31/8/2 PvP Build

[-Dark-]

I'm using a 31/8/2 build

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801hRGr0RroGRZMcdZb.1

 

I primarily designed this to be a support build in PvP. I get a lot of defense out of this, and it usually takes people a while to put me down. I usually average about 11-14 medals a game and deal out anywhere from 125-165k damage.

 

Other than this not being a DPS spec, is this a good defense spec?

Edited April 24, 2012 by -Dark-

[Philosomanic]

I'm using a 31/8/2 build

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801hRGr0RroGRZMcdZb.1

 

I primarily designed this to be a support build in PvP. I get a lot of defense out of this, and it usually takes people a while to put me down. I usually average about 11-14 medals a game and deal out anywhere from 125-165k damage.

 

Other than this not being a DPS spec, is this a good defense spec?

 

If you're looking to not die while doing decent damage (soloist tank), then that's a fairly good build. However, if you're really looking for support (which, IMO, is how tanks should be played), then that's missing out on so much. A true PvP support tank would look something more like this.

 

That build gives you Static Field and Smoke Grenade, which are two powerful support skills. Smoke Grenade is worthless against some classes (like sorcs), but it hurts most (operative, powertech, mercenary, assassin) and is debilitating against some really powerful classes (marauder, juggernaut, sniper). Combine Smoke Grenade, Explosive Surge, and your AoE Taunt, and you can prevent a massive amount of damage to your team.

 

I also think it's worth getting decreased CD to Cryo Grenade and Harpoon in Tactics. They'll give you significantly shorter cooldowns on two of your most powerful tools. HiB isn't that essential to your rotation as a Shield Spec, so I don't think giving up Focused Impact will hurt you too badly.

 

Spec like that, and you'll be really powerful at debuffing your enemies and protecting your allies.

[Wallsie]

If you're looking to not die while doing decent damage (soloist tank), then that's a fairly good build. However, if you're really looking for support (which, IMO, is how tanks should be played), then that's missing out on so much. A true PvP support tank would look something more like this.

 

That build gives you Static Field and Smoke Grenade, which are two powerful support skills. Smoke Grenade is worthless against some classes (like sorcs), but it hurts most (operative, powertech, mercenary, assassin) and is debilitating against some really powerful classes (marauder, juggernaut, sniper). Combine Smoke Grenade, Explosive Surge, and your AoE Taunt, and you can prevent a massive amount of damage to your team.

 

I also think it's worth getting decreased CD to Cryo Grenade and Harpoon in Tactics. They'll give you significantly shorter cooldowns on two of your most powerful tools. HiB isn't that essential to your rotation as a Shield Spec, so I don't think giving up Focused Impact will hurt you too badly.

 

Spec like that, and you'll be really powerful at debuffing your enemies and protecting your allies.

 

 

I would disagree with your spec. Some of your choices make no sense from the standpoint you're arguing. If you're not worried about dealing damage, Energy Blast is a waste of time. If you want to do support and prevent damage to your enemies, Heavy Stock is another waste of points. Those points can be transferred to Power Armor and Rebraced Armor and/or Soldier's Endurance. You could also argue that due to the way shielding works in pvp the points in Counterattack are wasted and could be used on the talents I mentioned above, although that may be a wash in terms of survivability.

[skidrows]

Riote strike is good in pvp, block healer from healing and so.

[Fdzzaigl]

Any tank build without smoke grenade & static field is fail imo.

 

So those two things would really be needed in your build, the ability to decrease a groups damage output by 4% is very significant. Smoke grenade less so, but with Mara's / Jugg's being that popular it will hurt those classes significantly (and if you ever tank in PvE, those 2 are absolutely required).

 

Then again, I really don't see vanguards as the best suited PvP tanks in the game overall. We don't have great defensive cooldowns like Knights / Shadows.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Fdzzaigl

[Riogha]

smoke grenade would be better if it was a throwable item , currently it drops at your feet, pretty useless if the fight moves from that area.

[Philosomanic]

I would disagree with your spec. Some of your choices make no sense from the standpoint you're arguing. If you're not worried about dealing damage, Energy Blast is a waste of time. If you want to do support and prevent damage to your enemies, Heavy Stock is another waste of points. Those points can be transferred to Power Armor and Rebraced Armor and/or Soldier's Endurance. You could also argue that due to the way shielding works in pvp the points in Counterattack are wasted and could be used on the talents I mentioned above, although that may be a wash in terms of survivability.

 

Yeah, those are personal preference. The way I see it, taking less damage isn't really supporting your group. However, doing more damage (so you can take down someone pressuring your healer, for example) does support your group. Regardless, the balance of defense and offense is up to the tank.

 

However, I still stand by my point that you should take Static Field, Smoke Grenade, and Tactical Tools. Containment Tactics would be great as well. Those are powerful support talents.

[Manuad]

I run this spec in Ion cell wearing full Eliminator battlemaster gear. I find no issue with surviving and the utility, dps and damage reduction is very tasty.

 

Try it it is a tiny bit less durable than your present spec but has a big dps jump.

 

Also have Energy Blast and High Impact Bolt on the same bind so they fire at the same time giving some nice burst when used in conjunction with Stock Strike and stick grenade.

