Levelling a Tank - Compared to DPS?

[Red_Eye_Jedi_]

Hey Guys,

 

For the first time ever I'm going to roll a Tank!

 

I'm assuming that Levelling will be much slower compared to a DPS, and use of my companion as a DPS will be needed massively... is this the case?

 

Could someone shed some light on being a Tank and how it all works out?

 

Thanks!

[Anaesha]

It would help if we knew which class you were doing since Juggs/guardians are not the sole tank for this game.

[Khevar]

The first tank I leveled was a Shadow tank, using HK-51 as a dps companion.

 

It wasn't that slow, actually. And I rather enjoyed the experience. To this day, Shadow / Assassin are the only melee classes in the game that I really like playing.

[Stormskimmer]

It really depends on which tank you are using.

 

My assassin was able to tear through everything, use a dps companion, and never need to stop to heal. I had biochem though, and this was back when assassins had self healing, so your mileage may vary. Damage while leveling on an assassin is the highest of any tank, so it's like running dps with a dps companion for killing things, only you have the durability of a tank at the same time. VERY NICE. Every time I level an assassin or shadow so far, I've done it with the tank tree.

 

My juggernaut was much harder. Much lower damage, not much more durability, and no range at all. Honestly, I almost gave up on my juggernaut, it was so slow. There were a few times when I needed to just use my healing companion, because incoming damage was too much to handle alone, so that slowed things down even more. I would not even consider trying to level this tank tree again.

 

My powertech had a bit easier time of it. At least I was able to do something while running into melee range, even if it was only mildly annoying the enemies. The down side was the companion set up. First a healer, and nothing else until level 30. I think I just used the healer because of how long I went without anything else. Overall, I'd rate it the middle of the pack for leveling speed. Still, I'm trying out a damage tree on my new vanguard, and liking it better already.

[Darkelefantos]

The first tank I leveled was a Shadow tank, using HK-51 as a dps companion.

 

It wasn't that slow, actually. And I rather enjoyed the experience. To this day, Shadow / Assassin are the only melee classes in the game that I really like playing.

 

Well, Shadow/Assassin have the highest single target DPS out of all tank classes and HK is the highest DPS companion, so of course it wasn't slow

 

OP, leveling a tank is slightly slower than leveling a DPS, yes, but it also gives you the satisfaction of feeling invulnerable. It's also still faster than leveling a healer.

[Anaesha]

lvling a healer isn't actually that slow if you have the right gear, use the right comp(s), and know what you are doing.

[Darth_Wicked]

lvling a healer isn't actually that slow if you have the right gear, use the right comp(s), and know what you are doing.

 

The issue is that most classes who have heals are only given a DPS companion fairly late in chapter one; In some cases, only after the first chapter in fact.

 

Smuggler or Consular for example.

[Andryah]

Well, I've leveled just about every class to at least the mid 30s, some more then once. Some are a little faster then others, but really if you spec for damage output.... none of them are radically different in leveling speed other then perhaps the stealth classes which can gimmick their way past content via stealth. But the stealth classes also tend to under level in a planet if they are stealthing past all the junk mobs.

 

Leveling is about leveling for the most part.... not picking and playing from the trinity like in other MMOs. If you spec into the damage trees of your class and get Treek (a great all purpose companion), It's pretty smooth. And with Treek, you can quickly shift her stance from Tank to Heal when you need to for those tough Champion/Elite fights. Personally, I leave her in Tank mode and she does decent damage contribution while splitting the damage load between you and her. The only downside to going damage trees for speed of leveling is you don't learn to perfect your class in tank mode until later on when you are working through endgame.

 

Pure DPS will kill faster, but then there is down time to consider and when you factor that in to leveling time, DPS are not much faster then Tank/Healer in this MMO... which is a nice change of pace in MMOs IMO.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Andryah

[Anaesha]

I don't know as much about the pub side since I rarely play pub but inquisitors get their first dps comp on Tatooine (3rd planet) although even with good gear I found him rather lacking compared to Ashara, Agents don't get their first dps until Alderaan (4th planet), and BH also doesn't get their first dps until Tatooine but even having to use Khem Val through most of it I still never had much issues with lvling my Sorc actually seemed to take less time to lvl then it did my Sniper.

[Daekarus]

Leveling a tank can be a bit slower, but you can also solo things you really couldn't with a DPS. Keeping a DPS and healer companion geared would be the best way to do things, but I usually just use whoever I'm interested in getting affection with and choose their DPS stance.

 

It is much easier levelling a tank - you can survive things you have no business surviving. After leveling two tanks and two DPS, I can honestly say I'd rather level a tank, especially now that we have planetary rather than planet-specific commendations.

 

To my mind, being a tank opens up options.

[Halinalle]

I'm assuming that Levelling will be much slower compared to a DPS, and use of my companion as a DPS will be needed massively... is this the case?

 

It depends on class.

 

Juggernaut/Guardian is probably the slowest. I hated leveling from 45 to 50. It was very slow even though I didn't even bother using healer companion unless fight was difficult. You will feel immortal if you can get it right though. IMO, class with "most annoying AoE aggro management".

