Cuffzter

It just occurred to me how many of the participants in this hamiraid were practically hami-virgins..

with that in mind, this was sort of a crash course for hami raids for them, they had to learn while doing it, so that took time.

I went in with the expectation that even if we wouldn't make it, at least it would be a learning experience so that we could do better next time...
Let me just say how proud I am of my fellow Unionites (or should i say Unio-Knights) for their perserverance, stubborness and outright refusal to admit defeat. You exceeded everyone of my expectations, which puts me in shame for thinking so little of you.

Well, the ones that stuck through at least, for those who left I have only one thing to say: HAH!

In normal mob encounters, taunt isnt necessary as a tanker can just run zigzag/herd thru the spawn and hit every mob with his tauntaura anyways..

Against AVs the tankers positioning (away from the rest of the team) are more important than simply taunting the AV since the AV very likely either have a footstomp AoE, a cone attack, or ignores/resists the taunt for 3 secs so that it can randomly kill of the blaster standing way over there in the back..


definition of a tanker is the toon who is first in, last out. Taunt or not, sometimes the tanker can even be a scrapper...

thinking my blaster, got a good headstart with him being level 35 already.

Thats right, just a day or two before my 30th month, I managed to squeeze in my ever first 2nd 50 on the Union server. The character in question is my Peacebringer Badge.

In good fashion I dinged on a AV (Dominatrix to be precise) and so wish to extend my gratitude to everyone Ive teamed with these least couple of days, except for the ones who was farming... Cuz farming is for Peasants!

anybody that kicks you for not having taunt is likely someone you are better off not teaming with anyway...

(kicking someone for being a poor tanker whether they have taunt or not is a entirely different story though)

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I know there is probably no debate about this...

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wrong, its probably one of the longest running, and tiresome, debates concerning tankers.

there are two camps about this, the ones who thinks that tankers should spend all their powers on the primary (defense) and only pick the first attack (since they cant avoid it) and taunt from the secondaries. the remaining power choices should be used to pick power pools that boosts defence, resists, heals and provoke.

in their view a tanker should only jab, brawl and hit taunt/provoke and herd big big groups for the blasters to blow away with nova.

These people will flame you a blasphemous heathen for even considering not picking taunt.

the other camp finds that this style of tanking, while very effective, doesnt really suit them, or the teams they play with.
They find that while taunt are very effective for managing taunt, its possible to play without it. Some sets will need taunt more than others depending on various things like levels, reputation, slotting of powers.

In my experience, Inv/Em is one of those that greatly benefits having taunt before level 18. After level 18 it is needed less since you now have a very good taunt aura. Once you get into the late 30s and start facing archvillains more often it is again more useful to the inv/em tank.

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...Your in Nova form and a girl dressed as a Japanese school girl comes up (nuff said)!

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my warshade IS a japanese schoolgirl....

I have a storm/elec at level 35, its very nice..

when solo I end to use Aim+Zapp (with interrupt enhancements) as a starter which helps a bit with the damage. Then, when I get a team I simply switch it with O2 boost for that button in the tray as zapp is a bit slow to use in teams (but if you have a team your own personal dps is a lesser concern)

You get a free stealth with steamy mist, which is nice, since you can get pretty close to enemy mob groups and not get aggro prematurely, and the icing on the cake is that same goes for that overeager "squishy AT" newbie while waiting for the tank to catch up from behind.

Weakness? yes, pre-stamina in the late teens to early twenties its very endurance draining (somehow the Devs think that the drain part of elec should make up for it, it doesn't..) but another added bonus is that if you are safe from aggro you can get back endurance when resting and still keep alot of toggles running and remain helpful to the team.

Defending with Storm is said to be "controllery" or "chaotic".. that is true. A bad team can have problems with your chaotic defending, while a good team wont just manage, but probably enjoy it as well.

