Shield/Mace would be my pick. Shield is extremely strong, particularly for Tanks and allows for some great damage buffing. Mace is fantastic for AoE, granted, on a Tank, it'll be awhile before you get the better AoEs and what-not (as opposed to Combustion at like level 4 on an Ice/Fire). And if you take things like Grant Cover, you also work as a fancy support buff for teammates. It's fairly entertaining and has a gratifying *crunch* factor in the powers.
As for Elec/DM... Eh... I don't really have any positive or negative opinions for it since I haven't tried ELA on a Tank but due to my experiences on a Scrapper and Brute, I'll pass.
In before the suggestion of Inv/SS because it's "iconic".
Blue: ~Knockback Squad on Guardian~
Red: ~Undoing of Virtue on [3 guesses]~
Out of your options offered, shield/mace would be a good choice (shield/ss would be slightly better). Mace has some heavy hitting aoe/cone attacks that keep things on their butts, and it pairs well with shields damage buff and shield charge.
Plus the nightstick and riot shield look good together.
Shield/Electric has been a lot of fun for me. Two self-teleporting AoE attacks make it easy to deal with the threat of close multiple spawns, and lots of multi target attacks make it easy to hold aggro. Shield is not the toughest primary, but it is quite adequately tough out of the box, and is just a few points shy of the soft cap when you add Weave and Combat Jumping.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
Shield mace is awesome - plus you don't have the dilema of wanting two auto powers like a shield/SS would.
Question: why not Shield/Axe? It's very similar to /Mace, trading knockdown for stun on some of the powers, and with slight differences in what level the hard-hitters are. I am currently enjoying my SD/Axe Tanker very much.
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
In no real order
Fire/SS - Fire in general is a great Solo set. Paired with SS it becomes an self contained damage machine. Teaming takes some more work but it is worth it for the flexibility
Shield/Elec - A very nice mix of solo and group capability. Double Tele-AoE and a wide array of multi-target attacks with an energy component. If you team a lot with a defender who can throw some +def your way it becomes a great tank in the lower levels, before you can push your own numbers up.
WP/Elec - Another good mix of solo and group capability. Lower levels are a breeze, and you can max out WP fairly quickly. The lack of a self-heal and heavy +def can hurt against some exotic damage types but a good team will counter that.
WP/SS - Similar to WP/Elec but fewer muilt-target attacks. Feels better suited to the team environment, especially once you get FootStomp going.
Well, I've only just started to play this game (just under a month now, including the 14 day free trial) and my main is a Shield/Mace tanker. I picked it more out of concept and so far found it to be a good combination. That seems to be the main theme for me this game... it doesn't matter what powersets I choose, what matters as far as initial staying power is coming up with a good character with a solid concept that I can get behind. 
I almost went with /Axe instead of /Mace, but I liked the Warhammer look with my toon best. The crunch sound you get when you hit is very gratifying!
~Arik Van der Saar
Champion
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Shield/Mace and Shield/Axe are both very good, and nicely high concept. My first shield tanker is Shield/Mace.|
Originally Posted by Victus75
I almost went with /Axe instead of /Mace, but I liked the Warhammer look with my toon best. The crunch sound you get when you hit is very gratifying!
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I would give Mace a slight edge over Axe in the higher levels. Now that their damage has been fairly much equalized, Mace's combination of stun and knockdown is more versatile than Axe's pure knockdown. An Axe tanker might want Char or a similar ranged hold in the 41+ levels. Mace gets Clobber in the secondary.
I still hope for Shield/Broadsword, because I want Parry in a tanker secondary.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
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Yes, I find that various combinations I've picked because they're "supposed to be good" go unplayed in favor of any character with a good concept/bio/costume/name, even if the powersets don't mesh as well.|
Originally Posted by Victus75
Well, I've only just started to play this game (just under a month now, including the 14 day free trial) and my main is a Shield/Mace tanker. I picked it more out of concept and so far found it to be a good combination. That seems to be the main theme for me this game... it doesn't matter what powersets I choose, what matters as far as initial staying power is coming up with a good character with a solid concept that I can get behind.
