I think he is referring to the patience it has taken to build the stone tanker.....
Speed enhancers????
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What I don't understand is why they didn't just change Rooted to a large -Slow effect?
It would be as thematic, since if you can move enough to turn to fight people behind you, obvioulsy you're not frozen in place.
And it would be a lot easier to play with being slowed down as if by Caltrops, than with being unable to move at all.
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NO! not a good idea...I've seen bettter ideas in this same post
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Granite Armor = OMG. I have it unslotted with 1 SO + Def. I am the sickest tanker I've ever SEEN already. The mobs might as well bring a nuke, it ain't getting through. With a Emp healers Fort so I can HIT mobs, and an every once in awhile healer, I could TANK +8's. Status protection included. +Res vs all but psi. Granite... a TOGGLE version of MoG. Without the HP drop...
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Ok now, dont start having delusions of granduer...I think you may have been accidentally exagerating with this statement
Yeah I can live with that, and I might even play my Stone Tanker to 50 before they even make Ice and Stone aesthetically pleasing or viable to the non-masochistic portion of the CoH playerbase.
If they just let me stack MA+GA, I'll be alright...
Once you get granite you Will have felt naked wearing rock, but you cannot turn granite off for nothing in most fights...Granite has a VERY effective handicap of slwoing you to almost stillness...You will have to slot recharge and get hasten to be effective...You can trust me when i tell u that You will get annoyed by the recharge...You may be able to turn on run or SS for the run speed but unless you prepare for the recharge problem theywill become a problem...Maybe the new issue will help with the problems but there is no telling till issue 4
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If they just let me stack MA+GA, I'll be alright...
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I think this is highly unlikely. My money is on GA not stacking with anything else, and all the others being stackable.
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You can trust me when i tell u that You will get annoyed by the recharge...You may be able to turn on run or SS for the run speed but unless you prepare for the recharge problem theywill become a problem...Maybe the new issue will help with the problems but there is no telling till issue 4
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If all these problems exist for Granite, it's not going to get much use by me. It will be, as with other top-end powers, a panic button only. Which fits in with my current modus operandi of nothing -> rooted -> Rock armor -> insps pumpage (I seldom get to this stage anymore), so it's not like I'm worried.
Personally, i can't wait to be able to stack Brimstone with Rock.
shh.. MA+GA, MA+GA. If we cry loud enough, they have to do it, right?!
but still I think RA+other armor is likely, but you think RA+BA+CA+MA+Rooted, or even 3 at once? That's just about as optimistic as MA+GA.
MA+GA for teh w1n!
Personally having made 25 with my Stone/Stone using rooted amongst other tools I'd sy there is no need for it to be made mobile.
What I'd like instead is for Rooted to stay the same but recharge End as well. The Armours do need to stack though!
Ogrebear
Lev 25 Stone/Stone
Guardian
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but still I think RA+other armor is likely, but you think RA+BA+CA+MA+Rooted, or even 3 at once? That's just about as optimistic as MA+GA.
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I concur; I'm just basing my opinion on what I've seen elsewhere here and abroad. I don't know how heavy the end burn is from GA, but I'm thinking that it's probably not on the same level as stacking all of the above - not that you'd ever need to do such a thing, i imagine. RA + [some armor] + rooted is probably going to be enough in most situations.
If any of the higher-level stone tankers are on Infinity or Test I'd really appreciate a temporary SK for a half hour or so to see what the overwhelming differences are in the late game. Be nice to see Stone in full bloom, too.
As for End regen from rooted, I'll never argue against more End, but if it meant losing anything from the power as it is right now my preference would always be keeping it as-is.
I like rooted, it fits stone armor well conceptually.
The graphics are a bit screwed up though. The stone cage is not around my character if I run while activating rooted, or teleport around. And sometimes there is only a black ring on the ground.
Hopefully we can stack the def armors later on, this will make fighting non-smash/lethal groups more fun.
I don't see what the problem is, I play a stone/axe tank 29 at present. Of the armours I only have RA but have all the other non armour powers from the set. I have stamina 6 SO slotted, plus all my other powers including attacks liberally slotted with end reductions. I run Combat jumping and RA permanently, plus use rooted at every opportunity (6 slotted for heal/recharge/end red). I tend to solo (dull, I could do with missions at +2/+3 levels to be interesting) or duo with a kinetics defender or /rad controller. Both of these can recharge my end (as can an empath) so I can run mud pots permanently as well, meaning I can hold aggro and only resort to provoke if there's a problem.
