Dev Discussion Episode 22: "Phantom Zone" 4-Player operation feedback thread

Ok, so just "being" a tank or in tank stance is what allows me to grab the aggro then? That and the taunts and pulls I have in my tray?
Maybe I've just misunderstood what I was told this whole time, highly probable. Maybe it was just an assumption on my part. I've been highly effective and efficient and successful as a tank so I've obviously been doing something right just my knowledge on the Dom issue wasn't correct. Good thing I've never tried to teach anyone how to tank huh?! LOL.
So, that being said, is there anyway I should mod or allocate sp that will increase my ability to grab and hold aggro better? Honestly I've never really had an issue with it but if I was wrong about the Dom then it's possible I could be doing something else to improve my game. Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

Long Live DCUO!!

Still focus on Dom/Health for your SP allocations. You do want your Dominance to be as high as possible. Same thing for health and defense. Other than that, you seem to be okay. Bosses will dump aggro and charge teammates, it's just not something you can avoid. With that in mind, at least be aware it'll happen so do your best to get them under control again, and you will. Aggro dumping seems to be a popular boss mechanic these days. Makes it harder to just tank 'n' spank, I suppose.

Every power in your tray is a taunt. That's how tanking in DCUO works. There is one ability in each tank's trees (plus Mesmerizing Lasso in the iconics) that will target and taunt only one critter so two tanks (lawl) can separate targets.

How you mod/spec your sp varies a little depending on which power you are. However, there is no way you can mod/spec that will "increase aggro." Cast a power and you have aggro on everything near you for 12 seconds unless there is a scripted drop. Cast another power when that happens (If you are lucky they will turn back to you but probably not. These devs like to frustrate tanks A LOT) or at around 10 seconds to maintain aggro. That's it. It is nothing like tanking in a traditional MMO where you actually have to worry about maintaining threat with a rotation.

Vindictive is a super and Ferocity is an immunity. Ferocity isn't going to do anything to cancel your crash if you're stunned. It's an immunity. You'd still have to have some time to pop Vindictive for it to work. What I brought up was where if you're stunned at the correct time, you can crash, with zero time to react. No other Tank power has that trouble, as the other user stated, they have other things they can use that buffs their health/defense/etc. We do not. If we're stunned at the right time, we're screwed.

Minus the rage crash wouldn't atomic have a similar issue as far as losing there aura and being susceptible to max dmg and also earth but only in aftershock mode?although i know what u mean nutin rivals receiving all dmg with no way of prevention I mean i would propose rage being completely immune to crash when a boss/add mechanic is a perm stunn that requires a counter from a teammate or even having a current move revamped to where it is also a crash cancel and not reduction maybe like changing remorsless to be a complete cancel and usable while controlled

Reducer. Don't really need many immunities. Just put one immunity and 2 reducers. I didn't seem to have an issue. I rock rage bringer, severe, dreadful blast, ire, ferocity, and bloodlust. I'll take out ferocity every once in awhile put on violence. Bloodlust is the cheapest power you can use to reduce crash, and it buffs group. It never leaves my loadout. I used to use without mercy...after 1 day of rage tanking I decided it cost way too much power for my liking and wasn't necessary. I also tank SM with Rage. I'm sure you've been using it for awhile. But those are just my opinions on it.

And one could say you don't need a reducer. I'm not removing two immunites b/c that's what I run. That's like me telling you, you don't need a reducer or telling you to run with something else b/c you don't need bloodlust. You run what works for you, I do as well. Either way, hard stuns, teleports, etc are things that impact a rage tank, heavily. It was a question, I wanted to find out from a dev if it was intended or not. If it was, that's fine, I'd work around it. However I'm not putting something else in my loadout that I never use just for the off chance that I do get perma stunned and crash through no fault of my own.

To clear up this, yes Dom effects your CC, meaning your ability to actually pull an enemy in to you. This is most effective on adds and sub bosses, most bosses are immune. Your Dom has nothing to do with aggro though, aggro is your ability while in Tank role to taunt which happens whenever you cast a power and lasts for ten seconds. Some bosses and adds have the ability to De-aggro or aggro wipe and have to be 're taunted once the effect clears. Just make sure you cast a power every ten seconds to maintain aggro, don't turtle block to long, and know the range of your taunts per power. This is why some Fire Tanks prefer Flame Cascade instead of Fireball or Lasso.

