Dark Armor / Martial Arts / Energy Mastery build review request

[EnjoyTheJourney]

I'm hoping for some feedback on this build I worked up earlier today for a build concept I have for a tank. 

 

As per the tags, I'm hoping to make a durable tank that does good damage and has some helpful team buffs. Particularly if there are glaring errors here, then I'm hoping to find and fix them. 

 

Thank you in advance!

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.1
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Martial Arts
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(3), UnbGrd-EndRdx/Rchg(5), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(43), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 1: Thunder Kick -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(42), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42)
Level 2: Murky Cloud -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam(5), Ags-Psi/Status(7), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(7), Ags-EndRdx/Rchg(9), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(11), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(11), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(17)
Level 6: Storm Kick -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(21)
Level 8: Obsidian Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A)
Level 10: Dark Regeneration -- TchoftheN-Acc/Heal(A), TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(23), TchoftheN-Heal/HP/Regen/Rchg(27), TchoftheN-Heal(31), TchoftheN-%Dam(31), TchoftheN-Acc/EndRdx/Heal/HP/Regen(33)
Level 12: Cloak of Darkness -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(13), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(13)
Level 14: Warrior's Provocation -- PrfZng-Dam%(A)
Level 16: Super Jump -- WntGif-ResSlow(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(45), BlsoftheZ-Travel(46)
Level 18: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(37), Krm-ResKB(45)
Level 20: Cobra Strike -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(23), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(34), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mk'Bit-Dam%(37)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- GldArm-ResDam(A), GldArm-End/Res(25), GldArm-3defTpProc(25), GldArm-RechRes(27)
Level 26: Oppressive Gloom -- RzzDzz-Immob%(A)
Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(29), Rct-Def(29), Rct-ResDam%(43)
Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(31)
Level 32: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(33), ShlWal-Def(33), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(43)
Level 35: Dragon's Tail -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Arm-Acc/Rchg(36), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Arm-Dam%(37), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(40)
Level 38: Crippling Axe Kick -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Rchg(39), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Hct-Dam%(40)
Level 41: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 44: Physical Perfection -- Mrc-Rcvry+(A)
Level 47: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--Build%(50)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(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 -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Prv-Absorb%(46), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(46)
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon 
Level 50: Mighty Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Diamagnetic Radial Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Seers Radial Superior Ally 
Level 50: Ageless Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Support Radial Embodiment 
------------

Edited May 7, 2020 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Sovera]

You have everything in place though you could probably refine the slotting a bit more to save some slots here and there.

 

Dark Regen is so powerful it is almost not mandatory to search for capped resists, but, things you can try to consider in the further refining of the build:

 

- Remember than you can boost IOs (right click as if to choose a new OP, then press + five times). Hasten went from 143 seconds to 138. Same applies to the end mod in Stamina, Conserve Power, Assault, etc.

- Dragon Tail can be taken at level 20. Don't level to 35 without it <_< It is also a *marvelous* place to stick a Force Feedback (much like Crane Kick) proc since hasten at 138 seconds is a bit slow. The Gladiator -res can go into Death Shroud and Crippling Axe Kick can take the Achilles -res (despite HD not allowing to slot it).

- The Theft Essence proc pretty much negates Dark Regen's endurance which is the real big hog of the build. It almost turns Dark Regen into an endurance recovery tool which is nutty, but try it.

- If you manage to, er, manage, your endurance you can move away from Ageless. I bring this up because having another build wide 5% resistance to all changes slotting a lot which brings me to my next point...

- ...which is you have too much in the way of resistances. You're 15% overcapped in S/L with just one stack of the Tanker's Might proc. It stacks twice more for another near 15%, so you might be overcapped as much as 30%. Putting the proc in a toggle is not the best choice due to procs-per-minute. It will go a lot better in a single target attack you are bound to spam. My own choice where to put it is Storm kick since we will be spamming it for the +defense.