I may have to reassess my powers after 32, but hell that's what respecs are for, I may have to acquire teleport and/or SuperSpeed, but with the upcoming changes to the taunt powers, I'll only be using one pool for stamina and one for movement so there are plenty spare.
My major problem is that if I fight anything lower level than me, I knock it back instead of down and can't chase it if rooted.
I find the regen in rooted does help me fight large groups, particularly in the pre stamina days when I was having to stand around like a lemon letting mobs hit (or mainly miss) me while I recharged my end.
Mr Minotaur (Freedom)
PS I have higher level toons of other ATs so while I haven't played tanks at that level I've played with them, and playing an energy/energy blaster with an immobile tank just means you have to be careful how you play the blaster, don't go crying about how bad the tank is, don't knock stuff back out of his range that then vapes you and complain he can't hold aggro.
It's true. This game is NOT rocket surgery. - BillZBubba
Reading the forums as this being my first one this topic is one i had to come off the sidelines for. I also play a stone (ss)tanker. I agree that it is a challenge being a stone tank but i wouldnt change a thing heres why...I don't die.... I wouldnt give that up for nothing. Yea im slow, yea i look like a terd but with my build (ill get to that in a moment) gives me the option of playing two tanks Ill explain..
My build:
Stone armor
Stone skin (6 slotted maxed out)
earths embrace
Rooted (status protection)
Granit armor
Super Strength:
Jab (got to have somethng to hit while waiting on other toggles
Punch)
Taunt (for single target pulls hate to see it go in the new update)
Haymaker
Hand clap (just for fun rarely works on higher mobs but to see low level mobs go flying a hundred yards then get up stunned is pricelss 
Knockout blow (slotted to the max some scrappers and blasters are in awe when i stand toe to toe with an arch villian and knock his ars up in the air for 400 plus in damage)
Rage (must have rooted and hasten to be effective)
Hurl (again another of those just for fun powers no real use fighting high level mobs)
waiting on my foot stomp.
Provoke (havent decided if im keeping after update)
Super Jump
Hasten (a must if you got granit)
Fitness/ stamina (a must for a stone tanker maxed out)
Imo you have two games here pre and post 32 for the stone tanker. pre 32 yes rely on rock armor and rooted post 32 drop rock armor pick up granit and with sprint slotted or ss the immobility of rooted is a non issue
Now when i want to solo or hit mobs fast with decent damage i dont go into granit form. I rely on stone skin however going against a mission boss or arc villian your in close quaters anyway so being immoble/slow is not an issue.
In a group i usually go exclusive granit armor with provoke i can take all that the mobs can give in the respec mission after my teammates dropped i was surronded by over a dozen freaks (including bosses) who couldnt move my health i was able to keep them at bay until my teammates got back from the hospital
So to sum up this rather looong post i think you deal with 2 different games and needs here before 32 immobility is a pain and somthing that has to be overcomed but your not having to take on the foes you do post 32 and its a non-issue then as your able to be mobile with ga and rooted.
24k lvl 40 tank champion
teck lvl 20 blaster champion
paragon panther lvl scrapper champion
To respond to some of the other points about superspeed and lacking mezz resistance, let us not forget some of the current changes in the pipe (emphasis mine):
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Improved Stone Armor/Granite Armor Mez resistance.
Stone Armor/Granite movement speed penalty was slightly reduced and its Endurance cost was reduced. Cannot be active at the same time as other Armors in this set, Super Speed, Sprint, Hover, Fly, or Group Fly. Slightly increased recharge time.
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To respond to some of the other points about superspeed and lacking mezz resistance, let us not forget some of the current changes in the pipe (emphasis mine):
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Improved Stone Armor/Granite Armor Mez resistance.
Stone Armor/Granite movement speed penalty was slightly reduced and its Endurance cost was reduced. Cannot be active at the same time as other Armors in this set, Super Speed, Sprint, Hover, Fly, or Group Fly. Slightly increased recharge time.
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Yeah, I caught that as well, and I have no real problems with it. Interesting how Teleportation remains off the radar. Maybe it's an "indirect advocation" of one way to get around the slow ground movement.
