Depends on the AV.
In general: both.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
Depends on how challenged one doesn't want to be combined with how one visualizes their tank.
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.
The best powerset is your play style and how well you can adjust it for each AV.
@Rylas
Kill 'em all. Let XP sort 'em out.
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That's a very loaded question for two reasons:|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
What is the best Powersets for tanking AVs? Is it defense based or resistance based? And Why?
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1) Not all AVs are equal. AVs can be chumps like Vandal or powerhouses like Recluse. They can deal purely s/l damage like Battlemaiden or purely psi damage like Barracuda, or a mix of damage types like the Honoree (smash/energy/psi). This is important because while Granite can shrug off common damage types, psi will still pierce it.
2) Are we talking SOs, IOs, or "2 billion inf" builds? You can take a set that may be a bit weaker on just SOs that is just stellar with them.
My opinion is that for tanking AVs, mixed sets are the best performers. Sets that are mainly defense with little resistance are more susceptible to unlucky streaks from the RNG. Sets that are primarily resistance based have a smaller (or no) base to build defense off of, making it harder for them to reach survivability of sets with defense. (It's also harder to get +res from buffers than it is to get +def.) Mixed sets have a defense which makes stacking +def from IOs easier while having res/+maxhp to blunt incoming attacks that get through the RNG.
--edit--
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Originally Posted by Rylas
The best powerset is your play style and how well you can adjust it for each AV.
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And now that the necessary caveats have been listed, can I just actually give an answer that will be correct in the vast majority of cases?
It's Stone Armor. Strong defense, strong resistance, strong regeneration, strong protection against mez and end drain, a strong heal with +HP, and an autohit taunt aura that also immobilizes, slows, and damages. Anything that will kill a Stone will kill the hell out of at least half the other sets.
@SPTrashcan
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Lol. I hate Granite. I have a couple 50 tanks, and a few 40s. I got my Granite to 35 before I could not run it anymore. That feeling of being in a constant debuff state just kills me.
Is Invulnerability a good choice instead? I have seen a build guide (expensive but doable) that seems to push defense and looks nice.
Also, for a secondary I was thinking mace for more AoE agro. Any thoughts?
Invuln is good, Mace is good. TBH I wouldn't think about it much, just do 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.
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Nothing at all wrong with Invuln; with moderate IO investment (haven't priced it recently but it was in the $30 million range a couple of issues ago... still should be under $150 mil) it's second only to Stone. There's nothing in the game I haven't tanked with CMA, and very little that's really dangerous.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
Lol. I hate Granite. I have a couple 50 tanks, and a few 40s. I got my Granite to 35 before I could not run it anymore. That feeling of being in a constant debuff state just kills me.
Is Invulnerability a good choice instead? I have seen a build guide (expensive but doable) that seems to push defense and looks nice. Also, for a secondary I was thinking mace for more AoE agro. Any thoughts? |
An AOE secondary is helpful of course... Stone Melee offers a ton of mitigation and good AOE aggro, but weaker AOE damage. Mace is somewhat similar. Fire of course is the classic AOE monster offering a ton of damage and no mitigation... Electric Melee looks to be an attractive alternative though.
Invuln's strong enough that the secondary isn't going to make or break the set so the choice is up to you.
COH has just been murdered by NCSoft. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes
Would Invul/Dark be good? I seem to remember I have a 37th level one languishing on Freedom. I have a 40 Dark/Invul Brute at 40, and was so impressed I thought it would make a great tank build.
Has okay AoE for grabbing agro. (Especially with decent rech bumps) Dark melee has a health powerup and an endurance powerup. These can hit AVs if you slot them correctly. I especially like the end powerup. My first 50 is a SS/Invul brute. Wow, end issues.
Oh, one other thing. Should I not take Unstoppable? My thoughts are this 1) I hate the crash, really hate it. 2) With the right I/Os it looks like Resistance can be capped easily for smash/lethal, and good resistance elsewhere. Along with decent defenses, especially with the right I/Os.
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Well, I've never played a DM character so I don't have any real experience with the set. However in looking over the powers I don't see any reason it shouldn't work out just fine. A bit more single target biased than some sets since the AOE's seem to be on lengthy timers but you should be able to handle aggro easily since Invuln has a really good aura.|
Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion
Would Invul/Dark be good? I seem to remember I have a 37th level one languishing on Freedom. I have a 40 Dark/Invul Brute at 40, and was so impressed I thought it would make a great tank build.
Has okay AoE for grabbing agro. (Especially with decent rech bumps) Dark melee has a health powerup and an endurance powerup. These can hit AVs if you slot them correctly. I especially like the end powerup. My first 50 is a SS/Invul brute. Wow, end issues. Oh, one other thing. Should I not take Unstoppable? My thoughts are this 1) I hate the crash, really hate it. 2) With the right I/Os it looks like Resistance can be capped easily for smash/lethal, and good resistance elsewhere. Along with decent defenses, especially with the right I/Os. |
Unstoppable is a power that I found situational but useful... before issue 13 when I soft capped my tanker. After I pushed my S/L/E/N def to 45% (and the F/C into the mid-30's) I retained Unstoppable in my build for two whole issues "just in case". Well, I didn't use the power a single time in all of issue 13 or 14 so when I last respec'd I dropped it altogether.
Based on that, if you're building for the soft cap you won't need Unstoppable... if you're well below 45% defense then you may find it useful. It's a build decision you'll need to evaluate yourself.
COH has just been murdered by NCSoft. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes
What is the best Powersets for tanking AVs? Is it defense based or resistance based? And Why?