Garthalus

The Arm Strong Method: A Guide to Broadsword/Willpower

Firstly, credit to Joy_Division for the Fire/Willpower Scrapper guide that seems to be one of the only ones out there for the Willpower secondary: The Will to Burn: Fire/Willpower Scrapper I12. I also referenced EvilGeko’s very comprehensive gide for Broadsword/Regeneration: EvilGeko's I11.? BS/Regen Guide: Glorious Killing!. Those two guides alone give a solid basis for puzzling out the powerset combination, but I wanted to create a guide specifically for it, since there are some synergies and nuances to the pair that I think are worth discussing. Credit also goes to Werner and Desmodos for some excellent feedback and suggestions during the development and maturation of my build. Input from a variety of sources caused me to reassess the build several times, which I firmly believe resulted in a more robust character, both for teams and soloing. Note that there are a myriad of options and areas of focus available to generate a viable BS/WP Scrapper. With the advent of Invention Origin Enhancements in Issue 9, there are a lot of directions that you can “tweak” your build, so I’ll focus on my personal approach and methodology in this guide and touch on a few other options. Also, I will freely admit that I have negligible experience in the PvP area of CoH, so all the advice and commentary in this guide will be purely PvE in nature.

Also, for those just interested in the final build, please follow this link here to skip all the wordy descriptions.

What is a Broadsword/Willpower Scrapper?

Conceptually, Broadsword/Willpower is an ideal candidate for a Natural origin character. The set has no unearthly abilities, no flashy or shiny effects, and for the most part is pretty easy on the eyes. If you are looking for a character that has an “average joe turned hero” backstory, this powerset combination works really well.

Apart from the concept, mechanics-wise, the BS/WP Scrapper is pretty easy to play. It has a lot of toggles, but no click-heals or other active management beyond it’s Tier 9 power. That means you basically just jump in and start hacking at stuff. That, in itself, it pretty fun. After playing a Katana/Regeneration Scrapper, I have to admit the BS/WP set is much more relaxing to play. Less micro-management of health and more attacking. The set also (at least for me) “feels” tough. You just Scrap it up and run your toggles and survive situations that will drop Tanks. That is a big plus for me. Lots of raw damage output from the Primary, excellent survivability from the secondary, and they just go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hard to go wrong with a Scrapper like that.

From a high level, the Broadsword/Willpower Scrapper offers a lot of versatility. You get some very strong single-target damage with the set, layered mitigation from the secondary including a mix of Defense, Resistance, Regeneration, a To-Hit Debuff, and increased Maximum Hit Points., a blend of AoE damage from some of the attacks, and lastly a fantastic Defense power in Parry. At its core, the build is regeneration-based with the other powers supporting it. Like other Scrapper sets, it is very strong against melee and lethal damage, less so to exotic damage types with perhaps the exception of Psionic damage. That being said, let’s head into a discussion of the Primary and Secondary and we’ll discuss more about the details of the build afterwards.

The Low-Tech Approach: The Broadsword Primary

A quick note here, with the advent of “real numbers” information in the game and the various other guides that break down the details of each power, I’ll focus on my personal impressions and some data to support them. It also is worth noting that as part of the animation tweaks in the past few months, Broadsword has gotten a lot better. Attacks chain more fluidly together and aggregate damage output is higher. Visually, the set flows a lot better than it used to and is less “choppy” (if you pardon the pun) than the old version.

It is worth noting that one down side to the secondary is that it deals lethal damage, one of the most resisted damage types in the game. That is particularly apparent in the late-game where foes seem to be particularly resistant to S/L damage. There are ways to address this and mitigate the impact, but those will be covered in later in the discussion on IO sets.

Tier 1: Hack (High Lethal Damage, Foe -Def )

This is your first must-have attack. The good news is that it’s available at level 1. It provides some serious single target pain and will be a staple in your attack chain through you career. It’s the third most damaging attack in the Primary behind Headsplitter and Disembowel. As a nice side-effect, it also debuffs the target’s Defense, making follow-up attacks easier to land. The power takes both Melee IO sets as well as Defense Debuff IO sets. Take it, six-slot it as soon as you can and use it frequently.

Tier 2: Slash (Moderate Lethal Damage, Foe -Def)

Well, with Hack being such a powerhouse, this is the “other” attack available at Level 1. Truthfully, I’ve always found it a bit of a dog. It’s damage is very “meh” and it’s not required to build an early attack chain. In fact, Slice does more damage and it’s a cone attack. This is one of the powers that most people skip when building a Broadsword Scrapper. If you do take it early on, respec out of it when Disembowel opens up. Like Hack, this power debuffs Defense and takes both Melee IO and Defense Debuff IO sets.

Tier 3: Slice (Cone, Moderate Lethal Damage, Foe -Def)

As odd as it may sound, this power is actually one of my favorites in the Broadsword set. It’s a nice cone attack with a 130° arc and is available early on in your career. Coupled with Hack and Parry, it will be a staple in your lower-level attack chain. Part of what I love about this power is its versatility. It works as a single-target attack. It works as your first AoE with some positioning. It also provides a Defense Debuff to those it hits, which is nice since you’re generally hitting 2-3 foes with this in a crowd at a minimum. Later in your career once you get your Tier 8 and 9 attacks, this is still a great attack to swap into your chain when in big groups of enemies. It’s definitely one of the unsung heroes of the set from my perspective. The power takes both PBAoE IO sets as well as Defense Debuff IO sets. Take it, eventually six-slot it and use it in crowds. I like using this on enemies clustered around the team Tank, since they are all located in your forward arc.

Tier 4: Build-Up (+Damage, +To-Hit)

This is a common power across most of the Scrapper primaries. Provides 10 seconds worth of extra damage (+100%) and boosts your to-hit substantially as well (+20% base). This is useful to provide burst damage in fights and add to your overall damage output. I tend to fire this off selectively when Hack, Disembowel, and Headsplitter are all recharged. With the right timing you can fire off all three of those during the duration. That adds up to a ton of extra damage. The extra to-hit is also nice when trying to hit Ritki Drones, Behemoths with Invincibility running, and Paragon Protectors with MoG running. Great power and three slots is fine for this one. Accepts To-Hit Buff IO sets.

Tier 5: Parry (Minor Lethal Damage, Self +Def to Melee/Lethal)

Parry is one of the defining powers of the Broadsword set. It opens up at Level 8 and trust me, you want to pick it up as soon as it’s available. It is an attack that deals roughly half the damage of Hack, but it has a great secondary benefit of buffing your Defense against Melee (positional) and Lethal (typed) damage by 15% (base). Out of the box, you can double-stack it for +30% defense. That is a [u]huge[u] benefit, particularly early on when the majority of the damage you’ll be facing will have a lethal component to it. It also has a nice recharge to it that makes it perfect for filling out your early attack chain.

Parry is actually one of the best reasons for taking the Willpower Secondary to go with the Broadsword Primary. Combine the Defense from Parry with the raw Regeneration and layered damage mitigation from the other Willpower powers and you get some mammoth survivability. Later in the game, spamming this power to get to the soft-cap against foes that melee and/or deal a lot of lethal damage will make you damn near unkillable. It’s fast activating and fast recharging, as well, so it doesn’t slow down your attack chain or require much in the way of additional Recharge enhancement. Overall, this is just a fantastic power and one to put slots in [u]early[u] on for the sheer difference it makes in your combat capabilities.

