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  1. #1

    How to be tanky?

    My connection has a habit of periodically dropping packets like a bawss, and so I tend to play tanky/long-range characters in most games. The kind of character that relies less on sharp reactions and more on either health and armor or distance to keep them alive through the lag spikes.

    I'm currently leveling up an Engineer and enjoying myself (particularly since it's a ranged class and the turrets add some passive damage/distraction for when the lag gets intense), but I'm curious whether there are any classes/builds that are even better at soaking up damage while my router sorts itself out. Since the Engineer is still low level, I also want to start another character to work on during periods of high latency.

    My first thought was to create a Guardian. Then I realized GW2 has surprised me more than a few times with its classes already, and figured it would be best to ask the folks who have been playing the game a lot longer than me. So, what would you recommend in terms of class/builds for someone who really needs to soak up damage and ends up aggroing groups by accident?
    Nothing ever bothers Juular.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Holtzmann View Post
    My connection has a habit of periodically dropping packets like a bawss, and so I tend to play tanky/long-range characters in most games. The kind of character that relies less on sharp reactions and more on either health and armor or distance to keep them alive through the lag spikes.

    I'm currently leveling up an Engineer and enjoying myself (particularly since it's a ranged class and the turrets add some passive damage/distraction for when the lag gets intense), but I'm curious whether there are any classes/builds that are even better at soaking up damage while my router sorts itself out. Since the Engineer is still low level, I also want to start another character to work on during periods of high latency.

    My first thought was to create a Guardian. Then I realized GW2 has surprised me more than a few times with its classes already, and figured it would be best to ask the folks who have been playing the game a lot longer than me. So, what would you recommend in terms of class/builds for someone who really needs to soak up damage and ends up aggroing groups by accident?
    In very simple terms - stack toughness - mobs are programmed to favor attacking the target with the highest toughness regardless of armor class. With the right gear any class could theoretically "tank," though I'd imagine doing so with a Warrior or Guardian would be wise

  3. #3
    Deleted
    Almost any profession can be build to be tanky. Usually tank builds are used either in WvW or in PvP. Most of the time PvE uses "glass" builds (aka zerker), but it is up to you what you use when you are playing alone or with random people. If dungeon group ask people to be zerker, do not join them with your tankier build (their tactics solely rely on killing enemies fast). Find normal people (those who do not want you to play certain build).

    First remember/see this:
    - Toughness = armor = safe from direct damage
    - Vitality = HP pool = safe from conditions

    Engineer:
    This is a back-line build that abuses might stacking from your skills, sigils, traits, and your party to rain hybrid death upon your foes at up to 1500 range. It's also survivable and has fantastic repositioning ability.
    - http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Eng...Zerg_Grenadier
    Warrior:
    The Shout Frontline Warrior provides excellent group support and self-sustain while providing excellent control and cleansing. If many warriors run this build in a zerg each will cleanse conditions and heal each other with shouts. Additionally, the warhorn converts conditions into helpful boons and the hammer will control enemy players lacking stability.
    - http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:War...uts_Frontliner
    Guardian:
    General WvW guardian build with extremely high sustain and strong damage, the foundation of any medium to large-scale WvW fighting group.
    - http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Gua..._AH_Frontliner
    Necromancer
    Excellent AoE coverage via Wells and Marks, this high-damage necromancer build was designed for large scale WvW encounters. As the walking artillery of your group, whose main contribution will be in the form of damage, you should build as offensively as possible to output the maximum amount of damage.
    - http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Nec...Wells_Backline

    And so on... more builds can be seen here: http://metabattle.com/wiki/MetaBattle_Wiki

  4. #4
    OP, Ranger or Necromancer. The pets take a lot of heat off you in both cases. And in the case of the Necromancer they have one of the highest HP pools in the game, have the pets (of course) but also have a lot of life leeching abilities to get back in a fight quickly.

    Quote Originally Posted by azurrei View Post
    In very simple terms - stack toughness - mobs are programmed to favor attacking the target with the highest toughness regardless of armor class. With the right gear any class could theoretically "tank," though I'd imagine doing so with a Warrior or Guardian would be wise
    I don't think this is what the OP is asking for. He seems to be asking how to be "tough" for when his connection to the game is poor. Not how to aggro and get mobs to target him purposefully- which would make his situation of lagging badly WORSE.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Edit: Readers of this thread are aware the OP wants to live through his frequent lag-spikes, right? Not actually tank (generate threat) or protect a point.

