Learning to Tank without being "That Guy"

[Infinitum]

9 minutes ago, Call Me Awesome said:

You're not wrong about the relatively weak grip most non-tankers (and unfortunately Willpower tankers) have on aggro.  I'll tell you though if you team with an Ice tank you'll find that nothing will take aggro away from him, the reputation Ice has for aggro is no joke.  I've been on TF's with my Invuln/Stone tanker and an Ice tanker... it's an eye opener since nothing could ever steal aggro from me and I could usually steal aggro from another tank.  Well, that 'ain't the case with an Ice tank, even with me doing my damnedest to hold aggro an Ice is able to take that aggro.  Unfortunately Ice isn't as sturdy as Invuln and it's lead to problems when he got over his head and I couldn't take aggro from him.

 

Nothing in the game holds aggro better than Tankers.  And of tanker sets, nothing can come close to Ice in pure aggro control. 

I have never played ice or even explored options with it - so I am ignorant to the ways of ice tanking, but that is interesting. Why is that? what mechanic allows ice to be so good at that?

[Nightmarer]

See, being "that guy" is not just a matter of not being able to take aggro or take poorly alpha strikes, to be a good tank, you also need to be aware of team chat, you don't need to know all the mechanics and strategies and if you are not TF leader, a decent leader will let you know in advance how to handle certain AVs. Earlier on on a STF, I said on team chat I was going to pull Black Scorpion, the tank ignored me, went his way, taunted BS and got all 4 AV's at the same time, which wasn 't intended. When getting at LR, I asked him which order did he prefer the towers, again, he ignored me and went for the blue tower alone so I had to tank LR with PA and then he started hiding behind squishes, then randomly taunting LR and bringing him to the towers in the two occasions an aoe hit yours truly to faceplant. Finally between PA and a bane spider we managed to tank LR while the tank was doing his thing. So yeah, long story short, for tanking in CoH, you will most likely be required to be able to take alpha hits, to us eyour Taunt appropriately and to be able to read team chat.

 

[Haijinx]

1 minute ago, Infinitum said:

I have never played ice or even explored options with it - so I am ignorant to the ways of ice tanking, but that is interesting. Why is that? what mechanic allows ice to be so good at that?

Taunt aura+Debuff Aura+Damage Aura+AOE Drain Debuff

[Nightmarer]

3 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

I have never played ice or even explored options with it - so I am ignorant to the ways of ice tanking, but that is interesting. Why is that? what mechanic allows ice to be so good at that?

Back in the days of old sidekick, there was nothing funnier than being sidekicked by main tank and then steal all his aggro with your ice tank while happily shouting "All your aggro belongs to meh!"

[Call Me Awesome]

Just now, Infinitum said:

I have never played ice or even explored options with it - so I am ignorant to the ways of ice tanking, but that is interesting. Why is that? what mechanic allows ice to be so good at that?

The main thing is that Chilling Embrace ticks every half second with the same MAG as other auras that tick once a second so it builds up MAG much faster.  It also has a debuff which also increases taunt.  Add in Icicles as a second aura/damage aura and it locks things down like nothing else.

 

Back on Live a few years before Shutdown Castle explained the mechanics of Taunt, as I understand it Taunt works as a MASSIVE multiplier for damage dealt and debuffs applied.  I forget the exact numbers but it was something like a 1,000x modifier on damage dealt vs taunt magnitude.  Chilling Embrace ticking twice per second gets attention NOW, the -speed debuff multiplies the taunt magnitude, and the damage from Icicles adds another modifier on taunt magnitude.  Basically Taunt trumps pure damage, Taunt + Damage trumps Taunt and Taunt + Debuff + Damage trumps all.

 

If someone has a better recollection of Castle's description please correct me if I'm wrong (and I probably am in some regards since it was years ago and I just remember the cliffs notes version.)

[Infinitum]

9 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

Taunt aura+Debuff Aura+Damage Aura+AOE Drain Debuff

I know what I'm rolling as soon as I get home.  lol

[Haijinx]

Doesn't Psi melee have a -rech also?

 

Wonder what Ice/Psi would look like.

