Shield / Kinetic builds out there?

[DoctorRoboto]

I took a theme and name from my Invulnerability / Energy Melee back on live.  I was never truly satisfied with his ability to perform as a tank so when Homecoming came to my rescue I recreated him with the above SD/KM.  Looking for advice on making him as solid a tank as possible.

 

Thanks!

 

[Oysterhead]

Hard to throw a build together without knowing your goals or budget, so, lacking that, I built one how I'd build for myself, which is to level to 50 in style and then move to the next. Below is a leveling IO'd out build, no purple sets, no winter set, no superior sets, so everything can be slotted by your late 20s while leveling up and the 40+ powers are nice to have but not build defining, so you'll be mostly set by Manticore / Numina TF time.
You can move powers around or switch CJ/SJ for Fly/Hover. Doesn't have hasten, I'd probably drop One with the Shield for hasten if you wanted. This will hit right about the defense cap solo, and with people near you, you'll be near the incarnate defense cap. With +res procs (easy) you'll be over 90% S/L and ~60% others. You can switch Quick Strike for Body Blow at some point if you want, or even when leveling, the quicker refreshing attack is nice for 1-20 though. 

If you're using this character beyond 50 into incarnate content, you'd want a much different build! You'll want to drop some attacks (focused burst is first to go) and get a real Epic Pool, probably more procs and assume you'll be getting more defense and such from incarnates and teammates. This will let you essentially tackle all leveling TFs without breaking a sweat. 

I'll say though, if you're remembering Energy melee from live, the set has had a major revamp here on homecoming and is now a top tier set in most situations. Kinetic Melee is, sadly, probably the set in need of the most love and one of the lowest performers. This would be a more powerful build as Shield/EnergyMelee and pretty easy to switch to that.

(Ignore slot levels below, and the weird repeated stuff at the bottom, export link got weird)

 

Spoiler

This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.4.7
https://github.com/LoadedCamel/MidsReborn

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

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• (13) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (13) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (15) Aegis - Resistance
• (15) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance
• (17) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance/Recharge

Level 1: Quick Strike

• (A) Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage
• (9) Gauntleted Fist - Damage/RechargeTime
• (11) Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage/RechargeTime
• (11) Gauntleted Fist - Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (27) Gauntleted Fist - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/RechargeTime
• (27) Gauntleted Fist - RechargeTime/+Absorb

Level 2: Battle Agility

• (A) Reactive Defenses - Scaling Resist Damage
• (17) Reactive Defenses - Defense
• (19) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance
• (19) Reactive Defenses - Defense/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 4: Smashing Blow

• (A) Might of the Tanker - Accuracy/Damage
• (5) Might of the Tanker - Damage/Recharge
• (5) Might of the Tanker - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (7) Might of the Tanker - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (7) Might of the Tanker - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (9) Might of the Tanker - Recharge/Chance for +Res(All)

Level 6: True Grit

• (A) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%
• (21) Gladiator's Armor - TP Protection +3% Def (All)
• (21) Preventive Medicine - Chance for +Absorb
• (23) Preventive Medicine - Heal
• (37) Gladiator's Armor - Resistance
• (37) Resist Damage IO

Level 8: Kick

• (A) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge

Level 10: Active Defense

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (29) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 12: Against All Odds

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 14: Phalanx Fighting

• (A) Shield Wall - +Res (Teleportation), +5% Res (All)
• (45) Shield Wall - Defense/Endurance
• (46) Shield Wall - Defense
• (46) Shield Wall - Defense/Recharge
• (46) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 16: Repulsing Torrent

• (A) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage
• (39) Positron's Blast - Damage/Endurance
• (39) Positron's Blast - Chance of Damage(Energy)
• (39) Positron's Blast - Damage/Range
• (40) Positron's Blast - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (40) Bombardment - Chance for Fire Damage

Level 18: Super Jump

• (A) Blessing of the Zephyr - Knockback Reduction (4 points)

Level 20: Tough

• (A) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance
• (23) Unbreakable Guard - +Max HP
• (25) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance
• (25) Unbreakable Guard - Resistance/Endurance/RechargeTime

Level 22: Shield Charge

• (A) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage
• (33) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
• (33) Fury of the Gladiator - Chance for Res Debuff
• (34) Scirocco's Dervish - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• (34) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge
• (34) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Level 24: Burst

