Has SWTOR lived up to the claim that it "reinvents the Tank role in PvP"

[Garbald]

What other games really let you tank in pvp anyway? You sure can't do it in WoW. I rather like how the system works- but, they do need to make buffs/debuffs/targets clearer in the UI- right now it doesn't tell you much.

 

Daoc, you could block for other players (on a block the target takes no dmg and is not interrupted from spellcasting)

you could take one hit for the target (ie you take all the dmg the target would have received for one hit)

You guarded the healer to prevent heal aggro from pets

in later days you could completely prevent any meele dmg to one target in range (bodyguard)

 

So yes daoc had awesome pvp tanking.

[Kurfer]

PvP tanking is the one thing BW PvP devs got right.

[athenabadb]

if by re-invents it means destroyed then yes, it did a good job of that by making all crit damage and all yellow damge ignore all armor/defense/mitigation/shields/etc making tanks worthless in pvp....which is why everyone who rolled tanks has switched to dps spec and swapped the shield for a power gen/focus/etc

 

Indeed, so tanks can DPS in PvP and throw a few taunts around in any spec for medals.

 

PvP tanks are always going to be healers anyway and most do real well at taking a beating, depending on the cool downs.

[Cromica]

There is nothing this game reinvented, its the same thing every game has had for years.

 

Edit. They did add spacebar spam for getting through boring quests, its new I guess but not better.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Cromica

[Payneintherear]

Incorrect. Guarding in warhammer was smoother, didnt bug and not let you guard an unguarded person sometimes. You could also cross-guard and multi guard people. Taunts decreased enemy damage on people other than you by 30% and -increased your damage to them by 30%- That part is gone. God forbid they put that part back in Im going to be able to do a 10k burst on my assualt specced vanguard with ease.

 

If you correct somebody, make sure you know what you're talking about:

 

1. Taunt in WAR did NOT reduce your target's damage by any amount. It interrupted and increased your damage by 30% to the target for 15s or till the target hit you 3 times (whatever came first). 15 seconds cooldown.

 

2. AE taunt (challenge) reduced the damage of up to 9 attackers in front of you by 30% for 15 seconds. This effect too would fall off early individually, if a target hit you 3 times. 30 seconds cooldown.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Payneintherear

[EternalFinality]

There's a reason pub matches in LoL so often devolves into pubstompy ragefests. PvP there is just as fundamentally broken as it is everywhere else.

 

Because that's SO much different than TOR! That's not the balance - that's the players.

 

Also I said Dota, not LoL.

Edited March 5, 2012 by EternalFinality

[AnemicBoy]

City of Heroes had a great tanking mechanic for taunts back in it's day. Rather than damage reduction, taunting actually forced you to target the tank. You could still target friendlies, but when taunted you would always target the person that had taunted you if you attempted to target an enemy. But you had taunt effectiveness and taunt resistance in PvP for CoH, so taunt wasn't always going to work. It depended on how you spec'ed.

 

I agree with a previous poster. You really felt like a tank in City of Heroes, even in PvP.

Edited March 5, 2012 by AnemicBoy

[MartyrLXXVII]

PvP tanking is the one thing BW PvP devs got right.

 

No, its what the mythic devs got right. PVP Tanking in swtor is no Differnt then it was in WAR, guard, giants, CC. There is literally no difference.

 

And since they brought the Mythic guys in... Well real shocked isn't it.

 

So no, not reinvented at all.

[Celebrus]

I don't know about the whole "reinventing" thing, but making taunt useful in pvp is an incredibly good idea.

 

The only problem is that tanking stats are mostly meaningless in pvp, but that can be solved by recategorizing skills considered tech into melee/ranged.

 

Good call, lets break operatives and snipers even more than they already are for the sake of making tanks feel useful in PvP.

 

Better yet, why not recategorize force abilities into melee/ranged as well? That way tanks can mitigate *everything* and there wont even be a point in attacking a ball carrier.

 

First team to six wins. Go!

[Shuguard]

single taunts*1 in warhammer were also a ranged interrupt which after being punted away could still be invaluable in locking down a healer.

 

also why didn't they add in hold the line!*2 in for tanks in this game? It could have buffed ally chance to dodge attacks and boosted a tanks defenses slightly to make them a little more useful than a just guard-swapping, taunt bot with CC.

 

IMHO it's a step down from warhammer pvp, hold the line wasn't amazing, but it still had great uses against ranged enemies.

 

*1 taunt- 65ft range, 15sec. cooldown.

You enrage your opponent, interrupting any currently building abilities and forcing monsters to attack you. While taunted your opponent will take 30% more damage from your attacks. This effect will fade after 15 seconds or after your opponent has hit you 3 times.

 

*2 hold the line- Requires Shield, no cooldown, 12sec. cast

You focus your defenses against enemy fire, increasing your chances to dodge and disrupt by 45% for 12 seconds. You will also defend all allies behind you, up to 50 feet away, increasing their chances to dodge and disrupt by 15% as long as they remain at your back. Allies may have this effect stacked on them up to 3 times.

This effect will end if you break your concentration, or run out of action points.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Shuguard