Energy Aura on Tanker? Could it work?

[Epoin]

Just wondering what EA would look like on a Tanker if it was proliferated to the class. What are your thoughts? I think it would be fun and fit lots of potential themes for new characters. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Epoin
spelling

[biostem]

Maybe replace energy cloak with a damage/taunt aura.  Otherwise, it could certainly work - the defense values would probably be about on par with what a Stalker gets...

[Thrax]

I’d just run SR. I’ve tried EA on scraps a couple times and just always reroll to SR.  I personally don’t get the appeal of EA. My SR what tank is just as survivable as my stoner tank. I’ve ran both in hard mode ITFs and both were fine. Granite little harder to run from Rommie but just have to be on point with combat tp. 

[Psyonico]

3 hours ago, biostem said:

Maybe replace energy cloak with a damage/taunt aura.  Otherwise, it could certainly work - the defense values would probably be about on par with what a Stalker gets...

Why replace it? Energy Aura brutes already have a taunt in Entropic Aura and stealth on tanks exists in Dark Armor already.

[Captain Fabulous]

3 hours ago, Thrax said:

I’d just run SR. I’ve tried EA on scraps a couple times and just always reroll to SR.  I personally don’t get the appeal of EA. My SR what tank is just as survivable as my stoner tank. I’ve ran both in hard mode ITFs and both were fine. Granite little harder to run from Rommie but just have to be on point with combat tp. 

End management tools, fixed resistances, self heal. EA has some nice stuff in its kit.

[Without_Pause]

43 minutes ago, Captain Fabulous said:

End management tools, fixed resistances, self heal. EA has some nice stuff in its kit.

I know there's a benefit to it as well, but the click mezz protection is slightly annoying.

[jprewitt73]

8 hours ago, Without_Pause said:

I know there's a benefit to it as well, but the click mezz protection is slightly annoying.

 

Energy Aura doesn't have a click mezz protection. It has a toggle mezz. Are you thinking of Super Reflexes maybe?

[Without_Pause]

52 minutes ago, jprewitt73 said:

 

Energy Aura doesn't have a click mezz protection. It has a toggle mezz. Are you thinking of Super Reflexes maybe?

Correct. I was adding to the list of why I prefer EA although I am working on a SR Scrapper build currently. I might eventually switch it to a different Primary/AT. 

[Uun]

 

[Zect]

Yes. Not only would it work, it would be monstrously powerful in its current form - stronger even then SR (except perhaps at the extreme top end of optimized SRs which take advantage of the scaling res). A 1:1 port of EA to tankers, given minimal IO slotting, would not only have no neg hole - the hardest defense hole to close on melee toons -  the combination of higher -def resists, a stronger energy drain to provide buffer against -def, significant res to all, and heals and regen that scale with tanker's significantly higher base and max hp, would negate or considerably counter most weaknesses of +def sets. And to that it would add considerable offensive buffs in the form of rech and end recovery.

 

Sets with multifaceted defense (the concept, not the gameplay mechanic of +def) scale disproportionately well when applied to tankers. Port with care.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Zect

[indigoshroom]

That's kind of the reason that EA has not made its way to Tanks, it would be almost too powerful. Toss a few sets in an ya you will be sitting at cap RES and DEF.

 

I love the set an would love for them to port it to tanks, but like Zect said "port with care".

[Without_Pause]

EA would be S tier on a tank, but having played a /stone Brute to 50 and working on a /ea Brute, I don't think its going to be any more over the top than other S tier sets. Last I checked at least a few of the old timers here thought Shield as the bees knees. 

[Psyonico]

I'm going to make an unpopular argument.

 

If EA is too powerful to port to a tank, it's too powerful on brutes/scrappers.  AT Modifiers exist for a reason.

[Uun]

I played the original version of Energy Aura (released in I6) on a brute and currently play it on a Stalker. When released, it was a hot mess and widely considered to be a terrible set. In I13, Energy Drain was buffed to add a heal (3% of your hit points per foe in range). In I21, the entire set was revamped. Damage resistance was increased for S/L/E/N. The heal was removed from Energy Drain and replaced with a defense buff (0.75% for the 1st foe and 0.375% for each additional). Conserve Power was replaced with Energize (25% heal, 100% +regen, 60% endurance discount). The taunt aura was added.

