Skank Tank or Shank Tank imbalance

[Evolixe]

The issue with skank tanks is that it's a viable, most often better option than proper tank, when that isn't what we want to see. You cannot be allowed the whole cake. You either do damage, or you soak it, or you heal it.

 

You don't AND soak, AND do. A real tank is only marginally better at soaking damage, whilst being incapable of doing meaningful damage himself. If you can do the soaking part and get within 70% of a real DPS' efficiency.. then what the hell is the point in bringing a real tank? Why would you go for a more aggressive option of 3 DPS if you can just sacrifice a tiny bit of damage on team scale and get a nigh fully fletched tank for it?

 

It gives teams that chose to go on a defensive route way too much offensive power.

It would show a hell of a lot more if healing was a bit more in line with the damage meta.

 

 

At the end of the day, it's not about by how much skank tanking is overpowered, it's the fact that it exists.

Some people would now make the argument that on some DPS you can still guard, but I would press the argument on them that such DPS pays a very hefty price for doing so.

And more often than not, if a DPS has to go guarding already.. that DPS will see his health dip real low, real fast.

And that just opens up more options for the attacking team, not close them.

[Evolixe]

Guess this where we disagree mate . To me bolster is a easy excuse for pvpers to have a handicap. I rather have a gear grind and minimax than a bolster in regs. I as well liked expertise back then where you needed it as well as valor for gear.

 

I do think bolster plays a huge part of balance in this game and it sure has had more problems than a cure.

 

What do you think it does to the games balance exactly?

 

It doesn't influence a damn thing on gear above rating 242. Below that, all it does is boost the stats of the gear you have on as if it were 242 pieces. I don't see how this possibly contributes to any sort of imbalance.

It's a way for undergeared people to participate. There isn't really any exploit to it anymore right now, no way to get more out of it than anyone else would get from just having proper gear.

[Caeliuxrules]

The issue with skank tanks is that it's a viable, most often better option than proper tank, when that isn't what we want to see. You cannot be allowed the whole cake. You either do damage, or you soak it, or you heal it.

 

You don't AND soak, AND do. A real tank is only marginally better at soaking damage, whilst being incapable of doing meaningful damage himself. If you can do the soaking part and get within 70% of a real DPS' efficiency.. then what the hell is the point in bringing a real tank? Why would you go for a more aggressive option of 3 DPS if you can just sacrifice a tiny bit of damage on team scale and get a nigh fully fletched tank for it?

 

It gives teams that chose to go on a defensive route way too much offensive power.

It would show a hell of a lot more if healing was a bit more in line with the damage meta.

 

 

At the end of the day, it's not about by how much skank tanking is overpowered, it's the fact that it exists.

Some people would now make the argument that on some DPS you can still guard, but I would press the argument on them that such DPS pays a very hefty price for doing so.

And more often than not, if a DPS has to go guarding already.. that DPS will see his health dip real low, real fast.

And that just opens up more options for the attacking team, not close them.

 

I know what u mean man. Tanks with tank gear has no offence and it's boring, but meat shield is a meat shield.

 

If bioware wants hybrid classes then they should of never let us choose the specs. Its kinda like you want a Trinity or do you want diversity classes and specs.

[Caeliuxrules]

What do you think it does to the games balance exactly?

 

It doesn't influence a damn thing on gear above rating 242. Below that, all it does is boost the stats of the gear you have on as if it were 242 pieces. I don't see how this possibly contributes to any sort of imbalance.

It's a way for undergeared people to participate. There isn't really any exploit to it anymore right now, no way to get more out of it than anyone else would get from just having proper gear.

 

Some like bolster, I happen to like grind and people are in control what kinda gear we need for pvp.

 

I'm a fossil Evo lol.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Caeliuxrules

[Evolixe]

Problem is tank absorb and defense rating don't apply in pvp current. It used to before bolster was introduced.

 

So to fix it they need to make shield actually work with a defensive rating where mitigation is happening. It's why people are going skank tank, to provide offence where they can have a guard as well, it's a dps tank not s defensive mind set in 2017 swtor.

 

Until combat team fixes guard, fixes mitigation, fixes all 3 tanks trees, we are going to have a imbalance of stacked dps tanks in regs and in ranked.

 

What? It does, they are just a bit too invaluable to real tanks. Add on top of that the fact that most people rather just go all out DPS gear in tank spec and you get these stats to be unused. Not because they don't work, but just because they aren't good enough.