The power takes both Melee IO sets as well as Defense Debuff IO sets. Since this is an atypical attack, I’m going to touch on slotting for it. Firstly, the defense buff is only applied when the power hits a target. That means slotting for accuracy is critical in this attack to reliably get its benefits. Second, the power early on should be getting Defense enhancements. Think about the main purpose of this power as buffing your Defense, dealing damage is purely a nice side effect. As you level up and graduate from DOs to SOs to IOs and IO sets , the slotting will change accordingly. Ideally, you want this slotted to allow you to hit the soft cap for defense (45% Melee/Lethal) later in your career. Once you have a path to that, you can start slotting for damage (since you’re spamming the attack, you might as well maximize the damage it’s doing).

Note that slotting for Parry will also depend on the other Defense powers in your build. For example, a build with both Combat Jumping and Weave would require fewer Defense enhancements in Parry to get to that 45% soft-capped Defense value. Choose enhancements to get to the soft-cap first and then work on adding Damage/Endurance Reduction/Recharge after that.

Tier 6: Confront (Ranged Taunt, Single Foe)

Some people advocate Confront for Scrappers... Personally, I don’t. Focus on dealing damage and surviving. Powers that don’t contribute to either aren’t ones I try to squeeze into the build. Let’s move on. Nothing to see here. If you really want to Taunt something, go pound on it with that big hunk of steel you are carrying around. It’s bound to get their attention.

Tier 7: Whirling Sword (PbAoE, Moderate Lethal Damage, Foe -Def)

Here it is, the AoE you’ve been starving for to complement your brutal single-target attack chain. It’s not the highest damage AoE from the Scrapper Primaries, but it’s definitely one of the better ones with it’s high damage output and defense debuff effect. It’s definitely serviceable and adds a lot to your damage output in crowds, which is where Willpower excels. You [u]want[u] to be surrounded by a swarm of foes, both to prompt them to use their melee attacks to maximize Parry’s Defense and also to feed Rise to the Challenge for increased regeneration.

Whirling Sword pushes out damage roughly equivalent to Slice in an 8 foot radius and also debuffs Defense for those it hits. Part of that damage is in the form of a three-tick DoT at the end of the attack, which some people overlook. Between this and Slice, you have some very respectable AoE capability. It can be leveraged by corner pulling and through positioning to maximize the number of foes hit. In practice, I tend to focus on my single-target chain in crowds and swap in Slick and Whirling Sword when they become available. The power takes both PBAoE IO sets as well as Defense Debuff IO sets. Overall, this is a very useful attack to round out your capabilities.

Tier 8: Disembowel (Superior Lethal Damage, Knockup, Foe -Def)

Ahhhh… Yep, you finally made it to Level 26 and you get access to this gem. This power is great and will make you really start to see why Broadsword has garnered a reputation as an exceptional single-target damage set over the years. Disembowel pushes out about 20% more damage than Hack and has a 75% chance of over a Mag 4 Knockup. I find knockup very useful, as it is pure mitigation for the foe hit by it. Having them fly straight up in the air takes them out of the fight briefly while they soar up and then bounce off the floor. Since it is knock[u]up[u], there also is no risk of knocking the enemy back into another spawn, off a roof, down a set of stairs, etc. The foe essentially stays put so you can keep wailing on them. The only time knockup can be a problem is when you character is on follow. In those circumstances, frequently the follow AI forces your character to reposition to try and follow the opponent shooting up in the air. This can cause a brief (and occasionally frustrating) pause in your attack chain. Despite that, the high damage, defense debuff this power applies to the target, and knockup mitigation just make this attack fantastic. The power takes both Melee IO sets as well as Defense Debuff IO sets. Take it, six-slot it as soon as you can and spam it to your heart’s content.

Tier 9: Head Splitter (Cone, Extreme Lethal Damage, Knockback, Foe - Def)

Yep, the Mac Daddy of Broadsword attacks, this is a massive addition to your attack chain and is one of the most damaging attacks in the entire game. It deals about 60% more damage than Hack, has a 60% chance of low-magnitude knockback (which essentially is knock[u]down[u] for most foes), has an increased chance to critically hit, and debuffs enemy Defense all at the same time. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a narrow cone (10° arc for 10 feet). This is important, since the range gives you more “reach” with this attack than others in your repertoire. Once you pick this up, you can tag those annoying opponents on the outside of the pack surrounding you without repositioning. Note that with some intelligent positioning and practice, you can hit more than one foe with this (particularly if you pull to a corner and bunch the opponents up). This is your “big gun” for the Broadsword set. Six-slot it immediately. The power takes both PBAoE sets ([u]not[u] Melee sets, a frequent mistake people make) as well as Defense Debuff IO sets.

As a general rule of thumb, Build-Up + Head Splitter + Critical Hit = O.o
If you crit more than one foe with this at once, it’s almost a religious experience…

It's his first post on the forums.

Cut a brother some slack, man.

Well, when folks use the term "IO'd out", I interpret that as meaning "I have maximized the performance of my build/powerset through set IOs and by slotting the build specifically to take advantage of them". Typically there are two main performance benefits for IO'd out characters. First is the aggregate enhancement value for Set IOs exceeds generic IOs which exceed SOs. Six-slotting a set like Crushing Impact gives the equivalent of having 9-10 SO's in the power. That's a substantial increase in effectiveness over per-issue 9 characters.

The second benefit is in the stacking Set IO bonuses. The variety here is staggering and allows a vast amount of customization for the same powersets. Typically these bonuses are designed to spackle over holes in powersets (like Psi Defense/Resistance for Invulnerability Tanks) or to enhance the main attributes of a powerset (i.e. extra damage and reduced recharge for Scrapper's attacks).

Take a look at Cap'n Canadian's guide to start with. PeterPeter's guide is also a good place to start.

Take a look in the guide in my signature. There are a lot of good links there for IOs and making influence to buy them.

[ QUOTE ]
1) Is slotting Energy Absorption for Defense really worth it? So far I'm finding that the numbers it adds are really minor.

2) I have Chilling Embrace slotted with a couple Slow IO's, which seems to make a noticeable difference. Is it really viable, or are the slots better invested elsewhere?

[/ QUOTE ]

1.) Yes. With a well-slotted Energy Absorption, you can double-stack it. The +Def I can get from a large spawn (i.e. big teams) can boost me from 42% S/L/N/E Defense to about 60% Defense. That's substantial.

2.) Since the -Rech portion of the CE effect is unenhanceable, I don't bother with Slows. Slow effects also make herding just painful, so it's a mixed blessing. Personally, I just slot an endurance reduction and then the two Procs (-Rech and Smashing Damage). YMMV

Good questions.

Look here at the Salvage Planner, although it does not have the newer IO sets yet.

Also, you can reference ParagonWiki for the information by enhancement.

Also, I believe Mids has a function where it will export a shopping list of the Salvage needed to generate the IOs in your planning.

I'll take a look at the spreadsheet though... Thanks.

My understanding of the streakbreaker code matches yours, I just did not present the description as well. And yes, that and the 5% chance to hit is what I was referring to when I was discussing getting "tagged". My Ice/Fire has been in a lot of AV fights where they wiff you for ages and then WHAM! WHAM! You're down to 20% health in a heartbeat and frantically pushing the HoarFrost button. Fate is a fickle mistress...

As for Wet Ice... I can see your point. Arguably, HoarFrost has more value to pick up first for survivability. I dislike being knocked down by Trolls, etc. at lower levels and the mez effects from Vhaz bosses can be downright crappy because all your toggles drop... Dead meat in a hurry. Since this is primarily a Team-Tank, part of that preference is colored by my experience that there are generally healers, bubblers, sonics, and so on to help mitigate the damage for your Tank, but only a few that have anti-mez/knockdown buffs.

In truth, since XP smoothing, the early levels flash by so quickly, either choice is viable depending on the user preference. I will update my guide for clarity, though.

Thanks, good feedback.

Personally, I dislike Medicine for Tanks.

