well, there's a couple different ways you could go.
The flavor of the month strategy is Defensive.
EM is heavy on the single target attacks, so there's loads of powers to slot in Touch of Death or Kinetic Combat and work towards a defensive soft-cap.The other strategy is HP Cap / Recharge.
Reaching a defensive soft-cap on a resist based armor is kinda... I don't want to say pointless since I've got a Dark Armor / Energy Melee that is soft-capped... but enemies such as the Rularuu, Arachnos, Rikti, and Devouring Earth can quickly make that soft-cap rather pointless. Without some defense debuff resistance, you either need to be way over the soft-cap to retain soft-cap, or you won't be retaining soft-cap in a fight.
Sets like Titanium Coating will give you a +hp buff with only 3 IO's each.
Sets like Crushing Impact have 5% +recharges and 1.13% +HP, as well as an accuracy boost, so you can slot out Barrage, Bone Smasher, Energy Transfer, and Total Focus with those.
Doctored Wounds also has a 5% recharge component, so slotting that out puts you at the 5% recharge cap.
If you take the travel power set combat jumping, fighting pool's weave, leaderships maneuvers, and vengeance, you'll also have a number of powers you can put the LoTG 7.5% recharge proc on, two of which you could do without using up any additional slots (Combat Jumping and Vengeance). Luck of the Gambler's 3 slot boost is 1.13% HP, while you'll already be close to capped on with Crushing Impact.
For your two PBAOE powers, Whirling Hands and Lighting Field, run with the Eradication set for the HP boost.
The Stupify Set includes a 6.25% recharge and a 1.88% hp boost, so that takes care of your melee Stun attack.
For Power Sink, go with Performance Shifter for it's 1.88% hp boost.
For the epics, take a turn to the Villain side and unlock Ghost Widows Patron Power set: http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Soul_Mas...ute_.2F_Tanker
Personally I would say take Soul Tentacles and Slot it with Positron's blast for the 6.25% recharge, as well as to make up some of the lack of AOE damage energy melee has..
then pick up Darkest Night and slot it with Cloud Senses for another 6.25% recharge. Darkest Night also works well with Resist sets because it has a -damage component.
The HP / Recharge method will make your build more predictable and less reliant on the sheer luck of the random number generator. It will also drive Energize to recharge more often, and the more HP you have, the larger benefit Energize will return back to you when it's up and running.
If you haven't rolled already, I highly recommend super strength rather than energy melee. It's all-around a better set, and you'll find Foot Stomp to be generally similar to Dragon's Tail.
I try not to poopoo on any power sets, but I find that energy melee is underwhelming on a tank. If you need it for the flavor and aren't happy with super strength, then by all means go for it, but you're not going to get the same numbers out of it that you will with super strength, and the slight extra utility with the stunning isn't really enough to be worthwhile, especially with electric armor. Plus the knock up and knock down that SS has will keep the baddies in your damage aura, while it's really annoying when stunned mobs wander away...
Really, if you have a damage aura, SS is pretty much superior to EM for that last reason alone, imo. But, as always, ymmv.
Edit: Also, you should know that my favorite part of an electric armor tank: Farming Malta.
new to tanking so not exactly sure how this is supposed to work. been a scrap, brute, and stalker since i joined the game years ago (30 month vet) but only been able to tolerate tanks till about lvl 10. I always admired them at higher lvls for doing things no other class could hope to do unless on a FOTM build.
decided to make the closest thing i cud find to my beloved MA/EA scrapper. an EA/EM tank. any tips and suggestions on how to build him up would be helpful. all critiques are welcomed but hell only went EM because everyone is riding SS nuts
HELP ME!!!