[Infinitum]

2 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

Doesn't Psi melee have a -rech also?

 

Wonder what Ice/Psi would look like.

Yeah, I've done psi to death though, I have a psi Elec brute, a psi sr stalker and a psi sr scrapper.

 

But to someone who hadn't worn out psis welcome that would be pretty awesome.

[Haijinx]

KM has -dmg, so an Ice/KM would be debuffing dmg, rech, spd, and resist

[Infinitum]

3 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

KM has -dmg, so an Ice/KM would be debuffing dmg, rech, spd, and resist

How do you think ice stone would do?

 

Mainly because I've never played either.

Edited November 5, 2019 by Infinitum

[Haijinx]

Just now, Infinitum said:

How do you think ice stone would do?

Not sure since my ice was Ice/Ice and I never got into doing stone melee.

 

I imagine it would be decent though since Stone has good stun/kd controls and also good hitting attacks.

[Infinitum]

2 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

Not sure since my ice was Ice/Ice and I never got into doing stone melee.

 

I imagine it would be decent though since Stone has good stun/kd controls and also good hitting attacks.

I think thats what I'm going to try.

[Call Me Awesome]

6 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

How do you think ice stone would do?

 

Mainly because I've never played either.

It should work great, the Stone Melee set has lots of soft control with all the knockdown.  One thing to remember, although Fault doesn't do damage it DOES take a number of damage procs and it's base recharge means that they fire almost every time.  I have the Perfect Zinger proc and one of the Knockback damage procs in mine and it does about the same damage that Tremor does.  I use Fault as my opener on CMA to get their attention and put them on their butts, then follow up with a wack on a boss/LT, then Tremor to put them down again and keep their attention.

 

I recommend Heavy Mallet, Fault, Tremor & Seismic Smash in the set... I skip Stone Mallet for a couple reasons.  First, in the early game where you could use it as a filler attack you also have endurance issues so gaps in the chain aren't a problem since you don't have the end to attack nonstop.  That's probably Stone Melee's biggest drawback, it hits your blue bar as hard as it hits the mobs.  Secondly, once your build matures and you have the end to handle a full chain you really don't need Stone Mallet as a filler anymore with Heavy, Seismic, Fault, Tremor and your epic blasts.

 

As I said, be prepared to really watch out for your blue bar, in the early to mid game you can drain it dry in only a few attack chains.  It's at least as end heavy as Battle Axe if not more so... I haven't compared the numbers.

[Gulbasaur]

10 hours ago, Call Me Awesome said:

I'll tell you though if you team with an Ice tank you'll find that nothing will take aggro away from him, the reputation Ice has for aggro is no joke.  

Debuffs are part of the threat calculation and Chilling Embrace pumps out a lot of debuff. I'm not sure if the debuff mod is per-power or per-debuff, but that might explain why they have it better if they have three debuffs running on top of normal damage - they would get a much higher. It also ticks twice a second, whereas other auras are once every 1 or 2 seconds. Interesting... might have to roll one and play a bit. 

 

That's also one of the reasons why support sets are such good aggro magnets - their debuff mods can override other ATs' damage. Masterminds have a particularly hard time as they're literally twice as likely to draw aggro as any other set with support powers. 

[Snarky]

I play almost exclusively Brutes.  Many without taunt.  Most teams consider me the tank if there is not a better one around.  It is not my nature.  If there is a solid team with a tanker or Brute volunteer I will zip off to solo the largest mob I can find

 

if a team is unsure of content or not steamrollling I will drop into the traditional redside version of a tank. 

 

Get the reveal power from P2W vendor.  Almost all CoX maps are the same or put together like legos with standard parts.  Knowing where the team should be going is very good

 

do not be married to the concept of leading the team. Unless you are the most experienced player and the captain it is not your job. Go with the team and hold agro

 

to quote the old boards. “First to Fight. First to Fall. Never Fall”. That is tanking in the Cities.  GL

[VV]

On 11/2/2019 at 7:12 PM, Papaschtroumpf said:

glad to know every one of my characters, regardless of AT, is a tanker, then!