Particularly for a Defense-based Tank, the +7.8% or so that Weave offers pushes the "big 4" Defense types from 34.4% Defense to 42.2% Defense. For me, that's huge, particularly when you stack EA firing on top of it. That will put you well over the soft cap and give a LOT of protection vs. higher level foes/EBs/AVs/etc.

Also, the tricorder requires you to stop what you are doing, execute the animation, and then resume. It's also interruptible (not as much an issue with a Defense based set, but still).

I prefer the Fighting pool because it it [u]Proactive[u] mitigation, as opposed to [u]Reactive[u] mitigation. Plus, the layered S/L Resistance is just icing on the cake after the bonus Weave provides.

There are schools of thought that prefer the Medicine pool. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Thanks for the perspective, though.

Good perspective Frostweaver. It's true that my guide is specifically geared toward an Alpha Tank team role, and many of the decisions and slotting are tailored specifically for that approach.

For contrast, I do exercise the equivalent of many of your suggestions in my Fire/Fire Tank. He is more of a hybrid build that focuses on a blend of raw damage output and toughness.

You are right, though. I appreciate the depth that IOs offer in that they enable a significant degree of flexibility in purpose for the same powerset combos. Some can build Ice/Fire to be an AoE "Scranker" like Star_Sentinel did, some (like you) can go with a more general purpose/soloing build, and some (like me) can maximize survivability and team-centric characteristics.

Good commentary, thanks.

Good point, but I actually advocate placing the SteadFast Res/Def unique in HoarFrost instead of PermaFrost. PermaFrost is taken very late in my build, and having the SteadFast Res/Def in HoarFrost means it will be active even if exemplared down for the Positron Task Force (about as low as I would regularly forsee exemping down to). That's also part of the reason I selected a Level 16 SteadFast Res/Def IO (so it would function at that exemplared level).

I have updated the guide to mention that the IO can be also be placed in either Tough or PermaFrost. Thanks for the feedback.

Posted my first guide, specifically for the Ice/Fire Tank powerset. Link is below:

The Peltier Effect (Ice/Fire Tank) - Issue 12

Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.

(Reserved for future updates/commentary)

Making the good stuff better: The Fiery Melee Secondary

Tier 1: Scorch (Minor Fire Damage)

Since the animation changes in Issue 12, this default power has gotten better. It deals relatively minor damage, but it’s pure Fire damage, which is pretty unresisted thoughout the game. It’s a fast-activating power that you’ll use throughout your career as a “filler” attack in your chain and also for a little extra aggro control with Gauntlet. I actually like the new animation quite a bit, and the power as a whole is pretty solid overall. Early on, leave it with a single slot and use an Accuracy enhancement in it. Later in the build when slots free up, six-slot the power to maximize its effectiveness.

Tier 2: Fire Sword (Moderate Fire/Lethal Damage)

About twice the damage that Scorch pushes out with a mix of Fire and Lethal damage. I’ve played around with this power a bit, and it can be a good additional attack early on, but later in the build, your attack chain is tight without it. Overall, I recommend skipping this power. Focus on your Defense and survivability early on. If you do take it, I’d recommend respec’ing out of it in the mid 20s once the build fleshes out a bit.

Tier 3: Combustion (Moderate Fire Damage/DoT)

This power is the first staple in your AoE attack chain and you’ll use it throughout your career. It has a bit of a lengthy animation, but it has a big (15 ft) radius. It pushes out an initial burst of Fire Damage with 8 ticks of small Fire Damage over the next 7 seconds. This is great for getting aggro in an area combined with Chilling Embrace. It can also do quite a bit of aggregate damage in big spawns, so don’t discount its usefulness. Six slot it and love it. Slot early on for Accuracy, Recharge, Endurance Reduction, and Damage (in that order).

Tier 4: Taunt (Ranged AoE, Foe Taunt)

A hotly debated topic on the forums, I’ll just present my perspective here. Taunt is not required, but it’s a nice tool to have in your toolbox as a Tank. I use it frequently even in a build that is an aggro magnet like Ice/Fire. First, it’s auto-hit aggro control. Facing enemies with extremely high Defense (Demons, Paragon City Protectors who hit Elude, etc.) this power becomes extremely useful. Second, it offers ranged aggro management. You’ll frequently be surrounded by a horde of enemies and spot a stray runner heading for a Defender in the back row. Taunt allows you to protect your teammates without dragging the entire spawn with you to save your teammate (tends to be counterproductive). It also is handy for ensuring aggro with AVs to protect your team. Overall, every Tank I make gets Taunt. It helps you do your job under challenging circumstances, and that’s good in my book. That said, pick this up in your 20s when power selections open up a bit. Before that, Gauntlet and Chilling Embrace will do the job just fine.

Tier 5: Breath of Fire (Cone, Moderate Fire DoT)

Second of the AoE powers in the Secondary, this one is a long narrow cone. It deals some good damage and with the correct positioning it can be devastating. However, since the cone is so narrow, it requires jumping out of the seething mob surrounding you, hitting the power, and then hopping back in. It is also a good opening power when herding to a corner and the enemies bunch up for you. Despite this, it tends to require more footwork to use than I care for with a Tank. Overall, I recommend a “pass” on this power. Stick with the PbAoE radius attacks, as they synergize best with your two Taunt auras to lock down aggro in a spawn.

Tier 6: Build Up (+Dmg, +To-Hit)

Pretty standard power common to many CoH characters. +80% Damage and +20% To-Hit for 10 seconds. The to-hit is a nice boost, but since an Alpha Tank role is more about Aggro management and survivability and less about damage, this power gets a “skip” from me. Damage for the build is still very good and this power just doesn’t support the conceptual design for the build as well as other power selections. Heresy to some, this is the approach I advocate here.

Tier 7: Fire Sword Circle (PbAoE, Moderate Fire/Lethal Damage)

This is the second big AoE click attack in the Primary that you have been lusting after since you picked up Combustion earlier on. Yep, it’s great. In Issue 12 they modified the animation a bit to slow it down, so it’s a bit “clunkier” than the old fast/smooth animation. Regardless, it’s still fantastic and the leaping, spinning sword animation is very pretty. This power really pushes the damage and should be slotted ASAP after you get it. This and Combustion will be the bread and butter of your attack chain in big spawns. Did I mention it’s great?

Tier 8: Incinerate (High Fire DoT)

Many people think this power is only “meh” because it produces a series of ticks of damage instead of a single big orange number. They are mistaken. This attack has a fast animation, pushes out almost as much damage as Greater Fire Sword, and is more Endurance efficient, to boot. The steady stream of damage is very useful for enemies with interruptible powers (CoT Mages when they squat, for example). This attack will be a staple in your single-target attack chain and once you pick it up, life gets a lot better. Six slot this ASAP and enjoy.

Tier 9: Greater Fire Sword (Superior Fire/Lethal Damage)

Yep, the Mac Daddy of fire weapons, this sword is almost comically large (pun intended). It has a somewhat lengthy animation, but deals some good Fire and Lethal damage when it hits. This is your “big gun” for single target attacks. Six-slot pronto and you’ll have a solid single-target attack chain finally. My attack chain for single-targets tends to run GFS -> Scorch -> Incinerate -> Scorch -> Repeat. You’ll be certain to appreciate a hard-hitting attack like this one once you pick it up.

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Tying it all together: Pool Powers

The Alpha Tank concept is designed to be as survivable as possible while maintaining aggro with excellent mobility. To support those goals, Pool powers are added to the build selectively. The Epic Pools are not touched on this build, since Pool power selections support the build concept better. Specifically, since the Fiery Melee secondary offers no other mitigation (stuns, knockdown, slows, etc.), pool powers become essential to maximize the survivability of the build and to supplement the Primary.

