A Guide to Everything Earth

I'm going to answer this post but also some previous posts from other people as well.

We actually ran with four tanks because this is the Elite version of Throne. Regular Throne is not hard. I'm hesitant to call it easy because pugging it is still a crap shoot but a good league should not have trouble with regular Throne. After they slowed down the speed at which the Totem Master spawns his totem regular Throne became much more manageable. In regular Throne I can tank Ares+adds (still faster for burn to three tank it and have Ares by himself), Judges+adds, or Hades+adds no problem.

You're not two tanking the Ares fight on Elite. Not happening. Impossible. Even three tanks is very, very difficult to do for whichever tank is getting the adds. Right now in Elite the only part I know I can't do is solo tank the adds during the Ares fight (I'm not including Hades fight because no one has beaten that yet). We use two tanks for the adds because it makes that part of the fight much more manageable. We use two Rage tanks on the adds not because I can't handle one set of adds (I think I have a video of my first two attempts) but because I can't handle all the adds. If the second tank goes down the first tank needs to survive long enough for someone to revive the second tank. Rage can survive all those adds; Earth can't.

I may be in the minority of Earth users here, but I don't think Earth is all that good as far as tank powers go. Imo it's the weakest (Rage-Ice-Fire-Earth in that order). I agree with your sentiment that there are situations where Earth lags behind. Elite Throne makes those instances readily apparent. There have been a few different ideas floating around to improve Earth tanking (extending absorption beyond 50%, shorter cooldowns, etc). Earth can tank (almost) anything in this game, but it has to work harder. The longer I play this game the more I'm frustrated on how much harder I have to work than other tanks.

Rokyn, I love you dude. Thanks for throwing up the videos (even though they don't show anything impressive lol). Hard Light Shield is there because I have nothing better to put there. Amazonian Deflection doesn't seem more beneficial than just blocking, we have no tanking SCs to use, I only use Unstoppable when damage tanking (drop Soothing Sands for it), and I don't really like the movement mode breakouts. The way I try to use it is to absorb single big hits, provide some added protection after getting immunity, and as a modest self heal. HLS does break after three quick successive hits like a healing shield or after absorbing dom+resto in damage like a tank shield. I don't think our absorption is factored before the shield absorbs damage but I would need to test that further. For Earth all you need is Jackhammer and a pull. Everything else is on you.

I've stated it before, but I'll just state again that I agree with you that Earth is the weakest tank. I've now played all the tanks, personally I find Rage and Earth the most fun, I like Rage a little more than Earth, though, idk it's the ring One of the things I love about Earth compared to Rage though is the freedom you have with you loadout and even your spec. And not having to keep track of cds as much and not having to eat as much power in many places to survive as Earth compared to Rage is usually really refreshing when I switch between the powers.

With Rage almost every power I slot is predetermined and I usually can only swap one or maybe two powers and that really depends on what I'm doing. With Earth, you can use a lot of different powers, because like you say, you only really need Jackhammer and a pull or two.

Also, I usually slot both unstoppable and soothing sands, I think it's because I'm used to having two breakouts as Rage. I could see HL being useful if you time it well or use regen shielding, I usually just slot max damage in my hands no matter what role I'm playing.

I really hope that if they give Earth another AM that they'll do some touch ups to tank powers as the updates they did to Fire were really good for Fire tanks.

Hope the devs up focusing on both roles not just dps but tank as well.

Me too. I just don't want it to become too easy. Easy is ice. Ice to me is boring. I am all for some improvements, but I don't want earth to become boring. That's what weapon mastery is now and it's primarily why I want something fun and different in the aftershock mechanic.

Aint this the truth and thank you for speaking it. Hands down you are correct Earth is the least effective tank, doesn't mean its not effective just means you have to put way more work into it for no more reward. And groups know that and have every right to act on it. It's not like they prefer Rage because they think its more pretty. They know its effective, easy, and reliable. Earth may be those things as well but for sure Ice and Rage are more effective, easier, and more reliable.

I never try Ice because I hear that is the easiest power to tank with and I don't like it at all. And yes let's hope Earth's Aftershock AM becomes really fun to play with, if anything I wanna have fun while playing my favorite power.

