Vox Populi

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Kimmie, whose account expires tomorrow and is not being renewed. The only way the Devs seem to listen to the player base is via the dollars paid, so I am doing my part to ensure tankers are given some love by pulling out.

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That's too bad, but the game is always changing, come back later and see how you like it!

For anyone else checking out this thread, I have a "SuperTank" guide as well. Link to it in my sig.

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I myself have been considering more and more that if the numbers with defense and resistance are considered to be about where they should be and toggle dropping is being brought into line, perhaps Tankers should be granted some offensive punch in a form which would still play and feel differently than the attacks of the Scrapper. I thought about a sort of slow, impressive Tanker "super attack" that would hit one target extremely hard every now and then, but generate massive aggro--a kind of Aggro Alpha, if you will. This would also benefit the Tanker faintly though noticeably in solo and PvP battles, but in a very tangible and fun way!

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The aggro idea is interesting, maybe we can combine our ideas.

I don't think Tanks need any more damage, but I think one extreme-magnitude attack would definitely make them a threat in PvP. Other players may even target them without being Taunted first!

I don't think this would be overpowered because one, you have to hit the target first, and two, the other melee-ers could still resist the attack with another hero buffing their status resistance or a by taking a "break free".

I call it turning Tanks into "shock troopers".

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Now you fight a +5 boss, who has about 95% base tohit (its really just about that, actually). You flip on CJ. For CJ to be just as effective, it should reduce the chance to hit to 96% of its original value, or about 91%. CJ, in effect, is worth about 5 percentage points of defense against a +5 boss, 2.5 percentage points of defense against a +0 boss, but it always has the same 4 percent mitigation benefit. In effect, CJ "works equally well" against the +0 boss and the +5 boss (currently, CJ's effectiveness drops from about 4% against +0 bosses to about 2.5% against +5 bosses).

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I agree that it will probably be something like this. Similar to how Resist works (100% - Resist value). It may, however, become harder to "bottom out" the ToHit value, but that may be intentional.

For example, right now if an enemy has a 75% chance to hit you, and you have a 30% Defense bonus, their ToHit would be 45%, right? In your version, their ToHit would drop to 70% of 75%, or 52.5%.

Of course, this is all speculation and probably a waste of time.

Sheesh, poor guy.

Rolls out some great news and keeps getting backhanded compliments.

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Two things I want to know:
<ul type="square">[*] Where's the REAL Statesman?!?![*] Who the heck are you?!?![/list]
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This is the real Statesman! You can thank me, I just saved him from Tyrant!

Try to make toggle-dropping more power-based and less random.

I'd like to see Tanks get one high magnitude attack that can stun the other melee-ers through status protection. Sort of an Assassin Strike, but high magnitude instead of high damage. It would really bump up their threat level in PvP, without much effect on PvE.

But I could be bias towards Tanks...

I've posted an I6 version of my "SuperTank" guide, for the classic Invulnerability / Super Strength / Flight build.

Check it out!

IV. Leveling Guide

In this section I'll provide some general types to help you while leveling up, primarily in the early levels.

Gaining Influence: If you don't have any high-level Alts or friend to help you out, it can be tough buying the Dual-Origin and Single-Origin Enhancements you're going to want. A few suggestions for maximizing your Influence: <ul type="square">[*]Spend as little as possible, I don't spend any until level 12 when I buy DOs.[*]Always sell spare Enhancements, and at the appropriate Stores for maximum profit.[*]Spend some time as an Exemplar, you will gain Influence a lot faster (but no xp.)[/list]
Difficulty Level: I find it's best to stay at the basic "Heroic" difficulty level at least until 20, when you have both Invincibility and Stamina. Soloing at higher levels earlier than that can be frustrating due to your low Accuracy and damage. Difficulty can be increased throughout the 20s, and by level 32 you are ready for "Invincible".


Early Levels: The biggest issues early on are Accuracy and Endurance. By level six you have a decent attack chain of Jab, Punch and Air Superiority (I used Jab as every second attack), but combined with Temp Invulnerability and Unyielding you'll find your draining Endurance while swinging away at your enemies (and missing!) Some tips for this: <ul type="square">[*]Patience! [*]Know your enemy: In early levels, you usually don't need Unyielding running.[*]If you can afford Enhancements, focus on Accuracy and Reduce Endurance.[*]Don't be stingy with the Inspirations, use them![/list]
Team Tanking: This is a guide in itself, but a few general tips are: <ul type="square">[*]Be the first one in, last one out. If things are going bad, tell your team to run before running yourself.[*]Keep away from the non-melee heroes on your team, so the Area Effect attacks that hit you don't spread to them.[*]Once you have Invincibility, "pull" groups of enemies by Taunting them, then breaking line-of-sight. Hide around a corner or something, so they come to you.[*]Know your limits, especially in early levels. Don't aggro more than you can handle.[/list]
PvP: Player-versus-Player combat can be fun, but I really don't do it very often. Therefore I don't really have enough experience to give reliable tips in this area. Sorry.