[u]Leaping Pool:[u]

Combat Jumping (+Jump, + Def to All, +Res Immobilize)

A solid power choice early on, Combat Jumping is dirt cheap toggle to run, offers a decent base +2.5% Defense to all (including Psionic), and gives great air control. Taking this power is key to building on the +Defense from the Primary, so this is a solid choice. Also, coupled with Hurdle from the Fitness pool, you get a mini SuperJump that is insuppressible and provides superior combat mobility. It’s also FAST and comes in extremely handy when herding/gathering. +Def and providing great mobility make this power a great pick.

SuperJump (+Long Jump)

SuperJump is an ideal and efficient power pick for an Ice/Fire Tank. It has Combat Jumping as a prerequisite and doesn’t need any slots to be a great travel power. You get excellent vertical movement from this toggle, it’s not hard on your blue bar, and you travel very fast from point to point. About the only place I ever long for a different travel power is the Shadow Shard. Overall, it does the job and lets you put slots other places where they are needed.

[u]Fitness Pool:[u]

Hurdle (+Jump, +Jump Speed)

Pretty straightforward, this power boosts your jump height and speed. Gives better ground speed than Swift and synergizes extremely well with Combat Jumping (previously discussed). This is a pre-requisite for the other powers in the Fitness Pool, and it’s an auto power, so it takes no endurance to run and cannot be detoggled.

Health (+Regen, +Res Sleep)

A key power for Tanks. The Tank archetype has the most hit points out of all the available Hero and Villain archetypes. As a result, the % regen is much more substantial (the same % of a higher value = more hit points being regenerated per second). Unslotted, the power gives +40% Regen. Slotted up at the ED cap, it gives about 80% regeneration. Take it and slot it up pronto. It helps your survivability a lot.

Stamina (+Recovery)

Yep, this power is pretty much taken by every character in the game. It provides +25% recovery base and about +50% Recovery when slotted up at the ED cap. Take it at 20 and three slot it at 21. Once you pick this up, life gets a lot easier. When you hit Energy Absorption, your endurance woes will disappear. Take it and love it.

[u]Fighting Pool:[u]

Boxing (Moderate Smashing Damage, Foe Disorient)

An OK attack and one you may want to use as a filler in your single-target attack chain until later on. I recommend slotting an Accuracy enhancement in this power and not doing anything else. Smashing damage is highly resisted and you have better places to put slots in the build. This is a prerequisite for the rest of the picks in the pool, so you need to grab it.

Tough (+Res Smashing/Lethal)

A solid power choice (toggle) for all Tanks. In particular, for Ice Tanks it gives a measure of Smashing/Lethal Resistance in an otherwise Defense based set. Base values are +15% Resistance to Smashing/Lethal, and about 23% when fully slotted at the ED cap. Adding this power takes the edge of hits that manage to land and increases your survivability early on when your Defense is not up to its final potential. A great power to have to maximize the survivability for your Ice/Fire Tank. For those that don't care about Exemp'ing down below L32 (still would be in effect for the KH Task Force), the SteadFast Res/Def IO be placed in this power for the additional +3% bonus. Note that since the Steadfast Res/Def IO is a Unique, only ONE can be slotted in each build. Place it carefully.

Weave (+Def to All, +Res Immobilize)

The end-goal for taking the Fighting pool. Weave is a toggle that adds a base +5% Defense to all, and about +7.8% when slotted to the ED cap for Defense. The combination of Weave and Combat Jumping add a total of +11.7% Defense to all. Add in the SteadFast Resistance/Defense IO from HoarFrost (covered earlier) and you get a total of +14.7% Defense layering on top of the Defense values from the primary. That means with Frozen Armor, Glacial Armor, and Wet Ice (yes, that 1% Defense helps) you get a hair over 42% Defense to Smashing/Lethal/Energy/Negative Energy. Add in the +Def boost from Energy Absorption firing off, and you’re over the soft cap for defense. That’s a great place to be.

[u]Speed Pool:[u]

Hasten (+Recharge)

A click power that gives a +70% Recharge boost to every power you have for 120 seconds. This means attacks cycle faster, HoarFrost recharges more quickly, and Hibernate is available when you need it in tough fights. A single power that has a large effect on the rest of your build. The down side is a 15 point endurance cost at the end when it drops (ends). For this reason, I recommend picking it up later in the build after Energy Absorption is slotted up. Overall, a great choice and maximizes your AoEs and tightens your attack chain.

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The final product: A sample build

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.40
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Peltier Justice: Level 50 Technology Tanker
Primary Power Set: Ice Armor
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Melee
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Speed

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Frozen Armor -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:38(A), S'dpty-Def:36(3), GftotA-Def/EndRdx:35(3), GftotA-Def:32(5)
Level 1: Scorch -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:42(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:41(40), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:42(43), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:42(45), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:41(45), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:43(45)
Level 2: Chilling Embrace -- EndRdx-I:50(A), P'ngTtl--Rchg%:25(15), ImpSwft-Dam%:16(46)
Level 4: Combustion -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:43(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:41(5), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:41(7), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:41(7), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(11), Sciroc-Dam%:41(11)
Level 6: Wet Ice -- EndRdx-I:50(A)
Level 8: Hoarfrost -- Tr'ge-Heal/Rchg:29(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:45(9), H'zdH-Heal/Rchg:33(9), H'zdH-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:40(13), Numna-Heal/Rchg:44(13), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:16(15)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- GftotA-Run+:34(A), GftotA-Def:38(37), GftotA-Def/EndRdx:34(48)
Level 12: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 16: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:37(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg:36(17), Numna-Heal/EndRdx:36(17)
Level 18: Glacial Armor -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:39(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg:35(19), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:40(19), S'dpty-Def:37(23)
Level 20: Stamina -- EndMod-I:50(A), EndMod-I:50(21), P'Shift-End%:36(21)
Level 22: Icicles -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:41(A), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:41(23), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:40(25), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:41(25), Sciroc-Dam%:40(34), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:42(34)
Level 24: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:41(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:40(46)
Level 26: Energy Absorption -- Efficacy-EndMod:40(A), Efficacy-EndMod/Rchg:41(27), LkGmblr-Def/Rchg:37(27), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34), S'dpty-Def/Rchg:40(36), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:39(37)
Level 28: Fire Sword Circle -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg:43(A), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:41(29), Sciroc-Dmg/Rchg:41(29), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg:41(31), Sciroc-Dam%:40(31), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx:44(31)
Level 30: Boxing -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 32: Tough -- ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:34(A), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg:36(33), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:36(33), ImpArm-ResDam:35(33)
Level 35: Weave -- S'dpty-Def/EndRdx:35(A), S'dpty-Def/Rchg:37(36), S'dpty-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(36), S'dpty-Def:33(37)
Level 38: Incinerate -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:45(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:44(39), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:43(39), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:45(39), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:46(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:45(40)
Level 41: Greater Fire Sword -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:47(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:47(42), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:47(42), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:47(42), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:47(43), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:47(43)
Level 44: Hibernate -- Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:49(A), Numna-Heal:48(46), Numna-Heal/Rchg:49(48)
Level 47: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(48)
Level 49: Permafrost -- ImpArm-ResPsi:20(A), ImpArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(50), ImpArm-ResDam:37(50), ImpArm-ResDam/Rchg:39(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- QckFt-EndRdx/RunSpd:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]3% Defense(Smashing)[*]3% Defense(Lethal)[*]3% Defense(Fire)[*]3% Defense(Cold)[*]3% Defense(Energy)[*]3% Defense(Negative)[*]16.1% Defense(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Melee)[*]3% Defense(Ranged)[*]12.4% Defense(AoE)[*]6.3 Max Endurance[*]54% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]15% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]182.7 HP (9.75%) HitPoints[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 6.6%[*]10.5% (0.18 End/sec) Recovery[*]92% (7.2 HP/sec) Regeneration[*]2.5% Resistance(Fire)[*]9.38% Resistance(Negative)[*]10.5% Resistance(Psionic)[*]7.5% RunSpeed[/list]
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Final values for my current build:
(standing still at L50, toggles up, no Hoarfrost, Hasten, or Energy Absorption effects)

