Armor Set Recommendations Needed

[Gobbledygook]

I am going to roll up a Tank, and need some recommendations.

I know he will be Energy Melee, as I like dealing good damage, but not sure which armor would be best to pair it with.

Bio and Shield are the only ones I can think of that can boost your damage directly without relying on a damage Aura.

 

Am I missing anything obvious?

Please, educate me.

[Nightmarer]

Bio will boost your dmg output the most if in Offensive Adaptation, although I personally think it is a bit "wasted" on a tank since pretty much any other melee AT gets more from that dmg output boost but, again, that's just a personal opinion.

I am partial to Rad armor so I can get a couple AoE attacks to make up for the lack of them in Energy Melee plus either Soul Mastery or Mu Mastery to access another AoE attack. I't s abit tricky to softcap but you can softacp your tank to S/L as well as Melee dmg plus very good resistances except psi and cold but hey, can't get them all I guess.

Edited December 8 by Nightmarer

[biostem]

13 minutes ago, Gobbledygook said:

Am I missing anything obvious?

Well, elec, rad, and SR have self +recharge buffs, which can improve DPS.  Fire armor has a sort of secondary build-up like power in fiery embrace.  Radiation armor also has a great extra source of recovery, not to mention absorb and regen, in particle shielding - more end means less downtime, after all...

[Gobbledygook]

Ok, thanks for that, this helps me Narrow things down more.

I have a 50 Em/Rad Armor Scrapper already, so I don't want to do the inverse.

I have multiples of /Sr as Scrapper and Brutes.

 

So I think I have it narrowed down to Bio/, Elec/, and Fire.

 

This will probably never be a main tank, and I may use him for AV hunting on Red Side.

I've done the Blue Side ones so many times I'm sick of even seeing their names, lol.

[Xandyr]

Don't forget that Stone Armor's Brimstone Armor now adds Fire damage to your attacks. It may not add as much damage as Bio (Offensive Adaptation), but between that and the damage aura in SA, it'll probably pull ahead some (over time).

 

- X

[biostem]

11 minutes ago, Xandyr said:

Don't forget that Stone Armor's Brimstone Armor now adds Fire damage to your attacks.

I think that only applies to scrappers, stalkers, and sentinels...

[Xandyr]

4 minutes ago, biostem said:

I think that only applies to scrappers, stalkers, and sentinels...

You sure? The description says "helps your attacks set enemies on fire,delivering damage over time".

 

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, Xandyr said:

You sure? The description says "helps your attacks set enemies on fire,delivering damage over time".

Is that a brute?  I rechecked and it appears only to grant extra damage to brutes & stalkers, (at least according to the wiki).  But, hey, I'm all for being proven wrong...

[Xandyr]

You can build Stone Armor to have soft capped defenses against S/L/F/C/E/N.E./P. The way I built one in Mids regens 64.82 HP/Sec while Earth's Embrace is active (which has a base recharge of 60 seconds, so it can be perma). 

 

Course, this is before any Accolades/Temp powers/Boosters/Incarnate Powers/etc etc.

[Xandyr]

3 minutes ago, biostem said:

Is that a brute?  I rechecked and it appears only to grant extra damage to brutes & stalkers, (at least according to the wiki).  But, hey, I'm all for being proven wrong...

Here's another picture from my phone. You can see "as used by level 1 Tanker"

 

[biostem]

Just now, Xandyr said:

"as used by level 1 Tanker"

Thanks!  Now I'm curious just how much extra damage it adds... Kind of reminds me how "Reach for the limit" from Martial Combat doesn't list specific values, either...

[Xandyr]

2 minutes ago, biostem said:

Thanks!  Now I'm curious just how much extra damage it adds... Kind of reminds me how "Reach for the limit" from Martial Combat doesn't list specific values, either...

Here's a picture in game. On my Stone/Rad Melee tank.