 

This is part of the build refining I mentioned. If you trim all you can to absorb the slots giving you excess resistances (for example Tough can do with just its single native slot, and the Reactive Defenses in Weave giving 1.5% S/L) you can spread them over your other powers. This also applies to Fire/Cold (but not much to be done there) but not to Energy/Negative and Toxic/Psi. The reason it does not matter for those is that they are tied together and one is severely buffed by Dark Armor but not the other which forces severe overcapping in one so the other can be capped. This is normal and nothing to be done about, and Energy being very prevalent in end-game I'd say to keep on pushing even at the cost of Negative being crazy overcapped. Same reasoning with Psi/Toxic. To be perfectly honest Dark Regen is so powerful you can skip the previous advice.

 

If you do intend to follow it consider that activating any power where you put Tanker's Might will give the build near 7% resistances to all. The safe thing is to consider that two stacks are easy to maintain. That means activating the power it is in (in this case Death Shroud) and aiming to have 83% resistances instead of 90% will have the second stack push the resistances to 90% by itself.

 

 

 

[EnjoyTheJourney]

Edit: In the build provided here might of the tanker a +res proc and a res bonus from the alpha incarnate pick were accidentally active and influencing the "totals" screen. So, I overestimated the probable in-game total resistances by quite a bit. I'll need to re-consider the build a bit more before copying it into this post.  

 

To be clear, Sovera's post above is highly appreciated because it's helping for finding significant improvements over the build given in the OP. 

Edited May 9, 2020 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Sovera]

5 hours ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:

Edit: In the build provided here might of the tanker a +res proc and a res bonus from the alpha incarnate pick were accidentally active and influencing the "totals" screen. So, I overestimated the probable in-game total resistances by quite a bit. I'll need to re-consider the build a bit more before copying it into this post.  

 

To be clear, Sovera's post above is highly appreciated because it's helping for finding significant improvements over the build given in the OP. 

Remember to pick the unofficial update to HD over the Tools section of the forum as it fixes the +resistances from the alpha.

[EnjoyTheJourney]

First, my thanks to Sovera, as the revised build should function noticeably better.

 

I got the character planner update and hopefully it worked. Some commentary about the revised build and the build itself follow below.

 

 

Durability

 

Most resists start at a high base and hit the 90% cap with a single proc from will of the tanker and the cardiac core alpha slotted; only toxic and energy resists won't be capped with a single will of the tanker proc and the cardiac core alpha. Toxic resist will be 63.3% with a single will of the tanker proc and the cardiac core alpha. Energy resist will be 70.8% with a single proc from will of the tanker and the cardiac core alpha. 

 

Positional defenses won't be capped across the board in this build. Still, melee defense will be 56.4% after a storm kick, which helps to somewhat reduce the odds of cascading defense failure from melee opponents. AOE will be just softcapped at 45.5%, while ranged will be 40.8%. Smash / lethal defenses will be 51.1% after a storm kick, while fire / cold defenses will be 44.2% after a storm kick. These positional defenses will help to mitigate quite a bit of ranged damage that might otherwise hit.

 

Swarms of mobs with ranged energy attacks that have no smash / lethal component and that have a defense debuff will probably be the among most challenging kinds of mobs to fight. 

 

This build increases resistance to recharge debuffs to 50%, from 35% in the earlier build, which should help noticeably for some content. Knockback protection sits at 12, which seems workable for most content. Plus, dark regen will help to fix problems for the weaknesses that exist for this build and it's available every 11 to 15 seconds (or less, with force feedback +recharge procs).

 

Overall, for incarnate content this build should be quite durable. 

 

In non-incarnate content, after a storm kick defenses to melee and AOE will still be softcapped, as well as for smash / lethal in all its forms. Fire / cold defenses will be a little over 44% after a storm kick, so almost softcapped. Resists will still be in solid shape overall and dark regen will be available and still on a short cooldown.

 

Overall, durability should be good for content which disallows the use of incarnates.

 

 

Damage

 

For damage, a key tradeoff being made, compared to the earlier build, is to get a second -res proc into the build (Achilles heel in crippling axe kick). Up to -40% resist to mobs helps to offset the loss of two damage procs that were in the earlier build. 

