Thoughts on Powertech Tanking

[zerolove]

[Alert: Incoming Wall of Text]

 

PowerTech Tanking is lacking in several departments. I haven't tanked on any of the other classes yet, so this is not a comparison in any way. Just a standalone critique of what I perceive to be some flaws in the design, based on 6 years of previous end-game PvE raiding and tanking.

 

My experience thus far in SW:TOR PvE is limited to HM Flashpoints and full clears of EV/KP on normal difficulty only, which I consider to be the entry-level content. The gear I'm in is a mix of Columi/Tionese, with crafted 126/140 epics filling in the gaps, and a solid level 50 purple blaster pistol. In PvP, I've done a large amount of open-world PvP and Warzones.

 

Threat

 

PowerTech threat seems low. Like, really low. I've talked with the other tanks in my guild, and elsewhere, and the consensus seems to be that tank threat in general is pretty low. If constantly worrying about threat is an intended design philosophy to make the tanks more engaged, that's fine. But if that's the case, the PowerTech really needs a little love, most notably in the single-target department.

 

PTs suffer from a reverse heat/threat disparity between single target and AoE tanking, as detailed below.

 

While single-target tanking, heat is no problem, threat is. Heat Blast, while a completely awful 31-point skill (more on that later), makes heat a non-issue in single-target scenarios. Single-target threat just doesn't feel right. PowerTechs lack a strong enough opener to snap aggro at the start of a single-target fight adequately to let DPS open up early. With enrage timers at higher difficulties being more aggressive, no DPS wants to sit there idly watching the tank build aggro. Perhaps buffing Missile Blast could give tanks a good bursty opener.

 

While AoE tanking, PTs's can usually get aggro on a good sized group, and hold it for about 15 seconds until we cap on heat and can't flame sweep. Between knockbacks from other classes, we can't rely on Flame Thrower or Death From Above that reliably. Positional sensitive abilities should not be core to AoE tanking rotations.

 

Heat Blast is a bad ability. A single-target skill that has poor range, does poor damage, poor threat, and vents a poor amount of heat every 15 seconds has no excuse being the pinnacle of the Shield Tech tree. It needs to do more damage/threat, have a longer range, and vent more heat (so it can be used while AoE tanking). You can't even afford to weave it into an AoE rotation because as soon as you try, everything goes running

 

Flame Sweep is a great ability, but the heat output is a little high, even if you throw a Thermal Sensor Override into the mix. I'm in love with the idea of letting Oil Slick be combustible via Flame Sweep, giving PT's a persistent AoE DoT for a good amount of time, and giving us some breathing room on threat to put in a few Heat Blasts.

 

Survivability

 

Survivability-wise, the PowerTech does not have any immediate issues that I've noticed. The class comes stock with a fair amount of defensive cooldowns, and you pick up Oil Slick from the Shield Tech tree, and perfectly adequate passive avoidance and mitigation. Any time I've died so far while tanking HM Flashpoints or Normal Ops, it's been a healing issue, improper CC, bad pulls, or random bugs. Not the gear and not the class.

 

Synopsis

 

I'm in love with my PowerTech, and I love being Shield Tech in PvP and PvE, but here are a few quality-of-life tanking improvements that could really push the class from adequate to downright fun and engaging.

 

Grapple

 

For starters, allowing a ShieldTech PT's Grapple to be used on friendly players to move TO them would be an amazing PvE change, without adding yet more buttons. The argument could be made that this pushes the classes mobility in PvP a little over the top. Realistically, Jet Charge is the ShieldTech PT's only mobility assist. They are easily CC'ed, snared, kited, etc., and have very low damage output. By grappling to allies you will obviously put Grapple on cooldown, prohibiting the PT from snagging enemies at key times (interrupting casts, fire/acid on Huttball, etc). It's a big tradeoff, and an important decision for the ShieldTech PT to use Grapple to move himself or an enemy. ShieldTech PTs also lack substantial DPS in PvP. Mobility and survivability are their core function, not damage, and by allowing grapple to serve in this capacity you really don't add any extra power, just extra decisions, and that's what makes PvP so fun. This functionality should be restricted to ShieldTech PTs only by bundling it with an existing talent, like No Escape.