CoH from the eyes of Queen…

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon (to much free time on your hands?)
Play the game (press next on the updater)
A kind of magic (Origin are a important part of the character creation)
Death on two legs (envision your hero properly in your minds eye as you create it)
Flash (please do not use a copyrighted name for your character)
Now im here (”Outbreak” you say? witty, very witty indeed)
I want to break free (ran out of endurance so Unyielding detoggled, better slot with endredux)
Another one bites the dust (Scrappers usually have a high bodycount, dont let it get you down)
Headlong (that blasters gonna faceplant if he carries on like that…)
Don’t try suicide (…don’t think he ever heard of Alpha strike has he…)
Save me (…ouch, thats GOT to hurt)
The great pretender (”I h4ve thr33 50s and a warhsade and u guyz SUCK, Kthxbai!!” *quits team)
Im going slightly mad (PuGs… WHY!!!?)
It's a hard life (starting to feel sorry for the empath now)
Let me live (rez plz!!)
All dead, all dead (…so, going hosp or do our empath have a awaken?)
Who wants to live forever (best way to handle a party wipe is just to laugh it off)
The show must go on (..and go at it again, don’t despair)
Living on my own (you can always solo)
Good company (sometimes the PuG can be pretty good though)
Friends will be friends (After a good team, add each others to your friends list)
Youre my best friend (or if you’re particularly impressed, to the global friends list)
Princes of the universe (level 20, capes, here I come!)
Don’t stop me now (the game can be addictive)
Spread your wings (sooner than you think it, you too hit 15 months)
We will rock you (Granite tanks sure can take a beating…)
The invisible man (PvPing in Warburg.. damn those stalkers!)
39 (just… ten… more … levels)
Hang on in there (almost… there..)
We are the champions (so you hit 50 did you?)
Was it all worth it (where’s the endgame content?)
Breakthru (so take a break till I9 arrives why dont you)

Now, if I wasnt already in a supergroup.. you bet I'd join.

lack of O2 boost and Gale instead (as well as Aim) makes me think Solo build.

A storm/elec is perfectly soloable, Ive found it even more survivable in the 30s than a nrg/nrg blaster.
Its main drawback however is that its very endheavy for this, so I get a bit worried about how late (level 26) stamina is put in (unless this is a respec build) and the lack of end redux in attacks.

Im guessing leadership powers are there to add some dps. More toggles on a stormer? and pre-stamina?

What I did instead was add Zapp and put 1-2 interrupt modifiers so it can be used more than just a opener.

another tip I have is that instead of Gale to push back enemies that come into melee range is to get Air superiority if youre already getting Fly. Put it on auto-attack and any enemy that tries to get you in melee will be delayed enough time for you to back off, hold him with Tesla, pushed back by Hurricane or taken out with attack option of your choice.

And it aggravates the tanker less by having a attack that dont get the enemies out of his taunt aura. Or away from the Snow storm patch you just laid out.

I think Herding is a valuable skill any tank should know how to do.


That said, there is not always a need for the tank to herd though, depending on the team, sometimes all they need is really someone to take the alpha so that they the split second the tank is hit they can let loose theyre AoEs, slows, holds, without worrying about getting hit. Defenders and Controllers take care of the aggro like this while scrappers and tanks handle the bosses that resists the holds.

Herding when its not needed is not only dull, it can also be seen as insulting to a teams skill.

All ATs have their strength and weaknesses, one must allow the others to do what theyre good at, not put together a team with the powers that makes the TANK look good...

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Now if only they'd let us actually use that shotgun on some chars...

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You can get a shotgun as a temp power when doing safeguard missions. its one of the sidemissions called 'break up the weapons deal' when doing Talos island safeguard (30-35) for instance. I have it on at least 2 toons.

My PB is mostly human form and only takes dwarf form when theres a great need, so I guess I could post the build I'm thinking of respeccing into.
MY current build has acrobatics and combat jumping, but has been a big let down for me.