 

Team Buffs

 

Three leadership powers are taken and they provide helpful team buffs (+defense to all, +to hit, +perception, +damage). Some debuff / status protection is offered by tactics and assault (confuse, fear, perception debuffs, taunt, placate). 

 

 

As a couple of build notes, the character planner only allows dragon tail to be taken at level 35. And so, in the actual game dragon tail will be taken at level 20 and cobra strike will be taken at level 35 (basically, they'll be swapped in when they're each taken). Also, the empty slot in crippling axe kick will hold an Achilles -res proc IO. 

 

I'm still not certain about the Destiny incarnate pick. Ageless radial offers debuff resistances, which is very appealing; DDR, in particular, could really help the build and it was a key reason for taking Ageless radial. But, Rebirth Core is also interesting, not only as an on-demand emergency heal for self and teammates, but also for the +max hit points buff; dark tanks can't increase their maximum hit points any other way and the heal in dark regen seems tied to max hit points, potentially making it a worthwhile pick. Resilience is probably a worthy pick. But, perhaps resists are in a good enough place that it wouldn't help as much as it might for other possible builds. 

 

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.1
https://github.com/ImaginaryDevelopment/imaginary-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Night Kick: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Martial Arts
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(29)
Level 1: Thunder Kick -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(42)
Level 2: Murky Cloud -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam(5), Ags-Psi/Status(7), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(7), Ags-EndRdx/Rchg(9), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(15), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(17)
Level 6: Storm Kick -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(17), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(19), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(21)
Level 8: Obsidian Shield -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A)
Level 10: Dark Regeneration -- ThfofEss-+End%(A), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(23), ThfofEss-Heal/Rchg(25), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(25), ThfofEss-Acc/Heal(27), ThfofEss-Heal(27)
Level 12: Cloak of Darkness -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(13), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(13), ShlWal-Def(40), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(42)
Level 14: Warrior's Provocation -- PrfZng-Dam%(A)
Level 16: Super Jump -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), WntGif-ResSlow(45)
Level 18: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(37), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(43)
Level 20: Cobra Strike -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(37)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), StdPrt-ResKB(45)
Level 26: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(31), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(31), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(39), ShlWal-Def(43), Rct-ResDam%(50)
Level 28: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(29), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(39)
Level 30: Tactics -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(31), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(33), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(43), GssSynFr--Build%(45)
Level 32: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 35: Dragon's Tail -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(36), Arm-Acc/Rchg(36), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Arm-Dam%(37), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40)
Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(A)
Level 44: Crippling Axe Kick -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), Hct-Acc/Rchg(48), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Hct-Dam%(48), Empty(50)
Level 47: Oppressive Gloom -- RzzDzz-Immob%(A)
Level 49: Assault -- EndRdx-I(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 -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(34), Prv-Absorb%(46), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(50)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(46)
Level 50: Mighty Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Diamagnetic Radial Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Seers Radial Superior Ally 
Level 50: Support Radial Embodiment 
Level 50: Cardiac Core Paragon 
Level 50: Ageless Radial Epiphany 
------------

Edited May 9, 2020 by EnjoyTheJourney

[Sovera]

Everything is definitely looking nice and neat. We follow different paths but that's fine too. I still feel a Tanker's damage is still a bit too anemic and thus would never pass on slotting Musculature and damage procs. At most the 33% version so it buffs endurance a bit more. In the same vein I would not pass on my Build-Up power.

 

Taking Ageless would fix any endurance woes you'd have and allow you to drop out of Conserve Power and Physical Perfection and instead pick extra AoE (which may or may not be useful) or Barrier for another 5% defense and 5% resistance (further allowing moving around the slotting). I would personally not worry about DDR. Your defense is a secondary layer and you are primarily a resist based character with a potent heal.

