I also have to add, it is very easy to get high levels of positional defence as a dark tanker. I have a dark/dark build on my Mid's which has 30% def to all positions. Can post it if you want 
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
30% def? Nice. Why is it easier with Dark than others? (And could you post the build please?
Didnt say it's easier than with others. Just that it's very easy 
31.1% melee def
30.5% ranged def
29.3% aoe def
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1,4006
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Dark Armor
Secondary Power Set: Dark Melee
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Fighting
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Dark Embrace -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(3), TtmC'tng-EndRdx/Rchg(3), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(34), TtmC'tng-ResDam(34), TtmC'tng-EndRdx(43)
Level 1: Shadow Punch -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(27), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27)
Level 2: Smite -- T'Death-Acc/Dmg(A), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx(15), T'Death-Dmg/Rchg(43), T'Death-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(46), T'Death-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46), T'Death-Dam%(46)
Level 4: Murky Cloud -- TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx(A), TtmC'tng-ResDam/Rchg(5), TtmC'tng-EndRdx/Rchg(5), TtmC'tng-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(37), TtmC'tng-ResDam(42), TtmC'tng-EndRdx(42)
Level 6: Obsidian Shield -- Aegis-Psi/Status(A), Aegis-ResDam(7), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx(7), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg(13), Aegis-EndRdx/Rchg(15)
Level 8: Death Shroud -- Sciroc-Acc/Dmg(A), Sciroc-Dmg/EndRdx(9), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(9), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), Sciroc-Dam%(11), EndRdx-I(13)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- Krma-ResKB(A)
Level 12: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A)
Level 14: Super Jump -- Jump-I(A)
Level 16: Siphon Life -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(17), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(19), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Mako-Dam%(42)
Level 18: Health -- Mrcl-Rcvry+(A), Numna-Regen/Rcvry+(19)
Level 20: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(21), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(21), P'Shift-End%(37)
Level 22: Dark Regeneration -- Numna-EndRdx/Rchg(A), Numna-Heal/EndRdx(23), Numna-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg(23), M'Strk-Acc/EndRdx(25), Sciroc-Acc/Rchg(25)
Level 24: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt/Rng(A)
Level 26: Oppressive Gloom -- HO:Endo(A)
Level 28: Soul Drain -- GSFC-ToHit(A), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg(29), GSFC-ToHit/Rchg/EndRdx(29), GSFC-Rchg/EndRdx(33), GSFC-ToHit/EndRdx(34), GSFC-Build%(43)
Level 30: Touch of Fear -- Abys-Acc/Rchg(A), Abys-EndRdx/Fear(31), Abys-Acc/EndRdx(31), Abys-Fear/Rng(31), Abys-Acc/Fear/Rchg(37)
Level 32: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(33), RechRdx-I(33)
Level 35: Dark Consumption -- P'Shift-EndMod/Rchg(A), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc/Rchg(36), P'Shift-Acc/Rchg(36), P'Shift-EndMod/Acc(36)
Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- Mako-Acc/Dmg(A), Mako-Dmg/EndRdx(39), Mako-Dmg/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), Mako-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40), Mako-Dam%(40)
Level 41: Kick -- Empty(A)
Level 44: Tough -- S'fstPrt-ResKB(A), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+(45), HO:Ribo(45), HO:Ribo(45)
Level 47: Weave -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(48), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(48), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(48)
Level 49: Cloak of Darkness -- LkGmblr-Def(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx(50), LkGmblr-EndRdx/Rchg(50), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A)
Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]11% DamageBuff(Smashing)[*]11% DamageBuff(Lethal)[*]11% DamageBuff(Fire)[*]11% DamageBuff(Cold)[*]11% DamageBuff(Energy)[*]11% DamageBuff(Negative)[*]11% DamageBuff(Toxic)[*]11% DamageBuff(Psionic)[*]3% Defense(Smashing)[*]3% Defense(Lethal)[*]4,58% Defense(Fire)[*]4,58% Defense(Cold)[*]3% Defense(Energy)[*]3% Defense(Negative)[*]3% Defense(Psionic)[*]13,6% Defense(Melee)[*]13% Defense(Ranged)[*]11,8% Defense(AoE)[*]2,75% Enhancement(Terrorized)[*]6,25% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]36% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]15% FlySpeed[*]379,5 HP (20,3%) HitPoints[*]15% JumpHeight[*]15% JumpSpeed[*]Knockback (Mag -8)[*]Knockup (Mag -8)[*]MezResist(Held) 14,9%[*]MezResist(Immobilize) 11,6%[*]MezResist(Sleep) 4,4%[*]MezResist(Stun) 4,4%[*]9% (0,15 End/sec) Recovery[*]42% (3,29 HP/sec) Regeneration[*]3,13% Resistance(Negative)[*]3% Resistance(Psionic)[*]20% RunSpeed[*]2,5% XPDebtProtection[/list]
<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy & Paste this data into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
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|-------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre><hr />
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
Interesting guide. I don't normally play melee toons but this could be tempting to try.
