You can tank just fine without using the epics although they can add a little extra to many builds.
Octavian Vanguard
@ohmsEU and @ohms 2
Badging character: Bimble on the Union server, Badgehunter.com and City Info Tracker.
I don't suppose they do much. But NRG epic is good for end problems and accuracy aswell.
Catz
A /SS tank shouldn't have many accuracy problems when using Rage really.
The main other uses I've found for epic powers are using holds when tackling sappers and you have no end drain resistance and the immobs can be useful to help with taunting AVs from range.
Octavian Vanguard
@ohmsEU and @ohms 2
Badging character: Bimble on the Union server, Badgehunter.com and City Info Tracker.
None of the tanker epics are 'essential' to any build imo. Energy gives focused accuracy for pvp and conserve power to those who'd need it (I don't know who would). Fire ball is a bit extra for herding and aggrograbbing and all other pools than energy also give you a ST hold which is ok against certain individual enemies like sappers.
They are mostly bells and whistles as far as I can tell. Also IIRC the ranged attacks also don't have a gauntlet effect, just a single target taunt.
Energy
* Focussed Accuracy, which is nice but I'm not convinced it is worth the endurance.
* Conserve Power, good when up if you are having end problems.
* Laser Beam Eyes, looks good, not great damage IIRC though.
* Energy Torrent, nice cone wiht decent damage, but does Knockback.
Pyre
* Ring of Fire. Single target Immob.
* Char, a hold. Nice.
* Fire Blast. Moderate damage, short animation.
* Fire Ball. Decent damage AOE blast, good for extra aggro control.
Arctic.
* Block of Ice, a hold. Nice.
* Chilblain. Single target Immob.
* Ice Blast, highish damage single target ranged attack with quick animation. The best single target ranged attack a tanker can get.
* Ice Storm. Not sure how useful this is.
Earth
* Salt Crystals, AoE sleep.
* Stone Prison. Single target Immobolise.
* Fossilize, a hold. Nice.
* Stalagmites, AoE damage, small chance of disorient.
I can't see the attraction of Earth apart from theme. Pyre has the best AoE, Arctic has the best single target attack. Energy has some interesting utility powers but lacks a hold.
@Unthing ... Mostly on Union.
Earth is my favorite for my stone/SS. All the earth powers do -defence, helps alot to hit things for the rest of the team. Hold/imm is usefull every time (sapper, AV imm ranged taunting works even better due -defence and taunt tohit vs AV), equal to fire and ice (although ice hold is melee iirc).
Salt crystals is a fun power to have, mobs out of your mudpots can still be hit by the sleep. Doing it as alpha, gives you -defence from the start. I even managed to sleep GW in STF with it 
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Earth
* Salt Crystals, AoE sleep.
* Stone Prison. Single target Immobolise.
* Fossilize, a hold. Nice.
* Stalagmites, AoE damage, small chance of disorient.
I can't see the attraction of Earth apart from theme.
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I have now tried all tanker epics for at least a month apiece on John Wednesday, and I settled on Earth even though it seemed counter-theme at first. Here's why (and I hope I'm not letting too many cats out of the bag):-
- Mass Sleep is really, really useful, and I speak as someone with lots of damage AoEs that break it. Sleep is a strong contender for "most unfairly underestimated effect" among players as a whole. I took a team of scrappers and blasters through the Mother Mayhem mission largely on the back of Salt Crystals. With good slotting and hasten, it may be possible to perma-sleep, I haven't tried yet. Even where sleep isn't necessary, it's a mass defense debuff, a very notable one.
- The immobilise is Mag 4. Nuff said?
- The hold is obviously good, and comes out fast.
- Stalagmites I'm neutral on - it's mass damage (and 2nd best mass damage after Fireball), but the stun doesn't come out much. Although, like Salt Crystals, it's a mass large defense debuff if nothing else.
- Defense debuff is a great secondary effect against many 40+ enemies.
Incidentally, Ice Storm is good for area denial/buying time for Healing Flames to recharge, although a mass slow is always good.
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None of the tanker epics are 'essential' to any build imo. Energy gives focused accuracy for pvp and conserve power to those who'd need it (I don't know who would).
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Me soloing the SFG missions that are set to invincible with so many carnie dark ring mistresses and sappers about with my non end drain resisting and typically no autohit attacks/holds invuln/ss.
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- Mass Sleep is really, really useful, and I speak as someone with lots of damage AoEs that break it. Sleep is a strong contender for "most unfairly underestimated effect" among players as a whole. I took a team of scrappers and blasters through the Mother Mayhem mission largely on the back of Salt Crystals. With good slotting and hasten, it may be possible to perma-sleep, I haven't tried yet. Even where sleep isn't necessary, it's a mass defense debuff, a very notable one.
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The size of its AoE is lovely and against some enemies it might detoggle armours. I have yet to check this but my combat logs when trip mining council soldiers have said i have turned a power off and that they are no longer able to use it. This is partly why i dont want frozen aura changed yet, i have yet to get it (icetank last on level list out of my tanks for being so unchallenging) but when i do get it i wanna do a few tests and make macros with it. My controller has had mass sleep since the day i got it and it can make things so much smoother especially with those who are single target biased anyway. They could even ST first then open up with AoE rather than AoE then ST.
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Hello
A quick question when creating a build for a Stone / SS tank, do you have to get Epic powers when available or can a tank work effectively without ?
Are they that essential to a build or are they just bells and whistles ?
Any thoughts ?