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Oh, and welcome to the game! Since you're new here, you may not be aware that mace's current surge in popularity (I teamed with two Shield/Mace Tankers and a Willpower/Mace just last night is partially a happy byproduct of improvements recently made to the set, which used to be woefully neglected because it was under-powered.
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
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While I get what you're saying, it's weird to me that Martial Arts' mix of knockdown, knockback, and stun is widely regarded as a knock against it, but you regard Mace's mix of knockdown and stun as a strength.
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Originally Posted by Heraclea
I would give Mace a slight edge over Axe in the higher levels. Now that their damage has been fairly much equalized, Mace's combination of stun and knockdown is more versatile than Axe's pure knockdown. An Axe tanker might want Char or a similar ranged hold in the 41+ levels. Mace gets Clobber in the secondary..
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If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
No real surprise that I am a big fan of WP / Stone Melee. It solos well, comes out of the box at lvl 1 hard and doesn't really let up. WP is fantastic for tankers as it makes you better with more bad guys around you ( a tankers job! ) Faults damage mitigation is team friendly and can make leveling fast as it combined with WPs regeneration/recovery = no down time. Reaching the defensive caps is a breeze. The knock against WP/Stone has been it's lack of taunt. I have come to this conclusion about that. I taunt just fine. If said bad guys are disoriented or on their butts it is = to or better than a taunt aura. In groups you only need to keep them occupied long enough for the DPSers to wipe em. Taunt and two faults gets nearly every group I've ever faced while teamed ( Malta and Carnies included .. speaking of Carnies .. Stone WP laughs at them .. seriously ) handled.
I've recently ( 2xp weekend ) created a Shield/Stone Melee that I've completely enjoyed so far.
Just my enf. from here outside the box 
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Actually, I consider the KD vs. Stun/KD issue to be one mostly of taste. Stun lasts longer, but some players hate the wander that comes with it.|
Originally Posted by Sailboat
While I get what you're saying, it's weird to me that Martial Arts' mix of knockdown, knockback, and stun is widely regarded as a knock against it, but you regard Mace's mix of knockdown and stun as a strength.
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Before Mace was buffed, Axe was pretty widely considered the better and certainly more damaging set of the two. Currently, Mace is demonstrably better in AoE and at least as good as Axe in ST capacity, due to changes in three powers:
Clobber vs. Swoop: Once a stun-only ST attack like Stun, Clobber now does more damage than Axe's highest damaging ST attack, Swoop. (2.92 vs. 2.28) Swoop has a 70% chance of KU, and Clobber a 100% chance of mag 3 Stun.
Shatter vs. Cleave: Both have 100% chance of KD, and of the two, Cleave does more damage. (2.76 vs. 2.28) However, Shatter has a much wider cone--45 degress vs. 20 degrees. Cleave has a higher target limit, 10 vs. 5, but in practice that doesn't help much because it's highly unlikely you'll be able to fit 10 targets in a 20 degree cone.
Crowd Control vs. Pendulum: Both are 180 degree cones, and Pendulum does slightly more damage (1.9 vs 1.61) The big difference is in the max targets, CC gets 10, for Pendulum it's 5. Since you certainly CAN hit 10 targets with a 180 degree cone, this makes a very significant difference in the AoE capacity of the sets. In addition, CC has a 100% chance for KD, and Pendulum 50%.
Hope that helps!
My Characters
Knight Court--A CoH Story Complete 2/3/2012
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I started a thread about this when planning a shield tanker. The consensus was that Mace is *SLIGHTLY* (very slightly) better. Given that it wasn't a big difference, I ended up going with Axe due to concept and costume reasons (Ironblade uses an edged weapon - broadsword; and I think the axes look cooler than the maces).|
Originally Posted by Sailboat
Question: why not Shield/Axe? It's very similar to /Mace, trading knockdown for stun on some of the powers, and with slight differences in what level the hard-hitters are. I am currently enjoying my SD/Axe Tanker very much.
