How does Electric compare?


Aett_Thorn

 

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Originally Posted by StrykerX View Post
So... assuming a moderate budget (around 100 million or so) for IOs, do you think Electric would be more survivable that Fire? Or would Fire's much faster recharging (since I can't afford a high recharge build) heal outweigh Electric's higher resists? Or is it better to just go softcapped Shield plus Aid Self in that price range, since I think Shield on a Tanker can be softcapped quite cheaply? I'm not really concerned with concept... I'm just looking the most survivable (assuming moderate IOs but nothing really expensive) Tanker primary that has a damage aura or other +damage function like Against All Odds. I'd imagine Willpower would be the best mitigation (aside from Granite) for that level of investment, but it has no increased damage and a weak taunt aura so I'm not really interested in it for this character.

My only real past Tanker experience is a Fire/Fire... I liked it all right but it was a little squishy for what I'm wanting now (soloing 8-man spawns). Plus I changed servers and don't want to pay for a transfer...
Eh, Electric is something of a wash with Fire, I would say. They both have strengths and weaknesses that will make them better in one situation than another. Elec does have slightly stronger resists, but I can see there being plenty of times when I'd rather have a heal up sooner, which Fire can and will have over Elec. Assuming Mid's is correct (since CoD doesn't seem to have numbers for Elec on Tanks yet), Fire has better Negative resists so it'll probably be nicer for fighting CoT. Elec is the clear winner with Rikti, of course.

I could say more, but that's pretty much it. They both have a +recovery tool with bonuses and minuses that cancel out pretty much (though I still have to wonder WHY Consume has such a long recharge), same for their heals, etc. But really, any Tanker set is plenty robust and should be able to handle 8-man mobs fine (unless they're +4 or something), if you build it well.


Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
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Belated Justice, #88003
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Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory

 

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If you're doing a lot of high level TFs and raids, ELA >>>> Fire, because of Rikti. Rikti feature tons of Energy & Psi damage, both of which eat Fire alive, but ELA yawns at (okay, doesn't quite yawn at Psi, but you know what I mean). MS raids & LGTFs far favor ELA. ELA ends up w/higher S/L (and Cold, which is just wrong) resists too so even on like ITFs, ELA should do better, but that maybe more of a tossup. Of course, ELA will never have your toggles drop on cuz PS wasn't charging fast enough, unlike Fire w/Consume.

Mind you, my Fire tank never has (much) problems on MS raids or LGTFs, but I'm willing to bet my ELA tank (once I have him similarly IOed up) will survive a lot greater stress test than what my Fire can handle. Then again, I really like laying Burn patches down on grates and such (or many spots in the LGTF/ITF), so Fire has its benefits too.

Oh, my original calcs based on Brute #s show the same Neg resist for Fire & Elec. I too am waiting on CoD to update for ELA/ELM before updating my own tables.


An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee

 

Posted

My Fire/ eats Rikti alive. If Elec/ will be supirior....I feel real bad for the Rikti


I still have not rolled an Elec/ yet. My two current projects are a SD/Elec that is a blast and a brand new Willpower/Elec. Have not seen this combo talked about much, but it seems like an interesting fit. So far it fun to play, but still below level 10 so that does not count much.


 

Posted

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Originally Posted by Calash View Post
My Fire/ eats Rikti alive. If Elec/ will be supirior....I feel real bad for the Rikti
Elec/ really should be more solid against the Rikti, at least for absorbing damage. Those capped elec resists and higher S/L resists will be handy, there. As for damage, Fire damage is nice against the Rikti, as they don't resist it. For that setup, Fire as a secondary is better than Elec, I guess.


Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc:
Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory

 

Posted

WP / Elec should be fun if you like AoE farming (or actual tanking where you just want to hit as many targets as you can to keep them mad while others kill them ). My only real gripe with Electric Melee is that its AoEs tend to be focused on enemies in front of them... it's good for Brutes but Tanks get the AoE version of /Fire which is in my opinion better suited to being in the center of a pack (which is where WP is best). As long as you don't mind lots of minor position shifts it should be fun though... just more active than the WP/Fire strategy of "stand there spamming Combustion and FSC plus your ancillary AoE".


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