PVP Tank Comparison

[qwopicus]

I wanted to compare and contrast each tank spec in PvP, and discuss each ones strengths and weaknesses in certain applications.

 

Rankings: 1(best) to 3(worst) Note that worst doesn't mean terrible, it just means least optimal.

 

Damage:

PT/VG: 1

Jugg/Guardian: 3

Sin/shadow: 2

 

The PT/VG does huge amounts of cleave damage, and in DPS gear can lead the team.

Sins/shadows have almost all of their non-fluff damage wrapped into one ability: deprecating volts/cascading debris. However with an autocrat this ability can do insane amounts of damage, even post nerf.

Juggs/guardians also do AoE fluff, but they lack in meaningful damage. With luck crits and off the GCD riposte/retailiation, they might do okay, but it is weak overall. Good use of reflect can push them equal, or above sins/shadows however.

 

Passive Mitigation:

PT/VG: 1

Jugg/guardian: 2

Sin/shadow: 1

 

Both sin/shadow and PT/VG tanks have the best passive mitigation, as both of their tank trees focus on boosts to shielding. You might think shield is useless because an attack that crits can't be shielded, but this is a misconception. Attacks cannot both be both a crit, and shielded, but the rolls are done independently. The average crit rate for abilities in PvP, even counting autocrits, is around 20%.

 

Active Mitigation (DCDs):

 

PT/VG: 3

Jugg/guardian: 1

Sin/shadow: 2

 

Juggs/guardians are the king of DCDs, and can have one up almost indefinitely. They are the only tank with good self heals.

Sins/shadows have surprisingly good DCDs, with a clone of warding call/invincible and saber ward. They also have the extremely powerful force shroud/resilience.

PT/VG have relatively weak DCDs, energy shield and explosive fuel/battle focus being the only ones of note. Oil slick/riot gas has situational usefulness.

 

Mobility:

 

PT/VG: 1

Jugg/guardian: 1

Sin/shadow: 2

 

The PT/VG tanks have both a charge, and the amazing HO/HtL, which gives 10 seconds of movement and physics immunity, with massively buffed speed. Juggs get two 30m leaps, and a talent to get a somewhat weakened HO on double the CD. Sin/shadow have the excellent force speed, and the troll-y phase walk.

 

CC:

 

PT/VG: 3

Jugg/guardian: 2

Sin/shadow: 1

 

Sins/shadows have two stuns, a stealth mezz, a rotational AoE slow, a normal slow, a 30m mess (that can be talented to be instant), and an AoE knockback that can be talented to root. Jugg/guardian tanks can have two stuns, a push, an AOE mezz, and a spammable slow. PT/VG has an AoE slow, a stun, and an AoE stun.

 

And now for roles:

 

Guarding:

 

PT/VG: 2

Jugg/guardian: 1

Sin/shadow: 2

 

Jugg/guardian tanks get extra move speed whenever their guarded target is attacked as a passive. Sin/shadow tanks can take an ability that gives their guarded target extra DR, but it is rarely taken, as there much better choices.

 

Node Guarding:

 

PT/VG: 2

Jugg/guardian: 3

Sin/shadow: 1

 

Sins/shadows have stealth, which is all but mandatory for a solo or duo node guard. They can delay caps for much longer by stealth mezzing, engaging, combat stealthing, and then stealth mezzing again. PT/VG tanks can use shoulder cannon to interrupt caps even while stunned, allowing them to perform when needed. Jugg/guardian tanks are best left in the thick of things.

 

Huttball Carrier:

 

PT/VG: 1

Jugg/guardian: 1

Sin/shadow: 2

 

PT/VG can charge and use their "Sonic the Powertech/Vanguard" ability to ignore physics. Guardian can double leap, getting to stealthed allies. Sin/shadow tanks can use dark stability to ignore CC, but are inferior to the other two.

 

General Harassment Role:

 

PT/VG: 2

Jugg/guardian: 3

Sin/shadow: 1

 

Stealth is the ultimate annoyance tool, along with force shroud/resilience and phase walk. Sin/shadow tanks can also have a 20/10sec CD stun to spam on enemy healers and casters (depending on if you have the old set bonus). PT/VG has the best damage, and can supply pressure unlike the others, along with their AoE stun and oil slick. Jugg/guardian get most of their "annoyance factor" from reflect and push.

 

Leave constructive feedback as you'd like!

Edited April 29, 2015 by qwopicus

[Zoom_VI]

This may surprise some of you, but the light armor tanks actually mitigate the most. Their massive boost to shield, and moderate boost to absorb are the best passive mitigation tools of the three. You might also be thinking "shield is useless, because crits can't be shielded". This is a misconception, an attack can't be both a crit and shielded, but the rolls are done independently. Even counting autocrits, I believe the total crit rate for abilities in PvP is around 5% (please correct me if you have the true statistic, as I'm pulling this from memory).

 

The average crit as of the last time I pulled my log data was 22%. Also the rolls are not done independently, crits and shield is rolled on the exact same roll. However the only time shield gets pushed off is if crit% + shield% > 100% which with the current stat returns pretty much never happens beyond autocrits.

 

Also I think you are heavily underestimating armor rating, Vanguards are passively one of the better specs, the only time Sins would come out ahead of a vanguard is against a opponent dealing majority I/E damage. Which only a few specs do. And even then sins only come out ahead because of shroud not because of passives.

[Rebel_Guy]

are we only talking about specific contexts like only group ranked, or all pvp? And aren't you forgetting about the explosive fuel cooldown of powertechs on your active mitigation part? Edited April 29, 2015 by Rebel_Guy

[qwopicus]

Just logged in and double checked my numbers, and you're right about the passive mitigation. However, PT/VG only has around the same raw DR jugg/guardian when their rotational buffs are taken into account. (Juggs have 6% from soresu+3% from warding strike/aegis assault, PT/VG has 5% from ion cylinder/cell, and 4% from the tank tree).

 

However, with superior shielding (and 80% of attacks are shielded, along with 3% more endurance (the best PvP tank stat ) I think they should be comparable. OP edited.

 

are we only talking about specific contexts like only group ranked, or all pvp? And aren't you forgetting about the explosive fuel cooldown of powertechs on your active mitigation part?

 

Because M/R damage is a minority of damage, and it is a cooldown that can be completely avoided by simply moving out of the AoE, I didn't find it too notable. It is more useful as a CC/area denial type of ability.

Edited April 29, 2015 by qwopicus

[Zoom_VI]

Because M/R damage is a minority of damage, and it is a cooldown that can be completely avoided by simply moving out of the AoE, I didn't find it too notable. It is more useful as a CC/area denial type of ability.

I think you are getting confused. Explosive Fuel is the same as battle focus and in the tank tree it gets a defense bonus, and it's a defense bonus against both force/tech and melee/ranged.

[qwopicus]

I think you are getting confused. Explosive Fuel is the same as battle focus and in the tank tree it gets a defense bonus, and it's a defense bonus against both force/tech and melee/ranged.

 

Indeed I was, I thought he was referring to oil slick/riot gas. Gonna fix that now

 

(PT/VG tanks are the ones I'm least familiar with if you haven't caught on )

[DaveyboyW]

Juggs have 2 hard stuns btw

[qwopicus]

Yep, typo fixed.