 

 

[Xandyr]

Copied/Pasted from in game:

 

 

You hit Magic with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Magic with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Chaos with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Magic with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Chaos with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Fire with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Fire with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Magic with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
Devastating Blow is recharged.
You hit Chaos with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Fire with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Magic with your Brimstone for 8.04 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Chaos with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Chaos with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Chaos with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Fire with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Fire with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points of Fire damage.
You hit Chaos with your Mud Pots for 12.81 points

[Xandyr]

 HIT Chaos! Your Radiation Siphon power had a 95.00% chance to hit, you rolled a 45.40.
HIT Magic! Your Radiation Siphon power had a 95.00% chance to hit, you rolled a 9.63.
HIT Magic! Your Radiation Siphon power had a 95.00% chance to hit, you rolled a 71.24.
HIT Fire! Your Radiation Siphon power had a 95.00 % chance to hit, you rolled a 8.25.
HIT Chaos! Your Radiation Siphon power had a 95.00% chance to hit, you rolled a 67.29.
You hit Fire with your Brimstone for 15.31 points of Fire damage over time.
You hit Chaos with your Radiation Siphon for 27.9 points of Toxic damage.
You hit Magic with your Radiation Siphon for 27.9 points of Toxic damage.
You hit Fire with your Radiation Siphon for 27.9 points of Toxic damage.
You hit Magic with your Radiation Siphon for 27.9 points of Toxic damage.
You hit Chaos with your Radiation Siphon for 27.9 points of Toxic damage.

[Xandyr]

21 minutes ago, biostem said:

Thanks!  Now I'm curious just how much extra damage it adds... Kind of reminds me how "Reach for the limit" from Martial Combat doesn't list specific values, either...

Ya know, I have a DP/Martial Blaster, and never even noticed that! That makes me curious as well!

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, Xandyr said:

That makes me curious as well!

City of Data shows it grants a sizable tohit and damage buff, but I couldn't find out the exact proc chance...

[aethereal]

4 minutes ago, biostem said:

City of Data shows it grants a sizable tohit and damage buff, but I couldn't find out the exact proc chance...

Reach for the Limit is amusingly complicated.

 

The basic power does nothing (that's why in-game power explanation doesn't show you the values).

 

This is the power that procs the power that you listed:  https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=blaster_support.martial_manipulation.build_up_proc&at=blaster

 

It's PPM is 0.67, and it applies to all attacks I believe.

[aethereal]

I believe that Brimstone works differently from Reach for the Limit.  This is the Brimstone Proc:  https://cod.uberguy.net/html/power.html?power=redirects.stone_armor.brimstone_proc_tanker&at=tanker

 

As far as I can tell -- and I definitely may be reading this wrong -- it always adds the fire damage, but the amount of damage varies based on a PPM-like formula (so less for powers that are fast to activate and/or high area).

[Troo]

5 hours ago, Gobbledygook said:

So I think I have it narrowed down to Bio/, Elec/, and Fire.

 

Elec/Energy Melee will simply feel powerful and cool.

Fire/Energy Melee has nice chunky damage but is restrained by target cap limits.

both are Resistance Tankers (just be aware readers). While I enjoy this style, your mileage may vary.

 

Shield and Super Reflexes allow for some interesting slotting choices.

 

DPS wise.. Energy Melee on a Tank runs a little counter to what Tanks currently do well attack wise.

 

Tanks also get to feel the tickle of too many Energy Transfers (not as tickle-ish on a max build but when leveling..):

PvP or PvE 100% chance

        187.4069 points of Special damage (self only) after 0.1s

[kelika2]

most of my tankers are fiery aura because the game does not require unkillable walls spamming taunt anymore

you will love it when you start mixing fiery embrace and burn in your attack chain.  bio armor is also kinda cool i love my energy/bio scrapper

 

but damn i get a little moist knowing i have so much aoe on a tanker that low of a level.  burn and spin in posi.  little fiery embrace and buildup in synapes

You know the chad meme stride here in the real world?  you can use that in alternate stances in the costume creator and you can strut the fuck around in frostfire armed to the teeth burning and spinning groups down being a beacon of towering strength for groups at all levels

 

slap the ATOs in burn for maximum recharge as well as some resist or absorbing procs

[Sovera]

I suggest Fire/EM since Burn will fill the weak AoE of EM while EM brute forces through the Tanker's lower ST damage. Otherwise you can't go wrong with Stone Armor

[Gobbledygook]

12 hours ago, Sovera said:

I suggest Fire/EM since Burn will fill the weak AoE of EM while EM brute forces through the Tanker's lower ST damage. Otherwise you can't go wrong with Stone Armor

 

I've read most of your guides @Sovera, though it has been a long time. I seem to remember someone writing a guide on Fa/Em at one point. They used CRUNCH in it alot.