---------------------------------------------
Exported from Ver: 1.7.5.0 of the CoH_CoV Character Builder - (http://home.comcast.net/~SherkSilver/index.html)
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Name:
Level: 50
Archetype: Peacebringer
Primary: Luminous Blast
Secondary: Luminous Aura
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01) --> Glinting Eye==> Acc(1) Acc(3)
01) --> Incandescence==> DmgRes(1) DmgRes(3) DmgRes(5)
02) --> Gleaming Blast==> Acc(2) Acc(5) Dmg(7) Dmg(7) Dmg(9) EndRdx(9)
04) --> Shining Shield==> DmgRes(4) DmgRes(11) DmgRes(11)
06) --> Radiant Strike==> Acc(6) Acc(13) Dmg(13) Dmg(15) Dmg(15) EndRdx(17)
08) --> Essence Boost==> Heal(8) Heal(17) Heal(19) Rechg(19) Rechg(21) Rechg(21)
10) --> Swift==> Run(10)
12) --> Build Up==> Rechg(12) Rechg(23) Rechg(23)
14) --> Health==> Heal(14)
16) --> Hasten==> Rechg(16) Rechg(25) Rechg(25)
18) --> Incandescent Strike==> Acc(18) Acc(27) Dmg(27) Dmg(29) Dmg(29) EndRdx(31)
20) --> White Dwarf==> EndMod(20) DmgRes(31) DmgRes(31) DmgRes(33)
22) --> Reform Essence==> Heal(22) Heal(33) Heal(33) Rechg(34) Rechg(34) Rechg(34)
24) --> Stamina==> EndMod(24) EndMod(36) EndMod(36)
26) --> Solar Flare==> Acc(26) Acc(36) Dmg(37)
28) --> Conserve Energy==> Rechg(28) Rechg(37) Rechg(37)
30) --> Pulsar==> Acc(30) Acc(39) DisDur(39)
32) --> Photon Seekers==> Acc(32) Acc(39) Dmg(40) Dmg(40) Dmg(40) Rechg(42)
35) --> Dawn Strike==> Acc(35) Dmg(42) Dmg(42) Dmg(43) Rechg(43) Rechg(43)
38) --> Light Form==> DmgRes(38) Rechg(45) Rechg(45) Rechg(45)
41) --> Restore Essence==> Rechg(41) Heal(46)
44) --> Glowing Touch==> Heal(44) Heal(48) Heal(48) Rechg(48)
47) --> Thermal Shield==> DmgRes(47) DmgRes(50) DmgRes(50)
49) --> Quantum Shield==> DmgRes(49) DmgRes(50)
---------------------------------------------
01) --> Sprint==> Empty(1)
01) --> Brawl==> Empty(1)
01) --> Energy Flight==> Fly(1) Fly(46) Fly(46)
01) --> Cosmic Balance==> Empty(1)
02) --> Rest==> Empty(2)
10) --> Combat Flight==> Empty(10)
---------------------------------------------
20) --> White Dwarf Strike==> Rechg(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Smite==> Rechg(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Flare==> Rechg(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Sublimation==> Rechg(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Antagonize==> Taunt(20)
20) --> White Dwarf Step==> EndRdx(20)
---------------------------------------------

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You know, everytime I post to Kheldian threads I get forcefed how and why I should be having great fun with my PB. It irritates me to a great degree. Especially since it is in such a contradiction with my own experiences. Thank you for ruining my day again.

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My work here is done!! ((strikes heroic pose))

I'm with Maelwys on this, its the adaptability of the kheldian ATs I so enjoy.
As Gunny Highway says in "Heartbreak ridge" to his marines, "Adapt and overcome"
Or as Major Kusanagi in Ghost in the shell as to why they have a human in their otherwise 'all-cyborg' team: "Overspecialize and you become predictable, its a weakness that kills you slowly from within"

Imagine yourself as being part of a real life tank crew, where everyone is specialized to their role in the tank to the point that they have no training whatsoever in the other positions in the tank.
They may be the greatest tank to ever roll on the face of the earth, with a superior driver, marvellous gunner, fastest loader, brightest commander.
But what do they do if one in the crew is taken out?
If its the driver, the tank is gonna be a sitting duck since it can't move, if its the gunner it wont be able to shoot, if its the loader it has only one more shot left...

And thats why in real-life tank crews everyone trains to take over any of the other positions if need be.

Or to use another analogy. Apply enough pressure to a piece of wood. If its rigid, it will break, if its flexible, it will bend.

in an effort to save slots (the curse of the kheldian ATs heh)
I'm considering slotting the Nova form of my WS with ToHitBuffs to save accuracy slots on the nova attacks.

