Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Tanking
Lord.Bachus
Member RarePosts: 9,686
THere is a reason i dont like my tanks in this game yet.
Compared to my WoW warrior tank so far all other tanks i played are underwhelming. The WoW warrior was like a swiss pocket knife, with a solution for every problem. I really miss that in this game.
((Thats why i am currently playing healers, as they are much more versatile in this game, with both crowd controll and healing skills))
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Comments
I like tanking so far in flashpoints. Quite fun.
I'm playing a Jedi Guardian and though I feel very tough, especially if I have a healer behind me, the combat is a bit monotonous. There's about 4 attacks that come up often with larger cooldowns on another 2, so it really is a game of 1234, 4231, 3142... Compare that to when I was playing a Smuggler or even a Sage and the amount of options I had was so much higher. It seems to me that tanks are quite limited in play style and, to be honest, a little boring. But haven't tanks in most MMO's been dull?
Yes it is fun, but somehow way less fun then with my WoW Warrior, while healing is much more fun in flashpoints then WoW.
So while i still love the game, the tanking does not live up to my expectations as Both my warrior in WoW as my Warden LOTRO where much more fun tanking on....
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Exactly
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
I agree Tanking is probably the least fun thing to do in this game, its just following a set rotation 90% of the time.
Meanwhile classes like Merc and Assassins are such a blast to play . Maybe they will come up with creative ways to make tanking more fun, but im doubtful.
May be right, so far since I've been tanking mostly for friends it has worked out fine for me. But I usually do like classes that feel busier so when I branch out more I might like other stuff a lot more.
All I know is I was 1000% looking forward to Bounty Hunter but in beta got hooked on Jedi Guardian, so ended up doing a Sith Juggernaut as my main so far since everyone went Empire side. So far at 31 I really still love my Juggernaut but having a Mercenary and Powertech both at 14 and a Sith Assassin at 16, I can start to see how some of these classes might outshine the Juggernaut for fun factor, we'll see.
I do wish there were reactionals for the Juggernaut as opposed to a bunch of 1-3 minute cooldown specials to push through the tougher fights. Still so far am loving the game, we'll see what the future brings
bachus: you playing an inquisitor sorc for healing?
I am asking this because imo it sux to be healer in SWTOR as a sorc......at lvl 18 (bit higher but dont realy matter) i got 2 freaking heals.....one that takes 1.5sec and one that takes 2.5 sec. barely enough to do any healing at all.....i find it VERY boring to heal.
Went BH and agent.....to me.....WAY more fun to be a damage dealer in SWTOR.
How do you manage to heal decently?
Or does it get better above 25?
I am enjoying my shadow tank. It has more than just a few skills to manage. With a shield every 8 seconds and another shield with a longer cooldown, a debuf and self buff, 2 interupts, and procs to watch for as well as skills for a CCed mob and under 30% health. Have a pull skill along with the two aggro skills for loose mobs attacking others. Also have to keep tabs on my power levels, drop too low and you have to spam your free attack. And I am only level 35. Have at least 3 more to add in.
Obviously on just a tank and spank mob, you will use less skills and a rotation of about 8 different skills or so. But I have heard that the shadow has much more than the guardian. The Guardian seems to be the most simplistic of the three tanks. But I havn't tried the other two so I can't say for myself.
How many people long for that "past, simpler, and better world," I wonder, without ever recognizing the truth that perhaps it was they who were simpler and better, and not the world about them?
R.A.Salvatore
I am playing a Sage (which is the same as a sorcerer) at 18 you have 2 heals and a shield.... but what makes the game fun is your crowd controll and interupting. As a sorcerer you can controll the flow of battle.
Keep in mind that preventing damage can be much more efficient then healing it. As a Sage in current flashpoints there is so much else to do then just healing for the healer. I can keep almost every party alive on my Sage.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
I really like tanking on my Juggernaut. It seems BioWare have actually managed to put challenge back into tanking. It stopped being fun to tank in WoW when I could maintain perfect aggro by spamming Thunderclap. When you can faceroll tank while watching TV something's really wrong in my book.
I'm tanking with my Vanguard and I must say, what was Bioware thinking???
I cannot speak for the Shadow/Assassin tanking, as I have not tried that, but the Vanguard OBLITERATE the Guardian/Juggernaut in all aspects.
Why?? Because I am ranged! and a Tank!
Yes, I have a range of 10 meters, but I can move around the enemy as I want and even if I get away from the 10 meters, I still have my dps attacks up to 30 meters.
Why is this important, you ask me? Because 1) many many many mobs are ranged in this game, so tanking with a melee tank with few or none ranged attack is painful, must run around everywhere to gain aggro from all adds.
2) Bosses adore to just throw a giant AoE area right at where I am, that happens to be right on top of them. The AoE is so big that I can either eat it (making my healer angry at me) or avoid it by moving farer from the boss... that is prolly ranged so he does not follow me and instead happily shoot me while I just wait.
Yes, not all are ranged, but the melee mobs are not any easier or harder to handle with the Vanguard as all my attacks beside one (the mortar attack) do not have a minimum range.
With the Vanguard, I have way more mobility, I can avoid all the AoE they throw at me AND can attack all the adds at range with both aoe and single target attacks (granted the long range aoe is really small, but it will aggro them), furthermore I can run to them if I need to and still plummet the boss with my long range attacks all the time.