 

With skank tanks gone, you would see a steep rise of people using defensive stats again.

Even more so if those stats are actually given a little bit more value. Not too much, but a gentle push.

[Evolixe]

Some like bolster, I happen to like grind and people are in control what kinda gear we need for pvp.

 

I'm a fossil Evo lol.

 

You are still in full control. Bolster boosts the stats of the exact gear pieces you have. So if you gear for crit, even with ****** items, you get bolstered Crit. If you gear Alacrity, bolstered Alacrity. Etc.

 

The only thing that gets a little band aid attached is the actual stat value. I'm a little more hardcore when it comes to PvP really.. as far as I'm considered that should be all player. No gear. As far as fairness goes.

A little diversity in the gear is fine, but the total statbudget should be the same for everyone no matter if they just turned 70 5 minutes ago, or a year ago.

[Caeliuxrules]

What? It does, they are just a bit too invaluable to real tanks. Add on top of that the fact that most people rather just go all out DPS gear in tank spec and you get these stats to be unused. Not because they don't work, but just because they aren't good enough.

 

With skank tanks gone, you would see a steep rise of people using defensive stats again.

Even more so if those stats are actually given a little bit more value. Not too much, but a gentle push.

 

Well defensive stats don't apply isn't that a problem?

 

They used to matter before booster right ?

[Caeliuxrules]

You are still in full control. Bolster boosts the stats of the exact gear pieces you have. So if you gear for crit, even with ****** items, you get bolstered Crit. If you gear Alacrity, bolstered Alacrity. Etc.

 

The only thing that gets a little band aid attached is the actual stat value. I'm a little more hardcore when it comes to PvP really.. as far as I'm considered that should be all player. No gear. As far as fairness goes.

A little diversity in the gear is fine, but the total statbudget should be the same for everyone no matter if they just turned 70 5 minutes ago, or a year ago.

 

I think no gear up to player be cool as well. But mini Max and being accounted for was fun for me as well.

 

Guess different taste man.

[Evolixe]

I think no gear up to player be cool as well. But mini Max and being accounted for was fun for me as well.

 

Guess different taste man.

 

I'm one of those people that gets all of the just-released new BiS gear in the first week.

It doesn't matter for me if bolster gives me all the stats or not. But I don't need the gear advantage to begin with.. I think the newer 70's and slower gearing people at the very least should be given a shot to fight me with equal stats.

 

Now you could say "But Exi, why don't you just equip some 242 yourself then?"

Well.. there are going to be other good players queueing that also have gear, and then I'll be handicapping myself for the sole purpose of giving people that are probably going to lose a shot with equal stats.

Why should I do that? The game should create a levelled environment. The players should play it.

 

Unless we can come to a gentlemans agreement that nobody in PvP, ranked or regs, is going to use mods above 242..; this isn't a solution. And I don't have to explain that agreement will never work in practise.

 

And when I go on an alt, which I am less familiar with than my Assassin already, I also have to fight people with lesser gear. Why? If PvP is really about the Player versus another Player, then statlevels should be no factor.

 

Well defensive stats don't apply isn't that a problem?

 

They used to matter before booster right ?

 

They do apply. But you have to use defensive mods and stuff in your gear to get them bolstered.

People don't do that. They just go with DPS gear instead.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Evolixe

[supertimtaf]

Well, it depends if the bolster is the same as the PvE one.

The one that is in GF Operation is really broken, since if you're geared with dps gear while playing a tank spec, it will also give you tank stat, even without any Defense module... just hope that it doesn't apply like this in pvp as well xD

 

And, like I said earlier, one of the most viable solution would be to make tank class without tank stat fragile,more than a dps, and make it so than when gearing with tank gear, it actually gives you viable DR.... like, real DR, worthy of a tank.

Oh, and also make it so than Guard and taunt are less effective if not playing with tank stat. Maybe it could bring another use to Defense rating ?

Edited August 16, 2017 by supertimtaf

[KendraP]

I have made the same argument in the guardian subforum, general forum, basically anywhere this comes up I feel like I repeat myself.

