Tanking on sin

[Griad]

Hi all

 

I have been playing tank from i reached level 50, but after the patch 2.0 i have started playing deception for leveling and because i like the spec. However now i am thinking about returning to tanking and with that in mind hiw are the tank assassins liking the new changes.

 

From just one instance mandalorien raider i felt super squishy, but then again i am only in dread gear so far, overall i fell like more of a heal magnet than before. I am not complaining just curious how people are liking it.

[Astarica]

Hi all

 

I have been playing tank from i reached level 50, but after the patch 2.0 i have started playing deception for leveling and because i like the spec. However now i am thinking about returning to tanking and with that in mind hiw are the tank assassins liking the new changes.

 

From just one instance mandalorien raider i felt super squishy, but then again i am only in dread gear so far, overall i fell like more of a heal magnet than before. I am not complaining just curious how people are liking it.

 

Assassin tanking is more finesse so if you're tanking like the 'turret boss' on Mandolorian Raiders which does 100% straight up damage you're probably worse than a brute force tanking class (the other two). Where Assassins do well is on stuff that requires finesse like the bosses with really strong special moves that can be stopped by Force Shroud. I think every encounter in Mandolorian Raider is totally brute force tanking so you'd probably do slightly worse than a comparable tank. Remember that your ability to mind trap something is very useful when you talk about Strong mobs that can hit for 5K.

[Griad]

Assassin tanking is more finesse so if you're tanking like the 'turret boss' on Mandolorian Raiders which does 100% straight up damage you're probably worse than a brute force tanking class (the other two). Where Assassins do well is on stuff that requires finesse like the bosses with really strong special moves that can be stopped by Force Shroud. I think every encounter in Mandolorian Raider is totally brute force tanking so you'd probably do slightly worse than a comparable tank. Remember that your ability to mind trap something is very useful when you talk about Strong mobs that can hit for 5K.

 

Hmm okay atleast then i wasnt totally of base when i thought i took alot of damage, i know of the in's and out's of the spec, i guess i just need some different stats aswell alot of my gear is defense heavy, which is far from as good as it used to be.

[Maelicbod]

You do just fine on brute force tanking as well, you just have to realize that this isn't pre-2.0 anymore and you may need to juggle some cooldowns on trash pulls. Pop a self-heal and our DR hits the "brute force tanks" DR. Deflection for when you are surrounded by those nasty 5k strong mobs that hit harder than the elites. On top of that you can always pop a clicky relic. Well played Sin tanks are still the easiest class to heal, or so I've been told from healers.

[Hockaday]

That and our DG gear is crap on 2.0, well, at least mine was stat wise. (my totals were all wrong for the new tanking design). Undergeared healers can be a problem as well. By undergeared, I mean those not in blackmarket or even basic.

 

I personally find FPs harder than S&V atm, specifically turrets and the like in mando. But all tanks are hurting right now, we're fine. Just remember that you can't (shouldn't) just use our shield buff w/e it's on CD. You need to wait until it's about to wear off.

[Omophorus]

Assassin has a spikier damage taken profile in 2.0, so you can feel squishier at times, even if you're not ineffective or worse off than either other tank AC.

 

There's also more need to rely on CDs even on big trash packs, because 4-5 strongs beating on you is pretty tough to handle for any tank right now.

 

Keep in mind we're down over 5% Defense chance, almost 10% shield chance, and over 20% absorption from where we were in the same gear prior to 2.0, so we are taking more damage, plain and simple. So are Juggies and PT though, so it's not like we're alone in that regard.

 

Sin tanking in 2.0 is more active in general - more need to time Dark Ward carefully (to maximize Dark Bulwark's value), more complex, proc-driven priority system, more need than ever to focus on maximizing self-healing, and more need to use & abuse our CDs. Unfortunately, more passive, "relaxed" play is being punished right now since we can't leverage a gear advantage to brute force through content.

[Rieverre]

... it's like it's always been, only more-so. Any squishiness can probably be attributed to the fact that people need to brush the rust that overgearing wrought off. Multiple mobs still chew right through the healthbar but that's what the DPS and healer are there for, right?

 

The fact that we can stay out of PBAOE range easily enough while maintaining threat and interrupting is still awesome (you don't know how much until you play a Jugg ^^ and even a PT to some extent).

 

Our combat stealth CD still interrupts enemy skills targeted at us directly ^^ and popping out and retaunting works as well as ever, at least in FPs and Heroics.

 

And in a single-target fight, I think we're more survivable than we ever were. At least I know I don't think I could have basically soloed the Shroud for half that H4 on my other tanks, only eating any serious damage if I missed an interrupt due to having to peel off a droid the others missed off a console.

