Just some quick personal opinions, and covering a few points. I'm sure other people will cover areas in more detail.
People play tanks in different ways. Some solo. Then taunt is not needed. IMO though why solo a tank when usually a scrapper will solo quicker?
Some concentrate on team play. Then taunt is a great asset and you shouldn't go without using it. For example, it can be used to grab aggro from the enemy who are attacking colleagues at a distance away. It can be used to aggro 1 spawn when multiple spawns are close together without having to aggro other spawns.
So no, just jumping in is the last think you should do. Not to say that is not ok to do alot of the time. But before you jump in you have to think is that the right think to do on this occasion? Thinking before you act is important. Just jumping in may aggro multiple spawns and cause a team wipe.
If you team its not just about you staying alive its about holding as much aggro as you can manage so the rest of the team can do their bit. If they are good players, they, in return will make it easier for you by defeating or controlling the enemy. You help enable them to do this.
Many tanks take pride in being the first to be defeated. Reasoning that in being so they held the aggro as long as possible, allowing the other team members to fulfil their potential. This can be a fun way to play , but if it happens alot, stop and think.
Firstly, can you adjust your play? Are you jumping in and aggroing multiple mobs. Secondly, could the other players do more to help you. Is the empath using his/her fortify on you or not? Is the player with force field actually using their bubbles on you? If not ask for them.
If you ask on the board for an experienced tank to team with to show you what they have learnt I'm sure someone will kindly offer to help. You have made the right steps in using the forum. The issue of taunt can be found covered in more detail elsewhere in this section of the board.
If you want to be a team tank, just to add, often ice melee adds to your ability to tank for a team as ice patch can help lower damage from lvl 20 onwards. If minions are slipping on the ice they can't hurt you or the rest of the team!
Hope this helps
Paragon Girl
[ QUOTE ]
Now, I would like some suggestions. I'm experienced with Brutes, but their job is to keep fighting so they get better and better. And the Tanker, AFAIK, is about staying alive while the Scrapper deals the damage. Am I wrong?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes. Its more than that. The self sufficient scrapper is the last person you have to worry about. Scrappers are not on my "i am tanking to help this person list". Does your brute require a tank? I think not and the scrapper and brute are actually the most alike. The tanker is there to make it groups safer for defenders to use their debuffs to maximum effect and minimum aggro, controllers to control with minimum chance of aggro and blasters to blast as many as possible in the shortest time as possible with minimum chance of getting aggro. If your looking for a brute equivalent on coh its the scrapper. The tank only has similar power choices.
[ QUOTE ]
And what about Taunt? Is it really necessary? Sometimes in CoV a Brute plays the role of a Tanker, but all we do is to jump first into the group of mobs. Can I use the same strategy?
[/ QUOTE ]
Sometimes its okay to do so and sometimes it maybe less desireable. It shouldnt be about you when you tank, its about the team and running into a mob may mean you have effectively herded the team into a compromising position.
If you do make an ice/ they are fotm atm but are also imo least complicated to play and easier for inexperienced tankers or inexperienced players playing with tankers to play with. I have all 4, its not a pop at icetanks, im just a hot or cold type of person, my icetank has been the easiest one to play and has been the most effective tank from the crib. If i have to write an essay to say because someone doesnt agree i will later but for now i have to goto work.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
The tanker ethos is basically "First In, Last Out, Go down with the ship"
That is to say, your primary role is not to take damage per se, but to stop the rest of your team from doing so. If it all goes pear-shaped, you're the one who should be trying to buy you team mates time to escape, though it often means accumulating debt yourself.
The Taunt debate is endless and I've been randomly flamed several times for saying that I think having taunt makes it possible for you to be a better tanker than not having it. Note that I didn't say that having taunt *makes* you a better tanker.
The art of tanking, aside from holding the aggro, is judging whether or not you *can* simply jump into a group. You have to know your strengths & weaknesses and exactly what damage and effects you're going to get from any given group of mobs. Knowing this literally means the difference between success and instant death.
Oh and Shannon, I Disagree!...Actually, I don't. Ice got its buffs at just the right time, when everyone else was getting nerfed into the ground. Enjoy it while you can, I doubt it'll last 
Omnes relinquite spes, o vos intrantes
My Characters
CoX Chatlog Parser
Last.fm Feed
[ QUOTE ]
Enjoy it while you can, I doubt it'll last
[/ QUOTE ]
From my point of view its either buff firetanks or nerf ice tanks.
Just compare a fire/fire to an ice/fire but id much sooner see the fire primary have a buff especially in blazing aura. Its meant to be the most offensive so make the damage and taunt component autohit. The firetanks weakness and imo its really weak in this area compared to other tanks is its vulnerability to secondary effects especially -tohit. If it doesnt keep aggro then the survivability of the team is at risk followed by the firetanks. No point coming back with RotP if the rest of the team have been wiped anyway is there?
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
While I'm still thinking about all you guys have written (Playing a Hero seems a lot different than playing a Villain) and some thoughtful suggestions, I came up with a question: Can I take Provoke instead of Taunt in order to take Intimidate?
And another thing: lets say I take Taunt at lvl 10. I wont have Glacial Armor by then, and my shields wont help much since I wont have access to SOs. It feels like I'll be farming debt until level 20-22
[ QUOTE ]
And another thing: lets say I take Taunt at lvl 10. I wont have Glacial Armor by then, and my shields wont help much since I wont have access to SOs. It feels like I'll be farming debt until level 20-22
[/ QUOTE ]You don't need taunt at L10, you can keep aggro with CE easily at that range.