• (A) Obliteration - Damage
• (29) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
• (31) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage
• (31) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (31) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (33) Eradication - Chance for Energy Damage

Level 26: Weave

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed
• (36) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (36) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (36) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance/Recharge

Level 28: Combat Jumping

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 30: Concentrated Strike

• (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
• (43) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
• (43) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)
• (43) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (45) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (45) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 32: Grant Cover

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Increased Global Recharge Speed

Level 35: One with the Shield

• (A) Endurance Modification IO
• (48) Resist Damage IO

Level 38: Focused Burst

• (A) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage
• (42) Decimation - Damage/Endurance
• (42) Decimation - Chance of Build Up
• (50) Decimation - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (50) Decimation - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (50) Force Feedback - Chance for +Recharge

Level 41: Focused Accuracy

• (A) Rectified Reticle - Increased Perception
• (42) Endurance Reduction IO
• (48) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 44: Taunt

• (A) Perfect Zinger - Chance for Psi Damage

Level 47: Physical Perfection

• (A) Power Transfer - Chance to Heal Self
• (48) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End

Level 49: Power Siphon

• (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up

Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Gauntlet 
Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Health

• (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance
• (3) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
• (37) Miracle - +Recovery

Level 1: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Stamina

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (3) Power Transfer - Chance to Heal Self
• (40) Power Transfer - EndMod

Level 18: Double Jump 
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• (A) Empty

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Health

• (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance
• (3) Numina's Convalesence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
• (37) Miracle - +Recovery

Level 1: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Stamina

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (3) Power Transfer - Chance to Heal Self
• (40) Power Transfer - EndMod

Level 18: Double Jump 

------------

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Oysterhead

[Erratic1]

Did this combo back on live. I was not impressed...in fact, not very happy. Admittedly it was on a scrapper, so perhaps you will not have the disappointment of expecting to kill things only for your loooooooooong windup to still be winding up as someone else kills your target.

[DoctorRoboto]

Thanks for the feedback!  I should have mentioned that I have leveled this guy to 50 and parked him because he just didn't seem to feel like the tank that I was hoping for.  I am not above renaming the Shield/Kin and starting this guy over as a ???/Energy at level 1 if the rework is as good as I have heard.  I enjoyed the Inv/EM version on live after all.  Before I decide on that though, I'll review your build and perhaps even try it out.  Thanks again!

[Mezmera]

Shield defense is a great set and can be built into a top tier tank.  I'm not so sure about Kinetic Melee though as others are pointing out the long animations sap the fun out of anything you play.  Plus as the tank you won't want to get caught up in animation if you need to be grabbing unforeseen aggro all of a sudden or some attacks get through and you don't have time to fix yourself being stuck animating.  

 

As far as Shield goes though it depends on what your goal is.  I wanted on mine to add in some good psi resist so I have some of those impervium armors sprinkled in.  I'll give you a quick look at how a good slotting of Shield powers would be.  

 

Battle Agility: 4 Shield Walls w/unique (if this is your only set of Shield Wall)

True Grit: Gladiator armor (resist) plus the unique and steadfast unique.  3 Numina's (heal) with the unique

Deflection: 4 Unbreakable Guards and 2 LotG (defense and global recharge)

Active Defenses: 50+5 recharge

Against All Odds: 50+5 end redux

Phalanx: Lotg + recharge

Grant Cover: Lotg + recharge

Shield Charge: 6 Armageddon 

One With the Shield: 4 Unbreakable Guard w/unique

 

I +5 just about all of my stuff since endgame is where you'll want to eek out all the tankiness you can.  

Edited December 7, 2022 by Mezmera

[Erratic1]

4 hours ago, DoctorRoboto said:

Thanks for the feedback!  I should have mentioned that I have leveled this guy to 50 and parked him because he just didn't seem to feel like the tank that I was hoping for.  I am not above renaming the Shield/Kin and starting this guy over as a ???/Energy at level 1 if the rework is as good as I have heard.  I enjoyed the Inv/EM version on live after all.  Before I decide on that though, I'll review your build and perhaps even try it out.  Thanks again!

 

 As it happens, I have an Energy/Shield Stalker and he certainly hits hard. But I am not sure Energy Melee really delivers on the increased area boost Tankers got.