 

In short, still my favorite tank.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Rieverre

[Griad]

Did aprox 15 HM FP yesterday and got back in the swing of tanking again and now i am loving it, seems i deal more damage and as someone said with a sensible use of CD i feel very powerfull.

 

Oh and i am starting to love phasewalk aswell in certain FP its just an awesome tool.

[Maelicbod]

Use of phasewalk during boss fights definitely can make things easier for healers, 5% to healing given over the course of a fight is no joke for healers. I foresee "Phasewalk plz" being added to the list of annoying things group members say during an outing, along with "Guard plz".

[Astarica]

The only problem as a tank is like if you run into 5 strongs and just forgot to use Deflection you can die before you know what's going on, but it's not like anyone fails to clear a FP because of the 5 strong pack even if you somehow wiped on it. Besides it's really the DPS's responsibility to burn down those mobs fast and throw some stuns when a strong mob can hit you for 5K.

 

Due to the way a lot of attacks are mysteriously classified as Force/Tech, you actually take significantly less spike damage on anything that actually matters. You might take more while you're trying to figure out why something smashing you with its claws is considered a tech attack, but once you figured it out you end up taking significantly less damage for being able to Force Shroud through it while no other tank has that option. For example take the bonus boss on Hammer Station. The attack where he knocks people down and starts hitting the tank multiple time is resistable by Force Shroud even though it makes no sense whatsoever. This means while any other tank would generally fall behind in health since your healer is likely knocked down while you're taking extra damage, an Assassin takes no damage every other knockdown.

[MantorokTwelve]

I just got back, so I'm only 51 and still in dread guard, but some of the new procs will take me a little bit to get used to. Being able to facestab is a welcome addition, but it's weird finding a key for it.

 

I still don't know where maul fits into the priority. I would assume just below assassinate? I don't know the specifics of maintaining dark bulwark versus dark ward either. I would assume refresh DW whenever it falls off (but no sooner), 15% shield seems more useful to me than 1-8% absorb.

[mastirkal]

Tanking with an assassin is like making love to a manatee. Sure you could go dashing in to do the job, but it's better to be smooth and caress the monster before you deal with a creature that could easily kill you.

 

This is in comparison to a juggy or a PT where you might as well be bashing your face into a wall and expecting to break through. The difference is usually they get the job done that way while sin tanks simply walk around the wall and look at the other two like idiots.

[Grumpftard]

 

This is in comparison to a juggy or a PT where you might as well be bashing your face into a wall and expecting to break through. The difference is usually they get the job done that way while sin tanks simply walk around the wall and look at the other two like idiots.

 

So true

[Fallerup]

on the subject of Sin tanking, what would be the preferable % for D/S/A now? It use to be 40/65/60. What number should I be aiming for in Defense, Shield and Absorb rating now?

[Grumpftard]

on the subject of Sin tanking, what would be the preferable % for D/S/A now? It use to be 40/65/60. What number should I be aiming for in Defense, Shield and Absorb rating now?

 

Pick one: Keyboardninja or Dipstik

[mastirkal]

Pick one: Keyboardninja

 

Is my personal choice.

[bsweitzer]

Tanking with an assassin is like making love to a manatee. Sure you could go dashing in to do the job, but it's better to be smooth and caress the monster before you deal with a creature that could easily kill you.

 

This is in comparison to a juggy or a PT where you might as well be bashing your face into a wall and expecting to break through. The difference is usually they get the job done that way while sin tanks simply walk around the wall and look at the other two like idiots.

 

 

LOL nice... I dont care that is funny

[Omophorus]

I just got back, so I'm only 51 and still in dread guard, but some of the new procs will take me a little bit to get used to. Being able to facestab is a welcome addition, but it's weird finding a key for it.

 

I still don't know where maul fits into the priority. I would assume just below assassinate? I don't know the specifics of maintaining dark bulwark versus dark ward either. I would assume refresh DW whenever it falls off (but no sooner), 15% shield seems more useful to me than 1-8% absorb.

 

Priority looks something like this:

 

Force Lightning w/ 3 stacks of Harnessed Darkness

Assassinate

Shock

Wither

Discharge (to maintain debuff only, unless tanking large packs)

Maul w/ Conspirator's Cloak Proc

Thrash if >30 Force

Saber Strike

 

Assassinate can move to the top of the list if healing isn't a major concern.

 

Edit: To address the Dark Ward question, it's basically refresh immediately before it runs out via time or via charge depletion. Never refresh sooner if you can help it.

 

The extra Shield vs. the extra Absorb isn't a question of one or the other. You still have 7 charges of Dark Ward left when you max out stacks of Dark Bulwark. Ideally you want both active, but keeping Dark Ward up takes priority, so it should be refreshed right as it runs out.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Omophorus