"Doing your job" or "sacrificing for the team" is laudable, but they don't change the fact that grant cover is a terrible power. I mean, you're buffing the defenses of other people in melee, and maybe not even all of them, when those people have all probably invested substantially in their own defenses already.
Shield, needing weave to softcap and (probably) not having a self-heal, is very tight on power selections and slots. Wanting to help the team is awesome, but selecting, running, and slotting yet another toggle is probably doing more to hurt overall team utility than it is contributing to it. I would much rather have a scrapper kill things faster than sacrifice damage to buff the team.
@Dysc, on virtue:
Virtue blues: Overnight (DP/MM), Kid Ridiculous (FC/rad), Panorama (Ill/time)
Virtue reds: Block Party (SS/SD), Goldcrush (earth/fire), Deadwire (claws/elec), Snowcrush (ice/kin)
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[1] Obviously, this can be a problem of its own, e.g. when you have a Shields or Invincibility scrapper playing with a Willpower tanker and the scrapper would rather not have all the aggro when there's a perfectly good tanker nearby who is specialized in taking the damage, but can't override the stronger aggro aura of the scrapper. But that's kinda unrelated to Grant Cover.
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Sorry to further the tangent, but this can be done through the use of Taunt. It's not automatic by any means and the Tanker really has to fight for it, but it can be done. If the Tanker isn't doing anything special to hold aggro, however, then the Scrappers will take it.
There's a couple things I've seen I can't agree with.
Taking Grant Cover, one power pick and no additional slot, doesn't in any way gimp your damage. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think there's about 23 powers and 67 additional slots at level 50.
It doesn't reduce your mobility either, unless you choose to reduce your mobility to get (what you feel is) the most out of it. I play the same way with or without GC - except defense debuffs and slows aren't as dangerous with GC on, but that's another topic - the difference is with GC my teammates get some buffs if they're close.
Oh, I think I've seen suggestions to decrease Shield resistance and put some defense into Grant Cover. Let me say if this happens, I'll have to come to the house of whoever suggested that and Shieldbash them to death. 
GC is IMHO a situational (as in, not everyone will be in range all the time) and team buff power, by its very nature it's going to be a controversial power. Pick any situational or team buff power and you'll have very different opinions from players, ranging from "awesome" to "crap in a can". That doesn't make these powers bad, they just don't work for everyone.
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Taking Grant Cover, one power pick and no additional slot, doesn't in any way gimp your damage. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think there's about 23 powers and 67 additional slots at level 50.
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It's not about power picks and slots, it's about running yet another toggle. Not having endurance tends to gimp one's damage, as damage tends to cost endurance to dish out. Taking powers to mitigate that, then, gets into the real of costing powers and slots.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Taking Grant Cover, one power pick and no additional slot, doesn't in any way gimp your damage. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think there's about 23 powers and 67 additional slots at level 50.
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It's not about power picks and slots, it's about running yet another toggle. Not having endurance tends to gimp one's damage, as damage tends to cost endurance to dish out. Taking powers to mitigate that, then, gets into the real of costing powers and slots.
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the end cost of grant cover is pretty small, one of the cheapest toggles in the game
An additional 0.15 EPS isn't very likely to suddenly break your endurance bar.
Apparently so. Oh, well, I guess my shielders will take it and single-slot it for defence if it's that cheap.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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"I don't have SB.
[/ QUOTE ] I don't take it either.
I didn't take it on my shield scrapper either and don't plan do and here is why.
1.It only buffs others in melee range and maybe not all of them
2.If someone else is in melee with me they can keep their own hide alive just like I'm doing.
3.I kill stuff not buff stuff unless it's myself.
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And advising people to kick non-team players? Just because they don't use powers you prefer them to? Isn't the idea of kicking others for such reasons something you admonished someone in another thread for? [found here] Yet you now consider that an option?
[/ QUOTE ] You mean he is being hypocritical? I'm shocked 
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I didn't take it on my shield scrapper either and don't plan do and here is why.
1.It only buffs others in melee range and maybe not all of them
2.If someone else is in melee with me they can keep their own hide alive just like I'm doing.
3.I kill stuff not buff stuff unless it's myself.
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Well it does grant you Defense Debuff Resistance and -Slow Resistance.
I took it at lvl 49 on my MA/SH, and slotted an ENDRED in it.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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Taunt is there for a reason too. It's their for the tanker's role.
It seems to me that a tanker not taking Taunt is denying the whole point of the archetype.
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My SD Tank doesn't have Taunt nor does my Invul and Ice. When I use them, teams seem to go quite well.
What do you say about my Tauntless Tanks?
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Taunt is there for a reason too. It's their for the tanker's role.
It seems to me that a tanker not taking Taunt is denying the whole point of the archetype.
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My SD Tank doesn't have Taunt nor does my Invul and Ice. When I use them, teams seem to go quite well.
What do you say about my Tauntless Tanks?
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So, about them healers
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Taking Grant Cover, one power pick and no additional slot, doesn't in any way gimp your damage. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I think there's about 23 powers and 67 additional slots at level 50.
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It's not about power picks and slots, it's about running yet another toggle. Not having endurance tends to gimp one's damage, as damage tends to cost endurance to dish out. Taking powers to mitigate that, then, gets into the real of costing powers and slots.
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Remember a few of us take Stamina.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
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Remember a few of us take Stamina.
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Which costs three power picks and a few slots
'Course, with Grant Cover costing 0.078 per second, then eh. Why not? Don't mean I'll slot it, but eh. Why not?