 

16 hours ago, Psyonico said:

If EA is too powerful to port to a tank, it's too powerful on brutes/scrappers. 

Not entirely wrong. Excluding Energy Drain, Energy Aura provides defense of 16.5% S/L, 18.75% F/C, 20.625% E and 14.25% N. At full saturation, Energy Drain adds 4.5% to all of these. In comparison, Shield provides 15.0% M/R/A, plus 6.75% additional with fully saturated Phalanx Fighting, and Super Reflexes provides 19.5% M/R/A. Neither Shield or SR have a self heal.

[Without_Pause]

19 minutes ago, Uun said:

I played the original version of Energy Aura (released in I6) on a brute and currently play it on a Stalker. When released, it was a hot mess and widely considered to be a terrible set. In I13, Energy Drain was buffed to add a heal (3% of your hit points per foe in range). In I21, the entire set was revamped. Damage resistance was increased for S/L/E/N. The heal was removed from Energy Drain and replaced with a defense buff (0.75% for the 1st foe and 0.375% for each additional). Conserve Power was replaced with Energize (25% heal, 100% +regen, 60% endurance discount). The taunt aura was added.

 

Not entirely wrong. Excluding Energy Drain, Energy Aura provides defense of 16.5% S/L, 18.75% F/C, 20.625% E and 14.25% N. At full saturation, Energy Drain adds 4.5% to all of these. In comparison, Shield provides 15.0% M/R/A, plus 6.75% additional with fully saturated Phalanx Fighting, and Super Reflexes provides 19.5% M/R/A. Neither Shield or SR have a self heal.

Shield adds to your offense. SR has better DDR.

[Gobbledygook]

Remove the + Def from Energy Drain but increase the amount of end drained from the mobs?

Make it more of a controllish power?

[Uun]

2 hours ago, Gobbledygook said:

Remove the + Def from Energy Drain but increase the amount of end drained from the mobs?

Make it more of a controllish power?

Power Sink (Electric Armor) drains 40% vs. 33% for Energy Drain. 

[Without_Pause]

6 hours ago, Gobbledygook said:

Remove the + Def from Energy Drain but increase the amount of end drained from the mobs?

Make it more of a controllish power?

-End without -Recovery isn't really all that controlish. End drain might be the weakest form of mitigation in the game outside of the argument for Sleeps. There simply are targets which go, "Oh, that tickles." if you try to end drain them with -End alone. I'm not even sure it matters if -Recovery is involved. It's work regardless, and I will die on the hill that if a target has a sliver of End, they will attack. My main on Live was Kin/elec. I rolled a controller version as soon as I hopped on Homecoming, and got reminded just how ineffective -End is.

[Psi-bolt]

On 7/12/2023 at 4:14 PM, Psyonico said:

I'm going to make an unpopular argument.

 

If EA is too powerful to port to a tank, it's too powerful on brutes/scrappers.  AT Modifiers exist for a reason.

Maybe not that unpopular an argument, but there are Tanker secondaries (looking at Super Strength primarily) that would be loony toons broken on a Scrapper.  Which means it's probably too powerful as a Tanker/Brute set. 

 

But, I'm not sure that AT modifiers are intended to represent the precise mathematical difference between ATs.  The original devs did a lot of stuff iteratively often stopping when sets "felt right".  Not that what they felt was always consistent with good balance mind you.

[Gobbledygook]

Super Strength is kinda broken on Scrappers. You HAVE to pair it with an armor set that has a taunt aura. Otherwise, after that first Foot Stomp, everything just scatters.

[Uun]

10 hours ago, Gobbledygook said:

Super Strength is kinda broken on Scrappers.

Super Strength is kinda not available on Scrappers (or Stalkers).

[Without_Pause]

I'm also totally okay with not having every set go to every related AT, but we've already had sets go to ATs which are a bit of a stretch, see Stone Armor for Stalkers. I just see no reason for EA not going to a Tank.

[Gobbledygook]

7 hours ago, Uun said:

Super Strength is kinda not available on Scrappers (or Stalkers).

 

Not on HC it's not...

(I would put a smiley face emoji, but I don't know how)

[Sanguinesun]

On 7/16/2023 at 6:22 AM, Gobbledygook said:

 

Not on HC it's not...

(I would put a smiley face emoji, but I don't know how)

Via the smiley face icon in the options 8th from the left in the editing tools on the top row.   🙂