If you haven't you could take a look at the Rad Armor/MA build I posted somewhere below these forums. The only thing I did not pick compared to yours is Tactics which is of dubious use at 50. I had to twist a bit more to reach 45% defense since I did not have Cloak of Darkness to help things, but managed to squeeze in a damage proc for most attacks, picked Musculature, traded Tactics for Focus Chi, picked two extra AoEs and still got my 45% and 90% goals (except psi and cold).

 

We don't *need* to follow the trope of Tankers being sturdy low damage dealers.

 

 

 That said these are personal opinions. Your build as is will eat all content, kudos 👍

 

[kenlon]

It's a good, solid build, though I would suggest dropping Cardiac alpha in favor of Musculature. That only loses you about 3-4% DR. and you've got heavy enough layered defenses that the tiny boost to +res is negligible, and you have Ageless which helps with avoiding defense cascade failure. Boosting your survivability caps out - once you can live through anything, more is wasted. Damage is permanently additive.

 

Tactics is also massively overslotted, with it not really being needed in your build at all. If you pull it out and instead take Vengeance, you not only get the 5th LotG in and have access to a fun thing to use on blasters you team with, but you can take the five slots from there, put three into Combat Jumping and one into Maneuvers, to snag those set bonuses while at the same almost entirely negating the def loss from dropping the six slot Gaussian's set bonus.

And you end up with one enhancement slot unused, so you can put that elsewhere.

 

You end up, in total, dropping 0.1% S/L, F/C and E/N, while actually gaining 1.15% Psi.  Now, it does hit your pure positionals a little harder, at 1.35% Melee/Ranged/AoE . Even with the drop in +To-Hit, you're still at 98%+ against +4s for everything but Dark Regeneration, which is at a mere 92%. You also really don't need the trifecta of Conserve Power, Physical Perfection and Ageless - you could easily drop Physical Perfection for example, take Focus Chi and drop the spare enhance slot in there. Pop in two Membrane Exposure HOs and you have a massive increase in your ability to hit hard targets for ten seconds out of every thirty, putting you up to the 160-180% range for that time. 

 

Here's the build after I fiddled with it. Note that the build was made using the Unofficial Mid's Reborn updates, found here, which fixes things like the level for Dragon's Tail and the ability to slot in the Achilles Heel proc.

 

Spoiler

 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.6.0.7
https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Night Kick - Revised: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Martial Arts
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- UnbGrd-Max HP%(A), UnbGrd-ResDam(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(3), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(5), UnbGrd-Rchg/ResDam(5)
Level 1: Thunder Kick -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(9)
Level 2: Murky Cloud -- Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(A), Ags-ResDam(11), Ags-Psi/Status(11), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(13), Ags-EndRdx/Rchg(13), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 4: Death Shroud -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(21), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(23), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(23)
Level 6: Storm Kick -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(25), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(25), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(29)
Level 8: Obsidian Shield -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A)
Level 10: Dark Regeneration -- ThfofEss-+End%(A), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(29), ThfofEss-Heal/Rchg(31), ThfofEss-Acc/EndRdx/Heal(31), ThfofEss-Acc/Heal(31), ThfofEss-Heal(33)
Level 12: Cloak of Darkness -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(33), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(33), ShlWal-Def(34), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(34)
Level 14: Warrior's Provocation -- PrfZng-Dam%(A)
Level 16: Super Jump -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), WntGif-ResSlow(34)
Level 18: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(36), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(36), LucoftheG-Def(36), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(37), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(37)
Level 20: Dragon's Tail -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37), Arm-Acc/Rchg(39), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Arm-Dam%(39), FrcFdb-Rechg%(40)
Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), StdPrt-ResKB(40)
Level 26: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/Rchg(40), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(42), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), ShlWal-Def(42), Rct-ResDam%(43)
Level 28: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(43), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(43), LucoftheG-Def/Rchg(45)
Level 30: Assault -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 32: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(45)
Level 35: Cobra Strike -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(46), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(46)
Level 38: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 41: Focus Chi -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(50)
Level 44: Crippling Axe Kick -- Hct-Dmg/Rchg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(48), Hct-Acc/Rchg(48), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(48), Hct-Dam%(50), AchHee-ResDeb%(50)
Level 47: Oppressive Gloom -- RzzDzz-Immob%(A)
Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/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 -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(15), Prv-Absorb%(17), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(17)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-End%(19)
Level 50: Mighty Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Diamagnetic Radial Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Seers Radial Superior Ally 
Level 50: Support Radial Embodiment 
Level 50: Ageless Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Musculature Core Paragon 
------------

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by kenlon

[EnjoyTheJourney]

I've had some time to experiment, even if only a little, and to ponder the last two feedback posts. Thank you for taking the time. 

