Disclaimer: I reply to this by my own volition, and does not translate the views or disposition of Resurgum as a guild. We had some good matches, and with the composition we had (in contrast to the more competitive arena past) on PoT5, it was the best we could manage. I, however, don't recall who you are, or why you're trying to blatantly mock me? So, to introduce myself, I'm Caroth: http://i.imgur.com/hPNq9BL.jpg?1 http://imgur.com/eqVwetf http://imgur.com/CdJbdyi http://imgur.com/1n02itk http://imgur.com/sASDyCN http://imgur.com/yDtyHjR Here's the specialization I've used since launch: http://imgur.com/refdTV1 My gear apportionment: http://imgur.com/CCLphk7 Just a few personality traits: I don't tolerate unprecedented insults or misguided spats towards friends or kin. It's a game, 100% not necessary. I'll respect all players until they try to put on an era of superiority towards decent people they'll never have the chance to meet or get to know due to their oblivious, haughty nature. If I need to defend my stance, I will. I'm competitive (If you can find better, show me, I implore you in all honesty). Regardless, I hope to see you guys around for the next month; I'll be done after August due to college starting up.

It's been a long while since I've been on, so just now updating. Caroth: Lifetime everything, I suppose. http://imgur.com/ZxcFsZv Highest Rank (Solo): 2508 (http://www.swtor.com/leaderboards/class/vanguard-powertech) Under Season 1 Thanks!

I honestly do agree with you on the fact that the defensive capabilities need to be dispersed more wisely. From my experience in 4v4 ranked team scenarios, I do find that these AP tanks are priority #1 for single target focus, and in most cases they melt rapidly provided efficient CCs of the healer. However, I've been 37/7/2 practically since launch on my Vanguard/PT for PvE and PvP tanking purposes. What I'm finding is, regardless of the conventional mitigation chances in consideration of guard splash damage, the 16% defense, 35% shield, and 50% absorb I attain are essentially useless in scenarios in which the opposing group focuses the tank with armor penetration or DoTs. Sure, there's oil slick, yet melee can just relocate, and ranged don't even have to worry about it. Reactive Shield's 25% dmg reduction with a 13% up time is nice, when it's rarely available. The shoulder cannon heal I have is hardly noticeable in a situation where dpsers yielding 800-1300 dps are focusing, and Adrenaline Rush is on a three minute cooldown after possibly healing for at most 30% of my health. Is it truly logical, when adjacent tank classes have such a wide array of utility cool downs (50% defense chance cool downs, 50% damage reduction cool downs, immunity to tech and force for 4 seconds, complete reflection to tech and force for 3-5s, stealth, a 30ish meter escape teleport, 1/3 health increases for around 20 seconds), to merely give a legitimate tank spec 25% damage reduction and momentary, minor heals? Seeing dps have more defensive passives and cool downs in relation to the tank tree is a bit puzzling. -Hochschirm, PoT5 -Caroth, JC

For PvP, endurance augments for the more durable health pool in terms of the damage siphoned off with guarding. For PvE, my preference is shield augments, but you could also argue that defense would be a viable option. If you have an item with heavy absorption, keep it until you have a better alternative or mods of either shielding or defense, don't worry about power in terms of PvE.

1. I'm not going to agree that using an ammo regeneration cooldown ASAP is a bright idea considering you'd be above 66% regeneration at the beginning of the fight, and you're just wasting it. You should only use it to maintain greater than 66% ammo for the highest amount of regeneration possible, and for no other reason. 2. Not stacking defense is preference, I've never heard a complaint from healers in NiM progression due to it. I've actually respec'd into the defense talent and swapped some mods around, which is how I'm situated today, and haven't noticed much of a difference in terms of overall damage taken per second on fights such as Dash'roode NiM (1500). 3. Yes, really. I'm sorry to break it to you, but damage in PvP does expound on the potential effectiveness of your specialization in PvE, it's quite a basic concept. So considering the validity in my preference of not using the shameful ability that I could see as only beneficial to handicapped tanks who have no situational awareness, the proof is disclosed, so please refute my claim with proof that shows more effectiveness, I welcome it. The slow you miss out on is provided by high impact bolt, the threat you miss out on is supplemented by actual knowledge of your other aoes, and you don't have to be worrying about being in the complete center of the group. I don't need to analyze the tanking tree to know whether or not an ability is useful (as a note, guard cannon is spec'd into for the shoulder cannon heal and threat increase, as shown in my link). So, seriously, let's take a look at your superior statistics, and perhaps my perception of my talent distribution could be changed.

http://i.imgur.com/j2NLpiv.jpg - Standard Warzone http://imgur.com/t5pTy34 - Ranked Warzone Performed with the following specialization of 37/7/2 http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GRGrdorR0dRRZMcMZb.3 I haven't checked this thread in a while, yet the way the class should be played hasn't been changed. Just thought I should submit this for those that still don't believe it's a credible foundation. If you can't take my word for it at this point, you, unfortunately, are oblivious.

