Shield/EM or StJ or Something Else?

[lightpunch]

Hi folks,

 

I have a pretty straightforward question for y'all. I have a new concept for a character (young delinquent in the Warriors comes across a magical ancient shield, etc.), and was wondering what people's thoughts are on my best potential secondary. Right now I'm leaning EM or StJ -- I know StJ is in general considered pretty great but I'm not sure if tankers are the best class for it, and EM I know can do crazy ST damage, but otherwise I'm not familiar about its drawbacks (other than the corresponding weak AoE, somewhat alleviated by shield charge) or how people feel about it. And I know, conceptually, that a weapon would work really well here, but frankly, I find all the one-handed weapons pretty boring both visually and in practice, so I was treating the shield itself as a sufficient weapon for the theme.

 

So what do people think about EM or StJ? How would those experiences differ? Should I put SS, Elec, or Dark back into the mix?

 

Thank you in advance!

[Infinitum]

11 minutes ago, lightpunch said:

Hi folks,

 

I have a pretty straightforward question for y'all. I have a new concept for a character (young delinquent in the Warriors comes across a magical ancient shield, etc.), and was wondering what people's thoughts are on my best potential secondary. Right now I'm leaning EM or StJ -- I know StJ is in general considered pretty great but I'm not sure if tankers are the best class for it, and EM I know can do crazy ST damage, but otherwise I'm not familiar about its drawbacks (other than the corresponding weak AoE, somewhat alleviated by shield charge) or how people feel about it. And I know, conceptually, that a weapon would work really well here, but frankly, I find all the one-handed weapons pretty boring both visually and in practice, so I was treating the shield itself as a sufficient weapon for the theme.

 

So what do people think about EM or StJ? How would those experiences differ? Should I put SS, Elec, or Dark back into the mix?

 

Thank you in advance!

IMO SJ is waaay more useful than EM when paired with shield especially.  Better AOE and Cone, Faster feel, more fluid feel, and honestly better damage potential.

 

If EM gets a buff that may change.

 

Elec Paired with Shield is like a battle ship firing off a massive AOE barrage every 30 seconds but then you just play agro control between with lighter dmage.  Elec  is the most fun paring with shield IMO

 

Dark is like a otherworldy brawler - very fast feeling and fun also - will be really really good if they revisit the Darck Consumption buff.

 

SS is always good, but IMO SJ is better paired with shield.

 

If you are looking at builds I have most of these in the Build Collection i just posted in the Tanker section here.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Infinitum

[Camel]

I'd have to agree that Street Justice would be superior in almost every category, and this is coming from someone who mains Energy Melee. The burst you coud get with EM is substantially higher though and it's so gratifying to 2 shot bosses with Energy Transfer/Total Focus. Shield has Against All Odds which will significantly buff Energy Transfer and Total Focus because of their amazing base damage. I'd say go for what you want to play!

[lightpunch]

Thanks so much for the quick reply!

 

I'm kind of ok with getting a slow, heavy-hitter feeling melee character. Right now my others are a psy/rad scrapper, an elec/rad tanker, a spines/bio brute, and a staff/fire brute. All of them have pretty good AoE, but aside from the psy scrapper (and only when up against a non resistant enemy), I'm missing the one-or-two-hit experience of a strong meleer. So that, to me, was the appeal of EM, plus having a non-smashing damage type. But! I understand that really good ST damage isn't necessarily enough to overcome other limitations, that was kind of my original question about EM, and your answer seems to be "no." (But those ST values!)

 

This character began as an elec/regen (I know, I know, I was just enjoying pretending I could make it work in a satisfying way) scrapper, so I've thought a lot about elec, but ultimately decided it's great AoE/mediocre ST style wasn't what I wanted, especially with a primary with a good AoE attack in it.

 

My only resistance to StJ is the lack of a superpowered feel (the shield gives him magic powers, I wanna feel that shit), but I can tell the synergy will be good and it will flow well.

