Good question...I JUST rolled one and I am curious myself. I hope im not gunning too much on offense here. I like ice melee and I figured maybe burn would compliment ice patch nicely. I didn't want to take stone armor like every other tanker.
Are you nuts? Yes, yes you are... But it's a Good kind of nuts!
Fire/Ice is popular for just that reason, and there have been many studies on what the best Ice powers for the combo are. Search around, particularly in the Guides section, and you'll find plenty of feedback.
Be Well!
Fireheart
New-look Burn no longer has the "avoid" mechanic, so the Ice Patch is not necessary any more to keep them trapped in Burn.
However, it's excellent mitigation that helps beef up Fiery Aura, so don't let the change to Burn deter you.
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
I agree with what most of the other posters have said, and I agree with Sail that if you're looking for the Ice Patch to keep the goons the Burn Patch it's probably no longer necessary/as necessary as it has been post I5. But it does provide an additional layer of damage mitigation (layers = good). And you could always respect for more Single Target Damage if/once you get your Defenses up.
So, if it looks like a fun combo and/or you have a concept you want to go with, I'd say go for it.
If you want to give it a look before you try, Tanker Tuesdays are a good place to go.
Tanker Tuesdays: Meet in King's Row by IP Gate 6pm PT9pm ET.
1st Tuesday on Champion, 2nd Tuesday on Justice
3rd Tuesdays (Odd months) Freedom, (Even months) Virtue, 4th Tuesday, Tour, Server TBA
Brutal Thrashing Thursdays: Justice (ask Papa Slade when),meet in RWZ 6pm PT9pm ET.
fire/ice totally is a great thing!
with the buff they got a while back and damage in frozen aura. its a great idea to do..i already have one at 50..and although i dont play him as much as my fire/fire (which clearly is my true love)
fire/ice rocks the house....slippin and sliding!
thanks for the replies 
i have a fire/fire/pyre tank at 50 & an ice/ice tank at 33, so i figured i'd try mixing the sets.
edit - i'm gonna go out on a limb here & guess that ice/fire is fun as well?
most recent 50 - psy/mm blaster
Ice/Fire is my only tank, my first 50, my first IO'ed toon, my first love of defense sets. More of a Scranker feel to the set, Ice/ has enough mitigation on its own that you can welcome /fire's extra damage without worrying.
I really can't say enough good things about the combo. I took mine out again recently, and then cooked up a mid's build that includes perma-hoarfrost at the new HP cap, some psi def, and Darkest Night to help mitigation vs. Ice's weak spots. I look forward to creating it in-game.
50s:
Grimmloch, Tactically Delicious, Ugly Frankie, Operative Tracker, CryoFurnace, Professional Help, Silver Sphinx, Aries Knight, Tachyon Aegis, Jade Sphinx
Currently building:
Any one of half a dozen alts!
Please see my sig for my take on Ice Melee. And yeah, Fire/Ice used to be a popular combo for the Ice Patch+Burn trick. Of course, just because Burn got buffed doesn't mean the combo lost any of its luster.
Seriously, BU + FE + Burn + FA + Frost? Pure & utter win.
An Offensive Guide to Ice Melee
something else to look at is fire/stone. I have a fire/ice at 50 (since I4) and an ice/stone (50 since I6 or so and before defense scaling)
If you are looking at mitigation, then stone is better than ice. Ice patch only affects 5 enemies at a time. Fault and Tremor both affect 10, both have kd, and Fault has the stun. Seismic Smash is better than Frozen Touch, though it comes much later.
Ice does have better AoE, with FA and Frost. Stone has way better single target damage than ice could ever imagine. With Burn now, you get the AoE damage. Consume will help quite a bit on the end heavy attacks of stone.
YMMV---IMO
Ice Ember
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bench
edit - i'm gonna go out on a limb here & guess that ice/fire is fun as well?
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Yes, before the Burn lovin', I would have recommended Ice/Fire over Fire/Ice.
Oh and to answer your threads question "Am I nuts?", yes, but all Fire Tankers are.
Tanker Tuesdays: Meet in King's Row by IP Gate 6pm PT9pm ET.
1st Tuesday on Champion, 2nd Tuesday on Justice
3rd Tuesdays (Odd months) Freedom, (Even months) Virtue, 4th Tuesday, Tour, Server TBA
Brutal Thrashing Thursdays: Justice (ask Papa Slade when),meet in RWZ 6pm PT9pm ET.
i was thinking that Burn + Blazing Aura + Ice Patch would be fun.
do any of you tanking gurus have experience with this combo?
most recent 50 - psy/mm blaster