Green Wind

It's all personal opinion really. I have a Shield/Mace and think it looks awesome. A friend has a Shield/SS and it looks fine. There are, however, some secondaries that cannot be paired with Shield/. Offhand, I am not sure what they are.

Meant Shield Charge instead of Shield Bash, whoops.

Big thanks to the people who came along. Got my Notice of the Well, and Saturday I finally completed my T3 Alpha. Next on the agenda is trying out some trials and seeing if someone will actually let me tank when I tell them it is my first time.

Just noting that, Shield/ is a great primary to pair with an aoe set. You get Shield Bash as another nice aoe attack, but you also get Against All Odds, which increases your damage by about 5% for every foe in melee range, up to 10.

Argh!!!

I did mean Eastern. I have an SG-mate or two that want to come along, and it is likely we won't start until at least 9:00 pm eastern time. I will look you up. Thanks.

Hell, I may just try to lead one myself, mwa ha ha...

If anyone wants to join the epic fail, I'll form it up around 9:00 pm Friday, sending notifications out on the standard global channels.

Oh yeah, forgot that important piece of info. I am blue-side only, and wouldn't be able to change that by then.

Thanks for the offer though.

My tanker, Skerik, needs his Notice of the Well for his Alpha T3. This week it is the level 34+ respec trial.

I have a SD/WM Tanker (love it) and the one thing I will say is that it was very easy to soft-cap for all positions. Without spending too much inf, I was within 1% of the soft-cap for all positions when I hit 50. For that reason, I would think Parry might not be that great for a Shield toon.

On the other hand, everything I have heard tells me that Battle Axe is very similar to War Mace. If you already have a WM toon, you may want to pick BS just for the variety.

But seriously, Build Up+Whirling Mace+Shield Bash+Crowd Control+Whirling Mace=Everything Dead.

Thanks for the advice! I probably will wait until I hit T3 on my Alpha to make the switch. I need to see how squishy I am in iTrials. Just checked MIDs, and I would be losing 50% regen between dropping Physical Perfection and the Numina's I have slotted in it.

I have a Shield/Mace Tanker, and I took the Energy Mastery Ancillary Power Pool for Conserve Power and Physical Perfection. After a lot of thought, I have decided to go Cardiac for my Alpha Slot. Once I do that, any End problems might go away. Basically, if I find that I never use Conserve Power once I get the Alpha slotted, then the only thing the Energy Mastery pool would do for me is the Regen from Physical Perfection.

Basically, I would like to have a PBAoE slow to help ensure that mobs don't get easily pulled off me when first establishing aggro (or at least to keep them close if there are more than 10). Can Quicksand fill that role for me? Is it worth the two power slots necessary to get there? If not, are there any other Ancillary pools that people recommend?

Thanks!

Looks like we are all offense tonight! Hopefully we can keep up with the aggro, and the baddies drop like flies.

I still need to get Synapse for TFC on Skerik, so I would love to go. Won't be on much before 10:00, but I will be there.

@Green Wind, Skerik, SD/Mace Tanker

I was pretty much in the same boat as you, gone for a few years, had only played blasters, rolled a tanker upon return. I have had no regrets, and it has been a lot of fun (just dinged 50 last week). I will give some general pointers only, since I am not terribly familiar with those power sets:

Three Endurance Reductions is likely too much in your defensive toggles. See how it feels to you, but my guess is that you can get by with one or two at most. Before switching to sets, I usually got by with one EndRed.

For your offensive powers, I would suggest the same slotting as if you were a blapper - 1xAcc, 1xEndRed, 1xRechRed, 3xDam. If you are teaming, you are generating aggro when you hit. If you miss, far less aggro, and your teammates pay. There is a definite lack of accuracy in the build. If you drop some of the EndRed from your toggles, you should have plenty of slots to spread around.

I would drop Focus Accuracy, since you already have Build Up, and work on dipping into the Fighting Pool to get Tough and Weave. Those will help your defense and resistance a bit. Also, slot Combat Jumping for Defense rather than Jumping. For a tank, it's another survival tool.