 

I've heard dark was considered underpowered/in need of help nowadays? Isn't it supposedly getting a buff? My main meleer back on live was a dark/wp scrapper so I appreciate some good dark melee, but I thought it might just not measure up to the other sets nowadays.

[Infinitum]

1 hour ago, Camel said:

I'd have to agree that Street Justice would be superior in almost every category, and this is coming from someone who mains Energy Melee. The burst you coud get with EM is substantially higher though and it's so gratifying to 2 shot bosses with Energy Transfer/Total Focus. Shield has Against All Odds which will significantly buff Energy Transfer and Total Focus because of their amazing base damage. I'd say go for what you want to play!

Yeah the only problem with 2 shotting the bosses with EM though is a lot of times you corpse bomb or sliver bomb for a lot of wasted DPS, and on EM its actually better DPS wise to run Energy punch than total focus because over time they have a higher DPS than the ET -Total focus combo.

 

I normally rotate ET - Energy Punch - Barrage - ET with the occassional whirling hands thrown in.

 

Crushing Uppercut is actually not far behind ET when it comes to burst if you Hit it with combo 3 or Combat readiness, and the main difference between crushing uppercut and ET is that Crushing uppercut connects faster and rarely corpse bombs like ET does.

 

Im a long time EM player also but the current state of EM is pretty sad compared to the rest of the newer sets especially - thats just the unfortunate truth.  You can outburst EM/ET with just about any Psionic Melee combo on insight also.

[Infinitum]

I will tell you a fun one that you may not have considered, Shield/Elec  You have the combo of Build up - Lightning Rod, Shield Charge, thunderstrike every 20 seconds and its wiping mobs even pretty close to eliminating bosses too.

 

It does have the down time but its like a battleship reloading the other attacks are decent and maintain agro, but the broadside is one of my favorite things in the game with that setup.  It obliterates groups like its nothing.

 

Build UP + LR + SC + TS is actually a good bit greater than a burst of ET and its doing it with the tanker aoe radius. Combine that with musculature and then assault radial and its insane what this combo does.  Throw in the Mighty Radial judgement and mobs are like come on man!!!  lol

Edited June 21, 2020 by Infinitum

[Camel]

5 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

Yeah the only problem with 2 shotting the bosses with EM though is a lot of times you corpse bomb or sliver bomb for a lot of wasted DPS, and on EM its actually better DPS wise to run Energy punch than total focus because over time they have a higher DPS than the ET -Total focus combo.

 

I normally rotate ET - Energy Punch - Barrage - ET with the occassional whirling hands thrown in.

 

Crushing Uppercut is actually not far behind ET when it comes to burst if you Hit it with combo 3 or Combat readiness, and the main difference between crushing uppercut and ET is that Crushing uppercut connects faster and rarely corpse bombs like ET does.

 

Im a long time EM player also but the current state of EM is pretty sad compared to the rest of the newer sets especially - thats just the unfortunate truth.  You can outburst EM/ET with just about any Psionic Melee combo on insight also.

True. I adjust my play style accordingly. On super teams, you can run to the next mob earlier than you normally would as a Tank, because no one is at risk of dying. This is where EM has always shined, in my opinion. My Fire/EM Tank can neuter +4 mobs before a single teammate shows up. Yeah, I whiff a lot with ET and TF... but when you don’t.. oh boy. I’ve hit bursts of over 700 DPS before between ET and TF alone. Total Focus is definitely the most “meh” between the two though. But I personally love it. I’ve always loved Energy Melee.

 

I’m a firm believe that Bio Armor, Fiery Aura and Shield Defense make the set shine a little brighter. All of those aforementioned sets either deal bonus damage based off of the base damage of your attacks, or they just flat out increase your damage (or both!) Fiery Aura will forever be my favorite pairing with Energy Melee. Build Up with a Gaussians proc and Fiery Embrace make Energy Transfer hit for silly damage. As it would with other sets. I just can’t leave EM alone lol.
 