 

 

 

 

 

LOL I kind of have this problem, too. My first 50 was a tanker, so that was how I learned to play, kind of my default style now. So, anytime I play anything else, if I get going, I kind of forget the proper tactics and run it like a tanker.

[EmmySky]

I usually play support or pure damage toons.  I now have a fire/spines tanker at 50 to farm and decided to take her out and about town to see the sights. 

 

She joined a Posi 1 and when we started the team lead said "everyone follow the tank".  Now, way back in the old days I teamed with CMA and other awesome tanks but BEING the tank is new to me.  I immediately told the team "um, bad idea, I am usually a defender but I will do my best if y'all help me". 

 

Learning to tank is totally different even than my scrapperlock scrappers, brutes and sents.  Communication with the team is key I think.  Still learning but really hoping I am never again the only tank on a team.  😁

[justicebeliever]

Nothing to add to the tanking discussion, but since B5 is so quote worthy, thought I'd throw in my two favorites - 

 

"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow...Boom, sooner or later. BOOM!" – Lt. Cmdr Susan Ivanova

 

"I suppose there'll be a war now, hmm? All that running around and shooting at one another. You would've thought sooner or later it would go out of fashion." – Ambassador Londo Mollari

[LiquidBandage]

On 10/30/2019 at 3:40 PM, MTeague said:

But... I find myself massively gunshy at joining any group with my Tanker. 

I don't want to be complete Faily McFailtank by not even being AWARE of what groups are expecting from me in this game. 

There are a lot of combinations of powers that help you tank. There are many powersets that make things difficult. And there are a lot of players that make your tanking life hard. Learning to identify some of those positives and negatives will help you out a lot. And being proactive really helps.

 

(1) If there is a Mastermind(s) in your group, do your best to get in position as you pull so you can cover as many mobs as possible. Their pets have a tendency to jam up tight spaces so it makes repositioning difficult (Combat Jumping really helps in that respect). Also, with rooms where there are multiple groups that can potentially pile on, try pulling one group back towards you first (taunt + Line of Sight or out range them) so things don't degrade into a constant running battle where everything piles on and wipes the group. Some Masterminds are really on top of things and have a bajillion macros that they use to manage their pets and it can be awesome to watch. However, many (including myself) just use the default interface or just let chaos reign.

 

(2) Sometimes players just wander off or the team splits. Deal with what you have engaged, then try to help others (or back track). Keep a passive awareness of the map, sometimes there is an ambush. Sometimes in larger rooms the team ends up aggroing multiple groups, it happens. This is an opportunity to assess who can manage on their own. There can be a wide variance in survivability between characters (and I mean characters, not power sets). Try to LoS pull to get closer to other players so more people are affected by auras and you are in range of support powers. 

 

(3) Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Look at the statistics of your powers. Powers -> Combat Attributes 

Look at everything in this dialog. You will primarily be concerned with Damage Resistance and/or Defense (plus maybe Recovery Rate listed under Base). Get a sense for what types of damage you are vulnerable to. Then from time to time have the Combat tab of your chat window open (make it bigger, maybe tweak the "channels" to make the information less overwhelming) and actually see what villain groups use against you. Sometimes they can be heavy in one damage type and it is obvious. Other times they can use mixed attacks and that can cue you in to use your CC powers on problematic mobs (use your attack that does knockup/disorient/etc to actively mitigate). 

 

(4) As a new Tanker, try starting your own teams and just run radio missions. There's no story arc weirdness, cut scenes or forced behaviors to get in the way of learning how to tank. Plus you (as the person running the team) can set guidelines. Try a whole bunch of tanking tactics, but make sure you communicate it to the team beforehand so they know what to expect. Tell them "give me a three count to grab aggro/position them before you attack". Or designate a pull spot and say "I am going to aggro and pull them to this spot" so they can get ready / stay in position. 

 

- Try LoS pulling. All powers have an activation time, so try to cheat the process a bit by firing a taunt while you are mid air. Once you get a feel for the range of Taunt, try backing up, jumping and in mid jump while you are still in range, fire off a Taunt, Then go run behind a pillar or around a corner. This is useful for separating mobs from a tightly packed room. Plus it helps bunch them up for AoE and it can help mitigate some damage (not all mobs have you in range of their powers when taunted). 

