_Doc_

I'm with Star_Seer on this. Shield/War Mace. Shield Charge has to be one of the best (tank) attacks in the game - Build Up + Shield Charge = entire spawn of whites dead with my slotting. I'm a perfectly good tank, but fully able to solo as a scranker as well.

And as for mine... to slot Whirling Mace, I need to sacrifice slots elsewhere, which means sacrificing set bonuses. Given that I don't use WM all that much (as an AoE attack, it is worse than Shield Charge or Crowd Control, and I don't need it to 'round out' my attack chain unless I get slowed; thus, it is generally only used directly following a Shield Charge into the middle of a group of mobs), 2 slots works fine for me at the moment

[ QUOTE ]
I much rather have 3 legs to stand on than 2.

[/ QUOTE ]



*thinks that bragging is inappropriate in this thread*

And why do people make 'offensive tanks'? (Is that a tank who mouths off a lot?)... because scrankers are wonderful to solo, and if their tank powers are up to scratch then why not maximise their damage output as well? It all helps to keep aggro off the squishies :P

Well, there are obviously some differences between SS and Mace as secondary, but take a look at the differences between yours and mine. Not making any judgements, simply giving you a comparison to think about...

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Project Survivor: Level 50 Technology Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: War Mace
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(3), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(5), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(9), DefBuff-I(25), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 1: Bash -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx(7), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg(13), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(43), Acc-I(43)
Level 2: Pulverize -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(3), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(9), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(23), T'Death-Dam%(23)
Level 4: True Grit -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(5), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(13), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Heal-I(42), Heal-I(42)
Level 6: Active Defense -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(7)
Level 8: Battle Agility -- GftotA-Def(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(15), DefBuff-I(31)
Level 10: Jawbreaker -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(11), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(11), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), T'Death-Dam%(19)
Level 12: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff-I(A)
Level 14: Taunt -- Zinger-Taunt/Rchg(A)
Level 16: Swift -- Run-I(A)
Level 18: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(A), Mrcl-Rcvry+(50)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(21), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(37), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(37), P'Shift-End%(37)
Level 22: Phalanx Fighting -- LkGmblr-Rchg+(A), LkGmblr-Def(34), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(46), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg(46)
Level 24: Against All Odds -- Taunt-I(A)
Level 26: Shield Charge -- Armgdn-Dam%(A), Armgdn-Dmg/Rchg(27), Armgdn-Dmg/EndRdx(27), Mocking-Rchg(29), M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(29), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31)
Level 28: Grant Cover -- GftotA-Def(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx(43)
Level 30: Clobber -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(33), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(33), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Mako-Dam%(34)
Level 32: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 35: Shatter -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(36), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(36), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(36), Sciroc-Dam%(40), EndRdx-I(40)
Level 38: Crowd Control -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(39), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), Sciroc-Dam%(40), EndRdx-I(42)
Level 41: Build Up -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(46), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(48), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(48), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(48), GSFC-Build%(50)
Level 44: One with the Shield -- ImpArm-ResDam(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx(45), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg(45), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(45)
Level 47: Whirling Mace -- EndRdx-I(A), Dmg-I(50)
Level 49: Maneuvers -- EndRdx(A)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Dmg(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet

With the sets that I have, I am running _massive_ End recovery (3.59/sec), my defences are all in excess of 40% solo (1 person stood within range pumps everything over the 45% soft-cap), and my damage is silly for a tank (around 60dps vs single target, ranging to 200+dps against large mobs due to the AoE attacks).

As I say, SS has different requirements to WM, but the shield side of things has worked out for me pretty well...

Hope it helps!

As I am currently unemployed (and hence find myself with oodles of time for playing CoH *grin*), I would be happy to volunteer - proofreading, perhaps writing or advice, and I know some players whom I can tap for advice and/or badge stuff. One of them now has over 700 badges on one of his alts...

For what it's worth, having just got to 50 with my Mace/Shield tank this week, I disagree with the above posts regarding Tough and Weave. Heh, now to justify my stance before I get jumped on...

Once you get past the level 20 hump (of never having any endurance) by taking Stamina, there are two main ways that I can see a Mace/Shield tank being built. The first would be to go for a 'pure' tank bias, taking fewer attacks but aiming for Tough and Weave to up your resistances. Combat Jumping (and Super Jump as your travel power) are a no-brainer for either option.

The second build would be as a scranker, which is the route that I chose. I have _every_ power from my primary + secondary pools, plus combat jumping/super jump, swift/health/stamina, and maneuvers. This, in association with plenty of set bonuses from slotting recipe enhancements, means that my melee and AoE defense run at around 40%, with ranged lagging a little at 34%. That is soloing. With a single shield toon accompanying me, I exceed the soft-cap (45%) for melee and AoE defense.

Add to this the fact that I have 3 AoE attacks with knockdown (one being a narrow cone, almost single-target), 1 single-target attack with knock-up and 3 attacks which can disorient opponents, and I can keep significant chunks of enemy mobs on the floor unable to attack at all. Which means that I don't get hit much And my damage output is remarkable (for a tank).