 

[Infinitum]

Ultra Infinitum - Tanker (Shield Defense - Electric Melee).mxd

 

Thats the build im referring to.

[Infinitum]

8 minutes ago, Camel said:

True. I adjust my play style accordingly. On super teams, you can run to the next mob earlier than you normally would as a Tank, because no one is at risk of dying. This is where EM has always shined, in my opinion. My Fire/EM Tank can neuter +4 mobs before a single teammate shows up. Yeah, I whiff a lot with ET and TF... but when you don’t.. oh boy. I’ve hit bursts of over 700 DPS before between ET and TF alone. Total Focus is definitely the most “meh” between the two though. But I personally love it. I’ve always loved Energy Melee.

 

I’m a firm believe that Bio Armor, Fiery Aura and Shield Defense make the set shine a little brighter. All of those aforementioned sets either deal bonus damage based off of the base damage of your attacks, or they just flat out increase your damage (or both!) Fiery Aura will forever be my favorite pairing with Energy Melee. Build Up with a Gaussians proc and Fiery Embrace make Energy Transfer hit for silly damage. As it would with other sets. I just can’t leave EM alone lol.
 

 

You should try that with Fire/Psi Melee   Build Up+Gaussian+ Insight+ Musculature+Assault Radial I have actually hit with Greater Psi sword for around 1800 points of damage to a lvl 53 death mage.  Even without Musc. and Assault i routinely hit around 1200-1500 under normal circumstances with the BU+Gaussian+insight. -  You have to learn to set this up though thats why its best to lead with Mass Levitate on a group to better the chance to gain insight then let it rip.

 

The Shield Elec is similar but its more of a fast strike teleporting I am Zeus try and stop me feel then you lumber around and you can almost feel the dread in the enemy as you wait for the next barrage of your LR SC combo to come back.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Infinitum

[Camel]

6 minutes ago, Infinitum said:

You should try that with Fire/Psi Melee   Build Up+Gaussian+ Insight+ Musculature+Assault Radial I have actually hit with Greater Psi sword for around 1800 points of damage to a lvl 53 death mage.  Even without Musc. and Assault i routinely hit around 1200-1500 under normal circumstances with the BU+Gaussian+insight. -  You have to learn to set this up though thats why its best to lead with Mass Levitate on a group to better the chance to gain insight then let it rip.

 

The Shield Elec is similar but its more of a fast strike teleporting I am Zeus try and stop me feel then you lumber around and you can almost feel the dread in the enemy as you wait for the next barrage of your LR SC combo to come back.

Psionic Melee has been catching my eye lately. I think the highest damage I've seen my Fire/Energy do was 3k, there was obviously a Kinetics and some debuff involved, but I have 2 shot +4 Cimeroran bosses under these circumstances, at +0 you can do it solo. I love Fiery Aura on Tanks too, it's so ridiculous that you can have Burn before level 20. Just insane. Fire/Titan would be a TF killer. Even my Fire/Energy was.. and that's with EM in it's current state too.

[Infinitum]

6 hours ago, Camel said:

Psionic Melee has been catching my eye lately. I think the highest damage I've seen my Fire/Energy do was 3k, there was obviously a Kinetics and some debuff involved, but I have 2 shot +4 Cimeroran bosses under these circumstances, at +0 you can do it solo. I love Fiery Aura on Tanks too, it's so ridiculous that you can have Burn before level 20. Just insane. Fire/Titan would be a TF killer. Even my Fire/Energy was.. and that's with EM in it's current state too.

Yeah i dont ever test with outside buffs -  just to get a reliable baseline. 

 

Ive basically spent the last year finding the best in class in the tank category, and the most burst and over all best damage output for a tank I have found is Fire/Psi even when compared to Fire/EM.  Em is just too back loaded on the damage, slow and no reliable AOE to compete with it.  It is fun to pop a boss with EM but its almost like a circus one trick pony.  Im really hoping for a buff soon, because i have 2 characters that have been built for a while, but they are just too slow to compete with the others i have.  I do bring them out occassionally just to one shot things for the heck of it  lol

 

TW i dont even include that because its an outlier when paired with something like BIO so im not putting that into the equation here - the rest are pretty well balanced around the games rule set.