 

The overkill on layering in resists / defense and for to hit bonuses is, perhaps more than anything, a reflection of my inexperience at evaluating all aspects of how a build is likely to function in endgame. It's only now, ironically, and not when the game was live, that I have plenty of inf to make endgame builds and try to play them to their potential. Knowing that I'm inexperienced I'd rather come up short on damage than fail at a tanker's main jobs, which are to take aggro and live, set the tempo, and work at keeping teammates (at least somewhat) safer when things get a bit dicey. 

 

That said, I've been coming around to believing that musculature radial is a better alpha slot choice than what I had been considering. Barrier core is an appealing destiny incarnate pick. And, I might pick assault radial for the hybrid slot. 

 

Where I'm still a bit unsure is tactics. The Gaussian build up proc IO seems to trigger automatically more than the once a minute listed when I'm on teams; I had read somewhere that the Gaussian build up proc triggers off both teammates and self when it's in tactics, and so that was what I was hoping to see. If that's true then an automated build up that triggers 2 or 3 times per minute and that doesn't seem to require casting or animation time is likely to offer a bigger damage boost than focus chi.  My experimentation was limited and the measurements were not exact^, as a key caveat, and that's a motivation for mentioning that here; more exhaustive tests may have already been done and I just haven't heard of them yet.

 

^ Speed ITFs aren't particularly quiet and contemplative events. But, I did what I could to follow how frequently I was seeing the build up proc go off.  

[Sovera]

5 hours ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:

I've had some time to experiment, even if only a little, and to ponder the last two feedback posts. Thank you for taking the time. 

 

The overkill on layering in resists / defense and for to hit bonuses is, perhaps more than anything, a reflection of my inexperience at evaluating all aspects of how a build is likely to function in endgame. It's only now, ironically, and not when the game was live, that I have plenty of inf to make endgame builds and try to play them to their potential. Knowing that I'm inexperienced I'd rather come up short on damage than fail at a tanker's main jobs, which are to take aggro and live, set the tempo, and work at keeping teammates (at least somewhat) safer when things get a bit dicey. 

 

That said, I've been coming around to believing that musculature radial is a better alpha slot choice than what I had been considering. Barrier core is an appealing destiny incarnate pick. And, I might pick assault radial for the hybrid slot. 

 

Where I'm still a bit unsure is tactics. The Gaussian build up proc IO seems to trigger automatically more than the once a minute listed when I'm on teams; I had read somewhere that the Gaussian build up proc triggers off both teammates and self when it's in tactics, and so that was what I was hoping to see. If that's true then an automated build up that triggers 2 or 3 times per minute and that doesn't seem to require casting or animation time is likely to offer a bigger damage boost than focus chi.  My experimentation was limited and the measurements were not exact^, as a key caveat, and that's a motivation for mentioning that here; more exhaustive tests may have already been done and I just haven't heard of them yet.

 

^ Speed ITFs aren't particularly quiet and contemplative events. But, I did what I could to follow how frequently I was seeing the build up proc go off.  

Experimenting is the best thing. It's common to overthink endurance problems for example. We overslot and overcompensate and discover we actually do not have endurance problems. This can be because Ageless is a *very* common Destiny and it's common to be under its effect all the time from someone else in the team who fired it. That means you don't need to take it, that means your endurance is pretty much always solved.

 

This is something you find as you play. Another thing for example is 'CoH is an AoE game' which is a view I espoused as well. But as we play we realize a pack melts from enthusiast AoE and that a strong ST with fluid animations is actually a nice thing to have to take care of the leftovers, not more AoE.