A tad bit of refinement from my preceding set. PvE - http://imgur.com/BQFlDUj&NPDz8A1 PvP - http://imgur.com/cbxL9Ol

Section: 300k+ Protection/Damage and Damage Taken/Death Class: Vanguard Rank: 1 and 1 Name: Caroth Record: 1111087 Damage/1018325 Protection and 1027132 Damage Taken/0 Deaths Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/j2NLpiv.jpg (provided by F'Shep).

Bah, haven't been on the forums in months so hadn't noticed. Appreciated, haha.

Overall Protection Protection/Damage +300k http://imgur.com/t5pTy34

If you'd like to go off that mindset let's also make a grand generalization that all "good" or "competitive" teams LoS ranged damage dealers around the multitude of structures provided to make their contribution void. Perhaps even that all "good" or "competitive" teams spread out as soon as they see a smash specialist. The only problem with these generalizations that are a hindrance to most PvPers, is that teams fail to execute ALL of these measures simultaneously for a majority of the time. You will not be in a 1v8 scenario with all of their minds set on interrupting you, because they're focused on distributing attention among your other teammates, if they're "good" or "competitive". I've already stated and PROVEN with various recounts the undeniable benefits of actually utilizing such AoE and would rather not try to describe colors to the blind yet again. I expect people to attempt to disprove what I'm stating. That's because I haven't seen a Vanguard contribute as much output as I have, and people get touchy when they're being told they're doing something that's less efficient, even if it ultimately helps them. If you'd like to remain stagnant and never improve, only to whine on the forums about how you need to be buffed rather than adapt to what's provided, by all means, guys/gals. I'm not saying this is the "right" way, I'm saying it's a better way than the alternative, only hoping some people would take from this what they need to not be as lacking.

That opinion may be from the roots of one's bad positioning. Regardless of whether or not you face a competent team, it relies on how you are with instinctive positioning and how vulnerable you make them with stuns, or how well you take advantage of your team's provided CC. If you're standing in the middle of four enemies and expect to get a mortar volley and pulse cannon off, you'll definitely be brought down without a doubt. Which is why, if you're brought into a situation where there are more than two enemies, you start with the aoes that are more subtle from range, then converge with your more powerful AoEs using your CCs when it serves it's purpose best. I'm not saying you'll take down a group of healers and tanks by yourself, nobody can do that. The point is, your aoe is the best out there, so why waste it by tunneling on one specific person when all of those AoEs are at your disposal? The majority of my dps as a tank, ranging 700-950 most high intensity matches is due to solely AoEing at opportune times. I know without a doubt in my mind, if one were to utilize as much aoe as I do in Power/Surge gear with yet another aoe at their disposal, the dps would be dramatically high. I don't believe that aoe dps is wasted by any means. Most of the time, people scatter when there's an aoe under their feet. If they don't soak 5-8k damage from that channel, they've just wasted 2-3s of activity and/or withdrawing from aoe heals by relocating (Obviously do not refer to all classes/specs with this statement). There are more compounded effects they face when they've got aoe burst consistently on them, rather than being just another single target tunneling powertech the enemy team taunts and CCs regardless because they're within their melee range. Just what I've seen that works best in my experience.

I find this quite amusing. All I have to say to this is, unless you have some viable proof you'd like to present showing that you can actually perform more efficiently, is that you, my friend, are wrong. I never said I don't aoe and only tab, as multitasking (AoEing while selecting a target that may be of heightened priority as dps may switch targets, as much a hardship as that sounds) is not complicated. If you'd like to argue about how you tank in Hard Modes and insult others, please do with some actual, substantial credibility. If you need to rely on 5 AoE abilities to manage threat on AoE pulls rather than 2-3, your sense of positioning is lacking and needs work. If you're basing it off the prospect of lacking pugs in Hard Modes, you should consider actually pulling the groups with more thought (LoS, good Harpooning to gather all of the adds). There is no group in a HM FP that is actually difficult to gather with 2-3 AoEs if the operator himself isn't struggling with the comprehension patterns every hardmode in any game presents. I'm attempting to help those that are struggling with the class with a fortification of various sources of proof as previously presented, not clarify fundamentals of general tanking in any MMO to the other 80% that just likes to argue and never improve off of others' suggestions. The fact that you represent your flawed beliefs with a demeaning statement such as "You are a Nazi" shows you truly have nothing to prove besides the evident fact you are ignorant to the actual potential of Vanguards. From this point on, I will emphasize. If you can do better with any fragment of proof, please feel free to present it. Otherwise, either take what I have to say and better yourself, or go elsewhere.

Well, if you ever find yourself on the Jedi Covenant server, I can make both Battlemaster/War Hero sets.

Haha, well, from head to toe, Outcast Helmet, Battlemaster Eliminator's Chestpiece, Stalwart Protector's Gauntlets (Cartel), Makeb Assault Belt (Imperial Makeb Reputation), Stalwart Protector's Greaves (Cartel), and Verpine boots.