Newbie tank questions

[ranster44]

 I have done some research and am aware of most of the changes since I last played (damage boost ect...). I am looking for a combo suggestion that can be fun soloing from the start that won't struggle too much but can be viable later on when I get established and can tweak it out. For now IOs would be what i would be using for the most part, all the way to 50. I have a friend I play with but right now TFs and such would be a  VERY rare occurrence for me.  So I'm kinda leveling old school. Any help choosing power sets to start with would be greatly appreciated.

[Cutter]

For primaries, Willpower is generally regarded as one of the "friendliest" sets, and is often recommended for new tankers to get their feet wet. It can be built to be a good all-rounder. Outside of the rez and the T9, it's all toggles and autos, so you can focus on your secondary during play. Invulnerability is similarly "set and forget" (aside from Dull Pain), as are Super Reflexes and Shield. If you're mostly solo/duoing, tho, you likely can't go wrong with anything (except maybe Stone because of the movement limitations, which could be a "fun"-breaker for you).

 

As far as secondaries are concerned, that's much more subjective and really comes down to what you want to play. I'd suggest rolling up a few combos that interest you and run them through a few DFBs and maybe DiBs. That would get you into the high teens quickly and give you somewhat of a feel for them. (That said, if I were to give a single recommendation, my current favourite is Elec Melee!)

 

Hope some of that helps.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Cutter

[LiquidBandage]

Invulnerability is a solid option as an entry into Tanking. Bio Armor would give you flexibility to adapt to the team composition. Fiery Armor does most of what you will need in the content you will primarily face. 

 

Another option is to try Kheldian tanking. Either design your own or invest heavily in Dwarf form. There is a lot of room for customization and tanking basically can kick in at level 20. 

[Gobbledigook]

Shield is good. Mace is good. Cant go wrong with those two.

 

Dark Armour is endurance heavy.

[drbuzzard]

I'll second the suggestion for willpower since it really just makes your life simple. If you are soloing it will just allow you to smash your way through things without much tweaking at all. It's pretty solidly durable even with just SOs. I'll also second a separate suggestion of war mace. It's a set which benefited heavily from the tanker improvements as it has a good number of AOEs, with a couple of cones that gained a good bit. It also allows a lot of different graphic options in the weapon which I find to be a fun angle.  The set includes clobber which is one of the best single target hits in the tanker attack sets. 

 

When you say IOs are what you will be using to 50, do you mean common IOs or sets for bonuses, I get the impression of the former. With willpower, this will be easy enough. With some other ones, this could be more complicated. 

[oldskool]

20 hours ago, ranster44 said:

I am looking for a combo suggestion that can be fun soloing from the start that won't struggle too much but can be viable later on when I get established and can tweak it out. 

You've gotten solid ideas so far.  I'll say, in regards to the quote, what you're asking for is almost everything available.  Fun is entirely subjective.  However, the ability to make a viable (hell, OPTIMAL) Tanker with investment is present with just about any combination you can think of.  Tanker durability in a build with heavy IO investment often trends into the "completely unnecessary" realm.  What I mean here, is that 90% of the game doesn't require the level of durability that a Tanker possesses.  There is very little content that is so difficult it requires a tightly crafted build.  Then, in that content, you have teammates and ideally your Incarnate powers to back you up.  

With the damage and AoE boost there are so many good secondary attack sets to pick from the world is your oyster.  There isn't really a magic answer here.  Just some ideas on how to get your feet wet. 

Edited May 21, 2020 by oldskool

[r0y]

On 5/20/2020 at 8:50 AM, ranster44 said:

 I have done some research and am aware of most of the changes since I last played (damage boost ect...). I am looking for a combo suggestion that can be fun soloing from the start that won't struggle too much but can be viable later on when I get established and can tweak it out. For now IOs would be what i would be using for the most part, all the way to 50. I have a friend I play with but right now TFs and such would be a  VERY rare occurrence for me.  So I'm kinda leveling old school. Any help choosing power sets to start with would be greatly appreciated.