 

Shoulder Slam

 

Let a ShieldTech PT's Shoulder Slam work on all enemies, players and elite/champions alike. Additionally, remove the incapacitation requirement, and potentially have it work as another charge by increasing it to a short-medium range (15-20m), as opposed to melee. Shoulder Slam sees almost no use outside of solo questing, and it's such a cool ability.

 

Oil Slick

 

Oil Slick is a great defensive cooldown for tanking in PvE. In PvP its usefulness falls a little short, as most people will just move out of it. Oil Slick could reduce movement speed for players by a small amount 10-20% to give it a little PvP oomph. Additionally, adding synergy to Oil Slick + Flame Sweep is a no-brainer for AoE threat, as mentioned above.

 

Shield Vents

 

Removing or at the very least drastically reducing the internal cooldown on Shield Vents will help AoE tanking SO MUCH. Right now, the cooldown(6s) serves no valid function besides crippling the AoE tanking potential of the class. Shield Vents doesn't matter much in single-tank fights, as heat is a non-issue. With 4+ guys pounding on you, you need to be venting heat fast to be able to flame sweep and AoE to hold aggro versus the AoE that a lot of the DPS can throw out. As I've stated before, ShieldTech PTs have the tools to AoE tank very well, but heat issues make it last for about 15 seconds.

 

Oh and the last thing...

 

Blaster Rifles. Or Shotguns. Anything. One dinky Pistol is not imposing or ****** in any way. It doesn't have to do any more damage than what our weapons currently do. Just make it so I hold it in 2 hands.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[QiBao]

I have the complete opposite opinion in almost every way. PT threat has been much better than an equally geared Jugg. I think tank threat is just not that high. Heat Blast is not sexy, but it is a very good talent. I don't get the hate for it. You'll get a lot of threat by using it on CD, not necessarily from HB but from the ability to use less Rapid Shots.

 

Our defensive CDs suck. Energy Shield is nice, but Kolto Overload is bad. 3k healing over 10 seconds? Every 2 mins? Survivability is good due to mitigation/etc... but the CDs are meh.

 

AOE, I use FB as initial aggro and debuff only, really. Usually some combo of Carbonize, FT, ED, RP, HB, tabbing, etc...

 

Shoulder Slam is... eh. Toss a Explosive Dart/SS combo on a normal mob. But all classes have a similar move, iirc.

Edited January 27, 2012 by QiBao

[FuzzNasty]

I like PTs the way they are. If they were made stronger I think it would be really unfair to the other tanks.

 

Not that they couldn't use work, you guys have brought up some very valid concerns (I think all 31 point talents should have some real oomph to them). But add a bunch more utility to them (grappling to allies) and you're going to make them incredibly OP compared to the other tanks.

 

Also, there is no way in hell Shoulder Slam should be allowed to be used out of combat. Did you look at it's stats by any chance? All characters get a skill like this to help speed up leveling, as such it's pretty OP. If PT's got theirs, then everyone has to get theirs as well, and that would be a nightmare.

 

The changes I would agree with tend to mostly be problems with the talent tree, and I think all classes have issues with their trees that need to be fixed. Useless talents, weak talents deep into the tree (Merc has that awful heal attached to vent heat as one example I'm familiar with, you guys have listed others)

 

As far as tanking goes I'm just as happy to have a PT on my team a Jugg or anyone else. I have noticed that some PTs have trouble holding aggro from me, but the 2-3 that did were less experienced and geared. When I have a PT tank I usually just go a little slower at the start so I don't pull the mob to me before it's lost 10% of it's health.

 

 

Personally if I was going to make a tank right now it would probably be a PT, and I've already levelled a Merc. PT's just look so damned fun!

Edited January 27, 2012 by FuzzNasty

[Dormath]

I have not had a problem with my PT so far I have grouped with higher characters then mine and have not had a problem my tools could not solve.