[Sanguinesun]

 I know your focus has been hard hitting though keep in mind that hard hitting for damage has to be qualified to a certain extent.   Some combos while their attacks on the surface do smaller damage, if they're paired well with +recharge they're capable in some cases of doing more damage over certain intervals than sets that do heavier damage on hit but have a longer spread of their recharge/activation ratio in similar intervals.   Think on it as a maths game is what Im eluding to.

 

 Also regarding Fire/ ,  remember that Burn, even for tanks, has  a very limited mob count and range but also still maintains the flee component.   Melee sets like Axe with its axe cyclone capable of pulling mobs into the burn patch(or keep em there to an extent) may be more favorable a pairing.

 

But if you're more focused with /EM, then I'd pair it instead with Stone/ or Rad/ but you've already discounted Rad/ due to your other toons.

 

 

[Sovera]

6 hours ago, Sanguinesun said:

 Also regarding Fire/ ,  remember that Burn, even for tanks, has  a very limited mob count and range but also still maintains the flee component.   Melee sets like Axe with its axe cyclone capable of pulling mobs into the burn patch(or keep em there to an extent) may be more favorable a pairing.

 

A Tanker/Brute's agro aura keeps mobs in Burn 100% of the time.

 

 

Personally I think Fire/Fire is better than EM because it is gorgeous to be in the middle of enemies and throwing three PbAoEs, but even Stone/Fire remains my balanced pick as per the link in the signature since it is substantially more survivable than Fire Armor and only slightly slower in clearing a mission because, as Sanguinesun pointed out, while Burn is great it is still only hitting 5 mobs. The changes to Fire Armor watered Burn enough that it lost the bursty aspect it used to have.

 

I've clocked around 10% faster clearing times with FA, but is it worth the loss of a good 50% survival? Plus all the good side-effects from dodging all the debuff charged attacks coming our way.

[Sanguinesun]

5 minutes ago, Sovera said:

 

A Tanker/Brute's agro aura keeps mobs in Burn 100% of the time.

 

 

Personally I think Fire/Fire is better than EM because it is gorgeous to be in the middle of enemies and throwing three PbAoEs, but even Stone/Fire remains my balanced pick as per the link in the signature since it is substantially more survivable than Fire Armor and only slightly slower in clearing a mission because, as Sanguinesun pointed out, while Burn is great it is still only hitting 5 mobs. The changes to Fire Armor watered Burn enough that it lost the bursty aspect it used to have.

 

I've clocked around 10% faster clearing times with FA, but is it worth the loss of a good 50% survival? Plus all the good side-effects from dodging all the debuff charged attacks coming our way.

 

Flee can occur, especially if there is not enough aggro value mathematically already applied at the time burn.  They'll run out then as the auras tick (if still close) they'll return but that's a dps loss (albeit minimal) that occurs. It just depends on the math race and the tick interval and Im simplifying of course. Point is that mobs can still be seen to visibly flee out of the burn patch.  Axe Cyclone can make it much less of an issue as well as pulling mobs from 15ft or so into/back again into the burn (and hit 16 targets when it does) as burn is only an 8ft radius for those measly 5 targets.  Again its a numbers race but in general due to the, significant nerfs to burn over the decades and with HC's nerfs to it as well. Its just not the robust attack that it used to be.  Its not bad, its just much much less robust than in its glories days.  Also Burn is the tanks source of immobilize protection that some folks often forget.

 

As for /Fire, if you include breath of fire(cone), its 3, 16 target hitting mobs, and its single target later tier attacks are also pretty strong mathematically, yes.  Its only flipside is regarding attacks not having any abilities to slot +recharge and you'd have to rely on other attacks to slot and(and use the ff proc) to get +recharge closer or at cap to bring down the recharge times on some of its powers.

 

To flesh out Fire/ 's resistances though, is where the challenges will come as while you can sneeze and cap fire res, the others really have to be worked on significantly to achieve closer to res caps on all damage types.  And then there's its weaker(albeit better than in earlier years) KB protection that also requires potentially some IO sources and the lack of fear/terrorize that has to be supplemented as well.   

 

So all in all, if I wanted to make a strong resistance/defenses layered tank, Fire would be one of my last choices for general casual play.  If I was looking for a tank to be damage effective for a variety of mob situations with AoE and Single Target in mind, EM would be also low on my considerations.