EQ2: Main Tank (MT) Selection Guide

[Noxxy]

Hey,

I have noticed we are started to get a few people interested in playing EQ2 since SoE introduced the RAF scheme. As a result, and to avoid answering the same questions multiple times, I will try and start writing a few guides (with your help please!).

This particular one deals with tank selection and covers the choices you can make plus comments on some areas which may make your selection easier.

Please note: I would sincerely appreciate your comments on what I have written or other areas you’d like included in this guide remembering – this guide only focuses on tanks (other guides will cover other areas).

So here it is:

Main Tank (MT) Selection Guide
EQ2 offers 6 sub-classes contained within the fighter archetype in which to choose from. The classes and sub-classes being:

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2154/maintanks.gif

Of the 3 possible classes within the fighter archetype, both the Warrior and Crusader fields offer the best options for selection as a MT. These classes tend to be favoured in the MT position as they are ‘heavy tanks’ (i.e., plate wearing). Having a MT in plate greatly increases the group’s end-game survivability due to the tank’s higher mitigation of damage.

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7613/tanktypes.gif

Whilst brawler classes can make effective ‘light/leather wearing’ MTs (in the right situations), they are better suited to being purely Off Tanks (OT). Crusaders can also perform the role of OT very as well.

The selection of a tank from the 4 sub-classes which comprise the warrior and crusader lines all comes down to the complex question of personal preference and play-style. Each of these tanks can shine in the right situation – just depends on how/where you want to use the class.

As can be seen in the table below, the 4 'preferred' tanks can be broken down into several categories namely; defensive, offensive, pure heavy tank and hybrid tanks.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/325/maintanksshort.gif

Defensive tanks can be expected to survive for longer in harder battles – the downside being they suffer from lower DPS. On the other hand, offensive tanks can certainly dish out the damage but they also take a fair amount too therefore are better suited to shorter duration fights (assuming normal number of healers and mana supply).

Using the previous paragraph as a guide, and assuming average AC, it can be seen that defensive tanks have their place in high end-game dungeons where the mobs are even con and higher. Offensive tanks are better suited to farming high blues and below.

Another point to consider when choosing your tank for multi-boxing is whether you will be fielding a full or partial group – this is where the importance of tank type comes into play. If the group has 2 dedicated healers, then a pure heavy tank would be the tank of choice. If the group has <2 dedicated healers, then a hybrid tank may better suit due to improved versatility.

So in consideration of these two stated areas, a general guide to tank selection would be:

Guardian
‘Pure’ tank
Heavy defensive tanking
2 healers
5 or more team members
White con and above

Paladin
Hybrid tank
Heavy defensive tanking
<2 healers
Groups smaller than 5 members
White / yellow cons
OR
‘AOE farmer’
<= 2 healers
Any group size
Even con and below (assuming average AC)

Shadow Knight
Hybrid tank
‘DPS (spell caster) farmer’
Heavy offensive tanking
<= 2 healers
Any group size
Even con and below (assuming average AC)

Bezerker
‘DPS (melee) farmer’
Pure tank
Heavy offensive tanking
2 healers
Any group size
Even con and below (assuming average AC)

Can any of these tanks be used in other situations? Sure – they all can be used how ever you want them too – BUT – other tanks may offer a better solution to your needs.

As examples;

A guardian can do a fine job in a DPS farmer group – BUT – more DPS can be achieved by using an SK or bezerker, etc.
An ‘average AC’ SK can do a great job as MT in the bottom of an end-game dungeon – BUT – a guardian may be a batter choice due to increased survivability, etc.
The whole difficulty with tank selection is matching the correct tank to how you plan on using it.

If, after reading this, your still confused, make a guardian – that class will see you able to do most things. Next, go one of the DPS tanks (either melee [Bezerker], caster [SK] or AOE [pally]) – just depends on your preferred style.