Having said all that, the absolute _best_ advice that I can give you regarding survivability as a shield tank is to team with other shield scrappers or tanks. Grant Cover and Phalanx Fighting are absolutely awesome, and will quickly push your defences up to the point where you get hit less than 10% of the time. This makes surviving a whole lot easier

Regarding slotting, however, I would recommend the following for your shield set:
Deflection - 6 slots (3 def/3 res)
Battle Agility - 3 slots (def)
True Grit - 6 slots (3 res/3 heal or, in my case, 4 part Impervium Armor + 2 heal)
Active Defense - 2 slots (recharge IOs)
Phalanx Fighting - 3 slot (def - I have 4 slots for Luck of the Gambler in this)
Against All Odds - 1 slot (Taunt IO)
Grant Cover - 2 slots (def/end red or def set)
Shield Charge - 6 slots (Frankenslotted*, in my case, while I save up for Armageddon. Hahaha.)
One With The Shield - 3 slots (res - I have 4 slots with Impervium Armor for the set bonuses)

*Frankenslotting: the practice of using multiple-bonus IOs to gain the max benefit for a power. eg 2 x Acc/Dam enhancements give a bigger boost than 1 Damage IO + 1 Accuracy IO. Taken further, if you slot with Acc/Dam/End/Rech, you gain more than a quarter of an equivalent IO to each bonus. There's a thread on this somewhere, but I figured I should explain the term

Have you tried reading the official MA guide at http://www.cityofheroes.com/game_inf.../overview.html ?

It mentions hints and tips such as the dragging of missions around to change their order

Cognito:

I have given out one 1-star rating so far. It was for a mission called "My First Attempt" (or something like that), and the description was along the lines of "This is my first attempt, plz be nice to me".

I thought I would give it a try and provide some constructive feedback to the author. Turns out there was: no contact detail, no mission briefing (well, the briefing was "sdlkcj"), it was a Defeat All mission on the outdoor ruins map, and the entire map was spawned with a single custom mob, the design of which was... nothing special.

Needless to say, I wasn't particularly impressed, and gave it a 1-star rating along with some fairly direct feedback about _why_ I had given it a 1-star rating.

What really got to me, however, was the fact that 4 previous votes had given it an average 5-star rating. That just sooo yanked my chain :P

Dunno, but it brought all the servers down, lol!

I confess, I pushed my PB up to 36...and there she has sat for the last 3 1/2 years, almost untouched. I've respecced her a couple of times, but I just can't work up the enthusiasm to keep at it Playing a PB or WS is pure slog for me compared to just about any other AT.

Ballistas, Infernal and other EBs (/AVs) with high-damage AoEs, especially if they are ranged rather than PBAoEs...

I have been happily taking down several EBs solo (on Vicious) with my Thugs MM but, for example, Infernal 1-shotted me last night (pets were set to attack him rather than be bodyguards. Oops.) But even against high-level longbow (flamethrowers in particular) you can run into problems with losing pets, especially the 1st tier ones.

And, as has just been said, re-summoning and buffing mid-combat is a _real_ endurance drain.

I actually respecced out my Empty Clips (leaving me with just Dual Wield) because it was taking my endurance down too much when I did use it, and my MM rarely gets much chance to attack with pistols anyway (too busy using Darkest Night/Twilight Grasp/Fearsome Stare/etc). While the pistol powers look cool, I'm not really thinking that a bit of extra smashing/lethal is gonna make much difference on top of the 6 pets I already have. Buffs and debuffs on the other hand... [img]/uk/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

*mental image of Agony Mage in PJs holding a blanky and pillow*

Noooooo!

lol! Nice one Pistol...except for the Fearsome Stare (which I _am_ keeping - it's Petrifying Gaze I was referring to not taking). And PvP? Not very interested anyway, especially with Jingles. I have perfectly suitable Brutes, Scrappers and Dominators for that sort of thing [img]/uk/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Pistol the boss
Is a terrible loss
When she isn't around for The Gang.
Those skimpy white tops
And her thugs (who aren't fops)
And her namesakes that make a loud 'Bang!'

But when she's around
She piles bodies in mounds,
Attacks from the front like a brute,
In a hailstorm of lead
Her foes all drop down dead
And she still keeps on looking damn' cute!

(See? You're not the only one...)

I have Stamina with my Thugs/Dark MM for the following reasons:

Shadow Fall
Darkest Night
Assault
Tactics
(Maneuvers when I get it)
Twilight Grasp
+ summoning/buffing

Because I have respecced out of Empty Clips (end hog, and my MMs job is not to personally cause damage, his job is to _facilitate_ the damage), that gave me an extra power slot. Tar Patch was not really a useful part of my build, so that went too. I won't be taking my hold, for much the same reasons, so I will be running 4 toggles constantly, with a 5th whenever there is a boss around. This requires Stamina to be workable, IMO... [img]/uk/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

(But no, not _every_ build requires Stamina. My Robots/FF MM doesn't have it.)

Doc O'Bay - Elec/Elec Brute/Scirocco. First one? (dinged at 7pm, 21/07/06)

Edit: Hadn't seen the post congratulating Alma E on 17th. Darn! Ah well, still happy...

AFAIK (which, as already demonstrated, is not always much), I can be around for that too. Hoping to be 50 by then, so will be badge hunting for the fun of it

You think Stamina is good? Wait until you get Power Sink!!! Now _that's_ good, especially with 3 endmod and 2 recharge enhs...

Gack! Really sorry, but I have just been reminded of a prior arrangement, which means that tonight isn't on for me either *slinks off guiltily*

Apologies also for the short notice...

*grin* Ah, but paying off 150k debt in one mission...against level 17 mobs? Priceless Ended up with zero debt, had fun, TF was successful without too many problems, and apart from the early mission that I seem to remember went a little wrong, the tank was generally the only one face down on the floor. Gotta count as a success...

I can bring along Doc O'Bay, my L45 Elec/Elec brute (might be 46 by then anyway). Be good to get the badge

Yup - good team, good fun and thanks to all who took part Looking forward to the next one!

Can't believe I missed this thread earlier, but I'll be around as Longbow Colonel (39 Ill/Kin controller) if it turns out there's room.

I'm kind of hoping that his moving date will change (as these things often do), but won't know until closer to the time...