Finally, do not exclude IO sets just because you perceive them to be expensive. You are going to be getting Reward Merits for completing mission arcs and TFs. You will be getting alignment merits for tip missions or completing the Signature Story Arcs. Start thinking about what pieces you would like, and either spend these merits on the recipes or get recipes that sell for a lot on the AH. For example, I can spend a few hours doing tip missions over four days, and convert the alignment merits to Miracle +Recovery, which goes for 100 million inf on my server.

When spending your influence or merits on recipes or IOs, prioritize sets that have good two- or three-piece bonuses (Numina's and LotG for example). You can often pick up the less popular pieces of these sets for very little. Also, prioritize unique pieces with powerful bonuses. For example, Steadfast Protection +3% Defense only costs like 125 reward merits. Numina's +regeneration/+recovery is more expensive, but you can pair that with a second, cheap Numina's, and get yourself 32% regen and 10% recovery without too much effort.

I haven't felt that way on my tanker at all (shield/mace). If you can post your build, that would help. A couple of thoughts:

Do you have the fighting and/or leadership pool?

Do you have the Steadfast Protection +3% Defense IO? It can be purchased fairly cheap for regular merits.

Before slotting, Tough+Weave+Maneuvers+SP3% will take your defense from zero to 10% across the board and increase your S/L resistance by 15%.

My only tanker is shield/mace, and I have loved it. Will ding 50 next time I log in. I have never felt squishy, even when exemping from the mid-30s to fight level 50 content. The AoE and aggro-magnetness is great between AAO and Shield Bash in the primary and Whirling Mace, Crowd Control, and Shatter in the secondary.

Still waiting to see survivability on incarnate content...

SD is pretty easy to cap for each of your positional defenses. I posted my build yesterday, which is soft-capped at all positions:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=275726

It's an SD/WM build, but my understanding is that WM and Ax are very similar. I am 50%+ defense at each position (soft-cap is 45%, but most people on the boards seem to recommend hovering around 50%, especially if you want to run incarnates).

As a noob tank, I have found that trick for SD is getting set bonuses that benefit positional defense (melee, ranged, or aoe) rather than typed defense (smashing, lethal, energy, etc.).

I think I am leaning toward Spiritual now. The extra hp and regen will be a nice boost. While I'm not sure how much double-stacked AD I will get, it will definitely ensure that I have no downtime. Also, I have some great crowd control, and getting that off CD faster means less damage incoming.

Thanks for the tips!

D'oh! Thanks for the clarification.

Hey guys. My tanker is now level 48, and I am starting to get some idea how I will perform at level cap, which now has me thinking about my incarnate selection.

My original thought was to go Cardiac for the End discount, but also to use the secondary effect to make up for Shield's low resistances. In group content, however, I rarely find myself low on End, and rarely use Conserve Power. I am now thinking about going Musculature instead, but the defense buff would largely be wasted.

Another option is to drop the Energy Mastery Pool and go with something more damage-oriented, then pick up the Cardiac Incarnate. On the other hand, I could go for more resistance-oriented set bonuses, and use Musculature to make up the difference in my defense.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, including general comments on the build.


Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.942
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

Skerik III: Level 50 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Shield Defense
Secondary Power Set: War Mace
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fighting
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Deflection

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (3) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (3) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (5) Impervium Armor - Resistance
• (5) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
• (7) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Recharge

Level 1: Bash

• (A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
• (7) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
• (9) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
• (23) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (23) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (48) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 2: Battle Agility

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (9) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance
• (11) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 4: True Grit

• (A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
• (11) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance
• (13) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Recharge
• (13) Resist Damage IO
• (15) Resist Damage IO
• (15) Steadfast Protection - Resistance/+Def 3%

Level 6: Jawbreaker

• (A) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage
• (17) Mako's Bite - Damage/Endurance
• (25) Mako's Bite - Damage/Recharge
• (27) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Endurance/Recharge
• (27) Mako's Bite - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (29) Mako's Bite - Chance of Damage(Lethal)