 

Now, regarding Tactics and the use of Gaussian. What you have here is a spreadsheet VS practical use scenario. In spreadsheet terms the Gaussian term will go off X times a minute without intervention from the user making its slotting there palatable. In practical terms the Gaussian going off will be random. It can happen while running to the next spawn, it can be while fighting a minion, it can be when fighting a boss at 10% HP.

 

I feel it better to have the thing when I need it.  Even not fully slotted my little tanker manages to kill most, if not all, +2 minions in a spawn by running to it, Focus Chi + Gaussian, Dragon's Tail, Electrifying Fences, Ball Lightning, Dragon's Tail. Or there's something like a Sapper, or a Surgeon, or a Paragon Protector at 30%, and that damage boost ensures they go down presto.

 

 

Again, as you play you decide your own playstyle, there is not one size-fits-all. I do things how I like, others do as they like, and you can be that third way of doing things and none needs to be accounted as being a wrong way. Respecs recipes are cheap at 1-2 mill so just horse around and play with slottings, do group content and refine things.

[kenlon]

14 hours ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:

The overkill on layering in resists / defense and for to hit bonuses is, perhaps more than anything, a reflection of my inexperience at evaluating all aspects of how a build is likely to function in endgame.

Getting a feel for the minimum survivability you can build for and get away with it takes time. And often involves things that aren't obvious at first glance, so don't worry, we've all been there. Just remember that getting more damage output helps your team more than excessive durability.

 

14 hours ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:

That said, I've been coming around to believing that musculature radial is a better alpha slot choice than what I had been considering. Barrier core is an appealing destiny incarnate pick. And, I might pick assault radial for the hybrid slot. 

 

You want to go for Musculature Core Paragon, not Radial. The only thing Radial really gets you is a miniscule amount of endurance/second (.14 on the suggested build I made), and the reason for taking Musculature at all is damage. So go for the extra damage. Barrier is great for squishy ATs - my MA/Regen uses it, frex - but is overkill for tough ATs. The only thing that is going to kill you is a defense debuff cascade, and you have no inherent Defense Debuff Resistance. Take Ageless Radial and you get DDR, a recharge bump to shorten your Hasten cooldown, and a good solid shot of endurance. On the Hybrid power, Assault Core is better than Assault Radial, as you won't be anywhere near the damage cap most of the time, and thus it does more for you than the doublehit from Radial.

15 hours ago, EnjoyTheJourney said:

If that's true then an automated build up that triggers 2 or 3 times per minute and that doesn't seem to require casting or animation time is likely to offer a bigger damage boost than focus chi. 

Focus Chi is, again with the sample build I made you, +80% damage for ten seconds on a thirty second cooldown.  Gaussian's proc is +80% damage for 5.25 seconds on a 1PPM schedule. Even discounting that a damage boost that you can control the timing on is infinitely better than one that goes off whenever it feels like it, Focus Chi is straight out better. And, if you want to slot in the Gaussian's proc in Focus Chi, then it will go off 95% of the time when you hit Focus Chi with the build I gave you. (I'd suggest dropping the Winter's Gift slow resist you have in Super Jump for it since Ageless Radial gives you debuff resist.)

 

Not to mention that Tactics in your current build has you way over the needed value of accuracy, so it's doubly wasted.

[Fordson]

Hello.  I've actually been following this thread and have put Kenlon's build on my Tanker XD

I'm not new to the game, but I'm very new to Tanking.  I've played about every toon a few times but never made a Tank bc I was too scared to "lead", lol  Not that Tanks have to bc I see so many other AT's lead with no problem, but that being said, I just didn't want the pressure of leading.  DA/MA are two of the sets that I really haven't done much on so I gave it a try.  I've played about half the lvls and have PL'd the other half (just to get her done tbh).  Now that I've spent the money to get this build on her, I can begin to have some confidence on playing her on the higher lvl TF's thanks to you all.  My question is, what Incarnates do you recommend?  I see there were a few mentioned, but if you can list them in an order for me I'd REALLY appreciate it.  I'd hate to waste threads/merits.  Thank you again.  She is really fun to play and I can wait to play her fully to her max with Incarnates!  Her name's "Womannequin".   XD