So far I also have all the tools the guardian had, shield to reduce damage, regeneration with a companion, 4 second stun etc. Granted, my jedi guardian was level 21, but I have noticed I have not got many new skills since then (I think as a Vanguard only, I got harpoon after level 21 and that's all).
So Vanguard is the way to go for me, what about Shadow/Assassin? they are melee primarily right? but do you have many ranged attacks?
"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"
The only thing a vanguard misses is a real interuption skill.... most bosses never get to cast those area effects on my Juggernaut because i interupt them.
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Shadow/Assassin ranged attacks are mostly only 10 meters but they are very good tanks despite that, very gear dependant though whereas the Vanguard/Powertechs aren't so much. Both have much better threat managements than the Guardian/Juggernaut.
Vanguard/Powertechs also have very good passive defenses, defenses that the Guardian/Juggernaut have to attack and use cooldowns to obtain.
so i realy should study the skills of the sorc more i guess (i use the shield too on the tank as much as possible).
guess the playstyle of the sorc healer isnt realy my usual playstyle.
thnx for your feedback
The protection Warrior in WoW had more abilities and took more skill than all the tank classes in SWTOR combined.
Bioware simplified everything. Even the classes in RIFT were deeper than this and in that game you could macro most of your abilities into four or five buttons...
Both Healing and Tanking are incredibly simplified in this game.
Doesn't mean people aren't having fun but if you're expecting something like Warrior tanking (wow) or Rogue tanking (rift) you will be massively disappointed.
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
For healing at max level you have:
Revification: Your AoE heal, top of the healing talent tree.
Resurgence: Your HoT & utility buff skill when talented best used along with ...
Innervate: Channeled healing, when talented the crits allows you to use consumption without health loss and debuff to regain force. A rotation that includes innervate at every cooldown allows for infinite force.
Dark Infusion: Your big heal, used on emergencies, I try to use innervate as much as possible due to the synergies.
Dark Heal: Your fast heal, don't use it at all in PvE, costs too much force. Better to use ...
Static Barrier: Your shield that can be talented to be 20% more effective. That's the oh, shit button, especially since I can use on the move.
Purge: The cleanse can heal talented as well, but only use it for its primary function.
At 50 you also get a pretty fast incombat rezz that has 5 mins cooldown.
My Warden in Rift was more complex and had more abilities by mid level.
I don't understand why Bioware simplified everything. People can't wrap their heads around a dozen abilities at endgame?
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
The problem that our sorceror friend probably has prior to the level or so when he gets innervate is that he runs out of force fast in fights that are tough.
I was trying to be helpful by listing the heals and hinting at my rotation (which for a healer is never a constant). My answer was not meant as a game comparison. I just wanted to hint at what the guy should expect from his sorceror once he reached higher level, assuming he invested heavily in the healing tree.
Edit: When the fights are easy, aka the tank is losing health at a very slow pace, I mingle damage skills along with the occassional innervate + consumption combo.
OH i know. I get that you were helping.
It just annoys me how limited they made the specific classes in this game.
I look at it as an insult, Bioware thinks im too much of a newb to handle a proper mmo class so they took away 2/3 of the abilities.
I hate that they dumb down everything for the lowest common denominator.
Seriously my seven year old son could tank and heal in this game, my Wife could tank in this game and she was a miserable tank in every mmo we ever played together...
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
Well, in all honesty, when the damage on your tank or teams allows it, the game does not remove your crowd control or damage abilities. What I say may sound easy but one of the hardest things that a healer in these games that utilise healing via frames is to have situation awareness in the middle of a heated combat.
A lot of people can stand still and play the fill the frames game. Less that that loose the coolness, especially when some heat is directed their way. Even less have situation awareness in the middle of the chaos.
Also keep in mind that just because some of us are veterans of years of raiding and countless hours of healing or tanking and certain things seem trivial now, that doesn't mean that they are actually easy to master. Healing while maintaining awareness is among the hardest thing a healer gets to learn for example.
Tanking is very easy in SWTOR, not that exciting at all unless somebody does something wrong, like they pull more mobs or don't CC or over DPS... no forget that, you can't over DPS in this game.
It also became a lot easier since the tanking exploit came to light, all you need to do now is use your threat generation skills every now and then, don't even need a healer!
I've a 4 second interrupt (the level 18 everyone gets) and a 4 second stun (again, that everyone gets), what do you have more than that?
"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"
That is just pure fabrication. Perhaps, it got more complicated after 3 expansions, but during classic WoW and even in TBC, the warrior, like most classes, relied on few key abilities, plus couple of occasional longer cooldown. No different from SWTOR end-game builds where Sith Warrior has damage reduction skills, protection skills, temporary hp buff, rage regeneration skill, stuns, taunt, aoe taunt, interrupts, threat build rotation etc.
"The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in."
This game is stupidly easy to heal in. One of the easiest I have found in a long time. Not complaining just how it appears to me. Only real difficulty are the amount of people playing tanks that have apparently never done it before and the lack of players offt anking so many times you have to deal with adds. That's about the only dfficulty there is I have encountered so far. With the amount of cc we have and our shield it makes things a breeze.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Only game I played Tanks so far was Vanguard and no, they are anything but dull in that game.