1. I slotted mine 3xdef buf, 3xrecharge. It provides 0.5% base def per enemy, but the first one counts as 5, so 3.12 + 0.78 per enemy. So you range from getting 3.9% - 10.9% defence per application. Unslotted for defence that would be 2.5% - 7%.
The important thing is that if you get Hasten, you can double stack it most of the time, meaning than you get anywhere from 7.8-21.8 extra defence. Given that your base is around 30% that it pretty good. It's a power well worth six slotting, If I could I would 9 slot it with end mod, recharge and defence.
2. Aid self verses Tough. Aid self is better for survivabilty from a self sufficiency point of view, but becomes pretty pointless if you have a healer watching your back, so it depends how muvhyou team. If you go with tough, then definitely get Weave ( perhaps instead of Hibernate ) , it will do wonders to your survivability, giving an extra 7% defence 3 slotted. I have that on my Inv tank. I don't think this decision would change for me between I6 and I7.
As for other stuff.
I'd advise six slotting Hoarforst. The Dull Pain/Earth's Embrace / Hoarfrost powers are some of the most importnat powers for tanker survivability.
Chilling Embrace might be better off slotting for taunt perhaps, until you actually get Ice Storm when the slows will probably be awesome. Slow enhancements only change the run speed of the enmey not the -recharge.
@Unthing ... Mostly on Union.
[ QUOTE ]
01 : Frozen Armor endred(01) defbuf(3) defbuf(5) defbuf(7) defbuf(9) endred(17)
02 : Chilling Embrace endred(02) slw(13) slw(17) slw(34)
04 : Hoarfrost recred(04) recred(15) recred(19) hel(40) hel(46)
06 : Taunt recred(06)
08 : Wet Ice endred(08)
24 : Glacial Armor endred(24) defbuf(25) defbuf(25) defbuf(31) endred(46)
26 : Energy Absorption recred(26) recred(27) enddrn(27) enddrn(29) recred(31) enddrn(31)
28 : Build Up recred(28) recred(36) recred(40)
32 : Hibernate recred(32) recred(37) recred(46)
[/ QUOTE ]
EA Should be 3xrechg 3xdef - it's providing between 30% and 50% of your total DEF so you really don't want to scrimp on the DEF enhancements.
Tough is handy, no doubt about it - personally I couldn't find space for Weave, but it is useful to have. It will still be important Post I7, but not *as* important.
You really don't need provoke *and* taunt *and* chilling embrace. Drop provoke.
Overslotting Frozen Armour for DEF isn't worth the slot.
Chilling Embrace isn't worth slotting for Slows. At best you're going to stop some mobs from running away quite as fast as the -recharge is a fixed value. I'd 2 slot it, either 2xendred or 1xendred, 1xtaunt depending on your end usage.
Hoarfrost should be 6-slotted every time, 3xrechg, 3xheal, which will give you a 1400+ HP heal at Lv50.
Hibernate isn't worth spending any slots on - a single recharge will do you quite happily, maybe 2 at a push if you don't have hasten and find yourself needing it that often (which you really shouldn't).
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Spad's advice is right on the money if you intend to mostly PvE. If you want to PvP a lot you might want to do things slightly differently, although to get to a high enough level to make it worthwhile you may want to respec into a pvp build once you get past 38 or so.
Anywy, in PvP, slotting chilling embrace for slows (2 or 3 SOs) makes it very awkward for your PvP opponent to get away from you and will allow you to get in one or two more hits before they do, which can be the difference between getting the kill and seeing them disappear into the sunset.
Similarly, if you drop taunt and keep provoke (you don't need both as Spad points out) you can then go for intimidate later on, which gives you a ranged 'attack' that lets you close the gap on your opponent and get them into melee range. Fear is pretty powerful in PvP and can get through the mez protection of quite a few builds, and most sensible PvPers will be trying to get away from the ice tank as fast as possible unless they have you outnumbered.
Slotting Energy Absorbtion for defence makes sense in PvE, but won't make much difference in PvP since many builds slot heavily for accuracy and you are unlikely to catch more than one or two opponents in the area of effect. The end drain component is more relevant here, as it allows you to stay in long fights and keep your end bar full while depleteing theirs and potentially dropping their toggles, so slotting for end mod might be a better option.
Hibernate is also very good in PvP: you don't have to worry as much about losing aggro as you do in PvE and it annoys the hell out of your opponents! By putting a couple of extra recharge reducers in it you can have it ready that bit more often, increasing your survivability accordingly and giving you 30 seconds breathing space while you wait for hoarfrost and your top end attack powers to recharge.
Of course, if you don't want to PvP you can safely ignore the above and go with Spad's suggestions.
Lol more Ice/Axe tanks! Bang goes my originality. 
Hello,
i have some questions about slotting and powers regarding my ice/axe tanker. I am currently on Lvl27
following this build:
Exported from version 1.5C of CoH Planner
http://joechott.com/coh
Archetype: Tanker
Primary Powers - Ranged : Ice Armor
Secondary Powers - Support : Battle Axe
01 : Gash dam(01) dam(3) acc(5) dam(7) acc(9) endred(34)
01 : Frozen Armor endred(01) defbuf(3) defbuf(5) defbuf(7) defbuf(9) endred(17)
02 : Chilling Embrace endred(02) slw(13) slw(17) slw(34)
04 : Hoarfrost recred(04) recred(15) recred(19) hel(40) hel(46)
06 : Taunt recred(06)
08 : Wet Ice endred(08)
10 : Beheader dam(10) dam(11) acc(11) acc(13) dam(15) endred(19)
12 : Combat Jumping jmp(12)
14 : Super Jump jmp(14) jmp(42)
16 : Swift runspd(16)
18 : Health hel(18) hel(33) hel(33)
20 : Stamina endrec(20) endrec(21) endrec(21)
22 : Swoop dam(22) dam(23) acc(23) acc(29) dam(34) endred(43)
24 : Glacial Armor endred(24) defbuf(25) defbuf(25) defbuf(31) endred(46)
26 : Energy Absorption recred(26) recred(27) enddrn(27) enddrn(29) recred(31) enddrn(31)
28 : Build Up recred(28) recred(36) recred(40)
30 : Provoke acc(30) acc(33)
32 : Hibernate recred(32) recred(37) recred(46)
35 : Cleave dam(35) dam(36) acc(36) acc(37) dam(37) endred(43)
38 : Pendulum dam(38) dam(39) acc(39) acc(39) dam(40) endred(50)
41 : Block of Ice acc(41) acc(42) hlddur(42) hlddur(43)
44 : Chilblain acc(44) acc(45) immdur(45) immdur(45)
47 : Ice Storm endred(47) endred(48) recred(48) dam(48) dam(50) dam(50)
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1. How to slot energy absorption best ? Only recharge and endmod(currently i have an endmod. in each attack but might change them into recharge soon)? Or should i also slot for additional defense. I am always running frozen armor, wet ice, glacial armor and chilling embrace without end problems, so will there be reasonable additional defense
by slotting energy absorption ?
2.I am thinking about dropping build up and provoke and taking boxing/tough from the fighting pool. With issue 6,
this was recommended in most ice builds. With the coming changes of defense, will this still be necessary to increase the resistance against lethal/smashing or would it even be better to get aid self instead from the medicine pool.
Thanks for the help.