BE A HERO!: As a SuperTank, try to be a good hero and help others, be polite and patient, and lead by example. It's a superhero game, be a superhero!


I'm sure there's much, much more I could add to this section, but I'll leave it to those interested to ask questions, and give comments and criticisms on my guide as a whole.

I hope you've enjoyed my guide and it's been of some help. Have fun with your SuperTank!!

III. Build Guide

Here is my SuperTank Inv/SS/Flight build template, using the Joe Chott's Hero Planner version 1.5C. I've only gone up to level 40, by that point you shouldn't need any of my help. Also, note that the Enhancements indicated aren't necessarily the ones you will be using at any given level. For example, at low levels you will probably focus on Accuracy and Reduced Endurance, not Damage.

I only use two Power Pools: Flight and Fitness. Flight because it's the coolest travel power ( ) and comes with the best Power Pool attack: Air Superiority. AS does the same damage as Punch with a much better chance to knockdown targets (actually, knockUP), and knocks down Flyers. The Fitness Pool simply adds to your hero's effectiveness too much to not take.

http://joechott.com/coh

Archetype: Tanker
Primary Powers: Invulnerability
Secondary Powers: Super Strength

01 : Jab acc(01) dam(5) dam(5) dam(17) endred(31)
01 : Temp Invulnerability endred(01) damres(9) damres(11) damres(11)
02 : Punch acc(02) dam(3) dam(3) dam(15) endred(31)
04 : Dull Pain recred(04) recred(13) recred(13) hel(37) hel(37) hel(37)
06 : Air Superiority acc(06) dam(7) dam(7) dam(15) endred(31)
08 : Unyielding endred(08) damres(9) damres(21) damres(27)
10 : Taunt tntdur(10)
12 : Swift runspd(12)
14 : Fly endred(14) fltspd(17) fltspd(27) fltspd(36)
16 : Health hel(16) hel(36) hel(36)
18 : Invincibility endred(18) defbuf(19) defbuf(19) defbuf(21)
20 : Stamina endrec(20) endrec(34) endrec(34)
22 : Knockout Blow acc(22) dam(23) dam(23) dam(25) endred(25) recred(34)
24 : Resist Energies damres(24)
26 : Resist Elements damres(26)
28 : Rage recred(28) recred(29) recred(29) thtbuf(33)
30 : Hand Clap acc(30) disdur(40)
32 : Unstoppable recred(32) recred(33) recred(33)
35 : Resist Physical Damage damres(35)
38 : Foot Stomp acc(38) dam(39) dam(39) dam(39) endred(40) recred(40)

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At level 40, with even level Single-Origin Enhancements, you will have about 65% Resistance against Smashing and Lethal damage, and 25% Resistance against everything else except Psionic. For the times this isn't enough, there's Unstoppable.

A few of my choices that may raise questions:

No Haymaker: I chose to focus on three fairly quick attacks for the early levels- Jab, Punch and Air Superiority. There's really not much need for Haymaker. Also, it has the same animation as Air Superiority, and that bugs me.

No Tough Hide: This was a tough decision for me, and some may say that mathematically it's more effective than the other three passives combined, but I prefer the Resist powers over Tough Hide because Damage Resistance scales better against higher level foes than Defense. But feel free to disagree.

Handclap: This is a power that takes some getting used to, but I've come to really like it. It may seem counterintuitive to knock enemies away from you when you have Invincibility running, but sometimes you may be overwhelmed, or they may have toggles running that you want to knock off with the Disorient effect. This is especially true against enemies with Slow powers, I use Handclap on them all the time.

Feel free to add any other comments, questions or criticisms of my build!

II. Super Strength

This Tanker Secondary provides decent damage combined with good crowd control abilities. I've given attacks a Damage Rating, and for comparison's sake, Brawl has a rating of 1.

Level 1 - Jab: (Damage Rating: 2) This is a quick, low damage attack which has a chance at Disorienting your target. As the first power in your Secondary, you are forced to take it, but that's okay, it's an underrated power.

Level 2 - Punch: (Damage Rating: 3) This is a decent attack which has a chance at knocking down your target.