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P.S. Shield/Axe was a fun combo. I was very happy with the character. I IO'ed him and got all his defenses in the range of 49-51%. Got him to 50 in short order and started a new one. My current tank is dark/dark and is level 38.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
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Martial Arts gets its knockback attached to its big, early attack, the one you aren't going to want or postpone or skip. And it's knockback, not knockdown. You will end up chasing mobs over the map or into the next spawn over. This is unhelpful.|
Originally Posted by Sailboat
While I get what you're saying, it's weird to me that Martial Arts' mix of knockdown, knockback, and stun is widely regarded as a knock against it, but you regard Mace's mix of knockdown and stun as a strength.
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Stun can cause issues for Willpower tankers, and generally doesn't help Fire tankers (Fire/Axe > Fire Mace). On the other hand, it is guaranteed to stop a mob from acting for as long as it lasts, and especially in the 40+ game this is important. Knockdown may not last long enough for a tanker to kill that Sapper. An Axe tanker may need to work in Char or something similar. Mace has it taken care of.
<《 New Colchis / Guides / Mission Architect 》>
"At what point do we say, 'You're mucking with our myths'?" - Harlan Ellison
Quote:
Awesome, that is the same reason why I ended up with /Mace with my tanker, I thought it looked better with concept, but it was a close decision to make with /axe. I might try and roll a BS/Shield scrapper as a kin concept to my Tanker, or create Shield/Axe Tanker. Anyway, I am glad it seems the differences are minor enough to choose on aesthetics over which is "better".
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Originally Posted by Ironblade
Given that it wasn't a big difference, I ended up going with Axe due to concept and costume reasons (Ironblade uses an edged weapon - broadsword; and I think the axes look cooler than the maces).
P.S. Shield/Axe was a fun combo. I was very happy with the character. I IO'ed him and got all his defenses in the range of 49-51%. Got him to 50 in short order and started a new one. My current tank is dark/dark and is level 38. |
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It's the difference in size on the AoEs. War Mace's attacks are all larger (except for Whirling * in both sets being equal sized...and WM having more damage amusingly enough) and even though the cones are marginally weaker on Mace, they're easier to maximize against a group. You wouldn't think that extra foot of radius makes such a difference but it really seems to.
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Originally Posted by Ironblade
I started a thread about this when planning a shield tanker. The consensus was that Mace is *SLIGHTLY* (very slightly) better. Given that it wasn't a big difference, I ended up going with Axe due to concept and costume reasons (Ironblade uses an edged weapon - broadsword; and I think the axes look cooler than the maces).
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Blue: ~Knockback Squad on Guardian~
Red: ~Undoing of Virtue on [3 guesses]~
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The greater radius of Shatter does indeed make a difference, but the fact that Crowd Control can hit twice as many targets as Pendulum also makes a very big difference.
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Originally Posted by LostHalo
It's the difference in size on the AoEs. War Mace's attacks are all larger (except for Whirling * in both sets being equal sized...and WM having more damage amusingly enough) and even though the cones are marginally weaker on Mace, they're easier to maximize against a group. You wouldn't think that extra foot of radius makes such a difference but it really seems to.
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My Characters
Knight Court--A CoH Story Complete 2/3/2012
Hrm, didn't know that Pendulum only hits 5. That seems out of synch with other cones. And since Cleave apparently affects 10 targets (weirdly), does that raise any faint possibility the limitation on Pendulum is the result of an error? Logically, Cleave would be 5 andf Pendulum 10 targets. Is there any chance this might get looked at/fixed eventually?
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
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Didn't even realize that. That seems like an oversight.
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Originally Posted by Finduilas
The greater radius of Shatter does indeed make a difference, but the fact that Crowd Control can hit twice as many targets as Pendulum also makes a very big difference.