- Try just jumping into a group and doing your best to spread the wealth of your taunt-god goodness. Do a little damage to all mobs. Run around, change targets, punchvoke, move on to the next. Depending on your group's power intensity, try just focusing on tougher mobs (lieutenants, bosses) and leave the foot soldiers to the dpsers (your Taunt or taunt aura will most likely handle them anyways).

- Get a feel for pacing. You don't always have to stand your ground and tank until the last opponent falls. You have a fair aggro advantage and dps probably won't run into trouble. Plus the myriad of immobilizes, holds and whatnot do not make it necessary to tank it out to the bitter end for each group. As others have stated, "take the alpha" then manage the aftermath, then move on when you feel comfortable (sometimes this is governed by your powers recharging). Additionally, if you have aggro and they are CC'd in some manner and you run away, it limits their response to just Ranged powers, so that in itself can mitigate some damage too. 

 

(5) No one single tank defensive power set is perfect. They all have strengths and weaknesses. I try to say that a team is what makes a Tank great. There are so many support powers that buff you to fill gaps or debuff enemies. Pay attention to who buffs you or saves big heals for you and thank them for it. On my Dark Armor tank I am always excited to see a Thermal or Sonic that can bridge my giant Energy Resistance gap. Watch to see if others are thinking before facerolling. Is a Devices Blaster Smoking the group that you aren't pulling (so they don't get dragged into the fight)? Is a Controller waiting to cast an AoE Immobilize until after a mob cycles through their first Ranged attack then runs to you to then melee? Things like that make tanking a bunch easier, so take the time to compliment/thank them after the mission. It takes a team to make a Tank great. 

 

(6) Accept that you are going to fall from time to time (and others will too). It is an opportunity for you or someone else to use the Rez power that they took in their build or to use Vengeance to bootstrap the team and pull out a major victory. It is more fun to experience adversity and find a way to overcome than to just power through things only using your strengths (and not exposing your weaknesses). Figuring things out on the fly, adapting and doing your best is what makes this game fun. 

 

(7) Inspirations can really help bridge the gap until you reach equilibrium. Try to keep one or two spots open on your tray at all times. Don't be afraid to only use them when you are having difficulties.

 

(8) It can be really tough to tank as you are leveling up. You just don't have enough slots or powers to manage everything. For toggle powers, I try to get enough slots to get Endurance Reduction in there so They can stay up and I can attack without running dry. Also, slot your level one secondary power since it has added functionality (Gauntlet & Bruising Inherents - https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Tanker#Secondary_Power_Sets). Usually the first power in a Tanker secondary has a Fast recharge time, so you can generate aggro that way (attack, switch targets, attack again). Plus you will run across mobs that debuff your recharge and it will be painful to not have an attack that recharges quickly. One thing that really helps is to get the Overwhelming Force enhancement set from the Summer Blockbuster holiday event. It is effective as you level up and it adds a knockdown element (awesome if you have a damage aura) that helps mitigate damage.

[Sir Myshkin]

On 11/5/2019 at 5:16 PM, Infinitum said:

I think that's what I'm going to try.

Bit late to this comment party, but if you haven't gotten around to it yet, roll that Ice/Stone. It's the absolute only Tank I've ever rolled*, or will roll, and when they're properly built, they don't die. Ever.

 

*In a non-test setting.

 

I've never been in a situation where enough damage has hit me that I can't pop Hibernate, heal to full, exit Hibernate, and not have it back up and ready before I'd be in any sense of danger again. The beauty of it is that you keep your aggro while Hibernate runs, which means you're just an invulnerable block for 30/s. The most powerful Tank is the untouchable Tank.