S/L Defense: 42.3%
Eng/Neg Eng Defense: 42.1%
Fire/Cold Defense: 15.5%
Psionic Defense: 27.7%

S/L Resistance: 23.4%
Fire Resistance: 33.7%
Cold Resistance: 90% (capped)
Energy/Toxic Resistance: 0%
Negative Energy Resistance: 9.4%
Psionic Resistance: 10.5%

166% Recovery
280% Regeneration
124.8% Max HP (includes accolades)
116.3% Max End (includes accolades)

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Some final words about IO set selections…

IO sets were selected to maximize in order of priority:

1.) Regeneration
2.) Max Hit Points
3.) Recovery
4.) Accuracy

IO sets were selected for enhancement values first and set bonuses second, with the "rule of 5" in mind when comparing and matching set bonuses. LotG: 7.5% global recharge IOs were not used (too expensive) and the build does not make use of the Kismet +To-Hit IO in Combat Jumping like many builds do. Both are viable options, just not ones I chose to exercise at this point.

While this build approach may not be for all, it has proven to be a very successful team-centric Tank build for me. I’ve Tanked about every AV in the game with it and challenged about every villain group out there. It’s been not only fun to play, but effective as well. I hope the guide will give you some helpful ideas and/or another direction to consider when choosing a new Tank to play. Nothing here should be gospel, but hopefully it can help some people and provide a data point for others to build on and have fun with. After all, fun is why we all play CoH, right?

Best of luck and Happy Tanking...

Firstly, credit to Star_Sentinel for his initial Issue 10 guide for Ice/Fire Tanks. He and FrostWeaver gave a lot of commentary in that thread and elsewhere in discussions on the CoH Forums about the Ice/Fire powerset combination and the myriad of options and areas of focus available to generate a viable Tank. With the advent of Invention Origin Enhancements in Issue 9, there are a lot of directions that you can “tweak” a Tank build with. I’ll focus on my personal approach and methodology in this guide.

What is an Ice/Fire Tank?

The Ice primary is a Defense based set. Out of the options for Tank primaries, there are a good variety of sets that range from pure resistance (Fire/) to mixed Resistance/Defense (Invulnerability/, Stone/) to nearly pure Defense (Ice/). Resistance sets tend to be more predictable, since a percentage of the incoming damage is reduced. If things are going badly, you can generally see it coming a ways off and take action. Defense based sets are a lot more fickle, as you can be a untouchable god for some missions and then get absolutely hammered out of the blue.

Note that I don’t claim to be an authority on the nuances of the Defense system as implemented in City of Heroes. For some truly in-depth information, I advise giving Arcanaville’s post here a good read. It’s one of the most definitive guides available on the subject. Put simply, an even level minion has a 50% base chance to hit you. Say you have 20% Defense vs. the damage type he is using, that chance for him to hit drops to 50% - 20% = 30%. Keep boosting your Defense and the chance for the enemy to hit you continues to drop until you hit the “soft cap” of 45% Defense. At this point, you have reduced the enemy’s chance to hit you to 50% - 45% = 5% chance to hit. The 5% chance to hit is the minimum allowed by the game mechanics. Boosting defense past the soft cap does no good in this case. In other words, if you had your Defense buffed further by a Defender and had 68% Defense, the same enemy would still have a 5% chance to hit you. This simplistic example gets more complicated in practice, since enemies at higher levels than you have an easier time hitting you, Lieutenants and Bosses get a better chance to hit you, AVs and EBs can hit you more easily, certain opponents have bonuses to hit you, etc. In general, shooting for a Defense at or over the “soft cap” means you almost never get hit. The fly in the ointment is the so called “streak breaker” that is reported in the coding of CoH. If you go a long time without getting hit by an opponent attacking you, the game code will manually overrule the incoming attack role(s) and dictate one or two hits in a row. This along with "bad luck" means no matter how good your Defense, you’re still going to get tagged once and a while. The goal is to minimize how often that happens. (My apologies to Arcana if I butchered that explanation too badly.)

It is important to note that Ice/ is a typed Defense set. That means the Defense value is determined by the kind of incoming damage (smashing, lethal, fire, ice, energy, negative energy, psionic, and toxic), and not how it’s delivered (ranged, melee, aoe) which is positional Defense (like the Scrapper Super Reflexes Secondary). The Ice/ Primary is very strong against Smashing/Lethal/Energy/Negative Energy. It has marginal Defense capability against Ice and Fire attacks (found in Energy Absorption) and no inherent Defense against Psionic or Toxic damage. The good news is that Ice damage is not much of a concern, as you quickly cap your resistance to Ice damage at 90% due to additional effects for your Defensive powers in the Primary. That really leaves Fire, Toxic, and Psionic damage as holes to be careful of. Resistance to Fire can be developed and Psionic Defense and Resistance can be gained through Pool Powers and IO sets and set bonuses (more on that later). Toxic Resistance can be gained through application(s) of HoarFrost (a secondary effect of the power).

Other than that, Ice/ has a couple key elements going for it that make it a solid Tank Primary. Firstly, it has not one, but two Taunt auras (Icicles and Chilling Embrace). Chilling Embrace also happens to be considered by many to be the best Taunt aura available in the game. Secondly, it has a +Recovery/+Defense click power that is incredibly useful and enhances survivability and offsets endurance issues. It also drains opponents’ endurance as a nifty side effect. Thirdly, the set offers resistance to slows (Quicksand, Caltrops, etc.) and since it is a Defense based set, debuffs that require a to-hit check frequently don’t hit. That means less debuffs and more full-speed Tanking. When developed, the Primary is completely stand-alone and survivable no matter what the Secondary is that is paired with it.

That segues into the /Fire Secondary. Fire is the best AoE set of all the Tank Secondaries. Most or a part of its damage is pure Fire, which is less resisted by many enemies. That’s a big plus. The down side is that the set offers absolutely no secondary damage mitigation other than just damage (i.e. defeating your opponents more quickly). The benefit of an AoE heavy set for a Tank is that you can tag a lot of opponents at once with Gauntlet, the inherent Tank ability that acts as a Taunt effect when you hit a target with an attack. Coupled with two Taunt Auras, those AoEs and Gauntlet make the Ice/Fire combination one of the most proficient Tank combinations at gaining and keeping “aggro” or, in other words, making sure your opponents are focused on attacking you and ignoring the team behind you.

What is an “Alpha Tank” and what role does it play on a team?

It is for the reasons outlined above that I consider the Ice/Fire Tank one of the most versatile and strongest team Tanks suited for what I call the “Alpha Tank” role on a team. That is, a Tank who is designed to be the sole Tank for an 8-man team running missions against foes up to +5 levels above the team. An “Alpha Tank” needs to be mobile to respond to the flow of combat and new threats (ambushes, team splits, a second spawn aggro, etc.), needs to be able to gain and hold aggro like an overtightened set of Vise Grips ™, and needs to be durable enough to hold up under the intense furnace of having one or more spawns trying their best to take you out all at once. The powerset combination has all the right tools and a wide variety of them that make it a versatile set. On top of all that, the Ice/Fire set is no slouch in dealing damage, having a strong single-target attack chain (albeit one that matures late) and heavy AoE Damage potential.

