Tanker Damage

If I want to maximize tanker damage, am I better off Frankenslotting than actually going for sets. So like thinking ACC/DAM, with some RECH and ENDRED thrown in as well for 6 slotting powers.

It was a general question. Thinking of a SS/Shield, or SS/Invul tanker. I only have 1 tank going now, but tanks are my favorite to play.

Didn't know that the secondary would make a difference.

The secondary for a tank is the damage. Primary is the Defense. Different power sets all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some are stronger than others for damage.

If you like how a tank plays, but you want more damage, have you considered a Brute? More damage and decent defenses as well. Scrappers could also hit that as well in some cases.

Frankenslotting does not usually give significantly better enhancement values than slotting sets. In fact, considering how set bonuses add up over your build, it tends to be worse. Frankenslotting is most useful for low-budget builds and for powers that need a lot of aspects enhanced (Siphon Life needs acc/dam/end/rech/heal, for example, and no single set provides all of those things).

Plus, many attack sets give their most desirable bonuses at 4-5 slots, so you can put whatever in the last slot or two to round out whatever the set doesn't enhance sufficiently.

There's a huge difference in damage with your choice of secondary. With the exception of certain powers such as Against All Odds, your primary doesn't really impact how much damage you do as a Tanker all that much. A large chunk of a Tanker's damage usually comes from a damage aura and so if you choose a primary that lacks a damage aura, that could be a factor as well.

Far and away the biggest factor is going to be the secondary you choose, as this will dictate how many AOE damage powers you have, how many single-target powers you have, and generally what you'll be good at damage-wise. You seem set on Super Strength as a secondary since both of your options are */SS, and Rage will certainly up your damage output considerably.

If you're looking to maximize damage output and you're set on making Super Strength your secondary then I'd recommend Shield since Against All Odds will add even more to your damage and Shield Charge will give you some extra AOE.

Well as it stands now, I am thinking of two combos, both involving SS. One would either be shield, or one would be Invul.

But SS is going to be the secondary for my tank.

Most people go for at least some set bonuses, especially Defense and Recharge.

If your damage is maxed out (and other stats are good) but you still have a slot empty, throw a damage proc in there (like Chance for Lethal damage from Mako's Bite, or Chance for Psi damage from Perfect Zinger). These especially make a difference on low damage attacks like Jab.

Other ideas.

Leadership pool - Assault for a small damage boost to all powers. that pool also has Manuevers for a defense boost.

At Incarnate levels - T4 Musculature can do some serious good if your build can spare the benefits of the more well rounded Alphas.

Unless you are constrained by budget, Full Sets, and plenty of them, ALWAYS trump Frankenslotting. There are only a very few specific powers where that is not true, in my experience. If Frankenslotting at least use 2 or 3 form a single set to get some bonuses.

One thing to add to your damage is to slot damage procs in your first tier attack. Since you have to take it at creation and you want to use it alot to keep up Bruising having it slotted with damage procs (even if only the dmg proc from the taunt set) you can raise the potential damage value of that weakest of attacks.