 

I keep going back and forth between Invul and Shield as the most durable - with Rad and SR being a close second, Elec Armor Third. (I haven't ran with dark armor or stone though - I know people love those sets, I just couldn't get past their drawbacks.)

 

Fun Factor is Shield Elec because of the decimation from the 2 teleport attacks.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Infinitum

[killigraphy]

With STJ you're going to have to take every power (due to the finishers) which look good but can be a bit taxing on the powers.

EM is very strong single target, with total focus being the dream.

 

Between the two, STJ is more aesthetically pleasing.

[lightpunch]

Damn thanks for all the feedback y'all. I guess I'll look at subbing Elec in for EM, and weigh StJ's better ST potential versus Elec's better AoE potential (and feeling of magical empowerment, which I worry StJ lacks). I'm also looking at Psy -- I'm not crazy about repeating powersets (I only have ~12ish characters I play right now, why repeat when there's still so much to try), and my scrapper will ALWAYS outdamage Psy on a potential tanker, but I am intrigued by the idea that it can do some crazy ST ala EM and it does look pretty great with the shield.

 

I'll follow up once I have a build I plan to go with, to get some thoughts on it. Right now I'm leaning StJ, but that could change.

[lightpunch]

13 hours ago, Infinitum said:

Ultra Infinitum - Tanker (Shield Defense - Electric Melee).mxd 5.63 kB · 2 downloads

 

Thats the build im referring to.

I've been looking through some of your builds (very helpful by the way, thank you), and I'm curious what your thoughts on taunt are. I thought it was common sentiment that tankers should take it, and I imagine there's also a contingent of players who don't think it's a requirement. Given that I've noticed you skipping it on some of these builds, what do you think  of it? Is it unnecessary for most tanks to keep aggro? Are shield tanks still able to serve the invulnerable aggro-holding role without it?

[Infinitum]

42 minutes ago, lightpunch said:

I've been looking through some of your builds (very helpful by the way, thank you), and I'm curious what your thoughts on taunt are. I thought it was common sentiment that tankers should take it, and I imagine there's also a contingent of players who don't think it's a requirement. Given that I've noticed you skipping it on some of these builds, what do you think  of it? Is it unnecessary for most tanks to keep aggro? Are shield tanks still able to serve the invulnerable aggro-holding role without it?

My pleasure.

 

Taunt is useful, don't get me wrong.

 

I'm one of the ones that don't take it none of those builds have it.

 

I don't have any trouble holding agro, and that's mainly because I rely heavily on auras and AOE to do it. I hardly ever see anything get peeled away from me, and when it does its usually something OP that has it under control anyway.

 

Basically absorbing the alpha and keeping the bad guys clustered around you is all you need to do if they even last that long because on most good teams you can run ahead in a few seconds to rinse repeat.

 

On a bad team you have to go slower and hopefully they will listen to your instructions to stick together, you will still be ok.  The main thing is to keep attacking and take the alpha like it's a badge of honor and mockery of the bad guys throwing it out.  Rawr.

 

If you needed to take taunt though it is useful and nothing wrong with that, but not required if you do it the way I do.

 

Either way works and is only represented either way by the skill of the person at the controls.

 

So it's more a reflection of being comfortable knowing my builds can handle anything and that the team's I'm normally on have each other's backs and we are really really good at it.

 

I could have used taunt the other day to more easily herd 12 GMs to Portal Corp.  lol

[Camel]

Here's a Shield/EM build. You could change some slots around to get to 59% defense to Ranged and AoE, but this build offers a healthy balance of defense, resists and recharge. All of my Tanks are "tough enough" even with my builds going for balance instead of pure defense. You'll hit like a truck, be able to spam all of your attacks on a shorter cooldown and you'll be practically invincible, especially on a team.