 

I did more damage in vigi, provided I could actually live long enough to get the damage off. And vigi is hardly the top parsing dps spec. What bothered me was the absolute squishiness and being focused first most of the time. What kind of contribution can I make to my team if all I do is get clobbered repeatedly? I admit, I'm hardly the greatest player of all time and I main tanks so my dps is not really what I focus on, but still I've been playing the class since just before the hutt expansion, so I'm not terrible either.

 

Rather than going back to pure tanking, using my preferred pve tank setup, I chose to skank with the high endurance dps mods/enhancements/implants/relics/ear. This is because, quite simply, all the defense, shield and absorb on my tank setup don't mean squat in pvp. And the extra endurance does make it more difficult to kill. I hate doing this but I am so tired of being squishy as crap that I did.

 

Is skanking OP? yes. but in an era where mercs and snipers have comparable DCDs, I think that a lot of the complaints come from a lack of deaths in warzones/pvp. People are attracted to the classes that are "better" at the moment. Heck, even I have sort of fallen into this category since I gave up being primarily a vigi player in pvp. That said, I've been a guardian tank in this game since I started playing it, so I'm not a true bandwaggoner. Who wants to play the classes that do nothing but get smooshed repeatedly? VGs fall into this category too, though I see more guardian/jugg skanks than PT/VG.

 

Damage wise: As I have mentioned in practically every thread on this subject, nerfing damage would hurt in PvE. Do bear in mind that the 2 states do not exist independently; inevitably PvP changes affect PvE and vice versa. I personally do not generally have threat generation issues, but I know people who do. Nerfing damage will make this an issue, and since so much content doesn't need tanks any more, will result in even fewer people playing tanks. I do not enjoy my preferred play style being marginalized because people choose not to do it. Furthermore, with the DPS nerfs they are doing, HM and NiM content is becoming more difficult to accomplish. I'm not sure if this is poorly scaled dps checks, bad target dps, or just a lack of players in these tiers (I am personally a HM level player, only done a couple easy NiM bosses). Again, nerfing tank damage will further hurt teams that are close to the dps check on harder content.

 

There are ways, as I have mentioned so many times I have lost count, of discouraging skanking while not completely screwing over VGs and Guardians. Because I'm going to be flat out honest, if they nerf skanks without accepting any of the other fixes, the entire class will be in a sad place. I would stick with Guardians because I have as long as I've been around. Many others would not. Without further ado, my personal wish list for guardians (and VG).

 

A. DPS specs need to be less squishy But not be able to guard. Guarding is THE tank mechanic in PvP. Therefore, it should be a tank thing. That said, dps specced guardians and VGs are overly squishy. Fix this and the people that want to dps will be back to doing dps rather than being skanks.

 

B. Tank gear should do something for your survivability as a tank. It is absolutely nonsensical that the best way to survive in PvP is endurance stacking, and even more so that running with dps mods/enh/etc is better than tank ones. Granted I use the high endurance ones (with endurance/power augs) so my health is ridiculous but dps stats are lower. Personally my goal is to be a tank so damage is secondary to me. My goal (and the goal of tanking in PvP in general) is to protect your team while harassing the enemy. This would mean that people (like me) whose goal is to tank would go back to being pure tanks.

 

Lesser issues include the aforementioned marginalization of the classes that would occur with nerfs to skanking and the fact that many of us have invested quite a bit of effort into developing 3 gear sets (dps, PvE tank, and skank tank).

 

I believe my response here is perfectly reasonable and would help people see fewer skanks. Do note when I say skank, I mean tank with dps gear. The most annoying variety being like me with high endurance dps stuff and the tank set bonus. (I hope that didn't sound too arrogant...) Dps guardians/VGs, heck probably even shadows, that choose to guard, stick a dps on him while pommeling his healer. He'll move the guard and you can kill the healer or he'll die very quickly.

[Caeliuxrules]

I have made the same argument in the guardian subforum, general forum, basically anywhere this comes up I feel like I repeat myself.

 

I did more damage in vigi, provided I could actually live long enough to get the damage off. And vigi is hardly the top parsing dps spec. What bothered me was the absolute squishiness and being focused first most of the time. What kind of contribution can I make to my team if all I do is get clobbered repeatedly? I admit, I'm hardly the greatest player of all time and I main tanks so my dps is not really what I focus on, but still I've been playing the class since just before the hutt expansion, so I'm not terrible either.