Note that Granite Armor Tanks get a lot of play because they are the most durable of all the Tank Varieties. However, that durability comes at a price… Limited mobility that almost necessitates the Teleportation Pool or dropping out of Granite periodically to overcome vertical obstacles. Run speed is also greatly slowed, particularly when running Rooted as well. Kineticists are highly desirable to overcome the –Recharge and movement slow effect from the set. No doubt they are durable, but the mobility, -Recharge, and –Damage penalties are substantial.

Ice Tanks are less durable than Stone, but still downright TOUGH when built properly, and have equal if not better aggro management potential with great mobility and no movement penalties. As a matter of fact, the Slow Resistance in the set makes it probably the most mobile of the Tank Primaries, and an ideal candidate for herding or gathering opponents. This is not the sole role of a Tank, but herding/gathering can be great mitigation for certain situations and speed up missions depending on the team composition. In essence, the mobility and options that the powerset brings to the table, at least for me, offset the difference in survivability between Ice and Stone. Correctly built, Ice has fantastic survivability in PvE play, so it’s a very acceptable trade, particularly if it suits your playstyle.

My preferred Tanking approach for team-centric Tanks like the Ice/Fire Alpha Tank build generally focuses on some key elements (listed in order of priority):
1.) Ability to hold, keep, and control aggro
2.) Survivability
3.) Mobility
4.) Damage
This priority list may help to explain some of the choices I make for the build later on.

A few words about Invention Origin Enhancements:

IOs are a great method of enhancing and shoring up holes in your build. They are a huge increase in effectiveness in terms of enhancement values alone. Add in set bonuses, and you get substantial gains to survivability, aggro control, and damage output.

For those interested in more detail, I recommend the following guides related to IOs and some common approaches to affording them (since many complain about their expense). I do not want to re-invent the wheel or attempt to distill the great information in these guides, so please take a look if you are new to IOs or merely interested in learning more. The guides are:

Capn_Canadian's Guide - IO's for Newbs, Casual Playas, &amp; Cheapskates
PeterPeter's No Numbers Guide to I9 for the Casual Player
Viva Las Vegas intermediate guide to IOs (I9)
FrozenHorizon's Guide to Getting Rich Quick
Wentworth's 101-107
Mid's Hero Designer

There are others available. Take a look in the Player Guides section of the Forums for more information and resources.

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On to the good stuff: The Ice Armor Primary

A quick note here, with the advent of “real numbers” information in the game and the various other guides that break down the details of each power, I’ll focus on my personal impressions and some data to support them.

Tier 1: Frozen Armor (+Def to Smash/Lethal, +Res Cold/Fire/Def Debuffs)

The first armor (toggle) you have access to and the one you’ll use your entire career. Provides a base +17% Defense to Smashing/Lethal damage, +30% Cold Resistance, +12.5% Fire Resistance, and +17.3% resistance to defense debuffs. Fully enhanced, the power gives about +26.5% Defense to Smashing/Lethal damage. Slot for Defense and Endurance Rection. This toggle recharges extremely fast if it drops, so enhancing for Recharge is not needed. Get this one and don’t look back.

Tier 2: HoarFrost (Self Heal, +Max HP, +Resistance to Toxic)

Another staple of the set, this is a click power that’s essentially identical to Dull Pain (Invulnerability) and Earth’s Embrace (Stone). It provides a good self-heal and buffs your maximum HP for a decent duration. It also adds +20% resistance against Toxic damage. This is an excellent power and needed for those times where a few attacks break through your shields and land home. Slot for Heal/Recharge as the primary focus for the power. Endurance reduction is nice if you get it for “free” with IO sets, but not needed. Also, this is the ideal place early on to slot the SteadFast Resistance/Defense Unique IO (+3% Defense to all), since it’s the ONLY place to slot the IO until you get Tough/PermaFrost later on. It’s also a good place to stick the IO since it will be available if you Exemplar down for Task Forces or to play with friends. For those that don't care about Exemp'ing down, the SteadFast Res/Def IO can later be moved to either the Tough or PermaFrost powers. Both accept Resistance IOs.

Tier 3: Chilling Embrace (PbAoE Toggle, foe –Rech/ -Speed/ -Dmg)

This is it, one of the big reasons to pick the Ice Armor Primary. This is a great multi-purpose toggle power. It has a -32% recharge effect for the foes it hits, which is great, as it decreases incoming damage by slowing the rate opponents attack. It also slows run speed and jumping for the opponents it hits. On top of all that, it has a -14% damage debuff effect. The power is an auto-hit for those in range and ticks every 0.5 seconds with a Mag 4 Taunt. It can be slotted with the Impeded Swiftness: Chance for Smashing Damage and Pacing of the Turtle: Chance for Rechage Slow IO’s for even more mitigation. Early on, this power will be your primary means of getting and keeping aggro from enemies.

Tier 4: Wet Ice (+Def all but Psi, +Res Cold/Stun/Immob/Hold/Sleep/Slow/KB/Def Debuff)

This one is one that I personally consider a “must-have” toggle at level 6. It’s essentially your status protection and will keep you from being immobilized, knocked down, held, slept, etc. It also offers some extremely minor Defense (+1%), a base +30% cold Resistance, and offers Resistance to Defense Debuffs. The resistance to Defense Debuffs comes in handy, as it stacks with the resistance from Frozen Armor early on in your career. Odds are any opponents with a sword or edged weapon will have some sort of attack in their catalog that will apply a –Def Debuff effect if it hits. This tends to be bad for a Defense based primary. This power only needs its base slot filled with a Endurance Reduction enhancement to be effective for your entire career. However, swapping this power to pick up HoarFrost earlier in your build is also a viable approach, since knockdown/mez is less frequent early on and generally restricted to a few enemies (Vhaz, Trolls, Lost, etc.). If you pass over Wet Ice early, be sure to pick it up by Level 10 when these effects become more common.

Tier 5: PermaFrost (+Res Cold/Fire/Slow)

Ordinarily, this power gets a lot of hate mail. It’s a resistance power that gives base +30% Resistance to Cold and +12.5% Resistance to Fire. It also gives additional resistance to Slows (including –Recharge effects). Problem is that without this power, most Ice/ Tanks cap their Cold Resistance at +90% with Frozen Armor, Wet Ice, and Glacial Armor. That means picking this power does nothing for Cold Resistance. As a result, most people pick it up to give additional Fire and Slow Resistance, particularly since Fire attacks can be more prevalent in the late game. The additional slow resistance also helps resisting debuffs, and with it you’ll laugh at the Caltrops that the Knives of Artemis throw down. I recommend it in my build, but not until VERY late, as it helps “top off” the build’s survivability. Note that the power accepts Resistance IOs, so there are a number of Psi and status resistance IOs that can be slotted here to help out with that hole in the Primary. For those that don't care about Exemp'ing down, the SteadFast Res/Def IO can be placed in this power for the additional +3% bonus. Note that since the Steadfast Res/Def IO is a Unique, only ONE can be slotted in each build. Place it carefully.

Tier 6: Icicles (PbAoE, minor Lethal DoT)

Icicles acts not only as your second Taunt aura (toggle), but is also a damage aura. It ticks every 2 seconds for some small lethal damage in an 8 foot radius around you. As a damage aura, it’s somewhat “meh” since lethal damage is so heavily resisted, but in essence, it’s free damage while you’re working to maintain aggro control on the bad guys clustered around you. Also, since it’s always ticking away in the background, all those small ticks of damage really add up over the course of a mission, and can be used to finish off opponents with a sliver of health remaining without spending an attack to do it. Due to the building endurance cost of running a bunch of toggles early on in an Ice/Fire Tank’s career, I recommend holding off until after Stamina to pick up this power. You already have Chilling Embrace as a taunt aura, and the extra damage this pushes out is not significant enough to warrant picking it up earlier. Eventually, you’ll want to six-slot this power both for the enhancement values as well as for the PbAoE IO Set bonuses.