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Heres a quote from the Official Guide posted here at the website ::
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The Tanker is the big man of the hero world, combining
massive defense with a powerful, but not exceptionally
quick, offensive punch.
Tankers make effective solo Heroes, at their own deliberate
pace, but they are also in demand by teams,
where their function is to keep enemy attacks off the
lightly defended Blasters, Controllers and Defenders.
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Wait a second. Haven't you stated before that you hate tanker's attitudes of being too full of themselves. That they shouldn't complain if Kinetic players don't spam SB. Now, you're going to use an outdated guide to support something you blasted someone else for doing.
You saying that Taunt is necessary to play a tanker right, is the same as saying a Kinetics has to take SB to be played right. Not all tanks need Taunt, hence, its place as a secondary power. I have many tanks who have no problem maintaining the aggro cap without Taunt. I've managed aggro for plenty of teams without it without a complaint. Obviously it's not needed.
@Rylas
Kill 'em all. Let XP sort 'em out.
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If you are actively defending that you don't need a power that would help protect your teammates, I have to ask how is it job minded to ignore your teammates?
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I still think that you would want to protect your friends if you could, but maybe I'm wrong.
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Who said we're ignoring our teammates and don't want to protect our friends? Oh, that's right, skipping a defensive power is de-facto evidence. No more needs to be said. Case closed. 
Like I said, keep the hell away from my blasters with that thing. Focus on killing what's causing me trouble, or even just killing, not on trying to keep me in your tiny little range and inviting me to get splashed with AoEs. Or take Leadership so that I don't have to stay so close to you, and Tactics and Assault can help me do what I do best kill things. I'm a squishy. That doesn't mean I'm a total feeb that can't deal with a couple minions that sneak out of the main group.
I took Grant Cover on my scrapper, but it's for buffing the tanker, not for protecting the squishies IMHO.
"That's because Werner can't do maths." - BunnyAnomaly
"Four hours in, and I was no longer making mistakes, no longer detoggling. I was a machine." - Werner
Videos of Other Stupid Scrapper Tricks
I found it a marginal power not worth taking. I do find it funny thought that with all the previous discussions about how aid self is overpowered, it is the best way to mitigate the low resists of this set as well as veats.
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Who said we're ignoring our teammates and don't want to protect our friends? Oh, that's right, skipping a low-magnitude, small-area defensive power is de-facto evidence.
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Totally. (Forgive the modified quote.)
If I'm on a squishy and I want a Scrapper's help, I want him to run up and kick something's butt, not get near me with a +def power I'd hardly be able to notice on its own.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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Who said we're ignoring our teammates and don't want to protect our friends? Oh, that's right, skipping a low-magnitude, small-area defensive power is de-facto evidence.
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Totally. (Forgive the modified quote.)
If I'm on a squishy and I want a Scrapper's help, I want him to run up and kick something's butt, not get near me with a +def power I'd hardly be able to notice on its own.
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Low magnitude? dude its better than any defensive giving power in the game, in terms of the defence it gives its better than defenders dispersion bubble, better than arachnos soldiers maneuvers, it fractionally less than having a defenders insulation sheild and deflection sheild cast on you. Its massive mitigation by anyones standards
oh and the values on mids are wrong in case you are using that as your guide.
All the powers you compare it to give the person casting the power the benefits of the buff as well.
@Mojo-
Proud Member of Fusion Force.
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All the powers you compare it to give the person casting the power the benefits of the buff as well.
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Since when does insulation shield work on the caster? And GC does help the caster, just not as much as it helps the team.
The City of Heroes Community is a special one and I will always look fondly on my times arguing, discussing and playing with you all. Thanks and thanks to the developers for a special experience.
I was referring to the first sentence, I'd use quotes but I'm lazy.
@Mojo-
Proud Member of Fusion Force.
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Taunt is there for a reason too. It's their for the tanker's role.
It seems to me that a tanker not taking Taunt is denying the whole point of the archetype.
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My SD Tank doesn't have Taunt nor does my Invul and Ice. When I use them, teams seem to go quite well.
What do you say about my Tauntless Tanks?
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As long as it's not a KHTF, STF, or Hami raid you are good to go.
-Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein.
-I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
-When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty. - Thomas Jefferson
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I think your big picture is skewed. A scrapper's job is to kill. It's not a tank sent in to manage aggro. It's not a defender sent in to buff, debuff or heal. It's not a controller sent in to lock the spawns down.
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I think I have to disagree here a bit. Granted, this is how scrappers are generally played these days, but per the design of the game, scrappers are also the designated off-tanks of CoH (evidence: every scrapper primary has a single target taunt power, several scrapper secondaries have taunt auras [1]).
That said, whether for scrappers or tankers or brutes and regardless of what the actual role of a scrapper is, I've always been of the opinion that Grant Cover doesn't work well in the context of the overall combat mechanics. Fights in CoX are more often than not fought in some kind of tight formation: Players spread out to minimize the effect of area effects targeted at them; even melee tends to be highly mobile because most CoX critters don't cluster up naturally. A scrapper who is picking up a loose boss on the far fringe of a spawn (and thus is actually off-tanking) will in fact be very unlikely to be in the vicinity of another player.
[1] Obviously, this can be a problem of its own, e.g. when you have a Shields or Invincibility scrapper playing with a Willpower tanker and the scrapper would rather not have all the aggro when there's a perfectly good tanker nearby who is specialized in taking the damage, but can't override the stronger aggro aura of the scrapper. But that's kinda unrelated to Grant Cover.