawn
Ebon / Dragon Guard / Imperium
Champion of the Hist
Sword and Shield frontbar with either lightning or frost staff offbar. ( i prefer frost staff though )

Bar setup magicka based nb tank:
Pierce armor
Dark cloak
Relentless Focus (though on tougher dlc dungeons, i usually change this to Absorb Magic for better block management)
Leeching Strikes (i usually use Siphoning strikes because i use a lot of mirage and dark cloak rather than other stamina based abilities. but it depends on how you play your tank honestly. leeching strikes helps alot with stamina sustain)
flex slot
Shield Discipline Ult / Warhorn

Elemental Blockade
Twisting Path
Mirage
Sap Essence
Silver Leash
Bolstering Darkness ult / warhorn

Again, how i play my tank is different than what i think most are used to. I basically use shield ult to regain back resources ala manually, so its relentless focus, leeching strikes, shield ult, HA - LA - LA - taunt when necessary. Theres a few tips and tricks to this; you can shield ult and switch to frost offbar and basically regain back magicka as well as stamina from leeching strikes.
you can have stam regen ticks when you block with a frost staff (ancient passive activated as well) which then helps you alternate block with either weapon.
killing off mobs with the spectral arrow also activates the executioner passive and since your stats are already into higher max stam ( even if you are mag based in the first place ) you'll regain stamina.
Having WoE up always would mean that you might and usually will kill a mob which means you regain back magicka. IT also helps with procs from your offbar.
the flex slot allows you to modify the bar to suit your group, for eg Deep thoughts if you think you will require lots of sustain. Shield ult + Deep thoughts is quite a combo.

Sometimes for easier group content, having 3 dps or 2 dps and a 'fake' healer would be a better group setup. you use Malevolent offering for burst heals, sap essence for the melee dps and Structured Entropy you will occasionally give shields from Imperium, or you can also spam bolstering, whichever comes faster. once, i'd even tank with Ebon + Sanctuary. was so funny to see all those balls and basically be the tank/heals all at once.

The thing about NB tanking is that you really need to think differently from your regular DK tanking. it uses a diverse set of skills, requires much more pre planning than a DK and while it might not going to be your main trial tank, it sure as hell more fun to play than a perma hold right click tanking style.

What stops a NB from being a trials tank, nothing. Assuming you have a group that understands how the NB tank performs differently from a DK tank.

It can be very difficult to pug harder content on a NB tank. In part because pugs have very little idea how tanks of any nature control fights. DPS are often too impatient and pull thus fudging the entire landscape. That's when the lack of chains and talons shows. If we are allowed to initiate fights as the tank it's much smoother.

I've tried using Swarm Mother's as an adhoc chains but it's for naught if a DPS pulls to begin with.

Playing a NB tank also means those behind you need to be able to handle adds. Rather than running like a headless chicken the moment something gets by.

For utility I would occasionally run a healing monster set, or a group defense monster set. I didn't often run Ebon as the group health buff didn't seem like much when so many people run absolute minimum life anyway.

I almost always ran Bahraha's so there was that minor slow in place.

But really the biggest difference for a NB tank is the group behind you. And that group will almost always do better with a DK or Warden tank in front of them. Sadly.

Nestor wrote: »

If you cant get Utility from your Class Skills, then get them from your sets. Ebon is just one example as it buffs health for all group members.

I have to wonder about you wanting to do more DPS. Tanks increase the DPS of the group through buffs and debuffs on the bosses and by gathering adds so they can be AoE burned. A tank is not supposed to do DPS. My tanks can barely hit 4K alone, but my groups are pulling signicantly more DPS as a group.

this is a faulty model that has resulted in no tanks.