Oh, and if you try to take 8 man team spawns solo, you will die, but with isnps or support chars, you should be fine.
[ QUOTE ]
Can I take Provoke instead of Taunt in order to take Intimidate?
[/ QUOTE ]
If it was as effective as the normal tanker taunt and you had powerpools to spare then id imagine alot more tanks taking it, but it isnt, it can miss and im not sure if the duration is as good neither. Its down to you how much you care for your role as a taunt controller among other things.
[ QUOTE ]
And another thing: lets say I take Taunt at lvl 10. I wont have Glacial Armor by then, and my shields wont help much since I wont have access to SOs. It feels like I'll be farming debt until level 20-22
[/ QUOTE ]
It maybe an idea to start of with a defender, see how other people play, how they need to be supported and how you need them to play in order for you to provide that support for a few levels. Tanks are support toons themselves and you have to help people so that they can easily help you right back. Plus at low levels if you are a take it all tank people could pass you insps like lucks for extra def seeing as they wont need them. Ive done an entire Atta with no defender or controller that way. As for whether you take taunt at any level well it depends on what your after, how you play, how people play with you, whether you'd have a harder time without it and whens the best time to fit it in your build. I take it at 10 fullstop so i dont have to leave one group in a debuffed zone to save a team mate 40ft away and for certain ambush situations and to even to cut my herding times and fight duration down.
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
[ QUOTE ]
You don't need taunt at L10, you can keep aggro with CE easily at that range.
[/ QUOTE ]
CE doesn't seem to be taunting as reliably as it used to (against even-level enemies). Has anyone else noticed this or have an explanation?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You don't need taunt at L10, you can keep aggro with CE easily at that range.
[/ QUOTE ]
CE doesn't seem to be taunting as reliably as it used to (against even-level enemies). Has anyone else noticed this or have an explanation?
[/ QUOTE ]This would be since when, I7? Last patch? I took my icey to 40's at the start of I7 and never had any problems with CE holding aggro, apart for AV's.
Welcome over to the cause of good!
Depending on what Brutes you've played, I'd recomend an Ice tank - most especially Ice/Fire. It is the tank most different from Brutes in playstyle. Ice Armor is not available for brutes, and Chilling Embrace makes them able to keep aggro in a style all their own. Fire Melee is a different beast than the Brute version because it has Combustion - which might be a lacklustre Blaster power, but absolutely rocks on tanks. Finding a concept for an Ice/Fire tank might take a bit of doing, tough.
This assumes you want to try a new playstyle. If you want a Tank that plays as the Brute you had, take the same sets. The most brutish Tank, and a very good solo build, uses Superstrength - Rage might not be fury, but it is the closest you get.
Volumens have been written on Taunt. My opinion is that if you are not an Ice tank, you should get Taunt before level 30. If you are an Ice tank, you should get it before 40. The reason is that Taunt is the only real way to keep the attention of AVs. Other than them, there really is little reason to take taunt unless you are Stone Armor or Burn tank - both of these stay immobile so much that they need Taunt early on.
[ QUOTE ]
Heyas!
My GvE box is on its way and I'm planning my first Hero. My Favourite AT in CoV is the Brute, so a Tanker seems like a good choice. Probably a Ice/SS/Nrg
Now, I would like some suggestions. I'm experienced with Brutes, but their job is to keep fighting so they get better and better. And the Tanker, AFAIK, is about staying alive while the Scrapper deals the damage. Am I wrong?
And what about Taunt? Is it really necessary? Sometimes in CoV a Brute plays the role of a Tanker, but all we do is to jump first into the group of mobs. Can I use the same strategy?
[/ QUOTE ]
If you like brutes then you'd propably feel more at home with scrappers as opposed to tankers..
[ QUOTE ]
If you like brutes then you'd propably feel more at home with scrappers as opposed to tankers..
[/ QUOTE ]Agree, although this only applies to people who played brutes as brutes, not those who played brutes as tanks (especially the /stone ones).
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you like brutes then you'd propably feel more at home with scrappers as opposed to tankers..
[/ QUOTE ]Agree, although this only applies to people who played brutes as brutes, not those who played brutes as tanks (especially the /stone ones).
[/ QUOTE ]
/agree
but i disagree on the taunt at level 10, imo you should take it and get the rest of your shields ASAP even if it means missing stamina untill level 24 (taunt takes no endurance to use) as long as you hold aggro you are doing your job (and you stay alive) ice/stone tank has CE icicles and taunt and keeps all aggro team mates hardly ever get hit which is main priority tanks can be built for damage but i would recomend waiting til 33+ to start slotting attacks (prob 34 seems you'll need 33 to slot teir 9 power)
The OP is prolly 50 by now...
He will honor his words; he will definitely carry out his actions. What he promises he will fulfill. He does not care about his bodily self, putting his life and death aside to come forward for another's troubled besiegement. He does not boast about his ability, or shamelessly extol his own virtues. - Sima Qian.
Haha ditent see the date on the old posts.
Good one Gohan.
Heyas!
My GvE box is on its way and I'm planning my first Hero. My Favourite AT in CoV is the Brute, so a Tanker seems like a good choice. Probably a Ice/SS/Nrg
Now, I would like some suggestions. I'm experienced with Brutes, but their job is to keep fighting so they get better and better. And the Tanker, AFAIK, is about staying alive while the Scrapper deals the damage. Am I wrong?
And what about Taunt? Is it really necessary? Sometimes in CoV a Brute plays the role of a Tanker, but all we do is to jump first into the group of mobs. Can I use the same strategy?