 

Rather than going back to pure tanking, using my preferred pve tank setup, I chose to skank with the high endurance dps mods/enhancements/implants/relics/ear. This is because, quite simply, all the defense, shield and absorb on my tank setup don't mean squat in pvp. And the extra endurance does make it more difficult to kill. I hate doing this but I am so tired of being squishy as crap that I did.

 

Is skanking OP? yes. but in an era where mercs and snipers have comparable DCDs, I think that a lot of the complaints come from a lack of deaths in warzones/pvp. People are attracted to the classes that are "better" at the moment. Heck, even I have sort of fallen into this category since I gave up being primarily a vigi player in pvp. That said, I've been a guardian tank in this game since I started playing it, so I'm not a true bandwaggoner. Who wants to play the classes that do nothing but get smooshed repeatedly? VGs fall into this category too, though I see more guardian/jugg skanks than PT/VG.

 

Damage wise: As I have mentioned in practically every thread on this subject, nerfing damage would hurt in PvE. Do bear in mind that the 2 states do not exist independently; inevitably PvP changes affect PvE and vice versa. I personally do not generally have threat generation issues, but I know people who do. Nerfing damage will make this an issue, and since so much content doesn't need tanks any more, will result in even fewer people playing tanks. I do not enjoy my preferred play style being marginalized because people choose not to do it. Furthermore, with the DPS nerfs they are doing, HM and NiM content is becoming more difficult to accomplish. I'm not sure if this is poorly scaled dps checks, bad target dps, or just a lack of players in these tiers (I am personally a HM level player, only done a couple easy NiM bosses). Again, nerfing tank damage will further hurt teams that are close to the dps check on harder content.

 

There are ways, as I have mentioned so many times I have lost count, of discouraging skanking while not completely screwing over VGs and Guardians. Because I'm going to be flat out honest, if they nerf skanks without accepting any of the other fixes, the entire class will be in a sad place. I would stick with Guardians because I have as long as I've been around. Many others would not. Without further ado, my personal wish list for guardians (and VG).

 

A. DPS specs need to be less squishy But not be able to guard. Guarding is THE tank mechanic in PvP. Therefore, it should be a tank thing. That said, dps specced guardians and VGs are overly squishy. Fix this and the people that want to dps will be back to doing dps rather than being skanks.

 

B. Tank gear should do something for your survivability as a tank. It is absolutely nonsensical that the best way to survive in PvP is endurance stacking, and even more so that running with dps mods/enh/etc is better than tank ones. Granted I use the high endurance ones (with endurance/power augs) so my health is ridiculous but dps stats are lower. Personally my goal is to be a tank so damage is secondary to me. My goal (and the goal of tanking in PvP in general) is to protect your team while harassing the enemy. This would mean that people (like me) whose goal is to tank would go back to being pure tanks.

 

Lesser issues include the aforementioned marginalization of the classes that would occur with nerfs to skanking and the fact that many of us have invested quite a bit of effort into developing 3 gear sets (dps, PvE tank, and skank tank).

 

I believe my response here is perfectly reasonable and would help people see fewer skanks. Do note when I say skank, I mean tank with dps gear. The most annoying variety being like me with high endurance dps stuff and the tank set bonus. (I hope that didn't sound too arrogant...) Dps guardians/VGs, heck probably even shadows, that choose to guard, stick a dps on him while pommeling his healer. He'll move the guard and you can kill the healer or he'll die very quickly.

 

Well thought out post mate. Great post and I agree with a lot here.

[Icykill_]

There is an easy solution that doesn't require nerfing the classes dps for pve and that is to add a dps debuff in pvp if the wrong gear is worn.

[Caeliuxrules]

There is an easy solution that doesn't require nerfing the classes dps for pve and that is to add a dps debuff in pvp if the wrong gear is worn.

 

Warcraft doesn't allow tanks to be viable in pvp and in a arena ranked setting it may be smart to do that here. I mean what we have here is tanks that dps and migrate enough to stay stacked in war zones and also the meta in ranked is tank with dps gear and may the best nutrition team win.

 

I can't seem to muster a sense of diversity this game has now, after countless promises and things being ripped away for a casual base it's no wonder pvp is dead in this game.

 

Still love this game though , I must be masochist for coming back lol..

Edited August 17, 2017 by Caeliuxrules

[KendraP]

There is an easy solution that doesn't require nerfing the classes dps for pve and that is to add a dps debuff in pvp if the wrong gear is worn.

