Differences between a scrapper and a tanker

What is the difference between a Firey Melee/Firey Aura scrapper, and a Firey Aura/Firey Melee tanker?

Im assuming that the scrapper does more damage but is more vulnerable to attacks, and the tanker does less damage but is harder to kill.

Yeah, short version is Scrapper does more damage, Tanker takes more damage (also Tanker has better aggro control).

Scrapper:
Significantly higher base damage with each attack.
Chance for a critical hit with each attack.
Gets the Fiery Melee powers at an earlier level.

Tanker:
Built in taunt effect with each attack.
More hitpoints (which also means self-heals like Healing Flames will heal for more, being a % of max hitpoints).
Higher resistance values from the Fiery Aura powers (and any pool powers, like Tough).
Higher resistance cap.
Higher defense values and cap (Fiery Aura doesn't give defense though).
Gets the Fiery Aura powers at an earlier level.


I think that's everything. Possibly one of them gets better values from Build Up and Fiery Embrace, but I'm not sure.

The tanker will have better AoE damage since it has Combustion, while Scrapper fire melee has an ST attack (Cremate) in place of the same power.

Taunt for Tankers is an AOE that also applies a -75% range to all targets. This allows you to clump spawns better than any AT in the game.

Scrappers get Confront, which is a single target taunt while applying the -range.

(For reference, Brutes have a hybrid of the two, recieving a full AoE taunt like the Tank, but just a single target -range like the Scrapper.)

The only other significant difference is that tanker fire melee and scrapper melee have a couple different powers.

Tankers get combustion which is a PbAOE.
Scrappers get Cremate, which is single target.

All other powers are the same.

Are you asking about the powersets or the ATs?

All of the above is true, but IMHO it comes down more to the differences in the Inherents.

A Scrapper will Critical occasionally, which will add really good burst damage to his already high damage. In other words, occasionally a foe will just fall over dead with only a few of the hits it usually takes.

A Tanker has Gauntlet. This is a basically passive ability that draws all enemy attention to the Tanker, even when he's solo. It's as if he's running around shouting, "Come get me, weaklings!" with every punch.

The Tanker's lack of damage in his Inherent, and his much higher hit points are really the factor that makes the Tanker the tougher of the two, and the Scrapper the more damaging of the two. Although there is the order of the Power Sets, the Brute on the villain side also tends to be tougher in general than the Scrapper, and he has the same power order. So while the balance between offense and defense can be "tweaked" with IOs and your choice of powers, the Inherent always really sets the "feel" for the way your character acts in a battle. Or so I feel.

In general:

Tankers are mostly concerned with keeping the team alive.
Scrappers (and Brutes) are mostly concerned with making the enemy dead.

-DR