Edited June 21, 2020 by Fordson

[Justaris]

Assuming you're sticking reasonably close to what's been discussed here and have built heavily for defense (seeing your build would help to be sure the below advice is best for you specifically), here's what I would recommend as far as Incarnate options, with a brief breakdown of pros and cons to help you choose:

 

Alpha:  Cadiac and Resilient will improve your Resistances, Musculature will improve your damage.    Cardiac doesn't give you quite as much Resistance as Resilient, but gives you a hefty endurance discount.   You'll want the Core variant for all of these.

 

Judgment:  This one's mainly down to personal taste.   Ion is probably the most popular, but I personally like Void radial for its -DMG effect.    That and Ion briefly makes enemies who survive it immune (to prevent endless jumping) which has the unfortunate effect of making your Ion wasted if you happen to use it too soon after someone else uses theirs.   Void is PbAOE and Ion is a special ranged AOE that works chain-lightning style.    Cryonic and Vorpal  are cones, which can be a bit harder to use, but still very effective.    Mighty is also PbAOE, and Pyronic is targeted AOE.

 

Interface:   Reactive is far and away the most popular in my experience., but it's important to know that only 4 of the same Interface proc can stack on any one target.   If you're going to run Incarnate trials, Hamidon Raids, Rikti Mothership raids, or even 8-man teams with regularity then you'll likely see Reactive saturate and your own may not have any effect.    Degenerative and Diamagnetic are also solid choices.   The -HP effect from Degenerative is very good against hard targets like AVs and Giant Monsters, as is the -regen effect from Diamagnetic.   

 

Lore:  Most people use the Core variant for a source of extra DPS.    Pretty much any Lore you choose will provide this, though Longbow is nice since it gives -regen.    The radial variants give invincible pets that provide various buffs.    Banished Pantheon and Seers are generally considered good if you're going this route, but it's a good idea to look over the buffs each one offers and choose something that complements your play.    Or just pick something that looks cool and goes with your character's theme.   

 

Destiny:   Ageless radial.    As mentioned above, this provides Defense Debuff Resistance, which prevents cascading defense failure.   It also refills your endurance.   Strongly recommended.    You probably won't need the Resistance from Barrier, but the radial variant offers a multi-rez for those less tanky members of your party.    Clarion's +Special buffs can be fun to combo with your stuns but you really don't need it.   Rebirth provides healing for yourself and your allies, but Dark Regeneration is going to have you covered 90% of the time.    Rebirth is handy for grinding healing badges, however, if that's something you want to do.    Incandescence is great for moving people around and can be great for coordination on things like the Cathedral or certain Incarnate Trials.    

 

Hybrid:   Melee provides Regeneration, which you can layer on top of your Resistance and Defense for even more tankiness.     Support provides an endurance discount, if you're needing one.    There's not much reason to take Control as the boosted Mag for your stun or fear effects isn't likely to be a major factor for you.     Assault provides more damage.     Generally I recommend Assault or Melee depending on what role you're trying to fill, and you generally have better options for endurance management than going Support.    

 

If you play enough post-50 you'll easily be able to craft multiples of various incarnate powers and swap them out, so don't feel locked into any one choice.     For example, I like to run Resilient when I'm playing main tank for TFs or Trials, but otherwise Musculature can be very nice when soloing or running with a regular team.     I also like to swap between Melee and Assault hybrids in much the same way.

[kiramon]

I personally always like Gaussian in tactics if you use it - it does have a 1ppm, but the proc has a chance to go off for each thing affected by your tactics... as in it goes off a lot in a full team. It’s a good way to get more overall damage though not guaranteed like if In the build up... 

 

anyways, I only ever put it in be build up on like stalkers who spam that with resets, personally. 

Edited June 28, 2020 by kiramon