There are many combinations, and who knows what will work for you since only you really know your playstyle and likes/dislikes.  That said, I'm assuming when you say "IO's" you mean non-sets, or BASIC IO's.  Working from that assumption:

 

As others have stated, Willpower WILL be the easiest for you.  It is very forgivable, needs ZERO attention (nothing to click, but that means no heal or other "oh crap" power.  The T9 is very skippable, and the rez... meh)

 

I would recommend Dark Melee - adds a small heal in a a decent attack, which is part of your chain (Siphon Life, 1 Acc, 2 Dam, 1 Heal, 1 end, 1 rech - or there abouts).  The first several powers are all you need, and the set is weak near the end (Dark Consumption is nearly useless, Midnight Grasp is unnecessary, etc).  So you'll have Smite, Siphon and Shadow Maul VERY early, and that will be it for the entire time.  Shadow Maul carries the set.

 

Also, since you're not really teaming or "going large" (I'll assume):  small mobs, therefore not so dependent on AoE.  DM fits that bill, too.  Also, WP has decent defense with decent resists and great regen (nice layered system), so the -ToHit of DM helps that Defense.  Siphon Life helps that regen (via heals).  Good synergy. 

 

It's an active melee set, perfect for an inactive armor set.  MIGHT get boring after a spell, I don't know.  

 

[ranster44]

Thank you all for the great info. I went with Invul/Electric for now. I'm sure I will try another alt build soon. And yes, I meant non-set IOs. I apologize for not making that clear. So much useful info, so many great suggestions. Thank you all  🙂

[Troo]

You chose well. If electric speaks to you it will be fun.

[Call Me Awesome]

4 hours ago, ranster44 said:

Thank you all for the great info. I went with Invul/Electric for now. I'm sure I will try another alt build soon. And yes, I meant non-set IOs. I apologize for not making that clear. So much useful info, so many great suggestions. Thank you all  🙂

That should serve you well, Invuln is tough enough that it doesn't need any additional help from the secondary.  My only experience with Electric is with an Elec/Shield Stalker, but I like the set.  Electric offers a good shot of AOE although it's ST damage isn't top tier.  Still, it will work very well for you.

 

You may want to reconsider Set IO's, with a fairly minor investment you can drastically increase your durability.  The guide in my signature gives you an outline with mostly relatively inexpensive IO's that will probably double your durability.  I haven't priced it all out recently, but it should come in under 50 million, less if you craft them, and most of the IO's you want are available in the 20's so you get the benefit of them most of the trip to 50.  Sure, if you really want you can go to a higher end build and probably double your durability again but you'll likely be spending closer to a billion inf instead of around 50 million.

[killigraphy]

Invul if you eventually want to be the king of the heap, without any worries.

 

 

Willpower if you want to feel like everything is a breeze (auto's), and you don't want to be a shining rainbow when you turn a toggle on.

 

As for secondaries ....for me, nothing beats the aesthetics of SS and EM. Both look great, and have beautiful splash page moves (Total focus delicious). Also both are quick, and don't leave you wishing you could do more dmg (I'm looking at you MA).

[ranster44]

On 5/22/2020 at 11:19 PM, Call Me Awesome said:

That should serve you well, Invuln is tough enough that it doesn't need any additional help from the secondary.  My only experience with Electric is with an Elec/Shield Stalker, but I like the set.  Electric offers a good shot of AOE although it's ST damage isn't top tier.  Still, it will work very well for you.

 

You may want to reconsider Set IO's, with a fairly minor investment you can drastically increase your durability.  The guide in my signature gives you an outline with mostly relatively inexpensive IO's that will probably double your durability.  I haven't priced it all out recently, but it should come in under 50 million, less if you craft them, and most of the IO's you want are available in the 20's so you get the benefit of them most of the trip to 50.  Sure, if you really want you can go to a higher end build and probably double your durability again but you'll likely be spending closer to a billion inf instead of around 50 million.

 Thank you. I will take a good long look at your guide!  🙂

Edited May 30, 2020 by ranster44
I will be doing some sets as I can afford them. So far I am loving tanks!