 

I find it very fun to play.

[Onslaughter]

Tanking in general is a miserable, miserable experience. I've been tanking as a power tech in this game since release (played a level 50 mercenary through beta), and it really is awful.

 

I've been quite vocal about it too and nobody that matters seems to care.

 

Trash is a giant nightmare and I honestly think it was made the way it is just to troll the very few people who actually want to tank. Charging into a group of elites only to get knocked back for 6 seconds CONSECUTIVELY is just ridiculous. Trying to pick up a group of NPCs (who stun, knockback, or knockdown on contact) with one of two crappy AOE damage abilities that can only be used 4 times before overheating makes me want to curb stomp an infant.

 

On any normal boss fight, I pop DPS cooldowns in between my normal rotation, as well as DPS relics and DPS adrenals and players in my raid will still pull aggro. And it's not like I'm some level 50, fresh off of Illum, I tanked from about level 13 through 50 and even before that, I tanked in World of Warcraft for about two years of my seven year "career" in that game.

 

The fact of the matter is, 50% threat modifier is a joke when you're tanking for players who actually know how to play their characters efficiently.

 

I would suggest going DPS. Play a spec that won't make you want to quit the game.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Onslaughter

[je-s-ter]

This is not a wall of text, it's wall of crap. Half of your observations are wrong, the only thing I can aggre with is the uselessnes of Shoulder Slam, but your changes to it would make it OP.

In fact, all of your changes to perfectly balanced abilities would make them OP. Just to address your issues.

 

Threat

Single target threat should be no issue, unless you have significantly(!) worse gear than DPS in your group. Your big hits to secure aggro at the beggining of the fight is Jet Charge -> Rocket Punch -> Rail Shot, followed by Flame Bursts. Following the priority list and managing your heat, you should have no problem holding aggro. I don't, so I don't see a reason why you should. (cleared normal EV&KP/ HM EV&KP as MT)

 

AoE threat, it usually comes down to the group being impatient and unload all its AoE before you can even gain aggro on all the mobs. If you expect to be able to Flame Sweep throughout the whole fight, you are wrong. If you expect that you should hold aggro, when every member of your group attacks different mob, you are wrong. This is not WoW where everything is glued to you. Focus fire is pretty much the only way you can hold aggro on a group of mobs, and that's how it should be.

If you cant get your group to focus fire and save their AoE after you used yours (Usually Death From Above), you will have to deal with mobs running after DPS. Even then, they usually pull aggro. But you have AoE taunt, don't you.

 

Heat Blast is great ability. Venting 8 heat every 15s, and it does better damage than Flame Burst, so you don't lose any threat using it. How is that horrible? You should use this ability everytime it's off cd.

 

Flame Sweep is good ability, but despite its no CD, it is not something you are supposed to spam. If you do, you find yourself in the 70+ heat very quickly. You use it when you have mobs round up around you to apply the dmg debuff you get from ST tree an that's pretty much it. Oil slick, DFA, Flame Thrower to secure more aggro, then hitting the mob that is being focused.

 

Grapple

Amazing ability for both PvE and PvP. There is no reason for it to be usable on allies. You suggestion would make it borderline OP, no matter how much you try to wrap it into the "you have to decide wether to use it on ally on enemy". Ability that can save an ally from bunch of enemies and pull enemies is a bit too much. No other class has that, why should we?

 

Shoulder Slam

I can agree it's pretty much useless in its current state but again, your suggestion would make it stupidly OP. No other class have two charges available, why should we?

 

Oil Slick

Another great skill, mostly only useful for PvE. I don't have any problem with that. It's stationary debuff, no matter how much ompf you'll give it, people will always move out of it.

Give it a slow component and ppl will use it for that reason only in PvP. I know I would. Having AoE slow, that is a dream for huttball.

 

Shield Vents

Just fine. Your concerns with is related to AoE tanking, which I explained earlier. You can't expect to hold aggro if your dps unloads their AoE. That is pretty much impossible.

