The main problem here, is that both WP and DB are very tight, you basically 'need' almost all of the powers.
Dual Blades is Endurance-light on each individual attack, but also damage-light. It makes up for this, by being Very fast acting. In addition, DB depends on the Combos for mitigation, so you need to chain multiple attacks together at Speed - which actually adds up your damage fairly well, and drains your End.
Willpower is basically a 'Regeneration Tanker' power. You have no self-heals and you're not as bullet-proof as other Tanker sets, but you recover from damage quickly and have Huge amounts of HPs. Also, your 'taunt aura' is relatively weak at holding aggro, compared to other tanker powers. This can be balanced with the sheer number and speed of your attacks, spreading Gauntlet all over.
All of that said, I've got mine to L23 and Love it!
Here's how I'm built.
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]
Panther Dancer: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Willpower
Secondary Power Set: Dual Blades
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Hero Profile:
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Heal(A), Heal(5), Heal(15), ResDam(27), ResDam(40), ResDam(40)
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- Acc(A), Acc(3), EndRdx(9), Dmg(13), Dmg(42)
Level 2: Power Slice -- Acc(A), Acc(3), EndRdx(9), Dmg(11), Dmg(42)
Level 4: Ablating Strike -- Acc(A), Acc(5), EndRdx(7), Dmg(11), Dmg(43)
Level 6: Fast Healing -- Heal(A), Heal(7), Heal(13), Empty(48)
Level 8: Indomitable Will -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(34)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- DefBuff(A)
Level 12: Quick Recovery -- EndMod(A), EndMod(15), EndMod(27), Empty(50)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump(A)
Level 16: Typhoon's Edge -- Acc(A), Acc(17), EndRdx(17), Dmg(31), Dmg(43)
Level 18: Rise to the Challenge -- EndRdx(A), Heal(19), Heal(19), Heal(31), ToHitDeb(37), Taunt(40)
Level 20: Blinding Feint -- Acc(A), Acc(21), EndRdx(21), Dmg(31), Dmg(43)
Level 22: Mind Over Body -- EndRdx(A), ResDam(23), ResDam(23), ResDam(34)
Level 24: Heightened Senses -- EndRdx(A), DefBuff(25), DefBuff(25), DefBuff(34)
Level 26: Hurdle -- Jump(A)
Level 28: Vengeful Slice -- Acc(A), Acc(29), EndRdx(29), Dmg(33), Dmg(45)
Level 30: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(33), Heal(37)
Level 32: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(33), EndMod(37), Empty(50)
Level 35: Sweeping Strike -- Acc(A), Acc(36), EndRdx(36), Dmg(36), Dmg(45)
Level 38: One Thousand Cuts -- Acc(A), Acc(39), EndRdx(39), Dmg(39), Dmg(46), Empty(48)
Level 41: Assault -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(42)
Level 44: Tactics -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(45), ToHit(46), ToHit(46), Empty(48)
Level 47: Taunt -- Range(A)
Level 49: Strength of Will -- ResDam(A), ResDam(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
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Be Well!
Fireheart
At the very least, I'd suggest respeccing to Fireheart's build. I have my Inv/DB tanker up to 28, and quite enjoy it, but the build you have is pretty rough.
No Ablating Strike? You need this ability for both of the first two combos (Empower and Weaken). You also need it for the Attack Vitals combo. It's also one of the better attacks you get early on.
No Blinding Feint? This one ends off the Empower combo so is nice to have. More than that, it's your 'build up' power, and a power you definitely want by 22 at the latest.
You seem to be going for a super tough tanker build, but you also need to balance the build with some attacks. All the mitigation in the world won't help if you can' deal damage.
Vengeful Slice at 28 is a thing of beauty, and I find myself referring to it as the 'big sexy'. I run the Empower combo (nimble-ablating-blinding) before using it, and it reminds me of an approaching train. Muffled rumbling and then bam! it's screaming past you.
They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!
@Starflier
I don't understand why people think DBs need all their attacks...I just focus on 2 or so chains...any more than that and i feel like I'm wasting time.
My Inv/DB only too the Sweep combo and the weaken combo.
That was all i really felt I needed.
Just my 2 inf
Not so much with the 'needing' all the attacks, but his build has almost nothing for attacks. Granted, he's level 24 and can start getting some, but I would definitely not want to level that build. The only combo possible is Sweep, and that's not till high levels. The others all use Ablating Strike which is a fairly decent attack besides.
I'm planning to go the Blinding Feint->Attack Vitals route, so not heavy on attacks, but I feel it's good to have some early on.
They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll float too!
@Starflier
I should've mentioned that this was a respec-at-35 build. The current build (lvl 28) has actually picked up all the attacks available in DB by 28 (not taking the Fighting pool stuff above), so I do have the attacks while leveling.