Does anyone have the numbers to help me figure out if this is feasible, optimal or wasted?

Also, for every player you could potentially win over by having it another day, there's probably another player, regular to the friday raids, you would lose...

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"and impressive in quality"
peacebringers were a big let down for moi

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Whereas for me my Peacebringer is considerably powerful.

He consistently outdamages and outsurvives my Kat/Regen scrapper, when facing anything other than Voids.
On larger teams with +damage/+resistance from Cosmic Balance, it's just sick what a PB can do.


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I have the same experience as Maelwys, playing a PB in large teams can be one of the biggest rushes you can get in CoH

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While obviously my PB functions much better in teams, Ive never got any 'rush' off him..

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Ok, lets say 'great satisfaction' then.

The kind of satisfaction you only can get from being in a team, and all of a sudden the tanker goes down, and the only thing that keeps the team from immediate teamwipe is YOU turning into dwarf, catching the aggro before the squishes die and gives them time to either rez the tank back, or defeat the remaining foes.

And then in the next mob you go back to human and becomes a force of destruction, outdamaging the scrapper.
For the next mob your pulling with your blasts, and in the final confrontation with the AV you go into lightform in case the tank slips up in its aggro management.

What Im trying to say is, whatever situation comes up, you probably have the tool somewhere in this Swiss Army knife-AT to help resolve the situation. I dont know about you, but I like being useful..

Anyhoo.. thats how I see the Kheldian ATs, adaptive, multi-use, jack-of-all-trades.

If all you have done is tanked your way to 50, of course you will be disappointed in a PBs tanking abilities. Just like if you have soloed a scrapper or blaster to 50 and then compare it to a soloing PB.
But for the tanker who also have played a scrapper and a blaster, the PB lets him draw on his experience from all three ATs, and thats just 'fricking' gold..

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"and impressive in quality"
peacebringers were a big let down for moi

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Whereas for me my Peacebringer is considerably powerful.

He consistently outdamages and outsurvives my Kat/Regen scrapper, when facing anything other than Voids.
On larger teams with +damage/+resistance from Cosmic Balance, it's just sick what a PB can do.


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I have the same experience as Maelwys, playing a PB in large teams can be one of the biggest rushes you can get in CoH

i dont get irritated exactly, as long as its done in moderation. After a couple of times and the team have got the hint of how you want to do it, you can stop telling the team what youre doing in that exact moment, where to pull and so on. If it seems the team still perform to your satisfaction, no more spamming should be needed, unless you get a new teammate or something.

What IS irritating however is when the tanker have binds in the form of:
"Speedboost plz"
"speedboost plz"
"speedboost plz"
and so on..
(Stone tanks, im looking at you)

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or jumpyness

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yes, combat jumping gives pretty good "jump control" in terms of maneuverability when jumping.. But do you really want to compare it with the maneuverability of Fly?

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Note that Combat Jumping also grants considerable immobilise resistance which is useful for some powersets (including Fire tanks!).

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As a Invulnerable tank, you will have superior Mez resistance with Unyielding against all forms of stun, knockback, sleep etc etc. So there wont be any need to pick combat jumping for its immobilisation resistance, only for its defence buff.

If you already like fly and thinking of picking it, its probably the best for you. I myself have fly on my tank and I certainly enjoy it. I'm not the first to get to the mission.. but its not a race to get there first and dont let people tell you it is. Your the tank, and if the team your on are smart, they'll wait to attack until you get there.

Some will argue that you should go for superjump as its superior to fly with its 'combat jumping' toggle that gives more defence.
While theyre certainly correct in that no tanker has ever taken damage from having more defence, you should also realise that this adds another endurance eater to your already endurance heavy powers, its more than likely that you wont have it toggled on anyway.
Another reason for picking fly is that Jumping dont gives any defence to attacks you are weak against, like say, Psi, while Fly in a way can mitigate Psi damage if you pick Air superiority.
AS will if you put it in your attack chain let you 'juggle' a enemy so that theyre unable to attack you, giving a way to defend against enemies by attacking them.

Since ive decided not to go away over the weekend, I will bring with me the usual arrest warrant on that big green blob.
See you there.