Obviously you don't need a reducer. It was just my thought in reference to being stunned it can help. All them adds. Sometimes not everybody gonna lunge that Elite add with the staff that stunn you. Nice to have a back up. I've just seen some of your other posts on forums, figured i'd put an opinion. Maybe you'll stay Rage for this next SM.

Does the SFX occur at the same time as you doing anything specifically, like using an ability? I'm trying to figure out what it's attached to.

This has been happening since the last GU. It's not specific to the alert.

I've found I get the sound when I try to cast a power before it's cool down has completed. On my sorc heal this mostly happens if I'm spamming rejuvenate, I'll get cast, OOP sound, cast.

JackFrost already said he'd look into it. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just a better understanding, since it seemed the same as the other hard stuns in the game. If it has a tell at all, with all the adds on me, and the ones I'm looking for on the outskirts, I don't think I'd see that stun coming anyway.


I've been mixing up Ferocity with Violence, and sort of combining them in my head, thinking of it as a crash dampener that can be used while controlled ... my mistake. Being so far down the tree, having such a long cooldown, and not healing like Ire, maybe it should be a dampener. It would certainly help them, so they don't have to think so hard about wrapping the game mechanics around the tank mechanics.

Still, there's always Vindictive. It may be a super, but it's a low-cost super, is built up easily for a rage tank (less turtling, and through combo'ing cancels when safe), can be used while controlled, and clips (iirc), and doesn't use power. Maybe it's me, but I think it's a must-have power, not just for hard stuns, but also for low-power situations. I don't see a must-have power as a new thing ... certainly controllers have been complaining about a lack of choice for a while.

Crashing is bad, but with enough health, and a strong enough healer, a lot of crashes are still survivable. It also helps to avoid damage, decreasing the size of the crash: blocking, shields, CC, kiting. The rage mechanic is the primary mitigation, but health stacking is an important secondary means of mitigation. You have a lot of adds, in close proximity, and are pulling a lot. Your secondary mitigation should be in place. Of course, that secondary mitigation, on all tanks, is way worse than the first, but it's not negligible.

I'm not really arguing that's not a significant threat to the tank, and the instance. It is. If I get stunned at just the right moment, yes, my crash will exceed my health, and I won't even have the chance to throw my super so, true, I'm likely to get knocked out. But, it's not the only no-win situation in the game. The most clear-and-clean-cut example is where Nexus can give the one-shot aura to the person with the shield at the last moment before Inevitability, not even giving you a chance to choose the other shield. Same as the alert, the longer the fight lasts, the more chance you have of it happening.

I guess the thing I'm not understanding is, if this is a problem here, it should be considered a problem elsewhere, too.

Yes, when using an ability. Doesn't seem tied to anything specific. Someone suggested I'm trying to use an ability still on cooldown. That could be happening and it's the same sound. Definitely happens on Rejuvenate. Any chance it's lag? We see the ability off cooldown but the server does not?

I think it is related to the infinite cooldown bug Munitions was experiencing on test. I get the sound on my Muni toon on live most often when rotating back to 5 Barrel after dropping a Splosion. When I look down at my tray after hearing the sound, the button is red like it is still on CD when it shouldn't be.

There's intentional slowdown on players who are transporting the crystals to the chasm in elite. I wanted it to be a bit more of a challenge, particularly with the adds that appear nearby.

Actually the third power when carrying the crystals can give you a boost, just like during the FOS power core raid with the crystal protection. So everyone can go fast. But true, in elite you can't fly with the crystals so it is harder.

Also, don't hold the aim button or you will throw it at an ennemy.

It might be the memory on PS3 but it affects the frame rate as well. I do recognise what you say (the crystals are heavier) but I think it has a greater impact than intended on the memory/frame rate, creating a lag.

Another thing that's annoying (though could stay) is when accomplices/henchmen/pets get blue aura on 2nd boss, as they move on their own accord. On one hand I feel blue auras should be for players only, on other this would be 'nerfing' if the devs did anything about this.

Hmmm.

It's same in normal. Slow walking and dodgy aiming

Indeed. It'd honestly been a little while since I built this content, so I had forgotten. But yes, as it is currently, in normal mode, you slow down some also. In elite mode, you also take ticking damage while carrying the crystals.