 

Powertech/Vanguard isn't much faster than Juggernaut/Guardian but you have easier time keeping aggro against groups. Great class for beginners because your mitigation is passive with good rotation.

 

Assassin/Shadow: Highest leveling speed (damage is still low compared to dps spec). Somewhat forgiving class at lower levels. At max level requires a lot of attention to your buffs and enemy debuffs during the fight. Easy to get in, hard to master.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Halinalle

[wiredgutter]

I don't bother with any companions other than healer ones, I hate downtime and managing companions. I have ~825 presence, so their heals are big and they do decen dmg. Plus I play on a pvp server, and the possibility of being attacked means healer comps are more useful in that regard

[wjrasmussen]

Not a problem, you will over level the planets just like other classes.

[Ominovin]

Generally,

1. Tank and Healer* characters should probably use DPS companions: It just takes too long to kill anything with healer or tank companions.
   
2. DPS Characters can really use any companion they like. Personally, I like to use healers for the 'less down time between pulls' or tanks for 'send the tank in to gather everyone up while I AoE them down' but you can probably make any combo work.

 

My first character was my Assassin Tank, and I enjoyed her. Of course, once I started my Sniper and Mercenary, I began to realize how much faster it was to level a DPS. I haven't leveled a tank spec since (was somewhat tempted on my Vanguard just to get the charge ability, but ended up playing both the DPS trees instead).

 

*disclaimer: I've never actually leveled a healer past the low 20s.

[TalantM]

Hey Guys,

 

For the first time ever I'm going to roll a Tank!

 

I'm assuming that Levelling will be much slower compared to a DPS, and use of my companion as a DPS will be needed massively... is this the case?

 

Could someone shed some light on being a Tank and how it all works out?

 

Thanks!

To be perfectly honest, I just use whichever companion I like the best regardless of their role, but if something is actually giving me trouble I defualt to healers (or just doing flashpoints untill i gain a level or 2.) Takes a little longer, but nowhere near as long as dieing several times trying.

 

That's easily the best thing about leveling a tank. Even while the story takes longer than normal, the flashpoint ques go much faster. The longest I have to wait for a regualr flashpoint during the day is 45 minuites, and that's an unusually long period of time for me to have to wait, so any trouble the story gives you can be made up in doing the flashpoint dailies.

[FeniceNera]

Nothing is slower than leveling a healing sage with tharan (in dps stance). I did it for the 1k kills achievement. it was slllllooooow

[Moonnight]

fastest

 

1. marauder dps with melee dps companion jaesa willsaam

 

2. assassin tank with dps companion

 

3. mercenary dps with heals companion mako

 

first on can be hard on elites but possible just watch your health plus companion try to even the damage taken and have health packs. Its a learning curve got to learn how to play dps with dps companion, but you will melt everything.

[Khevar]

Generally,

1. Tank and Healer* characters should probably use DPS companions: It just takes too long to kill anything with healer or tank companions.

A healer companion doesn't kill things quickly, this is very true. The moment either of you start to take damage, the healer is using heal abilities instead of attack abilities. BUT, a tank companion will continue attacking regardless.

 

I recently parsed companion DPS on the training dummy. Here's my writeup on it

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=745097

 

HK-51 was top of the pack as far as dps goes (unsurprisingly) and Tanno Vik was at the bottom as a tank, but M1-4X was actually JUST below the dps. So I think that the idea that "using a tank companion takes too long to kill things" isn't really true, so long as you use dps gear (plus a shield offhand) on your tank.

 

The tank companion does almost as much damage, still has a shield for some mitigation, a taunt to keep aggro, and can be restored to full health in 0.1 seconds by hopping on the speeder. Seems like a win win win.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Khevar

[Vhaegrant]

My first character and still my main is a Powertech levelled in the tank spec. I have also levelled a Jedi Knight in the tank spec (Guardian).

 

I levelled my Sith Sorcerer and my Scoundrel in heal specs.

 

My remaining level 55s (Marauder, Juggernaut, Sniper, Mercenary, Sentinel, Vanguard, Commando, Gunslinger, Shadow) were all levelled in a DPS spec.

 

A few general pointers...

 

 

• Having unlocked all the presence buffs (total +500) pretty much any companion is usable, especially at the early point of the game no matter which role you play.
   
  
• If you do all the quests and have the rested bonus the chances are you will be overlevelled for all content, this is by far the biggest advantage you will have. Especially if you keep equipment reasonably up to date as well.
   
  
• Tanks are very limited with regards to self heals, those available tend to be from the Defensive buffs with relatively long cooldowns. As you will be taking the bulk of damage expect a bit of downtime between fights if you do not run with a healing companion.
   
  
• Buying 'Rocket Boost' to level 3 gives you an immediate way of healing your companion out of combat. This pretty much negates healing downtime when running with a tank or DPS companion. If a companion dies it is generally faster to dismiss them and resummon them than to resurrect them and heal them back up to full health.
   
