Are Shadow tanks really that bad??

[Celantro]

like title says, are they really that bad, all I hear is how we have no survivability and lack defensive cd's and if u want to tank go guardian. It cant be that bad, I assume its just bad players for the most part (at least I hope) lol.

[lpez]

Wish I could say it is bad players, but no. The problem resides in the game design itself, because even great players can die because a single unshielded attack.

CD's and self heals are great, but can't be used throughout the entire fight. The major problem is the difference between no CD shielded and unshielded attack damage.

[EFSoupy]

I don't think shadows are so bad that they can't be run, but they are at a disadvantage under certain situations. Shadows have lower base damage reduction than the other two tanks but good shield based mitigation and the self heal, we also have some really solid cds. (For low level shadow tanks, before you get any mitgation stats things can be difficult too). This means for moderate amounts of damage over long time scales, shadows do very well (don't take a lot of damage and self healing recovers a decent amount). If you properly use your def cds, you can prevent/ reduce a lot of damage.

The problems come in the current design of end game content. To make content challenging there are many encounters with high levels of damage coming very quickly. With so much of shadow's damage mitgation tied up in the shield roll, if a tank hit a bad streak of luck (3-4 big hits without shielding anything) then they're dead really quickly. There are also some big single hit attacks that will do the same thing. This falls on the healers to keep the tank and full health and be ready in case the tank has a streak of bad luck so as not to lose the tank.

In comparison to the other tank classes where they have higher damage reduction from armor rating, they would require more healing with a moderate incoming damage profile, but they take bad luck and bursts a lot better than shadows do. This gives more room for error for the healers.

From what I understand, shadows can do the end game content, but it requires a better healer and gives them less room for mistakes than the other tank classes. Gear and skill being equal for a shadow and another tank, a healer will have an easier time with the other tank (unless you're over geared).

And there's a good chance Kitru or KBN will comment (if they haven't during while I'm writing), they will probably give a better run down that I did.

[WillHolmes]

short answer juggs > PT > sins

 

AT THE MOMENT

[artikulieren]

Imo at least, having played two tanks(Shadow/PT). My PT is infinitely more durable.

 

The biggest issue, as mentioned above is spike/burst damage. Just like how Infiltration/Deception can put out a massive hit. We too take massive hits. Due to the pronounced lack of damage reduction, we rely solely on our shield proccing and the resulting absortion(mitigation) it provides. But if it doesn't proc, and we receive several large hits in quick succession. Even good healers often are still in mid-cast when we die. The biggest issue is rarely bosses, it's mostly the trash before a boss that kill.

 

That being said, I do feel that Shadows/Assassin tanks have the best threat management and it is by far easier to maintain aggro(on a group as well as a single target) than other tanks.

 

The last issue, which isn't(at least for me) a huge problem. Is the perceived lack of defensive cool downs. While it is true that Guardians/Juggernauts get a great ability in the form of Saber Reflect. That is perhaps unrivaled in the SWTOR world of tanking. We do get certain abilities, that while not as universal, perform the same under select circumstances. An example would be Resilience while fighting Sunder in S&V. The ability 'The End" is usually mitigated by Guardians/Juggernauts with Saber Reflect, Shadow/Assassins can also mitigate it completely with Resilience.