 

If you build up your defense values to 45% pre-Energy Absorption, then EA ends up pushing you into iCap territory and gives you an incredible buffer for debuff. Stack in the KB/KD heavy aspects of Stone and you can rampage without fear and be a walking aggro magnet that constantly floors enemies around you. Not only are you debuffing speed and damage, but you're stripping the enemies ability to even attack. It's particularly amusing when you get an over-aggro scenario like an ambush or an accidental pull by an overzealous team mate. The AoE and Chilling Embrace do interesting things with excess mobs and how it takes you to the aggro cap, but the powers themselves keep hitting stuff around you, which recycles aggro.

 

"It's my turn to hit the guy!"

"No, really, it's my turn, take a walk."

"But he just stabbed me with an Icicle, it is clearly my turn to take a whack at him!"

"Can't you see there's clearly a line to try and kill this guy right now?!"

 

And just cause I have it laying around:

Spoiler

Hero Plan by Hero Hero Designer 2.23
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Echo Gebeb: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Ice Armor
Secondary Power Set: Stone Melee
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Force of Will
Power Pool: Leaping
Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Frozen Armor -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A), RedFrt-Def(3), RedFrt-EndRdx(3), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx(11), RedFrt-Def/Rchg(21), RedFrt-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33)
Level 1: Stone Fist -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(7), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(15), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17)
Level 2: Chilling Embrace -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 4: Heavy Mallet -- CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(A), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg(5), TchofDth-Dam%(5), Mk'Bit-Dam%(15), GldStr-%Dam(17), FrcFdb-Rechg%(25)
Level 6: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 8: Hoarfrost -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(9), Prv-EndRdx/Rchg(9), Prv-Heal/Rchg(23), Prv-Heal/Rchg/EndRdx(34), Prv-Absorb%(34)
Level 10: Taunt -- PrfZng-Dam%(A)
Level 12: Icicles -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(13), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(23), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(34)
Level 14: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(45), HO:Cyto(48)
Level 16: Build Up -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 18: Glacial Armor -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(19), Rct-EndRdx/Rchg(19), Rct-Def/Rchg(21), Rct-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(25), Rct-ResDam%(45)
Level 20: Kick -- Acc-I(A)
Level 22: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(43), HO:Ribo(43)
Level 24: Mighty Leap -- Spr-EndRdx/Jump(A)
Level 26: Energy Absorption -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A), HO:Cyto(27), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(27), EffAdp-EndMod/Rchg(33)
Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(29), HO:Cyto(29), HO:Cyto(33), Ksm-ToHit+(46)
Level 30: Hurl Boulder -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Dmg/Rchg(31), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(37)
Level 32: Hibernate -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 35: Tremor -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Arm-Dam%(36), Obl-%Dam(36), ScrDrv-Dam%(40), FrcFdb-Rechg%(48)
Level 38: Seismic Smash -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Hct-Dam%(39), GldNet-Dam%(39), UnbCns-Dam%(40), GhsWdwEmb-Dam%(40)
Level 41: Gloom -- Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(A), Apc-Dmg(42), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apc-Acc/Rchg(42), Apc-Dam%(43), GldJvl-Dam%(45)
Level 44: Dark Obliteration -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), CldSns-%Dam(46), PstBls-Dam%(50), JvlVll-Dam%(50)
Level 47: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A), GssSynFr--Build%(48)
Level 49: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Rchg+(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 2: Health -- NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Pnc-Heal/+End(37), Mrc-Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(37)
------------

 

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For Psi heavy mobs, or Incarnate content, flip on Maneuvers and CJ and chew an occasional T2 Purple to hit all positional soft caps (to cover Toxic and Psi holes). Having the ability to spike up to full health unimpeded every 40/s pretty much makes up for not having capped resistances.

 

Edit: Force of Will is for Mighty Leap, it provides both travel and an additional--free--AoE KD. Forgot that different Mid's variants will open that incorrectly.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Sir Myshkin

[markofantares]

I tanked last night, first time, in a team. I remembered what I read here, "Shutup and take the alpha."  Seemed to work pretty good. Tried to Taunt stragglers.

[Call Me Awesome]

14 hours ago, markofantares said:

I tanked last night, first time, in a team. I remembered what I read here, "Shutup and take the alpha."  Seemed to work pretty good. Tried to Taunt stragglers.