 

Sure, but that doesn't solve the underlying problem for tanks, which is thst tanking gear doesn't do much. Give me defensive stats that help my survivability and I'd gladly go back to full tank. Doing a covert nerf is like a slap in the face to those of us who have been proposing actual solutions here and elsewhere.

[Caeliuxrules]

And, like I said earlier, one of the most viable solution would be to make tank class without tank stat fragile,more than a dps, and make it so than when gearing with tank gear, it actually gives you viable DR.... like, real DR, worthy of a tank.

Oh, and also make it so than Guard and taunt are less effective if not playing with tank stat. Maybe it could bring another use to Defense rating ?

 

I agree with this mate, you would think after years they would come up with a better plan for tanks in pvp. I mean it's been this way for a hot minute.

 

People wanna complain about snipers or merc or sorc, and they have every right to complain, but this tank issue been a issue as long as I can remember.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Caeliuxrules

[Liquor]

Do you even Juggernaut?

[Caeliuxrules]

Do you even Juggernaut?

 

No but I lift, do you even spot bro?

Edited August 17, 2017 by Caeliuxrules

[Icykill_]

Do you even Juggernaut?

 

Does my DD count 😉

[Glocko]

When people are crying about nerfing 3 classes at the bottom of the charts ... It becomes pathetic. Mercs, Snipers, ops, marauders..... I am so tired of those classes crying all the time, it is never ending in the forums and the warzones.. For the love of Pete just go play OW and take your whining there Edited August 17, 2017 by Glocko

[Elusive_Thing]

??????????

 

 

I have no substance because I take my advice from players who actually know how to play the game/class/spec in pvp on the highest level?

 

What? LOL.

Well, it's a slippery slope. Now you are asking advice from excellent players, but pretty soon you are consulting doctors about health issues. Who knows where such silliness might lead?

[Severith]

When people are crying about nerfing 3 classes at the bottom of the charts ... It becomes pathetic. Mercs, Snipers, ops, marauders..... I am so tired of those classes crying all the time, it is never ending in the forums and the warzones.. For the love of Pete just go play OW and take your whining there

 

When feedback is given to bioware, they never make changes on it. Instead, they use the feedback to highlight metrics.

 

So if someone says "Jugs are OP" then they look at the metrics like how they do in ranked, and decide if an adjustment is made. Jugs and PTs are at the bottom of the barrel, and have been since the merc/sniper meta started.

 

In effect, jugs and pts are much more likely to get a buff before they get a nerf. The metrics will clearly indicate they are underperforming. Until they get those sorely needed buffs, talking about nerfing them is completely pointless. Even with good points, this entire thread is nothing but a rehash of old ideas that weren't even implemented when bioware staff said they knew about "the problem". But the "problem" for bioware was simply that they don't like hybrids. It's not even that they're overpowered, it's that bioware doesn't like people playing the game for what it is, they only like people playing the game as they intend. Problem is, their intentions never reach reality, and that's a problem we deal with every time we load up SWTOR.

 

Also, as a side note, it's hilarious that the specs that actually have a chance at countering a merc/sniper of equal skill are under attack. I think people need to check their personal motivations at the door before they even begin to talk about class balance. There is a few basic points to consider about skank tanks:

 

1) A skank tank without their dcds is just as easy to kill as a regular dps.

 

2) Despite being a tank spec, a skank tank's dcds are vastly inferior to a merc or sniper's dcds

 

3) A skank tank can't out dps an actual dps of equal skill unless.....

 

4) ....enemies are stupid and bunch up, allowing for "mega cleaves", which inflate skank tank numbers...

 

5) ...in which case a dot spread spec like veng would have still out dpsed them, if anyone was left to play veng

 

So what actually seems to be the problem with skank tanks, exactly?

 

I'll agree the guard ability needs to scale off of defensive stats. Not because the tank classes need a nerf, but because warzones which are healer locked are cancer for the game as a whole. But in doing do, you'd better have some new utility to give to jugg and pt.

 

Stop blaming skank tanks. It's the sniper/merc meta, with underperforming jugg and pt dps that's the problem, which has forced all the jugs and pt to roll tank. Fix the real problems, and they'll be less skank tanks.

 

 

TLDR: The meta is the problem, not skank tanking.

[KendraP]

When feedback is given to bioware, they never make changes on it. Instead, they use the feedback to highlight metrics.