 

edit: I wasn't happy with the build I posted, so I made it better. Disregard what I said above ^^^ But this is a superior version than what I shared a bit ago.
 

Hero Plan by Mids' Reborn : Hero Designer 2.7.2.10
https://github.com/Crytilis/mids-reborn-hero-designer

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: Energy Melee
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(25), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(25), TtnCtn-ResDam(33), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(33), ImpArm-ResPsi(34)
Level 1: Barrage -- SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg(A), SprMghoft-Dmg/Rchg(7), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(9), SprMghoft-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SprMghoft-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11), SprMghoft-Rchg/Res%(11)
Level 2: Battle Agility -- ShlWal-Def(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(23), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(42), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(42)
Level 4: Bone Smasher -- SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg(A), SprGntFis-Dmg/Rchg(13), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13), SprGntFis-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprGntFis-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprGntFis-Rchg/+Absorb(17)
Level 6: True Grit -- Prv-Heal(A), Prv-Heal/EndRdx(34), Prv-Absorb%(34), TtnCtn-ResDam(37), TtnCtn-ResDam/EndRdx(40), ImpArm-ResPsi(42)
Level 8: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 10: Against All Odds -- EndRdx-I(A)
Level 12: Taunt -- MckBrt-Taunt/Rchg/Rng(A)
Level 14: Phalanx Fighting -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 16: Whirling Hands -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(21), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(23)
Level 18: Grant Cover -- Rct-Def(A), Rct-Def/EndRdx(43), Rct-ResDam%(43)
Level 20: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(21)
Level 22: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A)
Level 24: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 26: Shield Charge -- Arm-Dmg(A), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(27), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(27), Arm-Acc/Rchg(29), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(29), Arm-Dam%(33)
Level 28: Build Up -- GssSynFr--ToHit(A), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg(46), GssSynFr--ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GssSynFr--Rchg/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--ToHit/EndRdx(50), GssSynFr--Build%(50)
Level 30: Tough -- Ags-ResDam(A), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx(31), Ags-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(31), Ags-ResDam/Rchg(31), Ags-Psi/Status(46), ImpArm-ResPsi(48)
Level 32: One with the Shield -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(46), UnbGrd-Max HP%(19), ImpArm-ResPsi(48)
Level 35: Energy Transfer -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(36), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(36), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(37), Mk'Bit-Dam%(37)
Level 38: Total Focus -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(39), Hct-Acc/Rchg(39), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Hct-Dam%(40)
Level 41: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(43), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(45)
Level 44: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def(45), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(45)
Level 47: Conserve Power -- RechRdx-I(A)
Level 49: Physical Perfection -- PrfShf-End%(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), NmnCnv-Regen/Rcvry+(5), Mrc-Rcvry+(7)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-EndMod(A), PrfShf-EndMod/Rchg(3), PrfShf-End%(3), PwrTrns-+Heal(5)
Level 0: Freedom Phalanx Reserve 
Level 0: Portal Jockey 
Level 0: Task Force Commander 
Level 0: The Atlas Medallion 
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon 
Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement 
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface 
Level 50: Rebirth Radial Epiphany 
Level 50: Melee Core Embodiment 
------------

 

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Camel

[Camel]

1 hour ago, lightpunch said:

I've been looking through some of your builds (very helpful by the way, thank you), and I'm curious what your thoughts on taunt are. I thought it was common sentiment that tankers should take it, and I imagine there's also a contingent of players who don't think it's a requirement. Given that I've noticed you skipping it on some of these builds, what do you think  of it? Is it unnecessary for most tanks to keep aggro? Are shield tanks still able to serve the invulnerable aggro-holding role without it?