What Secondary would you recommend with it?
Thelonious Monk
I'm trying Axe and SS for mine atm, too early to tell which I prefer though.
Im torn between trying DA/SS or DA/DM, SS for superior agro grabbing/holding and DM for the synergy of def and -tohit to increase survival as every mids build ive made looks a tad smooshy.
[ QUOTE ]
The only type of tank to fail at this step is the Willpower tank, which only has a Mag 3 taunt aura
[/ QUOTE ]
A small aside but the reason the WP taunt aura is so poor is that it has taunt duration 1 second, ticks every 2 seconds, compared to inv/ice/stone/fire/dark which have taunt duration 13.5 seconds, ticks every 1 second.
Ice Ticks every 0.5 Seconds
"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"
[ QUOTE ]
Ice Ticks every 0.5 Seconds
[/ QUOTE ]
couldnt remeber which one ticked quicker, cheers cynic
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ice Ticks every 0.5 Seconds
[/ QUOTE ]
couldnt remeber which one ticked quicker, cheers cynic
[/ QUOTE ]
Can somebody clarify? When you say it "ticks every 0.5 seconds" does that mean it checks to see if it taunts every 0.5 seconds or what?
Thelonious Monk
Think of it recharging every 0.5 seconds and instantly executing, taunting everyone around
[ QUOTE ]
Think of it recharging every 0.5 seconds and instantly executing, taunting everyone around
[/ QUOTE ]
Cool good explanation
Thelonious Monk
Have a friend who has a Dark/Dark Tank, he does like his Tanks (ALOT).. But he hasn't been that impressed with them so far, they do seem to be weaker Tank to the others. But i'm no expert no Tanks will stick to Blasters and Brutes 
Will make sure he as a read of this, as nice read!
The best secondary for Dark Armour is almost certainly Energy Melee. For the first 25 levels it looks OK. But at L26 you simply turn on the Mag 2 Stun aura of Oppressive Gloom and never look back. With Oppressive Gloom thrown in, bosses are stunned 30% of the time by a simple energy punch (or 10% of the time with a barrage). Stun (the power) is now effectively a Mag 5 stun with a base duration of 12 seconds, a base recharge of 20 seconds, and that can stun all bosses in melee with you and within 9' of your target. Oh, and the HP loss from Energy Transfer (damage scale 8.3 and 11 foot radius (!)) can be utterly cancelled by the superb heal in Dark Armour.
For 90% of the game's content an Ice tank is definitely stronger than a Dark tank, so I'm not surprised he finds it slightly weak. On the other hand psi ignores any defence ice armour provides, and a lot of weapons (especially rad) do defence debuffs.
I've held off making a DA/EN tank in the hope that some day I will be able to bask in the power of an EN/DA scrapper....
Almost all my toons are Dark/Dark based (14 of them by now) and a guide for a new incorporation like the Dark/Dark toon is very welcomed by me. Thank you.
[/color]<blockquote><font class="small">Antwort auf:[/color]<hr />
A small aside but the reason the WP taunt aura is so poor is that it has taunt duration 1 second, ticks every 2 seconds, compared to inv/ice/stone/fire/dark which have taunt duration 13.5 seconds, ticks every 1 second.
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh, my! Is is really that bad? So maybe that's the reason why I couldn't really feel much of an aggro difference between my other characters and my first tanker (WP/DB). 
10
[ QUOTE ]
Stone form is comfortably the worst tank until you get granite armour, meaning it takes 31 levels to really get going (before that it's a weakish tank with no self-heal).
[/ QUOTE ]
Ummmmm..... NO!
your comment about not having a self heal is actually incorrect..