[Lokeel]

I prefer this setup if we are going for real support and utility. It is an "IronFist" style, but with more emphasis on utility.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GoMrdRbRMZrRMroZb.1

 

Every support cooldown or upgrade has been taken. In doing so, you lose some of the damage from the original IronFist build, but the utility gained should mitigate this, since it is team based gameplay.

 

Cheers,

Gunnar

[Ojikori]

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GRRrboroGRZMcbZ0c.1

 

This is what I use for PVP and PVE. I like it. Seems kinda basic I'm sure but it works well for both.

[me_unknown]

A true PvP support tank would look something more like this.

actually, even in unranked matches i would pray to not have somebody with such a build in my team.

using so many tank talents in pvp is allways a bad idea. it's a waste.

 

people seem to hink they will get focused as a tank class. maybe if your opponents are stupid. beside of the fact thatall shield related abilities are of a very very limited use in pvp.

 

the best tank builds are those only taking direct mitigation and utilities like storm from the shield tree. the rest must go in damage. sadly we have quite some "tanks" ni pvp. it is always playing with a 1/2 team mate. i am skilled with an own variation of iron fist, though with better ammo management due to the tactics talent for free stockstrike.

 

i get in avarage 13 medals, du in avarage 280-300k damage, usually in the top 3 damage dealers, top 3 kills, and i can kill any class, yes any, no matter if marauder or what ever ccomes across. and important: i don't need ages to kill them.

 

and guess what... i survive basically as long as the full tank specced vanguards with shield in offhand and even with supercommando set (stupiest set for pvp ever! if kept the mods etc.).

 

there is no place for a tank with low damage in pvp. no one will target you if you are not also a dangerous damage dealer.

[me_unknown]

I prefer this setup if we are going for real support and utility. It is an "IronFist" style, but with more emphasis on utility.

 

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GoMrdRbRMZrRMroZb.1

 

Every support cooldown or upgrade has been taken. In doing so, you lose some of the damage from the original IronFist build, but the utility gained should mitigate this, since it is team based gameplay.

 

Cheers,

Gunnar

what utility gained? charge!... defensive messures?

you lose a lot of damage in your build.

 

 

here my build. it has all needed utilites and a lot of damage while keeping quite good ammo management:

http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801rRG0doroMZrsrbobZo.1

 

one may chose to not take "ceramic plating" but instead to take shield cycler if you play with shield in offhand. i tested it, you do not observe an improvement in survivability and neither a significant improvement in ammo regeneration. but as i only take ceramic plating for the adrenaline rush cd, which is also only of very limited use it doesn't matter. its more a question of taste.

 

but every thing else in shield tree is a waste in pvp, considering what you could take from the other trees (especially tactics).

 

forget about playing as a tank in pvp. a pvp tank is a robust damage machine, sure with a bit less damage than a pure damage machine, but you must do a lot of damage to have any use in pvp.

[Zunayson]

smoke grenade would be better if it was a throwable item , currently it drops at your feet, pretty useless if the fight moves from that area.

 

No, the debuff stays on them no matter what. They only have to be in the radius when you first activate it. It works if in any one point in time people are crammed together.

[AlyxDinas]

I actually ran a 33/6/2 for a little while, which didn't take the full talent on Counterattack or Shield Cycler but actually took Blaster Augs and put a point into Charge!. The reduced shield chance tends to be balanced out by building stacks from Ion Pulse and I find that I enjoyed the chance for a mobility increase from time to time (even though it it was not consistent). I had fair survivabiliy (as well as anyone can really have post 1.2) and put out a lot of sustained damage throughout a match because I just wasn't dropping often. There were some match ups that were troublesome, Mauraders being the more obvious one, even taking into account Smoke Grenade. But I could generally deal with something like a Pyrotech's bursts if I played it smart.

 

Simply put, it wasn't anywhere near as disastrous as you'd expect since most of the extra points spent were for cooldown reductions that turned out to be fairly beneficial in terms of extending my uptime. Overall, as a lot of people have noted about their builds, Shield spec's primarily a support role. I stayed up long, even in stacked encounters, and this became invaluable for delaying and peeling opposing players. Proving a greater teamplay/objective focus than I expected.

 

I'm switching from the Supercommando set bonus to Combat tech right now. I really love the bonuses in Supercommando but gearing it up is just too cost prohibitive because of all the mod slotting you have to do. I've done that once already, no thanks. I'm switching to a slightly different build that takes things like Frontline Offense or Tactical Tool instead of Charge! or the reduced cooldown on Adrenaline Rush. 31/8/2. After a few test runs, the changes are definitely feeling nice, if not too drastically different.

Edited April 28, 2012 by AlyxDinas

[ComeAndSee]

This is what I roll with right now: http://www.torhead.com/skill-calc#801GoGdbRroGRZMc0MZb.1 I kind of wish they would make Storm and Defensive Measures 1 point talents.

 

Also, Smoke Grenade only works on white attacks, not specials. Its pretty much useless.

 

Vanguards have the best AOE abilities in game and if you can get in a position where you can hit multiple people you will inflict massive amounts of damage. I remember being in a Civil War with 5 melee all bunched up and I popped adrenal + 25% crit bonus and I probably did 20k total damage in the channel.

 

Voidstar I routinely do 500k+ dmg as a Shield Vanguard.

Edited May 1, 2012 by ComeAndSee