As Infinitum mentioned, he doesn't see the need for it. And as you mentioned.. Some find it essential, while others don't. I find it essential. I can hold aggro just fine without it, but in almost every mission, TF or iTrial, I find myself using it extensively. Not because I can't hold aggro. But because it is so useful to be able to grab aggro from a distance. So many times you'll notice enemies that just won't come in close and this is where Taunt shines. You can use it to literally manipulate where you want mobs to go. Got some baddies blasting you and your team from 80 feet away? No problem! Target them, activate Taunt and move the opposite direction. They will follow you even if you don't move, there is a range penalty for NPCs that are taunted this way. You can abuse this and force them into chokepoints or areas of debuff/mass destruction. Is it required? No. But it is such a useful tool if you abuse it the right way.

[Infinitum]

35 minutes ago, Camel said:

As Infinitum mentioned, he doesn't see the need for it. And as you mentioned.. Some find it essential, while others don't. I find it essential. I can hold aggro just fine without it, but in almost every mission, TF or iTrial, I find myself using it extensively. Not because I can't hold aggro. But because it is so useful to be able to grab aggro from a distance. So many times you'll notice enemies that just won't come in close and this is where Taunt shines. You can use it to literally manipulate where you want mobs to go. Got some baddies blasting you and your team from 80 feet away? No problem! Target them, activate Taunt and move the opposite direction. They will follow you even if you don't move, there is a range penalty for NPCs that are taunted this way. You can abuse this and force them into chokepoints or areas of debuff/mass destruction. Is it required? No. But it is such a useful tool if you abuse it the right way.

Yeah that's the difference in the two styles I guess, I havent been on a team in several years of actual gameplay that wants to wait to gather or force choke points.

 

The other style is basically collapsing the spawn and dealing with stragglers, and you can use taunt for both, or not use taunt for both.

 

Every now and then I still go to the freakshow map and burn a bunch of them in a dumpster, but with the agro cap being limited theres only so much a tanker can hold anyway.

 

Thats why more often than not gathering and location based attack isn't as effecient as zerging the map with the tank being the tip of the spear.  By the time my aoes have hit the spawn is hurt pretty bad and the team throws down controls and AOE I'm usually moving to the next group at that point with the team not far behind.

[Infinitum]

Either way the bes guidance is find what works for you enjoy it and be good at it, the rest is just personal preference and opinion. 👍

[lightpunch]

Thanks to all three of you for your input. I've been playing around with StJ and Psy to see which I'd rather go with. I had a pretty great looking Psy/Shield build going but then Mids decided to crash, so I'll take a look at that again in a bit.

 

How do people decide this shit man. If there was just Shield Melee, I'd be set, that's my concept. Choosing whether StJ, Psy, Elec, or EM best suit the concept and set me up for the most enjoyable experience, it all feels like a crapshoot at this point.

[Infinitum]

21 minutes ago, lightpunch said:

Thanks to all three of you for your input. I've been playing around with StJ and Psy to see which I'd rather go with. I had a pretty great looking Psy/Shield build going but then Mids decided to crash, so I'll take a look at that again in a bit.

 

How do people decide this shit man. If there was just Shield Melee, I'd be set, that's my concept. Choosing whether StJ, Psy, Elec, or EM best suit the concept and set me up for the most enjoyable experience, it all feels like a crapshoot at this point.

Haha I think its whatever the mood strikes, thats how I've come across some crazy good builds.

 

Poof. Hmmm how would this work...  WOW this is awesome.

 

Or

 

Poof. Hmmm boy this is hot garbage.

 

lol. Thats why they make enh unslotters.

 

I currently have 30 lvl 50+Incarnates fully decked out with sets.

 

I have 10 that dont exist anymore, but I farmed them for empyreans and unslotted all the enh and moved both to other characters.

 

Lastly dont ever play Ninjitsu on a stalker.   Its bad.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Infinitum

[theDarkeOne]

I will add one more to this discussion, and she is by far and away, the favorite Tank I have ever played. With Tier 4 incarnates and all her enhancements I havent found much that moves her health bar and enough damage to take on AV's solo, go through the Imperious TF at +4/8 solo (yes I did break down and get the daggers because the final AV battle was so loooooooong), but this girl is an absolute beast and blast to play. . .

 

I highly recommend giving Shield/Savage a try!!