Thinking of making VG tank,

[Aerilas]

But first I have a few questions. I am totally oblivious to trooper defensive cd's and most skills as i only have a scoundrel healer and shadow so far.

 

I'm in a strong PVP guild who (IMO) is kind of lacking in tanks.

My question is if a fully tank geared and specced vanguard tank is worth it in RWZs, and whether or not he is better replaced by a shadow or guardian tank if played very well.

This in a fashion of survivability (by resisting attacks with cooldowns, overall stats, etc), utility (taunts, pulls,stuns/ccs,...) and mobility (leaps, speed boosts, ...) and usefulness to the team.

 

If so, what gear would you recommend and what spec (full skill tree)?

 

And ofcourse, I'm hoping to hear from experienced (possibly in rwz) vg tanks

(I will have more questions later, just can't come up with them atm.)

Edited November 11, 2012 by Aerilas

[Evuo]

But first I have a few questions. I am totally oblivious to trooper defensive cd's and most skills as i only have a scoundrel healer and shadow so far.

 

I'm in a strong PVP guild who (IMO) is kind of lacking in tanks.

My question is if a fully tank geared and specced vanguard tank is worth it in RWZs, and whether or not he is better replaced by a shadow or guardian tank if played very well.

This in a fashion of survivability (by resisting attacks with cooldowns, overall stats, etc), utility (taunts, pulls,stuns/ccs,...) and mobility (leaps, speed boosts, ...) and usefulness to the team.

 

If so, what gear would you recommend and what spec (full skill tree)?

 

And ofcourse, I'm hoping to hear from experienced (possibly in rwz) vg tanks

(I will have more questions later, just can't come up with them atm.)

 

In a RWZ I'd prefer either of the other two. The other two both have an AOE slow which makes peeling for your team a ton easier. Although not exclusive to the tank spec, they have guarenteed immunity to two of the four attack types tied to a defensive cooldown. For shadows its force/tech, and guardians its melee/ranged. They also each bring a mez in addition to the standard two stun (the guardian getting the second with talents). The shadows is tied to stealth which can make them a good choice for guarding a node solo while the guardian's is a PBAoE mez.

 

You won't have anything to break roots, slows (as a shadow can), or make you immune to them. Jet charge is great, but you're susceptible to CC right after using it. Something almost all guardian tank hybrids won't have to worry about with the unremitting talent.

 

Vanguard tanks have 1 active defensive mitagation cooldown, Reactive shield -- the same base cooldown all Troopers get. In an interview, http://www.swtor.com/community/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=5393417, the developers stated the intent of the vanguard tank to be passively the sturdiest and toughest. The talents to improve passive damage mitagation, shield chance, and absorb chance, along with the lack of active cooldowns reinforce this design philosophy. Smoke grenade is PBAoE accuracy debuff that is more situational than something can be used off cooldown as it only debuffs melee and ranged accuracy.

 

Unfortunately, active cooldowns are better than passive mitagation in PVP -- particularly the shield and absorb mechanic of the vanguard. Since shield and absorb only apply to melee/ranged attack types the vanguard's passive mitagation philosophy doesn't work as well as the more active mitagation and avoidance cooldown usage of the other two tank archetypes in PVP. Due to that, you might want to consider wearing a mix of dps and tank gear to help assist your dps on the focus target more effectively.

 

Vanguard tanks do have their benefits though. The no escape talent is excellent, adding the root to both stealth scan and harpoon. Vanguard tanks are probably the best at stopping opponents from capping nodes continuously with their combination of AoE and ranged attacks. You can apply the talented -5% damage done debuff to opponents relatively quickly and resource free after jet charging and using your PBAoE, Explosive Surge. While not exclusive to the tank spec, the vanguards have the best AoE taunt in my opinion as it does not require you to be in point blank range, but can be used effectively from a distance. Although, the vanguard tank damage is not good it is still a bit better than a Guardian's damage, but not enough to make up for all the other utility the guardian has.