<ul type="square">[*]Stone Armor:
Earths Embrace (3rd power)
Availability : Level 2
360sec recharge. 40% heal and +40% Max HP[*]Invulnerability:
Dull Pain (3rd power)
Availability : Level 2
360sec recharge. 40% heal and +40% Max HP[*]Ice Armor:
Hoarfrost (2nd power)
Availability : Level 1
360sec recharge. 40% heal and +40% Max HP[/list]All 3 powers have the same base stats.
Even pre-granite Stone does a fairly good job of surviving, yes it would do a better job with Dark Regen, but so would all the tank sets(since Dark Regen is an awesome heal), however get rooted at lvl 8, slot it at level 9, and with heal enhances in and you get a lot more health regen.
Stone is also the only armor set for tanks with +regen in a power(rooted) apart from Willpower(which has lots of +regen)
Saying that it's comfortably the worse tank pre-granite I don't agree with, having Earths Embrace back more frequently would certainly increase a Stones survivability though, as would shortening the recharge time on the other 2 armor sets self heal
_________________
You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one. �Henry D. Thoreau
I wouldnt really consider any of them (hoarfrost, EE, dull pain) self heals, they're more like layered defense. A +maxHP power rather than a self heal. If you look at the "real" self heal powers such as reconstruction or healing flames you'll notice that all these "real" self heals have a recharge ranging from 30 seconds to 60. And none higher.
Effectively these +maxHP powers function as +resistance powers increasing the amount of hits you can take before you drop.
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
They're self heals. If it puts health back it's a self heal. Not much logic to it.
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.
It saddens me to see that Fire has been omitted from almost all the calculations in the thread
Golden-Phoenix - Lvl 50 Fire/Fire Tank
Oodja Nikabolokov - Lvl 50 SS/WP Brute
Baby-Phoenix - Lvl 50 Peacebringer
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck Norris?
[ QUOTE ]
They're self heals. If it puts health back it's a self heal. Not much logic to it.
[/ QUOTE ]
It does bring health back. You could say it's a self heal. But from playing an invuln character for 3 and a half years I can definitely say it isn't as reliable for a self heal as it is for a maxHP / regen buff. You could argue easily that it is a self heal, I'm not saying it doesn't bring HP back.
What I'm saying, is that the recharge timer is so long it's not usually up more than every second fight. It cant heal when it's recharging. The other "real" self heal powers have a lower timer so that they could be used in every fight, maybe even multiple times.
EDIT: Quick test reveals I can clear 3 mobs at Cimerora wall with my katan/invuln in the time it takes for DP to recharge. This is with +55% recharge from sets and hasten, essentially perma DP.
- @DSorrow - alts on Union and Freedom mostly -
Currently playing as Castigation on Freedom
My Katana/Inv Guide
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. -Einstein
I would like a dark armor toon. Only problem is that it takes too much slotting to make them to something i would like to play.
Hmm, Dark themed team after the Icy one, maybe?
(EDIT Oh, defenders, scrappers and tankers only, maybe not then.
�How do I like my MMOs? I like them the way Paragon Studios used to make them.� - a fitting tribute from kiasa.org
EU, Union mostly.
To me the important thing about a tank isn't what it can tank - even a well built i12 invulnerability tank can do a respectable job of tanking if you don't want to herd half the map (or it does smashing/lethal damage), it's what it can't tank that measures the power of the tank. Every tank was designed with weaknesses - this is a feature, not a bug. But it is my claim (and the claim of this guide) that although there are better tanks in most circumstances than Dark Armour, Dark Armour will never be the wrong tool for the job.
The Duty of a Tank: Holding Aggro
The role of a tank in a team is to hold aggro - and the reliable means of holding aggro is through taunts and taunt auras. The only type of tank to fail at this step is the Willpower tank, which only has a Mag 3 taunt aura, and so has a much harder time keeping the attention of bosses than other tanks do. (All taunts come from the secondary). Note that the Dark Armour tank will regularly be running Mag 8 worth of Taunt Aura after L26 or so. Although this is a place where Dark Armour wins (being able to strip and hold aggro against other tanks) it's not that serious.
