Optimal Tanker at level 17 without IO sets

[DougGraves]

What tanker powersets are the best at level 17?  Get their def/res early.  Are manageable with endurance.  Hopefully get some AoE.

 

I figure at level 17 you can get DiB buffs which I assume are better than DfB buffs, and use level 20 IOs instead of DO's.

[Rathulfr]

Why 17?  Puzzled?  🤔

 

(edit) Why not just push forward to 22, when you can equip level 25 common IOs, which are the functional equivalent -1 SOs?  Or maybe even further to level 27, when you can equip 30s, which are equal to +1 SOs?

 

Basically, I no longer even bother with any enhancements (other than drops) until level 22 or 27, when I can equip common IOs that are functionally equivalent to SOs.  I have 2-3 bins full of 25s and 30s that I keep for alts.

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Rathulfr

[Infinitum]

I leveled up the first 5 on HC to 50 the old fashioned way.

 

Since then ive been AE leveling IOing out and replaying early content on harder levels as an incarnate.

 

So ive literally only spent around 30 seconds on lvl 17 on the last 10 toons ive rolled up.

 

From that I'm wondering also why lvl because its such a brief time spent there usually even if leveling the old fashioned way.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Infinitum

[Roderick]

If you're willing to pick up a couple uniques (Steadfast Protection, Gladiator's Armor, Reactive Defenses, Shield Wall), you can easily get Shield Defense to 35% defense to all and 24% resist to all at super low level. And you'll get extra defense from nearby allies (via Phalanx Fighting) and scaling resist (from Reactive).

 

Spoiler

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.5
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 49 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: Battle Axe
Power Pool: Leaping

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(3), DefBuff-I(3), DefBuff-I(5)
Level 1: Beheader -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- EndRdx-I(A), DefBuff-I(5), DefBuff-I(7), DefBuff-I(7)
Level 4: True Grit -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(9)
Level 6: Active Defense -- Empty(A)
Level 8: Combat Jumping -- Rct-ResDam%(A)
Level 10: [Empty] 
Level 12: Phalanx Fighting -- ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(A)
Level 14: [Empty] 
Level 16: [Empty] 
Level 18: [Empty] 
Level 20: [Empty] 
Level 22: [Empty] 
Level 24: [Empty] 
Level 26: [Empty] 
Level 28: [Empty] 
Level 30: [Empty] 
Level 32: [Empty] 
Level 35: [Empty] 
Level 38: [Empty] 
Level 41: [Empty] 
Level 44: [Empty] 
Level 47: [Empty] 
Level 49: [Empty] 
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 -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A)
------------

 

 

[Bopper]

I'm gonna cheat and say Level 18. But super reflexes can softcap all positional defenses quite easily at level 18. If you're a stickler for an arbitrary level 17, then only your Range and Melee can be softcapped while AoE sits around 35%.

[Hedgefund]

My latest tank was SR/Claws which I nominate.  SR for the reasons Bopper gave above and Claws because Spin (now with 16 targets).

[Bopper]

Here is a level 18 SR/Rad I threw together. I went with Rad because its T1 attack is actually good damage for the cast time, and the -def seemed good for all the options you can use with it. I went with a full tanker IO set, but you could go with the -res proc instead. Here are the totals:

      

 

Build: Softcapped defenses at level 18, with 98.5% DDR.

Spoiler

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 49 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Super Reflexes
Secondary Power Set: Radiation Melee
Power Pool: Fighting

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Focused Fighting -- GifoftheA-Def/EndRdx(A), GifoftheA-Def(3)
Level 1: Contaminated Strike -- MghoftheT-Acc/Dmg(A), MghoftheT-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), MghoftheT-Rchg/Res%(11), MghoftheT-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(13), MghoftheT-Dmg/Rchg(15), MghoftheT-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(17)
Level 2: Focused Senses -- GifoftheA-Def/EndRdx(A), GifoftheA-Def(3)
Level 4: Agile -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(5)
Level 6: Practiced Brawler -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7), RechRdx-I(7)
Level 8: Dodge -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(9)
Level 10: Boxing -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(11)
Level 12: Evasion -- DefBuff-I(A), DefBuff-I(13)
Level 14: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(15)
Level 16: Weave -- GifoftheA-Def(A), GifoftheA-Def/EndRdx(17)
Level 18: Lucky -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 20: [Empty] 
Level 22: [Empty] 
Level 24: [Empty] 
Level 26: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
Level 28: [Empty] 
Level 30: [Empty] 
Level 32: [Empty] -- Empty(A)
Level 35: [Empty] 
Level 38: [Empty] 
Level 41: [Empty] 
Level 44: [Empty] 
Level 47: [Empty] 
Level 49: [Empty] 
Level 1: Brawl -- Dmg-I(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 -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Health -- Heal-I(A)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- EndMod-I(A), EndMod-I(5)
------------

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Bopper

[Roderick]

It's worth adding that Dark Melee gets Siphon Life at level 16, so if your Primary doesn't provide a heal, Dark is a great pairing. Of course, you'll have weaker AOE damage with Dark Melee, so you have to keep that in mind.

[DougGraves]

6 hours ago, Rathulfr said:

Why 17?  Puzzled?  🤔

 

(edit) Why not just push forward to 22, when you can equip level 25 common IOs, which are the functional equivalent -1 SOs?  Or maybe even further to level 27, when you can equip 30s, which are equal to +1 SOs?

 

Basically, I no longer even bother with any enhancements (other than drops) until level 22 or 27, when I can equip common IOs that are functionally equivalent to SOs.  I have 2-3 bins full of 25s and 30s that I keep for alts.

 

 

I already have characters parked at 22.  And I have some parked at 11 - which is optimum for dfb, although I haven't used them for dfb since then.

 

I normally only get lvl 25 IOs, and when a character gets high enough to be boring (in their 30's) I email their IOs and delete them, then use the IO's for their replacement character.

 

But I find playing level 7 to 17 to be the most fun, so I want to park some characters at level 17.

[DougGraves]

2 hours ago, Roderick said:

It's worth adding that Dark Melee gets Siphon Life at level 16, so if your Primary doesn't provide a heal, Dark is a great pairing. Of course, you'll have weaker AOE damage with Dark Melee, so you have to keep that in mind.

 

I think at level 17 dark melee has some of the best melee damage.  Unless the tanker switch made other sets get their aoe earlier.  Not a lot of tanker attack sets get aoe by level 17.

[Slightlymad]

Having just played a Rad/dark tank through those levels I can only say it was the smoothest ride ever. Awesome aoe, good res and several endurance and health mechanics. That was with lvl 15 acc Io and the p2w enhancements, 2 buffs from dfb and nothing else. 

[Snarky]

I ran ss/invul brutes and invul/ss tanks on SOs when i first started back on live. If you carry some blues you will find the sets are already monster strong by then on SOs.