That's the basics, as you get more experience you'll get so you can gather them up in a clump and face them away from your team by reflex and do it fast enough that the team doesn't slow down and wait for you.  You're just starting and learning so taking the alpha and being aware of loose aggro threatening the squishier members of the team is enough, and already puts you ahead of about half the tankers I've teamed with recently.

 

I have a mental checklist when I'm tanking that goes something like this:

1. Grab the attention of the first group by getting into the middle of it and hitting an AOE, then move to the far edge of it so they'll turn and face YOU instead of the team.

2. When you see a mob turn and face the team toss a Taunt on it to get it back.

3. When the group is dead or nearly so move straight to the next one and repeat.

4. If your team is out of endurance or low on HP (which they shouldn't be) then possibly hold up a few seconds before you grab the next group.

5. Remember in the current game most of your teammates will be capable of handling the odd mob or two themselves, particularly any melee characters so don't get too stressed if you have some loose aggro, but if you see a teammate's HP start dropping taunt the mobs off of them... the easiest way to do this is usually to target them and taunt so you taunt their target.  That presumes they're targeted on the mob that's killing them but there's seldom time for more finesse.

 

There's lots of subtle tricks you can use to gather the mobs up tight; a good way to master this is to practice while solo.  Set for -1 x 8 on your difficulty and practice clumping them up fast, Council are generally a good group to practice with, Tsoo are NOT.  You can do this by moving around or by breaking line of sight (but this is slower).  The quickest way I know is to run around the group then stop.  That allows your aura to work for you and you'll likely get their attention.  If you have two groups close together you can move from one to the other then back to the first, this usually snugs them up to you, although remember you can only hold the attention of 17 baddies at once due to the aggro cap.  Don't aggro more than 17 mobs at once or the extras will go straight for the rest of the team.

 

Master all that and you'll be one of the best tankers around, just going from group to group and taking the alpha and moving as fast as the team can kill will make you a very useful teammate.  I've occasionally teamed with really good tanks and I always watch what they do and try and add their tricks to my skills.  The truly skilled tanks are treasures and are few and very far between, if you happen on a team with one study what he does.  I like to think I'm competent at it but there's a couple I've teamed with over the years that I'll freely admit I can't begin to match.

[markofantares]

Tanking with a Tanker is so different than tanking with a Brute. With Brutes - With the Villain ATs - It's assumed everyone can more or less hold their own. Brutes tank as a consequence of being the guy with all the armour and damage. But Tankers are designed specifically to hold aggro.  It's so different for me, in CoH/CoV. I'm so used to just being a Brute, doing my thing and letting everyone else mop up.

[Call Me Awesome]

4 hours ago, markofantares said:

Tanking with a Tanker is so different than tanking with a Brute. With Brutes - With the Villain ATs - It's assumed everyone can more or less hold their own. Brutes tank as a consequence of being the guy with all the armour and damage. But Tankers are designed specifically to hold aggro.  It's so different for me, in CoH/CoV. I'm so used to just being a Brute, doing my thing and letting everyone else mop up.

In the old days we referred to two types of Scrappers, the "Wild" scrapper who was a mostly solo player and would run off and go go go ignoring the group and the "Domesticated" scrapper who stayed with the group and paid (some) attention to the team.  Brutes are kind of built to be the "Wild" type thanks to the rage mechanic.

[TaxibotJoe]

This thread moved me to try a tank yesterday and it was way big fun!

 

Just hit 22 and loaded up the level 25 plain IOs before I signed off for the day. He’s a WP/Rad, which doesn’t have the best aura, so I have taunt with a perfect zinger proc and /Rad has a damage toggle in a few levels.

 

Hopefully the WP aura improvements on test survive and get promoted up soon, but it is a great “beginner” set to learn tanking tactics.

 

Thanks to all the excellent advice on this thread and to solid teams yesterday.

 

Also apologies to the Posi team. I didn’t see a spawn before smacking Rollister, spotted the team getting beaten, so headed back and unintentionally pulled Rollister and his group back into the giant scrum, and almost wiped the whole team. 🤦🏻‍♂️