Best "All-Arounder"

[Farmer Johnson]

So I've been on a nearly year long hiatus and completely missed the Tanker and Energy Melee revamps.  I've never seen a Tanker all the way through and want to give it a go.  I'm considering 3 character themes (all different builds) so I need some help deciding.

 

I like a well rounded character.  I enjoy exemplaring down to help with lowbie TF's but also like to run incarnate content.  Don't care about farming or PVP.

 

Debating the following:

 

Dark/Dark

Shield/Elec

Inv/EnG

 

Which will give me the best "all-around" character?  Money is no object and I will deck him out with the fanciest build possible immediately upon hitting 50.

 

Any advice?  Any other builds to consider?

[PeregrineFalcon]

My main is an Invuln/Energy Tanker. After the EM and travel power changes happened I was able to add Build Up and Combat Jumping into the build. So the character is both very tough (thanks to special and set IOs) and high damage (thanks to the ET fix and being able to use Build Up).

 

I've also heard very good things about Energy/Shield Scrappers and Shield/Energy Tankers. With the right build and IOs a Scrapper can be almost Tanker tough And, especially when paired with the damage buff from Shield, EM is a monster. A single-target monster, but a monster nonetheless.

 

A lot of very effective builds have been posted in their respective AT subforums. I recommend taking a look at them, especially if you have Mids.

[Obsinious]

Of the three you list, Inv/NRG for sure.  Dark/dark is fun but you may have some end issues when you exemp.  Shield/elec is just fine, but shield is generally considered a later blooming set, and elec is kind of a mediocre secondary.  Inv/NRG is a bit back loaded on its attacks but you'll still be unkillable at 18+, Inv and energy are both top 3 in their class.

[Farmer Johnson]

Is there a relatively agreed upon tier list for Tanker primaries or secondaries?

 

Seems like Invuln and Shield are both often talked about as top tier.  Any others?

 

What about secondaries?

[nihilii]

I think Stone is now firmly in the top three with the I27 changes.

With secondaries, EM is awesome. SS is also incredible in different ways (especially if you leverage Rage to the fullest, which generally means Gloom and maybe Cross Punch). I think Rad Melee also has its spot on the top3, between a full proc slotted Irradiated Ground for mindboggling passive damage and Build Up + Radiation Siphon offering a sizeable and reliable heal on a high damage attack.

All combos of these 3 primaries (Shield, Invul, Stone) and these 3 secondaries (EM, SS, Rad) will do very well.

[Obsinious]

Rad armor is well regarded for its toughness and quality of life. Sup Reflex for how far you can push it with tank scaling.  Stone looks very promising all-around with the changes.  Fire is well regarded for it's offensive capabilities, Bio too.

 

Primaries I'd say Mace and Claws for good damage both ST and AOE.  Rad and Shadow for increased survivability through built in heal.  SS can do fun things with Rage, but I'd hesitate to call it an all-rounder due to the crash.

 

EDIT:  This is in addition to the ones we've already mentioned,  Inv or shield, and energy melee.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Obsinious

[Farmer Johnson]

I'll probably go Inv/En, but wonder if the heavy ST focus will bother me at all.  I have a StJ/SR stalker that is heavy ST but he chews through enemies so fast I dont even notice.  I've always shied away from Energy Melee tankers in the past and Inv doesn't do anything to further support AoE.  Does the high ST dmg make up for the lack of AoE?

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE rad/rad but my that's my main Brute build and I don't like repeating builds.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Farmer Johnson

[Warboss]

Rad/Fire/Energy Mastery or Mu

Inv/Dark/*

[Nyghtmaire]

Darkx3 FOREVER!

 

(but you should probably listen to the experts above 😆)

[DreadShinobi]

Shield with Rad melee.

 

You get AAO with the irradiated ground damage aura. Radiation Siphon heals for 2x siphon life. Both super offensive and highly durable.

[StriderIV]

3 hours ago, DreadShinobi said:

Shield with Rad melee.

 

You get AAO with the irradiated ground damage aura. Radiation Siphon heals for 2x siphon life. Both super offensive and highly durable.

Can attest, this combo is an absolute unit. Endurance heavy, but man is it powerful.

[Yellowjacket]

Of those listed I'd probably go with Inv/EM so you can have fun with the power changes. You'll have a very capable tanker that might be a little on the dull side, you won't have much of a toolkit.