Smokin' Joseph - Lvl 50 DM/REG Scrapper - Freedom
Dr. Dirtnap - Lvl 48 Stone/Stone Tanker - Champion
Colonel Sycophantova - Lvl 38 Merc/Traps MM - Champion
Silver Streak - Lvl 50 Fire/NRG Blaster - Champion
Invisible Dragon - Lvl 33 MA/Ninjitsu Stalker - Infinity
Lot of interesting responses from my fellow Poo men.
* Rooted with END Recovery: I had it for a while. It was one of the reasons I made my Stoner in the first place and it was awesome to have less END troubles at the cost of being stuck to the ground. 6-slotted it was truly great. When they ner-- I mean 'bug fixed' Rooted and changed it from END to health recovery, it met with tons of resistance from the small Stone community on the boards, and for good reason. The overwhelming cry was 'but I didn't NEED more health!' and it still holds true.
Anyway, geko posted plenty on the change at the time and said that no toggle will EVER give you more END than it uses, so we can forget about them doing that to Rooted.
* Stay immobile, but make Rooted better?: Yes, I would love that! I agree with anyone who said it's appropriate for the set to stick yourself to the ground. It requires tactics which is always fun. Rooted really does need to be better to stay balanced with a fully mobile Unyielding, though. To those who think Unyielding Stance got nerfed because it has a -def debuff (of unknown magnitude), all I have to say is it stacks with TI now. That means fully mobile, with full status protection and 88% res vs. lethal and smash at level 12. Compared to that, standing in place to get Fast Healing type +regen is a joke. IMHO.
* Stacking armors: I'd rather they make Crystal, Brim, and Mineral enormously resistant (at the expense of lethal/smash armor) than make them stack. That would certainly retain the flavor of the set. At the moment, their base def/res is simply too low to make them (a) worth using when any lethal/smash is being done and (b) worth 6-slotting--which would cost 15 slots for situational armors. Crystal/Brim/Min should be able to reach the cap (either def or res) with 2 SOs and should NOT stack. That would make them worth using against a fire boss, even if the minions are all lethal, for example.
Again, just my suggestion. Other people have good ideas, too. I concur that just letting the armors as they are stack is a bad idea.
I have gone solo with my Stone Tanker for nearly everything except TF's and Respec missions... and now that I am level 37, those pesky AV missions. The funny thing is, I didn't have a single armor until level 32 and didn't really notice at all (I didn't see the point of having to choose between armors to wear, especially since fire and invul tankers could res everything at once, that and I want to see my character's overpriced costume).
I survived with pool power DEF and Stone Skin. Rooted I only used when I didn't have a pink insp to pop, or to heal myself AFTER a battle. The health recovery was a non-issue with me once I realized that is wasn't combat effective. I put one heal into it for after-battle healing only. Earth's Embrace is good before lowbie boss fights and for an OH-S*&T run-away heals. Mudpots I respeced off due to it's large endurance usage. I may take it back now that I have Stamina 6 slotted with SO.
I planned my character before I even knew about respec, with the intent of removing all the penalties of Granite Armor, while enjoying all of the bennys. Super Speed, Hasten, and even Assault from the Leadership tree (although I found out later that the -DAM is really +DAM.... shhhhh!). It paid off and I now I have all my RES and DEF at once. Stone Skin makes me happy still, but now I don't have to target those pesky fire-wielders first anymore when there is a perfectly good boss to whoop-up upon.
My attack pool is Super Strength, and OH did I hate it until some updates came out and I started doing Extreme damage with Knockout Blow (TG!) and Rage at 28 solves anyone's DAM problem. Killing minions with one hit is a good thing. Now that I don't have to wait for the woozy from Rage to wear off thanks to Granite and Super Speed, I can keep zooming and booming. The only problem I have had with teaming is those blasted multi-teired caves missions where you tend to fall through holes. I would get teleport, but I am one of those players who likes to stick to a character theme and such (yes SS, Hasten were in my theme, just worked out that it helped Granite Armor too).