Level 4 - Taunt: This power provokes your target, and those near him, to attack you. It is a powerful tool for the team Tank, it pulls enemies off of teammates and directs their attacks against you. Note that the Tanker Inherent Power Gauntlet provides a Taunt effect with each successful attack you make, so it can make up for not having Taunt. However, I still highly recommend Taunt because it's Ranged and Auto-Hit (Gauntlet doesn't help much against higher level foes you have difficulty hitting.)

Level 10 - Haymaker: (Damage Rating: 5) This is a two-handed smash that can knock down your target. Its higher damage is offset by a longer recharge and higher Endurance cost.

Level 16 - Handclap: With this power you slam your hands together, creating a shockwave that can knockback and disorient nearby enemies. It is PBAoE (Point-Blank, Area of Effect), meaning it effects everyone near you, whether front, back or to your side. It does no damage, but can be a handy attack when you're in a tight spot.

Level 20 - KO Blow: (Damage Rating: 10) This is a devestating attack that you will want to take as soon as you can. Not only does it do very high damage, it will knock your target into the air and has a high chance of stunning them. It has a long Recharge and high Endurance cost, but it worth it. Must-have!

Level 28 - Rage: This is a click power that pumps up your attacks for two minutes, increasing their base damage by 80%! However, once Rage wears off you lose a lot of Endurance (20 or 25, I believe) and are unable to effect anyone else for 10 seconds, no attacking, not even Taunt. This is a must-have for soloing, but it should be used with caution when on a team, a lot can go wrong during that 10 second downtime, and you don't want to be caught unable to help.

Level 35 - Hurl: (Damage Rating: 5) This is an interesting but ultimately poor attack in which you pull a boulder out of the ground and throw it at your target. Interesting because it gives you that "Super Strength" feel, but poor because the long animation time quickly gets on your nerves, plus you must be on the ground to perform this attack. Still, it has medium Range and -Fly component (meaning it knocks Flyers down and grounds them for a few seconds), so some might enjoy it. I recommend trying it out on the Test Server first, though.

Level 38 - Footstomp (Damage Rating: 4, AoE) This is a PBAoE attack in which you stomp your foot on the ground, damaging and knocking down enemies all around you. This is a must-have power- your only Area of Effect damage attack, as well as awesome crowd control. Plus, it has a great "Super Strength" feel. (Note: You must be on the ground to perform Footstomp.)

I. Invulnerability

This Tanker Primary set provides a mix of Damage Resistance and Defense, as well as a boost to Hit Points. Its main weakness is Psionic attacks, it gives no defense against that damage type.

Level 1 - Resist Physical Damage: This is a passive power, meaning it is always on and costs no Endurance. It provides a base Damage Resistance of 7.5% versus Smashing and Lethal damage, meaning attacks of those types will do 7.5% less damage against you than someone without this power. Doesn't sound like much, but it adds up.

Level 1 - Temp Invulnerability: This is a toggle power, meaning it must be turned on and off and costs Endurance to run, which provides a base of 30% Damage Resistance against Smashing and Lethal damage. I consider this a must-have power in the set, due to its high Resist value.

Level 2 - Dull Pain: This is a click power, meaning once activated it runs for a certain amount of time before running out. Dull Pain increases your maximum Hit Points by 40%, as well as healing you by that amount if you are at less than full health. Dull Pain lasts two minutes and has a base six minute recharge time. I also consider this a must-have power.

Level 6 - Resist Elements: This is a passive power that provides a base of 7.5% Resistance to Fire, Cold and Toxic damage.

Level 8 - Unyielding: This is a toggle power that provides Damage Resistance to all damage types except Psionic, but more importantly provides resistance to Knockback, Holds, Sleep, Immobilization and Disorientation. This resistance increases in effectiveness as you increase in level. Unyielding provides 5% Damage Resistance against Smashing and Lethal damage, and 10% against Heat, Cold, Energy, Negative Energy and Toxic damage. However, your defiant stance makes you easier to hit- when running this power, your Defense is lowered 5%. Still, this is a must-have power for its resistance to status effects.

Level 12 - Resist Energies: This is a passive power which provides 7.5% Damage Resistance against Energy and Negative Energy attacks.

Level 18 - Invincibility: This is a toggle power which increases your fighting ability against groups of enemies. When running, you get a boost to your Defense against all attacks types except Psionic (less of a boost against Ranged attacks), as well as a boost to your Accuracy. This boost is increased depending on the number of enemies surrounding you, maxing out at ten enemies. The exact numbers for this power are in question because they are hard to calculate, but they are good enough to make this a must-have power, it is invaluable when tanking for a team.

Level 26 - Tough Hide: This is a passive power which provides a base Defense increase of 5% against all attack types except Psionic. Defense differs from Resistance in that it decreases the chance of you being hit, not the amount of damage you take when you do get hit. Many people like to take this power simply to offset the Defense DeBuff that comes with Unyielding running.