Level 8: Active Defense

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (17) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 10: Against All Odds

• (A) Endurance Reduction IO

Level 12: Combat Jumping

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 14: Super Jump

• (A) Unbounded Leap - +Stealth

Level 16: Phalanx Fighting

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 18: Taunt

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 20: Grant Cover

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 22: Boxing

• (A) Accuracy IO

Level 24: Tough

• (A) Impervium Armor - Resistance
• (45) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Endurance
• (46) Impervium Armor - Resistance/Recharge
• (34) Impervium Armor - Psionic Resistance

Level 26: Shield Charge

• (A) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage
• (29) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Endurance
• (33) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Recharge
• (34) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Recharge
• (48) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance

Level 28: Clobber

• (A) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage
• (37) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance
• (37) Touch of Death - Damage/Recharge
• (39) Touch of Death - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (39) Touch of Death - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (39) Touch of Death - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 30: Whirling Mace

• (A) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Damage
• (31) Multi Strike - Damage/Endurance
• (31) Multi Strike - Damage/Recharge
• (31) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Endurance
• (33) Multi Strike - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (33) Multi Strike - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 32: Weave

• (A) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance
• (34) Red Fortune - Defense/Recharge
• (36) Red Fortune - Endurance/Recharge
• (36) Red Fortune - Defense/Endurance/Recharge
• (36) Red Fortune - Defense
• (37) Red Fortune - Endurance

Level 35: Shatter

• (A) Obliteration - Damage
• (43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Recharge
• (43) Obliteration - Damage/Recharge
• (43) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (45) Obliteration - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (50) Obliteration - Chance for Smashing Damage

Level 38: Crowd Control

• (A) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage
• (40) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Endurance
• (40) Scirocco's Dervish - Damage/Recharge
• (40) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (42) Scirocco's Dervish - Accuracy/Recharge
• (42) Scirocco's Dervish - Chance of Damage(Lethal)

Level 41: Conserve Power

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (42) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 44: Build Up

• (A) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff
• (45) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Recharge/Endurance
• (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge
• (46) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Endurance
• (48) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - To Hit Buff/Recharge/Endurance
• (50) Gaussian's Synchronized Fire-Control - Chance for Build Up

Level 47: Physical Perfection

• (A) Numina's Convalescence - Heal
• (50) Numina's Convalescence - Heal/Endurance

Level 49: One with the Shield

• (A) Resist Damage IO

------------
Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Health

• (A) Numina's Convalescence - +Regeneration/+Recovery
• (19) Regenerative Tissue - +Regeneration
• (19) Miracle - +Recovery
• (25) Numina's Convalescence - Heal

Level 2: Hurdle

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Stamina

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (21) Performance Shifter - EndMod
• (21) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge

Thanks for the info Necro. I sort of figured that was the case.

FWIW, Chris, when I am on, I usually see one or two BAFs/Lambdas advertised over the course of a couple of hours. I am on all of the major global channels, like Inf Badge Seeker, Infinity Badges 2.0, AE Anonymous, and some others that I cannot recall. Problem is, unless you know ahead of time when people will be running, you are going to have to wait some.

I figure once I hit 50, I will find myself on a Trial or two using this method. Assuming I don't totally noob it up, hopefully whoever organizes it will share some info regarding when they typically run them, and I will be able to better plan in the future.

This is only semi-related, but have people had any luck with the "Team-up Teleporter"? I will be getting my first toon up to 50 soon, and this seems like a good way to get into the content, without having a bunch of other people I know running it. That is, assuming people actually use it, and those people have some level of skill.

Looks like I can make this one too. Skerik, SD/WM Tanker.

I will probably be on at 10 pm sharp (when wife leaves for work).

Thanks for the great time last night! Hopefully, I will be able to make some more TFs in the future.

Looks like I can actually make this one:

@Green Wind: Skerik (SD/WM Tanker)