Tier 7: Glacial Armor (+Def Eng/Neg Eng, +Res Cold/Def Debuff, +Perception)

This is your third big armor toggle. This power, Frozen Armor, and Wet Ice are the core of your defensive powers in the Primary. It offers a base +17% Defense to Energy and Negative Energy damage, +30% Cold Resistance, Defense Debuff Resistance, and a nice secondary effect of +Perception. This additional Perception is great to have as a Tank, since Arachnos smoke grenades and such have very limited effect. Being able to see the combat and detect hidden or stealthy opponents helps a lot in your role as point man for the team.

Tier 8: Energy Absorption (PbAoE +End, +Def all but Psi, Res Slow, Foe –End)

This is a GREAT utility power and one that helps the powerset combo a lot. You can struggle a bit with Endurance management until this power becomes available at Level 26. Grabbing this power not only buffs your defense substantially (where you will be spending a LOT of time), but also recovers endurance. This allows you to essentially steamroll spawn to spawn once it is slotted up and you can even double-stack the defense benefit for more goodness. The power is auto-hit for all foes in range, which is huge. It recharges quickly and should be six-slotted to maximize Recharge, Endurance Modification, and Defense. It’s a key element of the non-stop driving that the Alpha Tank can do to steamroll missions with a team. Other members may take a breather from time to time. You won’t have to after you grab this power.

Tier 9: Hibernate (Self Invulnerable/Hold, +Regen, +Recovery)

Hibernate is a very useful Tier 9 power for Ice Tanks. It’s essentially a big panic button for those AV fights or situations where you get hammered and you’re at risk of faceplanting and leaving the team exposed to the raw aggro that had been focused on you. Clicking this power once encases you in a mini-glacier and your hit points and endurance rapidly fill back up. Slotted with some Heal enhancements, you can hit this toggle, recharge, and then burst out of the block of ice before losing aggro. Usually it’s a good idea to fire off Taunt or an AoE before hitting Hibernate to ensure you have aggro for the duration of the power. With a high base Defense, you really shouldn’t need this power that often. I tend to use it situationally, particularly with AV fights with foes like Antimatter or Envoy of Shadow that tend to be hard on Ice Tanks. It can also come in handy fighting Psi heavy foes like Psychic Clockwork and the Clockwork King. Carnies can also be rough, as the Ring Mistresses have a power called “Mask of Vitiation” that hits like a hammer with –Defense, -Regen, and –Recovery. Since your primary mitigation is Defense with Regen backing it up, this power is like Kyptonite for your Tank.

Absolutely stunning guide. Comprehensive without being verbose with sufficient detail to really get a feel for the different facets of Dominators. Best guide I have read on the forums to-date. Hands down.

Agreed. My L41 Ice/Fire has it there. Mixed with 2 Triage (Heal/Rech, Heal/End/Rech), 2 Doctored Wounds (Heal/Rech, Heal/End/Rech) and one Regenerative Tissue (Heal/Rech), the power is sitting with over +95% Heal and +95% Recharge. Set bonuses add up to +1.5% Recovery and +4% Regen.

Nice thing about it is that this is dirt cheap, available at an early level, and works even when Exemplared down. At some point I'll swap it out with Numina's and Miracle enhancements, but with those enhancement values, there's no rush...

Fantastic work, PeterPeter.

The time, energy, and initiative to put this together is commendable. I suspect it's going to be a link in several signatures from now on.

Comprehensive yet approachable for the new user, you hit precisely the right tone and delivery. Bravo.

Welcome on board!

Personally, the news that a gamer that really appreciates the CoH game and has a solid background in gaming (props to the "old school" roots, by the way) does more to reassure me than any corporate press releases or Vision Statements do.

Folks with a good work ethic that have a passion for what they do always get my respect.

Congratulations!

Interesting approach.

I am currently working on a team-focused Alpha Tank for PvE activity. I read your guide thoroughly and I can see why folks like Brigadon are scratching their heads. My approach for team-centric Tanks generally focuses on some key elements (listed in order of priority):
1.) Ability to hold, keep, and control aggro
2.) Survivability
3.) Mobility
4.) Damage

The build you present appears to be either a general build or one focused on AoE damage. That's great if it meshes with your play style and undoubtedly is based on your experience to-date with your Tank of choice. However, my personal opinion does not match yours regarding IO set selections, slotting, and power choices. Some key differences are:

1.) Fighting Pool. I consider this a "must have" for an Ice Tank that intends to Tank for teams. Tough adds much needed S/L Resistance to the build. It's a critical element of layered damage mitigation that enhances survivability. Weave is also a key pick, as slotted at the ED cap, it represents an additional 7.5% Defense against everything, INCLUDING Psi damage. Combined with the +3.75% Def from a slotted Combat Jumping, that gives a base 11.25% Defense against all. It's also a solid base to build Psi Defense on. Something that in the late game is critical for Tanking some AVs and villain groups.

2.) Build-Up. In a build concept where Damage is the last priority, having a +Damage power is not that big an issue. The +Acc from the power (+20%) is nice, but truthfully with an IO'd build, Acc is not a concern unless you're getting debuffed (which, with strong defenses will not happen that often). I drop Build-Up from the plan, as it just doesn't provide enough benefit. If I want to spam damage, I log in my Fire/Fire Tank or my Spines/DA Scrapper.

3.) Epic Pool. Great powers in there. Holds. Ranged Damage. Nice AoEs. But, like Build-Up, the value is questionable. A defense based set is not going to get hit by Sappers and such like a Resistance based set will. Holds are the domain of Controllers and not that pertinent to an Alpha Tank role. The additional AoE is nice, but with Taunt, two taunt auras, and two AoE attacks, having the extra AoE does not add a lot of functionality to the build's ability to hold aggro. My approach does not dip into an Epic Pool as a result.

4.) Hasten. We agree on Hasten, but I want to touch on it briefly. Hasten has great value to a Tank build. AoEs recycle faster, the 20 point endurance drop at the end is offset by Energy Absorption coming up quicker, and HoarFrost (heal + Max HP boost) cycles more frequently. Even Hibernate comes up more often with Hasten running. It's not a good choice until later in the build when better IO sets open up and you get EA cycling more frequently, but it helps every priority (1-4) across the board. Definitely a power to pick up.

5.) Permafrost. Yep, the much-maligned resistance power. It's great in the late build for a couple key things. First, it offers resistance to slow movement effects (caltrops, mud pots, etc.) which impacts priority #3. Secondly, it offers resistance to Fire, a nice addition for layered mitigation given the low +Fire Resistance bonuses from IO sets. Third, it's a GREAT mule to slot Resistance IOs. Sure, you can use Tough or HoarFrost (which also takes Resistance IOs), but you might as well use it and not impact the IO set bonuses for those powers. You should move the Steadfast Def/Res IO (+3% Def to all) from Hoarfrost or Tough to here when you pick up the power. Also, you can slot the unique from Aegis (+Psi/Mez Resist) and slot the +Psi Resist IO from Impervium Armor. Assuming you slot the Impervium Armor +Psi Resist in Tough and HoarFrost, that means you get a cumulative +12% Psi resist just from those 4 IOs. Build on top of that with IO set bonuses and it's a solid platform for layering Psi mitigation.