Level 32 - Unstoppable: This is a click power that lets you become a powerhouse for a little while, but with a big downside. When activated, you gain 70% Damage Resistance to all damage except Psionic, as well as a powerful boost to your Endurance Recovery and virtual immunity to status effects (Knockback, Holds, etc.) This lasts three minutes, then you crash back to Earth, losing all your Endurance (and thus any toggles you had running), and drop to 10% Health! Despite this harsh penalty, Unstoppable can be a powerful tool once you've become accustomed to it. I won't call it a must-have, but I highly recommend it.

Welcome to my Issue 6, "Enhancement Diversification"-approved version of THE SUPERTANK!

The purpose of this guide is to help others create a fun, classic-style superhero who can both solo effectively and work well on a team. I will provide information on the Invulnerability and Super Strength powersets, as well as provide a build you can follow, or use as a template for your own.

Once you have your sharp costume and heroic name, you're ready to become... a SuperTank!

Sections:
I. Invulnerability
II. Super Strength
III. Build Guide
IV. Leveling Guide

I guess I've found the answer to my question: There's nothing wrong with Galaxy City.

Seems like it works out well, go to Atlas if you want to be socialable, go to Galaxy if you want to be a loner.

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Eidolons play a part in it i think...

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That's something else I find odd- level 1 Bosses. Seems sort of contradictory, doesn't it?

Playing tonight I noticed how, on the Justice Server anyways, Atlas and Galaxy are like night and day. Atlas Park is bustling with activity and crowded with low level heroes, while Galaxy City is quiet and empty. Only a few heroes stand around the Back Alley Brawler, while a huge mob surrounds Ms. Liberty.

Any ideas why this is? And what can be done to make people want to go to Galaxy?

Thanks, Umagon! I didn't know that.

It was nice of CuppaJo to put the link to my "Supertank" build in the top post- too bad and didn't realize it and let it get erased!

Here's a new one: The Supertank! (Inv/SS/Fly Build)

First- Sorry, I haven't read this entire thread so I apologize if I'm repeating points.

Second- I find the new Rage to be a very powerful tool, especially solo. I do not use it when I'm tanking for a team, and for those of you think it should be as usuable when teamed as it is solo: Not every power is. There are a lot of Defender powers that are useless solo, I don't think it's a big deal if some of my powers are less usuable in certain situations (especially since when I'm on a team the boost to my damage would barely make a difference anyways.)

In conclusion, I like the new Rage, it's much better than the original version which the Devs seemed to think was overpowered, so... I assume they'll be changing it again. Maybe they'll come to realize the original version was actually quite balanced and revert it to that. Then we can put this whole mess behind us.

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That's the way it's supposed to work, unless of course you use a mez protection and bypass the penalty altogether. But in doing that you've just taken advantage of a power and paid no penalty. Not supposed to happen that way. So those in the know use Rage scot-free, and those who aren't pay the penalty. Not very sporting, is it? And certainly not fair.

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I don't think people who take Unyielding are "in the know". It's a pretty basic power now, I think almost every Invul Tank will take it, "in the know" or not.

That said, I don't use Rage with Unyielding because it's too risky- one stun attack during those 15 seconds and I'm done. There is certainly no "scot-free".

Thanks for the update, States!

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3. +1 level mobs are now appearing in the numbers that we had wanted in missions.

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Even in the low level missions? I'm very concerned about new players facing orange Mortificators (often in pairs!) at levels 3 or 4. That's a tough fight for veteran players. I'm sure anyone who's made a new Science hero in the past while can back this up.

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To me, that is the biggest problem I have when people expect one of my Scrappers to tank for them. I don't have Taunt or Provoke and my attacks don't have the built-in Taunt that Tankers do, so how could I possible hold agro??? Even if I run around like a crazy person trying to land a blow on everything in sight, I will never come close to being able to maintain agro as good as a tank. Even if I had taunt, I couldn't maintain agro as good as a tank without it. Well, not unless I chose to give up my job and instead of actually trying to damage things, I stand there Taunting all day. What a waste that would be.

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Scrappers do have a built-in Taunt effect in their attacks: They do alot of damage. Scrappers also have the same access to Taunt and Provoke that Tanks do. What they lack is the defenses of a Tank, but still, if there's no Tank and your the toughest guy around, I don't see the problem in Tanking for the team. You'd expect a Tank to do it for you.

(Sorry, a little off topic )

Just the whole "Trick or Treat" idea is brilliant, right down to "I got a rock..."

Good job to all involved!