Post by Corathus, Srsly on Jan 5, 2012 5:12:12 GMT -5
Intro to Vanguard/Powertech Tanking Guide
^^^ READ THIS ^^^
The information in there is very valuable.
Vanguards, right now, are sitting in a weird spot for PvE. At end game, they're a little squishier than their Guardian cousins because of the lack of raw damage mitigation that Guardians get coupled with Guardians having more oh-shits and generally, a more consistent tanking experience once they get all of their tools. It doesn't mean Vanguards are by any means bad tanks. Quite the opposite, in fact. Most of the problems a Vanguard tank might face will only really be relevant in ops anyway... so that pretty much excludes 99% of this server.
Since Vanguards don't get much in the way of passive damage reduction and their major 'oh shit' cooldown only gives them 25%, they're going to have to focus on their other strengths: that is block, or as this game calls it, 'shielding.' Vanguards get more natural shielding than a Guardian does through talents, and will probably want to itemize hard for it and absorption. It makes Vanguard tanking a bit more RNG-y, since you're relying more on blocks to mitigate your damage than simple, passive reduction, but at least you'll get them more often. Theoretically, that should even out the curve, but if MMOs have taught me anything, it probably won't.
I'll expand more, but for now, read the link in this post for the basics of vanguard tanking - even if you aren't a vanguard. It'll give you a good idea on how we do things in a group so you know what you can and can't get away with. It also explains what the defensive stats do, but I'll expand more on it in the future.
^^^ READ THIS ^^^
The information in there is very valuable.
Vanguards, right now, are sitting in a weird spot for PvE. At end game, they're a little squishier than their Guardian cousins because of the lack of raw damage mitigation that Guardians get coupled with Guardians having more oh-shits and generally, a more consistent tanking experience once they get all of their tools. It doesn't mean Vanguards are by any means bad tanks. Quite the opposite, in fact. Most of the problems a Vanguard tank might face will only really be relevant in ops anyway... so that pretty much excludes 99% of this server.
Since Vanguards don't get much in the way of passive damage reduction and their major 'oh shit' cooldown only gives them 25%, they're going to have to focus on their other strengths: that is block, or as this game calls it, 'shielding.' Vanguards get more natural shielding than a Guardian does through talents, and will probably want to itemize hard for it and absorption. It makes Vanguard tanking a bit more RNG-y, since you're relying more on blocks to mitigate your damage than simple, passive reduction, but at least you'll get them more often. Theoretically, that should even out the curve, but if MMOs have taught me anything, it probably won't.
I'll expand more, but for now, read the link in this post for the basics of vanguard tanking - even if you aren't a vanguard. It'll give you a good idea on how we do things in a group so you know what you can and can't get away with. It also explains what the defensive stats do, but I'll expand more on it in the future.