So, here's the unslotted build that I am developing:
-----------------------------------------------------------
+---------------------------------------------
+ Built with SuckerPunch's Online Planner
+ http://www.cohplanner.com
+---------------------------------------------
Name: N/A
Level: 50
Archetype: Tanker
Primary: Ice Armor
Secondary: Fiery Melee
+---------------------------------------------
01 =&gt; Scorch ==&gt; Empty(1),Empty(37),Empty(37),Empty(40),Empty(43),Empty(43)
01 =&gt; Frozen Armor ==&gt; Empty(1),Empty(3),Empty(3),Empty(5)
02 =&gt; Chilling Embrace ==&gt; Empty(2),Empty(9),Empty(43)
04 =&gt; Combustion ==&gt; Empty(4),Empty(5),Empty(7),Empty(7),Empty(13),Empty(15)
06 =&gt; Wet Ice ==&gt; Empty(6)
08 =&gt; Hoarfrost ==&gt; Empty(8),Empty(9),Empty(11),Empty(11),Empty(13),Empty(15)
10 =&gt; Combat Jumping ==&gt; Empty(10),Empty(46)
12 =&gt; Hurdle ==&gt; Empty(12)
14 =&gt; Super Jump ==&gt; Empty(14)
16 =&gt; Health ==&gt; Empty(16),Empty(17),Empty(17),Empty(37),Empty(48),Empty(50)
18 =&gt; Glacial Armor ==&gt; Empty(18),Empty(19),Empty(19),Empty(23)
20 =&gt; Stamina ==&gt; Empty(20),Empty(21),Empty(21)
22 =&gt; Icicles ==&gt; Empty(22),Empty(23),Empty(25),Empty(25),Empty(31),Empty(34)
24 =&gt; Taunt ==&gt; Empty(24)
26 =&gt; Energy Absorption ==&gt; Empty(26),Empty(27),Empty(27),Empty(31),Empty(31),Empty(34)
28 =&gt; Fire Sword Circle ==&gt; Empty(28),Empty(29),Empty(29),Empty(31),Empty(31),Empty(34)
30 =&gt; Boxing ==&gt; Empty(30)
32 =&gt; Tough ==&gt; Empty(32),Empty(33),Empty(33),Empty(33)
35 =&gt; Weave ==&gt; Empty(35),Empty(36),Empty(36),Empty(36)
38 =&gt; Incinerate ==&gt; Empty(38),Empty(39),Empty(39),Empty(39),Empty(40),Empty(40)
41 =&gt; Hibernate ==&gt; Empty(41),Empty(42),Empty(42),Empty(42)
44 =&gt; Greater Fire Sword ==&gt; Empty(44),Empty(45),Empty(45),Empty(45),Empty(46),Empty(46)
47 =&gt; Hasten ==&gt; Empty(47),Empty(48),Empty(48)
49 =&gt; Permafrost ==&gt; Empty(49),Empty(50),Empty(50)
+---------------------------------------------
01 =&gt; Sprint ==&gt; Empty(1)
01 =&gt; Brawl ==&gt; Empty(1)
02 =&gt; Rest ==&gt; Empty(1)


I will say that my build approach seems to have a different focus than your own. Be that as it may, I think that a Tank should focus on the ability to Tank, first and foremost. As such, I respectfully disagree with several of your powerset and IO selections.

Great effort and I appreciate the time commitment and initiative to write a guide like this for the community.

You know, it's funny.

The goal for press releases like this (at least with exposure to management that I have worked with in present and past companies) is generally intended to reassure or placate (no relation to Stalkers) a group of people growing nervous or uncertain about an unresolved issue or situation.

I'm curious what the motivation or stimulus was for this press release. With the Marvel Online MMO being outright canceled by Microsoft, I would think that, if anything, NCSoft would be feeling more secure in their niche in the online MMO industry.

What's ironic is that my personal experience with these kinds of "theres nothing to see here" "everything is great" "we are actively leveraging our diverse cross-platform talent to synergize across organizational boundries to drive value-added solutions for our customer" type statements only serve to make people a little more suspicious. Working level folks see corporate verbiage in notes like this and wonder what's behind the careful and content-poor reassurances they are getting.

Maybe I'm just jaded from my corporate experiences, but this note essentially says:

"Thanks for playing, we are REALLY working to improve the game. Trust us. It's going to be great."

A note a bit more forthright and with less corporate lingo might have generated more of the effect they were looking for. As it is, I'm on the fence and doing my best Mr. Spock eyebrow lift looking toward the future of CoH. Less because of statements like this and more because of what the developers and the men and women toiling behind the scenes of CoH have been able to pull off so far. I am cautiously optemistic.

Of course, that's just me. Perhaps I'm too much of an old stogy to see how Groovy this is

I'll weigh in here.

Great freaking guide. It doesn't give you a cookbook format given current market conditions, but has some great ideas to get you started. My L50 Spines/Dark that I hardly play anymore has been dabbling in the market and made 130M in about a month and a half of casual work at the market. 5-10 minutes at a time a couple times a week.

My Level 14 Blaster started with 24K to his name and (completely solo) now has about 36M in the bank after working the market off and on a couple times a week for about 5-10 minutes time commitment per session.

Not tons of money by peoples' standards currently, but more than enough to comfortably purchase IO recipes and not have to worry about influence for the near future.

As a casual gamer, this allows me to spend my limited time online playing and just having fun without scrimping and saving to afford new enhancements as I level. For me, this guide set my feet on a road to financial security within CoH. I'm pleased and very content with the results.

There's nothing wrong with the guide that a little thinking, analysis, and understanding of basic economics can't overcome. Use it as a springboard and go from there.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone have any recent influence guides that work really well? deprete and close to my guy needing to get more enhancements!! please help! Only thing im positive about is that at low lvls never sell them to a contact because there they only sell for 250 influence...Now if u sell them at WW they sell from 20-40k each! anyone else have anything that they can add i sure could use it!

[/ QUOTE ]

This grinds a nerve of mine... Hard.

Grammar. Punctuation. The dead arts in the Forums these days it seems (sigh).

To the OP though, there are several ways to accumulate influence. Running missions is one, sell everything at the market and hope you get lucky. One Kismet +Acc or something similar can set you up for a while.

The other ways are more complicated and take some research and understanding of how the market works and what trends are prevalent. Take a look at Frozen Horizon's guide (mentioned previously), as it has several great ideas in it that can get you started.

Funny thing, my Spines/Dark Armor Scrapper actually seems to make a decent Cyst killer. My approach has generally been to leave the team and buff/rush the crystal. My AoE toggles and powers tend to keep the Nictus occupied while I slam away at the Crystal.

Did this last night and (unfortunately) my team followed me in. It was a horror show, since when the Cyst blew up (they were all fighting the Nictus for some reason) only the Warshade and I were untouched. Everyone else had only a sliver of health left.... Ouch.

Any idea why a Spines/DA would work for this? I'm pretty heavily slotted with IO sets, but beyond that...?

Neat.

Let me know what you think. Pay attention to the width and depth of the cone as well as the slow factor it has on enemies.

I first grabbed it while in Croatoa. Red Caps where hilarious with it, since I'd nail them and they would start to run, doing slow motion forward somersaults where they would just hover over the ground slowly flipping.

Priceless.

Seriously though, if you alpha with it on a spawn, it slows the whole group down so they don't scatter when you hop into the middle and hit Spine Burst. Try it on for size and post your thoughts.

[ QUOTE ]
Just remember, it's probably more that 100 million to get most of these IOs

[/ QUOTE ]

So Milk_Weasel... Tried Throw Spines yet? My Spines/DA is Level 48 now and it's still one of the backbone powers of his attack chain for spawns and large groups.

I can't recommend strongly enough that you try it out. Your guide is referenced by many, and it would be good if you could provide some feedback after using the power for a while.

Test Server is a good place to start...

Merry Christmas.

Interesting, but I think the point is being able to get to the Fortune Teller mission [u]regardless[u] of origin. That's the beauty of the guide. Plus, some of us take great interest in concept characters/background and having a mandatory Magic origin for ALL characters just doesn't work.

Blackavaar's guide is for the rest of the peeps that don't get there during the course of their mission arcs.