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Blue: ~Knockback Squad on Guardian~
Red: ~Undoing of Virtue on [3 guesses]~
Well, my only 50 tank is a Stone/Ice. He was/is a great team tank. Atm, i'm working on an Inv/SS tank.
He seems very fun. He's 26 as we speek and has yet to die. I often get SSK up to my wifes 50 to team and we took down 2 AV's the other day with ease. I was able to hold agro and damage for her.
As far as Electric tank. I run with a good friend on CoH and he has one. He's in his 40's and when teaming with him, all he ever says is, "Man, i LOVE this tank." lol. I think a tank that can drain opponents endurance is as good as a good taunt on a tank. When you have BOTH, man.
I just started an Electric/Dark Tank last night.
Only up to level 5 at the moment but it's fun and it's potential is pretty damn high.
It kills pretty fast with Shadow Punch, Smite, and Electric Field.
When it's all said and done your looking at extremely high resistances...mid level defense (up to 20% defense to all on my build in Mids) plus Dark's tohit debuffs...Siphon Life's heal...Energize...and Power Sink.
I also have another build planned with softcapped s/l defenses.
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Here are the relevent patch notes from Issue 13:|
Originally Posted by Sailboat
Hrm, didn't know that Pendulum only hits 5. That seems out of synch with other cones. And since Cleave apparently affects 10 targets (weirdly), does that raise any faint possibility the limitation on Pendulum is the result of an error? Logically, Cleave would be 5 andf Pendulum 10 targets. Is there any chance this might get looked at/fixed eventually?
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12/2/08
ยท War Mace set Changes:
o Shatter - Reduce Max Targets from 10 to 5
o Crowd Control - Increase Max Targets from 5 to 10
This supports what I recall; both Shatter and Cleave were orignally set to 10 targets and CC/Pendulum were sent set to 5. It got changed for WM during the great War Mace Buff of '08, but not for Axe. Whether the fact that BA was not changed was due to an oversight or to a decision to make Mace better at AoE, only the devs can say.
My Characters
Knight Court--A CoH Story Complete 2/3/2012
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Originally Posted by Sailboat
Hrm, didn't know that Pendulum only hits 5. That seems out of synch with other cones. And since Cleave apparently affects 10 targets (weirdly), does that raise any faint possibility the limitation on Pendulum is the result of an error? Logically, Cleave would be 5 andf Pendulum 10 targets. Is there any chance this might get looked at/fixed eventually?
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Castle's view of war mace was that it would stand out as an aoe weapon set, which is why CC's max targets were increased from 5 to 10 on 12/2/08 (shatters m/t cone was reduced from 10 to 5 to balance -note just looked up and noticed Find pointed that out earlier-).
The 8th and 9th tier attacks for axe have always done more damage then the mace equivalents, Shatter 101.43 - rech 12s
Cleave 122.79 - rech 15s, Crowd Control 71.63 - rech 12s
Pendulum 84.53 - rech 15s, respectively.
The rest of the two sets are virtually identical, aside for clobber which had it's damage scale increased to 2.29 and it's base endurance cost pushed to 15.18 to compensate.
It also had it's duration of stun reduced from scale 10 to 5, while swoop still has a 70% knockup chance, which makes it a more reliable damage mitigator.
Axe does slightly more st damage over mace, and nearly all attacks do some form of k/d, which tend to be more reliable as damage mitigation than mace's disorients, and war mace has a moderate edge in number of aoe/cone attacks over axe, which makes both of them pretty balanced as is imo.
You and your team will not notice what little differences there are between a WM and Axe.
Hiya, have a ice/fire tank currently at lvl 42. Love her and fun as hell to play. But now I'm planning my next tank when ice/fire is done. leaning towards: elec/dm, inv/ss or shield/mace.
Looking for something that decent to solo with and team. Love my ice/fire because of the aoe, soloability and utility powers. Looking for something similar but not so squishy.
Any help or suggestions would be great