 

So if someone says "Jugs are OP" then they look at the metrics like how they do in ranked, and decide if an adjustment is made. Jugs and PTs are at the bottom of the barrel, and have been since the merc/sniper meta started.

 

In effect, jugs and pts are much more likely to get a buff before they get a nerf. The metrics will clearly indicate they are underperforming. Until they get those sorely needed buffs, talking about nerfing them is completely pointless. Even with good points, this entire thread is nothing but a rehash of old ideas that weren't even implemented when bioware staff said they knew about "the problem". But the "problem" for bioware was simply that they don't like hybrids. It's not even that they're overpowered, it's that bioware doesn't like people playing the game for what it is, they only like people playing the game as they intend. Problem is, their intentions never reach reality, and that's a problem we deal with every time we load up SWTOR.

 

Also, as a side note, it's hilarious that the specs that actually have a chance at countering a merc/sniper of equal skill are under attack. I think people need to check their personal motivations at the door before they even begin to talk about class balance. There is a few basic points to consider about skank tanks:

 

1) A skank tank without their dcds is just as easy to kill as a regular dps.

 

2) Despite being a tank spec, a skank tank's dcds are vastly inferior to a merc or sniper's dcds

 

3) A skank tank can't out dps an actual dps of equal skill unless.....

 

4) ....enemies are stupid and bunch up, allowing for "mega cleaves", which inflate skank tank numbers...

 

5) ...in which case a dot spread spec like veng would have still out dpsed them, if anyone was left to play veng

 

So what actually seems to be the problem with skank tanks, exactly?

 

I'll agree the guard ability needs to scale off of defensive stats. Not because the tank classes need a nerf, but because warzones which are healer locked are cancer for the game as a whole. But in doing do, you'd better have some new utility to give to jugg and pt.

 

Stop blaming skank tanks. It's the sniper/merc meta, with underperforming jugg and pt dps that's the problem, which has forced all the jugs and pt to roll tank. Fix the real problems, and they'll be less skank tanks.

 

 

TLDR: The meta is the problem, not skank tanking.

 

OMG it's like what i've been saying about guardians this whole time! lol

[Evolixe]

Not sure if serious.

 

A skank tank without cooldowns is far from as easy to kill as a DPS because of passives.

Literally.. a Darkness Sin has twice the armor of a DPS one. And that isn't going on cooldown.

 

I could name dozens of examples of this but I'm writing on the clock here.

 

As of the cooldowns being inferior to a Sniper or Merc.. that depends if you look at it for personal survivability or if you look at it them being pretend tanks and those cooldowns aiding how much they actually soak for others.

 

Lastly.. nobody sensible here is arguing these specs outdps actual DPS.

But they shouldn't even get halfway close. And that is the problem.

 

 

We aren't comparing skank tanks to Snipers or Mercs here. Those are another demon entirely.

However, that doesn't mean it's not wrong to be able to soak nearly as much damage as a proper tank and be anywhere north of 70% a DPS' worth.

 

The meta is the problem, and the meta is skank.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Evolixe

[KendraP]

Not sure if serious.

 

A skank tank without cooldowns is far from as easy to kill as a DPS because of passives.

Literally.. a Darkness Sin has twice the armor of a DPS one. And that isn't going on cooldown.

 

I could name dozens of examples of this but I'm writing on the clock here.

 

As of the cooldowns being inferior to a Sniper or Merc.. that depends if you look at it for personal survivability or if you look at it them being pretend tanks and those cooldowns aiding how much they actually soak for others.

 

Lastly.. nobody sensible here is arguing these specs outdps actual DPS.

But they shouldn't even get halfway close. And that is the problem.

 

 

We aren't comparing skank tanks to Snipers or Mercs here. Those are another demon entirely.

However, that doesn't mean it's not wrong to be able to soak nearly as much damage as a proper tank and be anywhere north of 70% a DPS' worth.

 

The meta is the problem, and the meta is skank.

 

ok i will admit i do think skanking is op in terms of damage per defense. But there is a reason people like me end up comparing skanks to snipers and mercs. because they are ACTUAL dps specs who have as good/nearly as good DCDs as tanks but do more damage. I despise the entire philosophy of skanking. i started doing it because otherwise it's dps and get smooshed constantly or go full tank for like no reason since defensive stats don't mean anything. Fix these issues and people will be more inclined to dps or actual tank.