1.2 tanking

[Elorin]

Now that 1.2 is out and they "refunded" all our skills, anyone have any idea where a pve tank should focus? I had just gotten used to the skill tree and now they've made some changes.

[Carousel_t]

nothing changes for pve tanks. if anything, now it's even more advisable to go full def because of recent threat problems. you'll now be using guardian slash a whole lot more often

[Botho]

The new bonus threat on grd slash is nice aye, still the same for aoe except the aoe taunt can't be reduced to 30 sec cd anymore but it's liveable. Interupt being free is handy too but not game changing.

 

The target of target ui element is nice as well, not grd specific but helpful.

[MorbidSouls]

Shame you can't reduce the cooldown on aoe taunt now, means people that group with me can't go running into mobs all the time and expect me to aoe taunt every single time , so if they do it they deserve to die

[demoncookie]

This is the Spec i ran last night in Explosive conflict, it makes cyclone slash partly useful for AoE tanking however if you do have things CC'ed be careful of where you aim cyclone slash

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500GMGzudMdfzZcMMZoM.1

 

Threat wise it was okay few slips here and their just learning the class again

[Alexi_son]

Shame you can't reduce the cooldown on aoe taunt now, means people that group with me can't go running into mobs all the time and expect me to aoe taunt every single time , so if they do it they deserve to die

 

 

I respectfully disagree.

 

When the other 2 tanks can generate AoE threat and hold agro where 80% of the grouped game is multiple pulls, I don't feel it's unreasonable to expect that Guardians be able to hold AoE threat as well.

 

Of the 3 tanks, guardians Soresu form limits our main focus generation, and we have to allocate at least half-a-dozen of our tanking skills just to offset that penalty. The other 2 tanks do not, and the only things guardians have that surpasses them, is a couple situational defensive cooldowns on long timers.

 

---

 

When we, as a class, require the other group members in our team to play differently to "account for OUR handicap" , then that doesn't mean they just need to play differently and "they deserve to die" ...

 

What that means is that 1 tank of the 3 requires players to change the way they play the game to accommodate us, and that players who understand the game pretty well, would rather pass us over and look for one of the other 2 tanks instead. Which to me, says there's a problem here, and we need Bioware to acknowledge it and do something about it.

[Elorin]

This is the Spec i ran last night in Explosive conflict, it makes cyclone slash partly useful for AoE tanking however if you do have things CC'ed be careful of where you aim cyclone slash

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500GMGzudMdfzZcMMZoM.1

 

Threat wise it was okay few slips here and their just learning the class again

 

 

 

This actually looks pretty close to what I was experimenting with before the servers went down again. Though I was tempted to put a point towards the force push cool down. That skill has saved my butt more than a few times and having a faster cd time would be nice.

 

Will try yours to see how I like it.

[doctoreon]

That 31/7/3 build is basically what I went with, except I took the point from Insight and put it in Defiance, so I could at least fool myself into believing I'm getting something out of all the times I've knocked back and stunned. I'll probably change it later. However, I tanked HM EV last night, and I have to say I've never had an easier time with my Guardian. I was taking much less damage than I had been before - enough less that both healers remarked on it repeatedly - and I was holding aggro without any of the problems I've gotten used to. All-in-all, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the changes so far.

[Likepro]

I've tanked kills of the first 2 Denova Bosses on Hard Mode as a Guardian in a mix of Rakata, Columi, a couple pieces of Campaign, and using Vindicator Earpieces and Implants, aka, way less than optimal gear.

 

Healing on me hasn't been an issue at all, my counterpart is a full rakata vanguard tank and he's definitely been harder to heal than I am in this Ops.

 

Post patch; aoe threat is a little better, but I still wind up only hold aggro on a couple of mobs whereas our Vanguard has most of the group under control.

 

Cyclone smash NEEDS to cost less. Force sweep and a couple cleaves eats up our whole focus bar in return for very little threat/damage, and then if I don't have my combat focus up, i gotta trade 1 sundering strike for 1 cleave. It's pretty awful.

 

Strike really should grant 2 focus. It's silly that in my rotation I can come across a period where all my abilities have 3 seconds left on their cd and all I have is strike, and it does little to nothing. If they won't allow it to grant 2 focus, then Sundering Strike's CD should be removed. It doesn't hit for very much and would make 0 difference in PVP balance.

 

Also I don't know if it's just me, but so far this patch, I've yet to proc Riposte during the first minute or so of the first Denova fights. I'm specced and enhanced full avoidance, it's very odd that with how much I avoid and get hit in this time period Riposte never procs. I've found its proc rate to drop pretty significantly post-patch overall, I use it maybe only 5 or 6 times per these 5+ minute fights. I hope this is just a bug and not intended.

 

edit: I'm using 31/8/2 build.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Likepro

[Blev]

So I'm curious, anyone tried a Hybrid build for tanking in PvE? I'm strongly considering giving this build a shot: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500hMGzu0MZsGMRMhzzM.1 .

 

Last point can going to the Force Stasis or Dispatch or whatever. The only downside I could see to this would be threat generation in trade for having increased durability with the full 4% damage reduction skills and the Blade Barrier Skills. Not to mention you'd have the Blade Barrier off 9 seconds now versus 12 seconds. And that isn't even counting the Focused Defense 15% Damage Reduction which you could hopefully offset by taunting and Unremitting.