Your comment just made my night, wish you would have mentioned it earlier . I honestly praying that Earth tank becomes effective and reliable like it used to be back then with Battle for earth. Ever since OC came out Earth tanking has been left behind compared to other tank powers, even as now earth tanking struggles with the latest content not that is difficult or anything like that but it does required quite the work.

I know that some of you are not really bashing Earth or anything like that but I get tired every time I log in into the game hearing people saying stuff: "Geez why are you a earth tank that power sucks?" or "You should switch to another tank power because earth is too dam weak". Stuff like just get off my nerves I mean what can we do? The earth community give the devs a lot of feedback, feedback that was ignored which end leave Earth update to be a complete fiasco. Yes they did improved a few things here in there but that not what the community ask for if you ask me.

In all honesty I was a hybrid pet/aftershock tank back in the day. I would have Brick but not Damage Shift and use Jackhammer for absorption. Reason: Brick took aggro if you dropped below 40% health. This was a life saver and amazing. Why it was removed I have no clue. I want that back over all else.

would be nice if earth got more defense everytime they hit a power like rage those for health.

Ragebringer and so many adds got rage at 100k health why can't earth get the same for earthin grip. But 50k defense? Or make it fair to were it works out.

Thing with defense is no matter how much you have it doesn't matter if I block I reach the cap so its not as useful as health is.

Increase the cap like they did for rage.

I mean, honestly, earth can survive as long as they hold block, there is a sec were absorption drops and you have to unblock and reapply. Doing so ALMOST kills you or kills you, if healer dies your pretty much dead aswell.

Earth needs:
More Defense Buff for every power pressed cause the current one is not helping,
Independent from healer abit like all the other tanks. Sec healer dies i die right after.
GemSheild At 4 needs to stay longer then 3 does.
Brick needs to give use Defensive buffs while active, instead of us giving him Defense buffs. (OR Increase the health and Absorption of the pet HIS ARE AM!!!!!!)

OUR AMs ARE NOT BEING USED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-___- for crying out loud, if the devs think earth if ok, idk what they are doing

Earth tanking needs a buff in PvE.
More Defense per point of Dominance would be a good start.
Also basic 25% absorption granted from using any ability should stack with the 50% absorption from Jackhammer.

more defense would do absolutely nothing and would a terrible "fix." it would only help when outside of block. ever play as ice? try running around without their shields but with their defense buff. sure with earth it would be 50% less damage coming in, but i assure you it would be a very bad thing.

if anything, i go back to what was suggested during gu37's time on test. imagine that, we had ideas back then?!? % more absorption for the amount of dominance you have. or, something probably much simpler, health instead of defense for dominance.

either idea would be much better than more defense.

And give Brick his ability to aggro if you drop below 40% health again. I want my hybrid loadout back asap.


Just realized to do this I would need them to get rid of the automatic dagame shift which I'm fine with because honestly nothing changed you still need two powers for 1 pet.

i still never got what that buys you? do your healers just not heal their tank?

seriously, what does dropping aggro off to a pet do that a healer cant fix with one button push?

Time. It's exactly what I was talking about in my scenario. The best damage for a tank is the damage you don't take so I'm confused why anyone would not want a safety net . I bet ice wouldn't complain if reflect automatically popped on them if they dropped below 40%. It's the same concept as Bicopacitor for electricity. Sure I could hit the heal myself when they drop below 40% but it's nice to have it instantly heal them for me. Saves me time and power.

It's becoming apparent that I baby my healers way too much and I'm not getting what I should out of them Lol.

you hang out around 40% health much in your raids?

edit - happily will admit i hate brick for tanking. so im way against anything that improves that aspect over literally any other tanking improvement idea. but i honestly dont see how having him as a safety net is better than your healer/s doing their job.

As rage no as Earth yea, but I think that's more to blame my healers for not know/ ever needing t heal like they need to for an earth tank. They're too used to Ice and Rage that they get lazy.

heres my idea, get rid of pet tanking completely. make totem function like brick is supposed to. aggro, a small dot, and provides 10% more absorption to you when its out. the best part? it cant die. so no jabroni wandering into aoe's.

Im fine with that. But does it also replace my healers lol? I need some new ones.