 

Dark is my favorite armor, but you'll have a sizable energy hole which can be annoying for incarnate content. Dark Regen is the best self heal in the game, probably the single best power of any armor set, and will carry you through just about anything. On a Tanker with the Theft of Essence proc, it will reliably completely fill your hp and end bars with enough targets. It also deals AoE damage, and therefore taunts while you are healing. You can fill it with damage procs and get pretty decent damage output, or fill it with utility procs like chance to stun.

I'd look at Dark/Ice, having access Frost at low levels while exemp'd is godly. You can run with one control heavy build and one damage proc heavy build (this combo accepts a LOT of procs).

 

Dark/EM would be also be a good combo with the stun synergy from OG.

[Saikochoro]

When I think of a generalist all rounder tank I immediately think willpower/claws. 
 

Claws is just a good attack set that has both good single target and good AoE damage and is uncomplicated.
 

WP is set and forget and doesn’t really have any holes. You get some good defense, good resists, great Regen, good recovery. It is not be the strongest armor, but it’s layered nature doesn’t really have any wholes or weakness in the majority of content.  The only weakness is no DDR, but again it’s layered mitigation so it’s not a death sentence to have defense failure. It’s also not a busy set that requires clicking and paying attention to it. 

However, since neither of those powersets are ones you are considering here are my recommendations for ones you are considering: 
 

I recommend shield. Shield defense is the absolute best tank primary in my opinion. It is incredibly durable and has great offensive bonuses. It’s ONLY weakness is no inherent healing, but that is easily covered by IOS, secondary powerset, or maybe some greens.  Invulnerability might be the most iconic armor for tanks and might be slightly more durable, but not by much and it doesn’t have the offensive bonuses that shield does. 

 

Shield pairs extremely well with dark melee. It’s like they were made for each other. Siphon life covers the healing weakness of shield perfectly. Soul drain adds to the bonuses you already get from AAO. Between those two you can maintain a very high uptime of an obscene damage bonus. Dark melee also alleviates any concerns you might have with endurance management also. Top tier combo in my opinion. 
 

A lot of people like paring electrical melee with shield for the double telenukes, but electrical melee just doesn’t cut it in terms of single target damage. If you want double telenukes, then pair shield with savage melee. Proc out savage leap and this combo is basically a much better version of electric shield.

 

Now for what I consider to be possibly the most obscenely powerful character I have ever played. Shield defense/Energy melee tanker. This thing probably shouldn’t exist. It is absolutely bonkers. Absolute top tier survivability with obscene single target damage and burst. The AoE even got improved with the revamp so it’s not like AoE Is horrendous. Sure it’s not a farming build. But for general content and hard AV fights, this is the most powerful character I’ve ever played. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by Saikochoro

[Farmer Johnson]

I appreciate all the feedback.  Planning on rolling out an Inv/EM this weekend.  I have a couple builds I'm tossing around.

 

I'll keep some of the other recommendations in mind incase the ST feels to slow.  Especially the /Ice which I've never tried on any character because I've never loved the default animation.  The alternate animation is better though.

[PLVRIZR]

I'm super old-school, for sure (pre-I1, retail), but I'll throw the classic option of Inv/SS.  The ultimate all-around tank, IMHO.

[BurtHutt]

I never liked the tank AT but the pandemic has caused me to be home...a lot! So, I took a run at the tanks and I wanted to make one that was the be-all. For me, it was the INV/ENERGY tank. He is quite effective and can hit fairly well for a tank. 

 

He was the first toon I used in the Aeon SF (and only run I've had so far) and he did well. The only toon on the team that didn't die so I was happy. I've also used him to tank in Hami raids and he did fine. 

 

I always team so the low damage isn't a huge issue. I am actually liking tanks now and I have two at 50.

[ninja surprise]

Bio/Savage does well.

Just got through a string of Posi 1, 2, and Synapse on my Bio/Savage, and it did very well. Being able to decide whether you want to maximize your endurance, damage, or survivability by switching from Efficient, Offensive, or Defensive, made tanking through the lowbie TFs a piece of cake. 

 

The thing to be aware of is whether your overall survivability depends on sets, and when those set bonuses turn off. If your Shield needs +Def bonuses from a set that starts at 30, you won't have it at Yin and below.

But hopefully your team will help keep you alive so it isn't a huge deal.