Even if you open up with flame sweep, DFA and FT and you hit all the mobs, once sorcs starts its Force Storm, mobs will go after him. That's why you have AoE taunt.

You seem to think that Flame Sweep is the Flame Burst for AoE tanking. It's not. It's not supposed to be spammable, it's supposed to help you with initial aggro. And that it does.

Edited January 27, 2012 by je-s-ter

[Thargrim]

You have no idea how much I support the idea of Powertechs getting blaster rifles. Seriously, PTs lack that extra coolness factor....blaster rifles are the solution.

 

Merc=Jango (dual pistols)

PT=Boba (derp, he used a carbine/rifle and rarely a pistol!)

 

Learn Bioware...learn.

[sanctified]

You have no idea how much I support the idea of Powertechs getting blaster rifles. Seriously, PTs lack that extra coolness factor....blaster rifles are the solution.

 

Merc=Jango (dual pistols)

PT=Boba (derp, he used a carbine/rifle and rarely a pistol!)

 

Learn Bioware...learn.

 

I'm leveling a Vanguard right now for kicks. Trust me, we ducked a bullet. VG tanking looks silly compared to our dirty Harry one-handed magnum style.

[Thargrim]

I'm leveling a Vanguard right now for kicks. Trust me, we ducked a bullet. VG tanking looks silly compared to our dirty Harry one-handed magnum style.

 

Matter of taste really, I just want to look like this:

 

http://www.anakinworld.com/images/encyclopedie/personnage-bendak-starkiller-7423.jpg

[Tenacity]

Going all-out, juggernaut tanks are able to beat us in single target threat. Our AoE threat is better than both assassins and juggernauts by a pretty large margin, however, and our single target threat is still more than enough to keep the target from straying.

 

A lot of people that think they're having threat problems are, more often than not, simply not using taunt when necessary. Most of the bosses at endgame have threat drops throughout their encounters, and the only way to regain threat after each drop is to taunt - that's part of tanking, and not an issue with the class at all.

 

[Gizzle]

I thought the same thing about my threat at first, then I tightened up the rotation, cycled my taunts every single time they are up(except when I know the boss has threat drop, IE Foreman in KP).

 

I have tanked every fight on HM, no probs with threat, trash though can still be sloppy TBH.

 

But I do agree that our 31 point talent should be a large threat creator, thats only fair.

[QiBao]

This is not a wall of text, it's wall of crap. Half of your observations are wrong, the only thing I can aggre with is the uselessnes of Shoulder Slam, but your changes to it would make it OP.

In fact, all of your changes to perfectly balanced abilities would make them OP. Just to address your issues.

 

Threat

Single target threat should be no issue, unless you have significantly(!) worse gear than DPS in your group. Your big hits to secure aggro at the beggining of the fight is Jet Charge -> Rocket Punch -> Rail Shot, followed by Flame Bursts. Following the priority list and managing your heat, you should have no problem holding aggro. I don't, so I don't see a reason why you should. (cleared normal EV&KP/ HM EV&KP as MT)

 

AoE threat, it usually comes down to the group being impatient and unload all its AoE before you can even gain aggro on all the mobs. If you expect to be able to Flame Sweep throughout the whole fight, you are wrong. If you expect that you should hold aggro, when every member of your group attacks different mob, you are wrong. This is not WoW where everything is glued to you. Focus fire is pretty much the only way you can hold aggro on a group of mobs, and that's how it should be.

If you cant get your group to focus fire and save their AoE after you used yours (Usually Death From Above), you will have to deal with mobs running after DPS. Even then, they usually pull aggro. But you have AoE taunt, don't you.

 

Heat Blast is great ability. Venting 8 heat every 15s, and it does better damage than Flame Burst, so you don't lose any threat using it. How is that horrible? You should use this ability everytime it's off cd.

 

Flame Sweep is good ability, but despite its no CD, it is not something you are supposed to spam. If you do, you find yourself in the 70+ heat very quickly. You use it when you have mobs round up around you to apply the dmg debuff you get from ST tree an that's pretty much it. Oil slick, DFA, Flame Thrower to secure more aggro, then hitting the mob that is being focused.