[ QUOTE ]
You have no self-heals and you're not as bullet-proof as other Tanker sets, but you recover from damage quickly and have Huge amounts of HPs. Also, your 'taunt aura' is relatively weak at holding aggro, compared to other tanker powers.
[/ QUOTE ]
These two reasons were why I was trying to stack typed defense and slotted the Kinetic Combat knockdown procs, and took taunt early.
[ QUOTE ]
No Ablating Strike? You need this ability for both of the first two combos (Empower and Weaken). You also need it for the Attack Vitals combo. It's also one of the better attacks you get early on.
No Blinding Feint? This one ends off the Empower combo so is nice to have. More than that, it's your 'build up' power, and a power you definitely want by 22 at the latest.
[/ QUOTE ]
I have Ablating Strike now. Empower combo seems pretty minimal in its effects--just a tiny addition to Blinding Feint's buffs. I'm not sold on Blinding Feint (and felt the same way about Follow Up leveling a claws scrapper), though it does add an "SO's-worth" of perma-damage if you can keep it up. It's own lameness in damage *may* cut into DPS, though I suspect proper frankenslotting might alleviate this problem. I also may find trying to constantly keep up BF and work the combos too distracting to go along with the other tanking business.
[ QUOTE ]
You seem to be going for a super tough tanker build, but you also need to balance the build with some attacks. All the mitigation in the world won't help if you can' deal damage.
[/ QUOTE ]
The last two toons I've leveled to 50 have been scrappers, and this guy basically won't be soloed. I wanted to have a character capable of taking aggro for a large team full-time. (The soft-capped scrappers could do this for not terribly dangerous spawns.)
It is possible to sub out Strength of Will at 32 for Ablating Strike or Blinding Feint.
So, a few more questions:
Strength of Will looks like something people have put off. Does anyone use it regularly, swear by it, or does it sit in the tray mostly unused? How do people slot it? Is the end crash -60% like One with Shield?
Can you sell me on the Attack Vitals combo? How easy is it to alternate between Attack Vitals and Sweep?
Has anyone run the numbers on how effective it is to include Blinding Feint in your attack chains?
How do you deal with massive defense debuffs? The only time this character has dropped like a stone was against stacked (auto-hit) Quicksand. I was hoping that enough regen would be a counter to this problem (or maybe SoW 1/3 of the time). Does any power other than Heightened Senses resist defense debuffs?
Tanker is the only blueside archetype I haven't taken into the 40s, so I may be making egregious errors.
Any tips, critiques, or arguments with the following level 35 build (currently the toon is 24)?
And how do people typically slot SoW? Default slot? Set mule?
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/
[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]
[b]Mizzenmast
Hero Profile:
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance -- Mrcl-Rcvry+:35(A), Mrcl-Heal:35(3), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:35(11), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(15)
Level 1: Nimble Slash -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(5), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(7), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(7)
Level 2: Fast Healing -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:35(A), Numna-Heal/Rchg:35(3), Numna-Heal:35(13)
Level 4: Mind Over Body -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A), RctvArm-ResDam:35(15), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:35(23), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:35(25)
Level 6: Indomitable Will -- EndRdx-I:35(A)
Level 8: Rise to the Challenge -- Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx:35(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:35(9), Mrcl-Heal:35(9)
Level 10: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:35(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:35(11), Mocking-Rchg:35(19), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:35(25)
Level 12: Quick Recovery -- P'Shift-EndMod:35(A), P'Shift-End%:35(13)
Level 14: Combat Jumping -- GftotA-Run+:35(A)
Level 16: Typhoon's Edge -- Erad-Dmg:30(A), Erad-Acc/Rchg:30(17), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(17), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:30(19), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(34)
Level 18: Super Jump -- Jump-I:35(A)
Level 20: Heightened Senses -- GftotA-Def/EndRdx:35(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(21), GftotA-Def:35(21), GftotA-Run+:35(23)
Level 22: Kick -- Acc-I:35(A)
Level 24: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:35(A)
Level 26: Weave -- GftotA-Run+:35(A), GftotA-Def/EndRdx:35(27), GftotA-Def/EndRdx/Rchg:35(27), GftotA-Def:35(34)
Level 28: Vengeful Slice -- KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(A), KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(29), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(31), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(31)
Level 30: Power Slice -- KntkC'bat-Acc/Dmg:35(A), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx:35(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/Rchg:35(33), KntkC'bat-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:35(33), F'dSmite-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:35(34)
Level 32: Strength of Will -- RctvArm-ResDam:35(A)
Level 35: Sweeping Strike -- Acc-I:35(A)
Level 38: [Empty]
Level 41: [Empty]
Level 44: [Empty]
Level 47: [Empty]
Level 49: [Empty]
------------