 

Anyways, thoughts?

Edited April 14, 2012 by Blev

[demoncookie]

I've tanked kills of the first 2 Denova Bosses on Hard Mode as a Guardian in a mix of Rakata, Columi, a couple pieces of Campaign, and using Vindicator Earpieces and Implants, aka, way less than optimal gear.

 

 

Could you tell me the classes which where healing you?

 

 

So I'm curious, anyone tried a Hybrid build for tanking in PvE? I'm strongly considering giving this build a shot: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500hMGzu0MZsGMRMhzzM.1

 

Looks pretty similar to hybrid spec Pre 1.2.

 

Always preferred defence of the hybrid just because Inner Peace and having better defence cool downs also command when it had the Reduction to the CD of our AoE Taunt. haven't tried it 1.2, However with Shien form is a wasted talent point if your going to be tanking. Commanding awe could be useful however if you do pop focused defence then it's counter productive to what you are doing (Keeping a hold of mobs).

 

If someone happens to try this out and also try the defence please give feedback

Edited April 14, 2012 by demoncookie

[Zanders]

I just tried this.

 

Dueled a player and he wasted my blade barrier with a hammershot (rougly 700-800 dmg)

I got rakata 4 set bonus 20% extra and 1 hammershot takes it away??

 

Yeah i really need that talent!!!

[Blev]

Looks pretty similar to hybrid spec Pre 1.2.

 

Always preferred defence of the hybrid just because Inner Peace and having better defence cool downs also command when it had the Reduction to the CD of our AoE Taunt. haven't tried it 1.2, However with Shien form is a wasted talent point if your going to be tanking. Commanding awe could be useful however if you do pop focused defence then it's counter productive to what you are doing (Keeping a hold of mobs).

 

If someone happens to try this out and also try the defence please give feedback

 

Shien is basically filler to get to the higher skills with potential for more flexibility in case there ends up being a single tank fight so I can swap to it and do a little bit more dps. Stagger is just garbage, and though I don't like Defiance or Gather Strength really that much, I suppose I should put filler points into either one of them over Stagger.

 

Focused Defense, if you use it, you'd basically have to have a Taunt up off of CD to make sure whatever you are tanking doesn't go anywhere.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Blev

[Likepro]

Could you tell me the classes which where healing you?

 

we used 2 sage healers

[Zayse]

I don't see a reason to go hybrid this time around. It doesn't have better single target aggro, what with the threat on guardian slash, and it doesn't have better aoe aggro either. Aoe tanking is even more shifted towards utilizing Cyclone Slash, and the hybrid can't use it. Plus, in the build posted above, you didn't take Swelling Winds. Whats the point of Effluence without Swelling Winds?

 

The Def spec has more utility, better threat generation, and it swims in focus.

 

My spec:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500RrGzudMdfzZcMRZ0M.1

 

What I would do if I was staying hybrid:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500hMGzdZcGrMMhdzMZ0M.1

 

OR if I REALLY wanted Blade Barrier:

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500hMGzu0MZcGrMMhzzzZ0M.1

Edited April 15, 2012 by Zayse

[Farstrider]

Nothing inventive here I'm afraid...

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500GMGzubrdfzZcMZMM.1

 

The build is heavily defensive, taking advantage of the increased damage for master strike, skipping stasis mastery to invest into enhancing focus generation, and aoe damage.

 

The build is working well soloing 2+ content, and grouping for HM content, I don't pvp so I can't comment on its effectivity thereabouts.

 

My one wish is that the new Focused Defense had a damage reflect component, returning a percentage of incoming damage back to the dealer, it seems lacklustre for the focus cost and healing given.

 

[Occultsaga]

for pvp i recomend spending 2 points in force push, it helps a lot... and is uber in hutt ball

and im thinking in changing swelling winds for master focus, after patch 1.2 master strike is awesome, just go hilt strike>master strike in some sith face.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Occultsaga

[Occultsaga]

this is the build im going to try tonight in pvp -

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#500hrGzuzrdfzZcMMZMz.1

[Blev]

I don't see a reason to go hybrid this time around. It doesn't have better single target aggro, what with the threat on guardian slash, and it doesn't have better aoe aggro either. Aoe tanking is even more shifted towards utilizing Cyclone Slash, and the hybrid can't use it. Plus, in the build posted above, you didn't take Swelling Winds. Whats the point of Effluence without Swelling Winds?

 

The Def spec has more utility, better threat generation, and it swims in focus.

 

Been messing around with both specs, from what I've seen, both builds still suck in AoE threat gen. The 31/7/3 does slightly better but it isn't really that noticeable with dps banging away. Honestly, at this point I've basically given up on worrying about AE threat generation and just accepted it blows and focused more on stacking up against Ops Bosses. If at some point in the future there is a boss in which it is entirely made of up 4-5 adds or more, then I might readdress my approach, but not before.

 

Effluence is extremely useful in of itself regardless of whether or not you have Swelling Winds. Really, what else are you going to take to get higher in the Vigilance tree anyways?

Edited April 16, 2012 by Blev