Now, I do have a lowbie Stone/Fire tanker in the making. He actually has his armors and he stays healthy a lot longer than my level 37 one did at that level. I don't really care about seeing his costume all the time so I am leveling him to see what the other armors do. Ok, on to my comments about the post know that you know a little bit about my Stone buddy:
<ul type="square">[*]I don't think anything needs to be changed about the armors. If you take the time to learn what your powers do (including animation speeds and such) you can time them correctly for use and not have much trouble. If I can survive without armors, you can certainly pick and choose an armor to use and last even longer than I did. Stone Tankers would do well to be slow and ponderous about what they are about to plow into... you are afterall SLOW by nature. A little planning goes a long way.[*]If something mezzes you before you get Rooted off, oh well. You are a freaking TANK, your HP are the highest in the game and you can take a few hits before popping Rooted up and an armor- even more if you used your Earth's Embrace before the fight. Once you are awake or un-held/loved the healing from Rooted will do it's job if your armor's DEF stops people from hitting you like it should. Other methods for getting Rooted off are investing in the Concealment or Super Speed tree. +Stealth allow you to get spitting-distance close to the mezzers and set off Rooted (and even get an attack in) before they even see you. If you team with friends, Grant Invisibility from someone else can be your best friend (or Stimulant... thus negating the need, but I'll assume we are talking about solo tanking). [*]If you think Stone Armor sucks, go to Perez Park, throw on Mudpots, Rooted, and 1 DEF power and laugh as you leave the PC to get some snacks or whatever and come back to find all the minions that tried to attack you dead at your feet. [*]The one thing I WOULD like to see change about the armor is it's look. There is nothing I hate more than seeing a Devouring Earth Bedrock that looks cooler than me, not to mention the Sentry lieutenants. It is funny, however, when someone you are teamed with complains about not being able to attack an enemy Earth Thorn Caster... to only find out they have wasted their time on you LOL (hello turn your enemy names display back on).[/list]
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To respond to some of the other points about superspeed and lacking mezz resistance, let us not forget some of the current changes in the pipe (emphasis mine):
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Improved Stone Armor/Granite Armor Mez resistance.
Stone Armor/Granite movement speed penalty was slightly reduced and its Endurance cost was reduced. Cannot be active at the same time as other Armors in this set, Super Speed, Sprint, Hover, Fly, or Group Fly. Slightly increased recharge time.
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Eeeek! Good thing that you mentioned it, I had not noticed. How annoying.
...
But, well, it is probably a good thing. Super speed does not fit with the 'slow as a rock' thing. Time to slot up swift perhaps?
Another thing, which perhaps can be answered by people who have it on live, when you teleport with granite do you hover two seconds or drop like when rooted?
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Another thing, which perhaps can be answered by people who have it on live, when you teleport with granite do you hover two seconds or drop like when rooted?
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No hovering! It's awesome to teleport in and immediately do a ground-only move like Fault or Tremor. Talk about a surprise attack! 
This feature makes for fun gameplay between TP and Granite, so I really hope they don't change it.
I was thinking that the hover is really nice when you need to leave quickly, but I guess wont happen past 32 
What you describe sounds more fun than running away.
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I heard once that Rooted could actually be overcome if you get enough speed enhancers somewhere, somehow. I don't how true this is though...
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Our ulti-power, Granite, allows you to resist your own self-root. This much has been confirmed by several tanks.
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I just reached 32 today and picked up granite armor. (I'm quite pleased after the let-down that was blizzard...my only other level 32 power.) At first I was so happy that I could use rooted and amble around in GA. Then I copied my tune over to the test server to see what kind of punishment I could take. Suprise, suprise.... on test root now makes even GA immobile. This is likely the way it will be post-issue 3. With increased Mez protection coming in issue 3, I suspect rooted will be for situational heals anyways, not status protection, so probably not a big deal.
Slightly off topic, but I haven't seen many posts involving this many stone tanks.....so here goes. Why is there a -dmg penalty to granite armor? Isn't slowing the rate of recharge enough damage mitigation to prevent us from becoming too uber? This seems especially crucial given the changes to the way tanks will hold aggro in issue 3. My understanding is that the designers hope to have tanks keep aggro by using their attacks, and not just provoke. The new "hate"/aggro value will be based on the amount of damage done. With GA, and it's -Dmg and -Recharge, it seems that we will become second rate aggro managers compared to other tanks. Add to this the -speed, we won't be able to effectively run around smacking the stragglers to pull off aggro from our team. Any insights into this?
Personally, I don't go on test (not my thing), but can someone with GA check to see if super speed will continue to work when GA is active? If that is taken away, especially before stacking armor is instituted, it's going to be a long evaluation to decide how to handle the respec.
Do anyone have all the data on granite? Numbers on resistance, defence, -recharge, -damage, and end cost?
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Im sorry but the title of your post made me spit out my Dr. Pepper...secure that Poo!!
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Oh shizzle, !
It's even funnier when you happen accross it on the Dev tracker and then get some mental images
Man this game would be a little bit duller without Poo Tankers!