I am currently testing a Shield, Energy Melee Tanker. These are my observations up to level 16. At the low levels, before level 8, a tanker with a shield has a huge endurance use problem. I was running only one toggle, and basic cycling of attacks. This caused me to have to rest almost after every other fight. What is worse is the effect of how shield works.
Being a defensive power based on defense rather than resistance it just isn't effective enough to stop even white minions from hitting you regularly. You combine that with gauntlet's area taunt and you are making every minion around you want to hit you. Which they do consistently. That combined with little to no resistance to the damage caused me to face plant. A lot....
Thing changed for the better after level 8. At level 8 I took Against All Odds and that helped to mitigate the damage immeasurably. I found that while I suffered even more in the endurance use department, for running 2 toggles now, I could at least not get my shield rammed down my own throat regularly.
As I progressed through levels things got better, upon reaching level 12 I started to slot dual origin enhancements, with the main focus on Endurance Reductions. This allowed me to start functioning as a more realistic tank. I still couldn't reliably tank as well as a Willpower or Invulnerability tanker, in the area of survivability, but it was getting better. Once I hit level 16 I was finally able to get the AOE attack for Energy Melee. This power finally allowed me to be a real tank, albeit not a great one, but I could finally gather good sized mobs.
In summary I believe that once Single Origin enhancements and Invention Origins become available, along with health and stamina that AT will cover most of its problems. The real question is, is the AT good enough where you really HAVE to take another power pool to make it work?
What I suggest is raise the base defense bonus from the toggles or passives. They just simply are not good enough for a Tank to TANK. The Endurance usage I can live with, its a lot, but not to much so. I also think the power set needs some sort of a better taunt. Either increase the taunt in Against All Odds, or possibly change one of the other powers to also taunt.