  5. #5
    so a profession to live through lag spikes. perhaps the Ranger might be the best fit since you have a pet to take away the attention

  6. #6
    Thanks, Fencers. That's exactly what I was talking about.

    I've got a Ranger here that I'm going to take out for a spin, and I just made a Necromancer. Did they change the ability progression on the Necromancer, though? I remember they used to start with a pet that regenerated Health with every attack (and died if anyone looked at it funny), but now I have an area heal instead.

    Of course, both the Ranger and the Necromancer kinda rely on their pets, and I haven't had much luck having mobs stick to those instead of rushing straight to me. Got anything on tough non-pet classes?
    Nothing ever bothers Juular.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Holtzmann View Post
    I've got a Ranger here that I'm going to take out for a spin, and I just made a Necromancer. Did they change the ability progression on the Necromancer, though? I remember they used to start with a pet that regenerated Health with every attack (and died if anyone looked at it funny), but now I have an area heal instead.
    that necro "pet" was just your heal skill. so they must have changed the default starting heal skill


    Quote Originally Posted by Holtzmann View Post
    Of course, both the Ranger and the Necromancer kinda rely on their pets, and I haven't had much luck having mobs stick to those instead of rushing straight to me. Got anything on tough non-pet classes?
    necro doesn't rely on their pets. in fact a necro with pets is a worse build than one without them (such as a "well" mancer)

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Holtzmann View Post
    I've got a Ranger here that I'm going to take out for a spin, and I just made a Necromancer. Did they change the ability progression on the Necromancer, though? I remember they used to start with a pet that regenerated Health with every attack (and died if anyone looked at it funny), but now I have an area heal instead.
    I don't know how any class progresses anymore. I leveled all my classes (except thief) before sweeping changes to the early game were made apparently. Many starter skills were changed I think. So if you no longer have the heal pet then yes, they changed that too.

    Necro pets are not like "tanks", same goes for Rangers. That is to say the pets are not like Beast Master or Summoner pets meant to tank for you through threat generation.

    However, both Ranger and Necro pets are able to engage targets with you and most importantly screen targets. Imagine it more like sendng the pets to body block, absorb AOE, take a big hit, apply conditions or distract from your character. Rather than sending them off to a mob and expecting the mob to ignore you as long as your "aggro" is below your pet's.

    Threat doesn't really work like that in GW2- there is no mechanical "tanking". There is proximity "tanking".

    If you learn how to corral/send the pets around mobs the pets can and will take a lot of indirect and direct heat off an actual character. The Ranger bears and drakes are very hardy. While the Necromancer's zombies can block tons of incoming damage.

    Ranger, singular strong pet. Necro, many weak pets.
    Last edited by Fencers; 2015-02-08 at 05:54 PM.

  9. #9
    best use for necro pets is their active abilities (blowing them up, knockdowns, etc)

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Doozerjun View Post
    best use for necro pets is their active abilities (blowing them up, knockdowns, etc)
    A good point. I mentioned conditions above, and KDs/Stuns/Etc are kinds of conditions. But I should have made a bigger emphasis here to crowd control and displacement w/r/t Necro.

    This user is correct, OP. Necromancers in GW2 treat their pets as disposable in a sense. Tools. The Necromancer is the real source of mayhem, if you will.

  11. #11
    I think I get it now.

    Both seem to require a bit of micromanagement to be effective. Are there any class/build combos that don't need that much "fine" timing with their abilities? That's why I was thinking Guardian or some other melee: the game seems to accept when I move out of voidzones by myself even during the lag-spikes (otherwise I wouldn't be able to make it through the Sylvari starting area), but using escape abilities and trying to kite don't work nearly as well because they do get delayed.
    Nothing ever bothers Juular.

  12. #12
    Are there any class/build combos that don't need that much "fine" timing with their abilities?
    Uh... Engineer?

    All the classes in Guild Wars 2 are pretty busy. Especially compared to non-action MMOs because Guild Wars 2 is an Action game, in the Arcade sense.