  
• Sending a DPS (or Tank) companion into the fight ahead of you is a good way to gather up the mobs in preparation of AOE, or to use the companion as a damage soak (remember if a companion is never getting damaged their health is wasted, better a companion loses health than you). Some ACs (most notably the Assassin/Shadow stealth) need to attack from behind for the best results, this works a lot better when using a melee Tank companion (KhemVal or Qyzen).
   
  
• It's usually far quicker to get your head down and press on through the regular class/world quests and the associated bonus chains (with as many xp buffs as you prefer) than to mess around with Flashpoints and Heroics when levelling.
   
  
• You may get a rough idea of your AC and specific spec abilities while levelling but the real learning curve hits at end game when level disparity has been removed and you are purely limited by gear (and even then if you are unfortunate enough to group with overgeared DPS and undergeared healers expect a rough ride).
  

 

 

Of course the above is only my opinion gathered from playing through the majority of ACs at least once.

You can level through the game with any companion, but some are far more viable than others.

 

Personally I now only ever level up in a DPS spec. I find it far quicker and more enjoyable.

For those characters I use a lot at end game I purchase 'Field Specialisation' so I can swap between their roles relatively easily. For my main I have a couple of DPS sets of gear as well as a PVP set and a Tanking set (this works well with Bounty Hunters and Troopers as the majority of their companions use Aim as their main stat - as does Treek - so you can put the sets you are not using on your companions. Running dailies on my Powertech in DPS spec with Treek equipped in the PTs Tanking gear is pretty quick)

[Darth_Wicked]

A healer companion doesn't kill things quickly, this is very true. The moment either of you start to take damage, the healer is using heal abilities instead of attack abilities. BUT, a tank companion will continue attacking regardless.

 

I recently parsed companion DPS on the training dummy. Here's my writeup on it

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=745097

 

HK-51 was top of the pack as far as dps goes (unsurprisingly) and Tanno Vik was at the bottom as a tank, but M1-4X was actually JUST below the dps. So I think that the idea that "using a tank companion takes too long to kill things" isn't really true, so long as you use dps gear (plus a shield offhand) on your tank.

 

The tank companion does almost as much damage, still has a shield for some mitigation, a taunt to keep aggro, and can be restored to full health in 0.1 seconds by hopping on the speeder. Seems like a win win win.

 

M1-4X being voiced by the godly Tom Kane grants him an additional boost to weapon damage.

 

True story.

[OddballEasyEight]

Hey Guys,

 

For the first time ever I'm going to roll a Tank!

 

I'm assuming that Levelling will be much slower compared to a DPS, and use of my companion as a DPS will be needed massively... is this the case?

 

Could someone shed some light on being a Tank and how it all works out?

 

Thanks!

 

My tip for you would be to not be a tank.

 

Until you reach 55 that is.

All tank advanced classes can also spec for DPS. Do that while leveling up and then when you get to end-game, you switch to a tank spec instead.

You'll also have to switch your entire set of gear too (well the mods anyway), but you'd do that anyway by getting end-game gear.

 

TL;DR just play as a DPS spec until lvl 55 then switch to tank spec.

[BuriDogshin]

At end-game levels, once you are geared well enough, running dailies with a DPS and a DPS companion is fastest IME. It's the Vince Lombardi philosophy, "the best defense is a good offense," here expressed as "kill them before they can hurt you."

[Halinalle]

[*]Sending a DPS (or Tank) companion into the fight ahead of you is a good way to gather up the mobs in preparation of AOE, or to use the companion as a damage soak (remember if a companion is never getting damaged their health is wasted, better a companion loses health than you). Some ACs (most notably the Assassin/Shadow stealth) need to attack from behind for the best results, this works a lot better when using a melee Tank companion (KhemVal or Qyzen).

 

Assassin/Shadow tank* doesn't need to be behind enemy. Shadow Strike/Maul is your lowest priority ability in your rotation and should only be used with proc if you don't have anything else to use.

* = After all, this thread is about leveling tank.

 

At end-game levels, once you are geared well enough, running dailies with a DPS and a DPS companion is fastest IME. It's the Vince Lombardi philosophy, "the best defense is a good offense," here expressed as "kill them before they can hurt you."

 

Lol, my Nadia is in 148/156 and she kills way too fast. I don't have time to do anything. I've considered to disable her "Wild Energy" ability.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Halinalle

[Tsillah]

A tank with healer comp doesn't dps as fast. So killing mobs will be slower. On the other hand you don't have to spend time in between healing yourself up again. I am not sure how that balances out but I had no problems leveling a tank with a healer comp either.

 

If you wanna level fast just use KDY runs with exp boosts. Nothing beats that in xp gain.

[Vhaegrant]

Assassin/Shadow tank* doesn't need to be behind enemy. Shadow Strike/Maul is your lowest priority ability in your rotation and should only be used with proc if you don't have anything else to use.

* = After all, this thread is about leveling tank.

I know that, the list was general observations from having levelled up Tanks, Healers and DPS. Also why I mentioned it applied to the stealth spec for them not the tanking spec.

TBH having levelled up two characters (powertech and guardian) in tanking mode I couldn't and still can't face the prospect of levelling up any others in tank spec.

DPS all the way for levelling and then hone your role specific skills once you hit endgame and start the gear grind.