 

Grapple

Amazing ability for both PvE and PvP. There is no reason for it to be usable on allies. You suggestion would make it borderline OP, no matter how much you try to wrap it into the "you have to decide wether to use it on ally on enemy". Ability that can save an ally from bunch of enemies and pull enemies is a bit too much. No other class has that, why should we?

 

Shoulder Slam

I can agree it's pretty much useless in its current state but again, your suggestion would make it stupidly OP. No other class have two charges available, why should we?

 

Oil Slick

Another great skill, mostly only useful for PvE. I don't have any problem with that. It's stationary debuff, no matter how much ompf you'll give it, people will always move out of it.

Give it a slow component and ppl will use it for that reason only in PvP. I know I would. Having AoE slow, that is a dream for huttball.

 

Shield Vents

Just fine. Your concerns with is related to AoE tanking, which I explained earlier. You can't expect to hold aggro if your dps unloads their AoE. That is pretty much impossible.

Even if you open up with flame sweep, DFA and FT and you hit all the mobs, once sorcs starts its Force Storm, mobs will go after him. That's why you have AoE taunt.

You seem to think that Flame Sweep is the Flame Burst for AoE tanking. It's not. It's not supposed to be spammable, it's supposed to help you with initial aggro. And that it does.

 

This is a very good post. Also, when AOE tanking, carbonize.

[QiBao]

Tanking in general is a miserable, miserable experience. I've been tanking as a power tech in this game since release (played a level 50 mercenary through beta), and it really is awful.

 

I've been quite vocal about it too and nobody that matters seems to care.

 

Trash is a giant nightmare and I honestly think it was made the way it is just to troll the very few people who actually want to tank. Charging into a group of elites only to get knocked back for 6 seconds CONSECUTIVELY is just ridiculous. Trying to pick up a group of NPCs (who stun, knockback, or knockdown on contact) with one of two crappy AOE damage abilities that can only be used 4 times before overheating makes me want to curb stomp an infant.

 

On any normal boss fight, I pop DPS cooldowns in between my normal rotation, as well as DPS relics and DPS adrenals and players in my raid will still pull aggro. And it's not like I'm some level 50, fresh off of Illum, I tanked from about level 13 through 50 and even before that, I tanked in World of Warcraft for about two years of my seven year "career" in that game.

 

The fact of the matter is, 50% threat modifier is a joke when you're tanking for players who actually know how to play their characters efficiently.

 

I would suggest going DPS. Play a spec that won't make you want to quit the game.

 

Threat for me has been fine. Tanked everything through EV/KP, hardmode FPs, and some HM EV. Trash makes you work, to be sure, but PTs have a ton of ranged tools. I think Juggs should be the ones complaining about trash over PTs. The loss of control on every trash pack is irritating, sure, but hardly game breaking.

 

If you don't like tanking, then go dps. But it's not bad or hard with a PT.

[je-s-ter]

I thought the same thing about my threat at first, then I tightened up the rotation, cycled my taunts every single time they are up(except when I know the boss has threat drop, IE Foreman in KP).

 

I have tanked every fight on HM, no probs with threat, trash though can still be sloppy TBH.

 

But I do agree that our 31 point talent should be a large threat creator, thats only fair.

 

I would advise against using your taunts unless you lost aggro. The only thing Taunt does is, that it places you on top of the Hate meter for that specific mob (and obviously locks the mob on you for 6s). It doesn't add any additional threat if the mob is already attacking you, afaik.

Save your taunts for when you lose threat which can happen on stun/knockback heavy bosses, or as you pointed out when the boss drops threat during the fight.

Edited January 27, 2012 by je-s-ter

[Pavement]

Going all-out, juggernaut tanks are able to beat us in single target threat. Our AoE threat is better than both assassins and juggernauts by a pretty large margin, however, and our single target threat is still more than enough to keep the target from straying.

 

A lot of people that think they're having threat problems are, more often than not, simply not using taunt when necessary. Most of the bosses at endgame have threat drops throughout their encounters, and the only way to regain threat after each drop is to taunt - that's part of tanking, and not an issue with the class at all.