Holes in the Tank: Late Appearing Defences
Here again the Dark tank wins. It has access to all its defensive toggles (and its excessively powerful (but expensive) heal) by L12. Although taking all these may lead to putting off Stamina to L22 (it did with me). That said, L18 for a defence isn't that serious. And you can even cope with waiting longer to finish your defences - for one thing most tanks (other than Ice) are going to want tough. There is, however, one clear loser here: Stone. Stone form is comfortably the worst tank until you get granite armour, meaning it takes 31 levels to really get going (before that it's a weakish tank with no self-heal). For most tanks the L32 power is either god-mode or a res.
Holes in the tank: Damage Types
Here is where my favourite, and last survivor of the big three (Ice/Willpower/Stone) fails. Most tanks have something they don't resist or defend against. And in most cases that's Psi damage.
Ice has neither defence nor resistance to psi damage (and is weak against fire but laughs at cold). Stone tanks can be forced out of granite armour by psi damage (although minereals is more than sufficient to handle most psi). Invulnerability running all the toggles has negative protection from psi in i12 (psi actually has a better chance of hitting and does full damage if unyielding is up). And fire has no protection at all from psi. Willpower has decent resistance from psi. But the runaway winner in the tanking psi stakes (it's barely even a contest) is Dark Armour. 50% resistance to psi damage before slotting. (Almost 80% with just SOs)
On the other hand even Dark Armour has its weaknesses in resistance - if you ignore toxic (20% resistance here is the same as most other tanks) it only has a 20% unslotted resistance to energy (and 5% unslotted defence). Annoying, but most tanks have such minor holes - and energy damage isn't all that common and the hole isn't that big. Shrugging off almost a third of damage when slotted in your worst damage type is not that bad.
Holes in the Tank: Def
Only a minor case here. But half the mobs in the game seem to do def debuffs. Especially Praetorians. This really weakens Willpower against Rad, and causes Ice to struggle badly.
Dark Armour Weaknesses: Knockback and Slow
Then there are holes in Dark Armour's resistances (most tanks have them). To slow, knockback, and recharge slow. The lack of knockback resistance is ... annoying, but fairly easy to fix (4-slotting kinetic crash in Kick will handle most of it, and then there are two anti-knockback IOs you can get). As for the lack of slow resistance, on the rare occasions you need it (rather than simply taunting the enemy into coming to you), there's a simple solution: Superspeed (see below for why to take superspeed) - and simply overpower the slow. Likewise you need a lot of recharge slow to overpower Haste. Not that recharge really matters for a tank other than on the heal anyway...
Supposed Dark Armour Weakness: End
It is commonly thought that Dark Armour is end-heavy. This is a partial myth. The defensive toggles for almost all tank sets are either four defensive toggles at 0.21 End/s or 3 at 0.26 End/s, and one PBAoE damage aura at 0.52 End/s. The expense in Dark Armour is twofold - firstly the heal is extremely expensive (33 End unslotted) but can easily heal a tank 100% of the way. Secondly, Dark Armour tanks have extra taunt auras. One of the two does Mag 2 PBAoE Stun and does trivial damage to the tank (damage low enough that this isn't an actual worry) but costs trivial End. The second is probably chosen more often and does a fear and to hit debuff - but has a base cost of 0.52 End/Second, and it is this second taunt aura combined with getting the toggles early that gives Dark Armour its reputation.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the weaknesses of the Dark Armour tank are smaller and easier to overcome than that of any other tank armourset in the game if you want to tank
Its main weakness is therefore that it lacks a decent tier 9, and can not just wade through any type of enemy (other than minions who simply get tenderised by the combination of the stun aura and the damage aura) without at least occasionally needing to self-heal unlike Ice, Granite, or even Willpower (which lacks a self-heal but gets a lot of regeneration to make up for it).
Note: Dark Stealth-Tanking
The concept of a stealth tank seems like an oxymoron, but without even trying too hard, Dark Armour has all the tools needed to pull it off. Cloak of Darkness (the immobilise resistance and 5% defence bonus) grants stealth, and running superspeed can upgrade that stealth past the perception limits even of most archvillains. This allows you to both ghost missions, and to choose who gets to see you. But taunted foes will stay taunted until the taunt expires. So you can rush in before the alpha strike lands, and seriously screw the enemy up. It's a useful little trick that no other tank can use (the results when a tank uses a Stealth IO appear to be pretty bad in most cases from what I hear).