    It is the intention that one is leaping, rolling, bouncing, getting off split second timings, etc throughout the whole of Guild Wars 2. It is a full-on Action Game more so than RPG. So there is only gonna be so much passivity to the nitty-gritty of any given class.

  13. #13
    I'm surprised no one has mentioned the warrior yet, am I missing something? Warriors have (besides the Necro) by far the biggest healthpool. Guardians can be tanky, but they rely heavily on their active blocks, Warriors do not. Warriors also have unbelievable high regeneration with the right skills/traits.

  14. #14
    Yea, Warriors can be tough. Though not so much "afk" tough. At the least a pet, illusion or turrent can screen mobs or share the damage. Whereas a Warrior is no better than a Guarduan if they get caught out. My POV, of course.

  15. #15
    I have a consistently high latency(satmodem)and the char I tend to find most forgiving for this is my Necro. Soldier Gear and Minions, with the Death Pool mechanic, not much can stop me.

  16. #16
    An engineer stacking toughness with juggernaut and turrets would be quite tough.

  17. #17
    Legendary! Rivellana's Avatar
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    When I leveled my guardian I remember it easily being fairly tanky. That being said, they have pretty low health pools. When I started playing my warrior after hearing how faceroll they were I noticed I died significantly more than I did on my necromancer.

    For a tanky character I'd easily choose the necromancer over anything else. Which such a high health pool AND the addition of death shroud you basically have a safe guard when you need it...when any other character would die, the necromancer can stay alive.

    The only thing I use Minion Master spec for on the necromancer is sPvP though. Open world a spectral setup works very well for killing stuff and staying alive easily.

  18. #18
    The Lightbringer barackopala's Avatar
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    My fav brainless builds are celestial/cleric guardian with mostly just healing power, staff/shield+mace (mace is ideal due to regen/dmg avoidance, and shield for mitigation and heal), you don't deal much damage but if instead of cleric gear you get magi's or just full on celestial you'll just laugh at thieves trying to burst you down while you dmg them slowly and heal yourself, if you're introuble just use invuln heal and then invuln elite too.

    Another one is shout warrior, forgot what stas i used for pvp but just dual swords+shouts is good (with healing shouts)
    Cod has a new campaign, new weapons, new multiplayer levels every year. Zelda has been recycling the same weapons, villains, and dungeons since the 80's. Zelda recycles enough to make cod blush. The same weapons, villains, dungeons, and princess in every single Zelda for the most part. It's almost as cheesy as bowser vs Mario round 35

  19. #19
    Necro/Warrior have the biggest health pools. Warrior has very straightforward defensive buttons in its stances and Necro has two health pools for double the tanky. Warrior also has good access to stability.

    Ranger/Elementalist have viable long-ranged builds.

    Engineer has turret builds and lots of active defenses.

    Thief/Mesmer/Guardian all rely on active or semi-active defenses so if lag is a big issue for you they may not be a good idea.
    If you are particularly bold, you could use a Shiny Ditto. Do keep in mind though, this will infuriate your opponents due to Ditto's beauty. Please do not use Shiny Ditto. You have been warned.

  20. #20
    Got the Necromancer to level 10 and I think I found something that works.

    Using the Staff, whenever I get into a fight and notice I'm starting to lag (I have a ping window on my second screen) I get the healing pet out and slap abilities 2, 3 and 4 at my feet. By the time my commands finally reach the server, 2 has given me regeneration; 3 has set up a combo field, slow and poison on whatever is hitting me; 4 has triggered the combo for Area Weakness; and all that AoE damage has stacked up and the pet has kept the incoming damage manageable. Most of the time when the health bars update everything is so close to dying that another 2 is enough to dispatch the mobs. If it isn't, Death Shroud and the AoE drain usually do the trick. Of course, all of this goes out of the window if I'm fighting underwater, but I avoid those areas anyway.

    Guardian with Mace also felt really good for passive healing. I still need to play mine up to level 10 to give a more informed opinion, but so far it's also been fun. I think I'll stick to the Necromancer for general play, and pull out the Guardian when I feel like having something different.
    Last edited by Holtzmann; 2015-02-09 at 08:18 AM.
    Nothing ever bothers Juular.

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