Ice/Elec or Ice/SS?

All,

I have been wanting to make an Ice Tanker since forever. I actually used to have an Ice/SS but I deleted him because the rage change (that most people love) pissed me off, so I deleted him (I was irritated that I could still attack and waste my endurance). Deleting him was probably stupid.

Anyway, so I am thinking about making an Ice Tanker again, and I could go Ice/SS again (I've become used to Rage, finally, after having it on a couple of Brutes). I could also go Ice/Elec.

Which would be better?

I think Ice/Elec seems more interesting to me, but I am worried that Thunder Strike may suck if it has the knockback.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Lewis

I've considered the possibilities of an ice/elec tanker way back when proliferations began. i've taken elec melee to near 50 on a brute since then, and so my response here is part experience, part theorycraft.

This would not be a single-target killer; it would wear down groups over time (i found elec melee on a brute to be fun and effective aoe, but really poor single-target...on a tank, it'd be worse). Ice/, once mature, has the mitigation to stand around and aoe all day.

It *might* be an effective way to drain endo from a single target; i say single target because it'll take consistant attacks coupled with energy absorption to keep a target drained enough to disrupt their attacks, and elec melee can only really *reliably* do that on one to a few targets at a time, i wager - due to thunderstrike being an aoe around your target, the randomness of chain induction, the need to position to maximize jacob's ladder, etc. Not to mention, end drain is less effective on higher cons.

thunderstrike in elec melee does knockdown, not knockback. don't think it's 100% chance, though.



SS has reliable, if late, aoe, and solid ST damage...pretty sure it's a proven performer.



I say, Be cutting-edge! Lead the pack! It's a brave new world, one that lets you electrocute things!



Edit: For punctuation.

SS is better, thats a easy one. Very solid chain, awsome ST damage, best AoE in the game, and not to forget .. rage.

Elec is nice, my brute elec, but set is just too meh for me. Thunderstrike is good (animation doesnt make sence though), but the AoE is very small. The cone is nice, the jump to other target thing is funny, but not always that great, and the teleport power.. Ok it looks plain awsome, beyond awsome. So for the final tier power i would still pick elec, but if i can also choose SS, i definiatly would pick SS. (specialy with the new animations).

Well, I could always hunker down and make both, I suppose.

Lewis

footstomp is ok....best aoe?. matter of opinion really

sheild charge or lightning rod are better eye candy for sure.


thunderstrike isnt really a knock back more of a knock down. it doenst scatter like mace use to where your chasing things around all day

also its a pbaoe but its not like your typical pbaoe.. some reason i think it should be a targetted aoe by the way it handles.it wont knock down everyone in your surrounding area..just the ones by the guy you have tarrgetted



as too whether or not to pick ice/elec or ice/ss...i say if your gonna pvp at all take the /ss. if not..whynot try out the new candy for tanks...i know i am!

I would throw my 2 cents in for ice/elec. I love AoE attacks so it boils down to Footstomp vs. Thunder Strike & Lightning Rod. Then throw in Chain Induction and Jacobs, neither of which are great aoe attacks but combined with TS & LR your are way up on the AOE love-a-meter. Grab ya cpl of big mobs, hit EA then your AoEs, whats not to love?

As far as the better power, never managed to stick with SS long enough to get to 50. Rolling a /EM tank to 50 right before they nerfed the set almost killed me to ST attacks. I did roll a Shield/Ice tank, I know more S/T, Shield Charge Ftw btw. Having Shield Charge & Frozen Aura, roughly the same damage scales as LR & FS, FA is nice but SC is like crack. Plan on rolling an Ice/Elec & a Shield/Elec when i16 rolls out.

I bet Shield/Elec would be uber. Shield Charge + Lightning Rod? Sweet Victory! My only problem is that while I *can* get behind the mechanics of the combo, I can never really get into shields, in terms of character concept. Oh, I can make up ideas for shield characters, I just usually do not get into shield users in terms of theme. It ain't my thing.

Anyway, I've decided to keep the Ice/SS AND to make Ice/Elec.

What the heck, right?

Lewis