Failing that - make all 4 and experiment till you find the one you like! ;)

[Greythan]

Nice write up. One suggestion: include commentary on the "multibox friendly/unfriendly" playstyle of each class. (e.g., one may be "best" but requires a ton of micro (i.e., bad for boxing) where the second best may be low micro).

[Frosty]

I think 2 of us are sneaking on to add this info to the wiki.

Sorry if I overwrote your changes. :P

[Herc130]

What you really want to look at though is how the tanks get aggro.

The Warrior classes are Single Target Taunts, and Crusaders are AE aggro. And Brawlers are dps aggro.
I Favor the SK, because with the AE's it makes it easier to get adds off of my boxes if a wanderer or respawn crawls up. Plus with Death March, will get aggro from just about anything that has any aggro on any of your group members.

I also favour a tank type that can AoE agro...regularly. I switched in EQ1 from a warrior to an SK simply because the warrior was very weak on AoE agro and the encounters I face rarely required things that make warriors the better choice. But reading over class comparisons here

http://www.eq2ref.com/abilities/diff.php

looks like both guardian and berserker do AoE agro as well. Is it just they are limited in how often they can do it or what? I'd perfer a berserker or guardian, but really want to have an AoE tank because as a boxer ...yah...dealing with multiple mobs all hitting on different boxes is probably gonna result in a wipe, nice to have a tank that can just hit an AoE agro and then every mob runs to him.

[Noxxy]

AOE is one of the reasons I like the pally - sure, lot of ppl don't even list the paladin as an AOE tank - but - I have 4?5? blue AOEs plus the wraiths line (AOE boosts) and of course, consecrate

Add to that, I would list a pally as the 2nd best in survivability (after the guard), meaning I can take on a herd of mobs, AOE and live to tell the tale

[Herc130]

But can a berserker and guardian AoE? I only played a berserker up to lvl35, but that was a long time ago, however, I remeber doing AoE damage and probably agro. How effective compared to a pally or SK, I cannot say. I am not too much worried about how much DPS a tank can do, I just want a tank that can take damage and grab agro fast on all mobs and maybe even one that can pull hard targets....although I am not sure that really matters in EQ2 since mobs are mostly tethered?.

I know on EQ1, a pally or an SK fighting named mobs that hit extremely hard pale in comparison to a warrior (the real tank class) since they just don't have the mitigation or ability to put on as much hitpoints. But although an SK doesn't have the hitpoints of a warrior, they can selfbuff themselves with buffs that will proc weapons so that everytime they hit a mob, they heal themselves...so although this won't matter much when a mob hits for 10k to 20k, it does in group play where mobs don't hit nearly as hard and in some cases, the SK won't need much healing, but a warrior will (since warrior just have flat out higher hitpoints...they don't recoup it durring fights without someone healing em). I never played a pally at all......I was just never the boyscout type lol....but pallies have heals and probably weapons procs that heals, so again although they don't have the hitpoints of a warrior, they are given another form to match up. And both SK's and pallies get tons of different weapons that proc runes (a buff that takes X amount of damage and disappears runes also create AoE agro without you having to do anything extra).

Just activated my old EQ2 account and used it to send RAF's to myself 5 times and then created 5 accounts using those invites (don't create accounts and then try to do RAF, I have now made 10 EQ2 accounts lol...only 5 will do RAF though). Still got probably 10 hours of downloading to do on two comps (hopefully I can just copy and paste myEQ2 folders to my other comps and run the patcer). I'd like a tank class that was actually made to tank boss mobs if possible, but just about as important is the tanks ability to agro everything around it. Do you guys know if a berserker or a guardian can do this? I read the tank guide, but it doesn't really say about AoE agro and also, I don't understand how a pally is more survivable then a berserker if a berserker is suppose to be a MT and the pally an offtank? No doubt a pally can heal itself and that will help, but in the long run, it's better to have a tank with higher mitigation and ease of increasing hitpoints.