 

 

^^This. I'd like to add that I have a 50 assassin tank as well. I really enjoy the assassin but the PT mechaincs really work better for my playstyle. I also wanted to breifly touch on a few of your points.

 

Threat: I haven't found it to be an issue at all. As mentioned above alot of FP bosses have an agro drop which requires a taunt but outside of that I haven't experienced any real issue with threat.

 

Heat Blast: I can't argue that its lack luster for a 31 point skill but it does its job. Maybe make it a high threat move? Outside of that I don't know what else to do with it.

 

Survivability: I can't comment on the jug as I don't have one but to me the PT feels much more stable in terms of damage influx, as compaired to my assassin, so while our defensive cooldowns may not seem all that wonderful I certianly think they are sufficient to get the job done.

 

Grapple: I kind of like grapple as is... I don't want the added responsibility of having to worry about other players standing in stuff and pulling them out too. I honestly feel like not standing in stuff myself, picking up all the adds and holding agro on the boss all while managing my heat is enough of a job.

 

Shoulder Slam: Here is where I would like to see a change. I'd like for this simply to be a single target knockback in line with the jugs force push ability from a damage prospective.

 

Oil Slick: I think your idea sounds cool about igniting the oil slick for some sustained AE threat so you have my vote for that I think that may also address your Shield Vents issue when AE tanking.

 

Shield Vents: Honestly I don't know about this one...one of the things that distinguishes good PT tanks from not so good PT tanks is heat management. I really don't want to see heat management trivialized I feel like if you don't want to have to manage a resource while tanking then you are probably more of an Assassin tank material. Not you specifically I was just generalizing in that last statment.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Pavement

[Jaysun]

after getting hit with the wall of text for 35,000 damage

 

the op it totally off base.

 

play a SW/JK Tank then get back to me... PT tank is sooo much more easy.. they have more tools to hold agro..

Edited January 27, 2012 by Jaysun

[Onslaughter]

Threat for me has been fine. Tanked everything through EV/KP, hardmode FPs, and some HM EV. Trash makes you work, to be sure, but PTs have a ton of ranged tools. I think Juggs should be the ones complaining about trash over PTs. The loss of control on every trash pack is irritating, sure, but hardly game breaking.

 

If you don't like tanking, then go dps. But it's not bad or hard with a PT.

 

I've tanked and killed every nightmare mode encounter in the game thus far and when you're riding enrage timers, we don't have time to "wait for 5 sunders" or give tanks any time at all before going all out. If you raid with the people I do, your threat will be a problem. My temporary solution is that my taunt is just always on cooldown.

[Baracca]

Shoulder slam and flame burst aren't even on my bars. I can't see where on my keyboard i can squeeze it. I wish FS was 16 heat instead of 25

[Bunny_Bait]

The only problem I have with Powertech tanking is the stats on the T1-T3 stuff. We are supposed to be all about sheild and I have less sheild chance and all in T3 that with daily gear... Why do we have to bare defense and accuracy. WHY ?§

[yoriku]

*** INCOMING WALL OF TEXT ***

 

My biggest concern is based on defensive CDs.

 

Juggernaut (Obviously best MT):

Saber Ward -- 50% increased melee/ranged parry + 25% internal/elemental damage reduction for 12 seconds (+ Blade Turning -- first 2 seconds are guarenteed 100% melee/range parry)

Invincible -- 40% flat damage reduction (all incoming sources) for 10 seconds

Endure Pain -- 30% more health for 10 seconds (+5 seconds talented)

Sonic Barrier -- Absorb X damage after Force Scream

Blade Barricade -- 6% more parry after Retaliation for 6 seconds (Retaliation has a 6s cooldown, and should always be ready to go after the Barricade falls).

Smash (Talented) -- 5% accuracy reduction for 10 seconds (15 second cooldown)

 

Assassin:

Deflection -- 50% increased melee/ranged parry for 12 seconds

Force Cloak -- removes all negative effects & increases resist by 100% for 3 seconds (5seconds talented)

Overcharge Saber (talented) -- Instantly regain 10% of health, decrease CD of Dark Ward to 3 seconds for 15 seconds

Dark Ward -- 15% increased chance to shield (8 charges) for 20 seconds with a 12 second CD. Yes, I realize this skill is required to tank, but it is also a defensive cooldown. Your chance to shield due to shield rating is equivalent in growth to that of a PT.

Discharge -- Decrease accuracy of up to 5 enemies by 5% for 18 seconds (15 second cooldown)

 

Powertech:

Energy Shield -- 25% flat damage reduction for 12 seconds

Kolto Injection -- 15% of health recovered over 15 seconds

Oil Slick -- 20% accuracy reduction for 18 seconds (1 minute cooldown)

 

 

Ok, first thing I notice, flat out, PTs have much less to do in terms of using defensive cooldowns.

 

I didn't include the innate healing that Assassins get with their tanking stance as it's not really a cooldown, but being able to consistently heal themselves ~2% of max HP (~464) every 5 seconds throughout the course of the fight on top of their 10% instant heal every 2 minutes is just too good. Yes, they have the least armor of all tanks, but they also have the highest chance to shield when Dark Ward is running (which should be most of the fight if not all of the fight during boss fights). Another item I didn't include with Assassin tanks is the ability to recover health when using Force Lightning, this recovers health at 3% per tick.

 

When taking into consideration the free 10% parry that lightsaber users are granted, their defense values are always going to be much higher than that of the PT tank.

 

After looking at survivability, if we take a look at threat generating skills, we can take note of the lack of damaging threat skills granted to the PT as well.

 

Juggernaut: Backhand

Assassin: Talented Shock gains 15% more threat, Force Pull (does no damage, but generates threat), Wither

Powertech: Grapple (identical to Force Pull, aka no damage)

 

Comparing the 31point talents, we get the following...

 

Juggernaut: Crushing Blow -- Applies 3 points of sunder or after 5stack sunder, applies massive damage (~1500-2000 base damage)

Assassin: Wither -- AoE up to 5 targets, decreases damage they deal by 5% and movement speed by 30%, deals low damage (~500 base damage)

Powertech: Heat Blast -- Vents 8 heat and deals low damage to single target (~450 base damage)

 

 

 

TL;DR: Something isn't adding up right in terms of threat or mitigation... and I'm not sure why the PT gets the short end of the stick here...

 

Don't get me wrong, I love playing the Powertech tank, and I'm still sufficiently able to tank most of the bosses and stay alive throughout the course of the fight... but I can't help but wonder if I'm able to survive as a tank due to my healer's ability to heal, more than due to my classes ability to tank. Yes, I can hold aggro due to the high damage of Rail Shot and Rocket Punch, but relying on base skills with no increase in threat to hold threat is definitely a flaw in tanking. When a Juggernaut can use backhand on CD and keep their threat running, or an Assassin can use Wither and hold aggro on multiple targets, you can't help but wonder what a Powertech should use to hold aggro, in a group or single target over that of the other tanks, if the Powertech is better geared than the other tank (aka should be maintank). Powertech just seems to fill the offtank role better than the maintank role because they have the flat mitigation (armor + talented damage reductions).

 

-- The above is solely the opinion of my person, and should not be taken as flamage or a completely accurate knowledge base --

[Prolyfic]

HOLY CRAP not again..

 

Juggernaut (Obviously best MT)

 

I quit reading there. If its so "obvious", we wouldnt have juggs begging for buffs and PTs finding true end game tanking a breeze. I wouldnt have 50 juggs rolling alts after running with me one time as tank, lol

 

Discussion has already taken place to death though: 4 page thread from last week

 

and did you really necro a thread a month older than the one from last week to post your out of the blue feelings on jugg cds?? ***

 

FFS can some of these ppl complaining please go and try to tank with average gear in shieldtech and a nonretarded group at 50 and tell me we are in any way gimp, please.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Prolyfic