Ice Is A Garbage Tank Power...

Everything's mechanic is subject to relative CR - Fire's Health Boost is static, but at a lower personal Character CR, it will be "less". All tank powers work that way.

The Shields are still all pretty solid; they could use a little boost, IMHO, since that is literally Ice's entire mitigation method. The problem with Ice Shields is that they're not exempt from Shield penetration mechanics (which they probably should be, considering Ice's relatively lackluster Health and complete lack of inherent healing). Even that can usually be solved by "blocking" or "getting out of the way". And in every other circumstance, you're literally "just not getting hit".

Also, 160 Mystic Symbol of the Seven + Heal crits = background Healing intake of 2-6K/s in most situations. It's not the same as a command Heal, but combined with Shield cycling it actually performs very nicely. Plus, a (mild) defense bonus. Staple a Trans Card to it and it crits and crits and crits. Add this to the Health from Lasso and a Regenerative Shielding mod and you have a consistent background Healing effect from three different vectors.

The 360 pull is an easy replace with certain Movement Mode Abilities - I use Low Pressure myself - and with Masmerizing Lasso / Lasso Art, it's debatable whether or not you need both, but they work together rather well. Plus, Mesmerizing Lasso will give you a refund in Health on DPS output, so...

So yeah, if you use it in a completely unadulterated state with no Artifacts, you're not wrong, but since "no one is running no Arts", well.. You're missing something.

Ice could probably use a little honest-to-God backend mechanics adjustment but it's not completely dysfunctional, especially with a little tuning.

Atomic heals are all about its combos. No one said anything about elite content. Lets focus on non elite players tank you (pun intended).

I'm being slightly hyperbolic, I agree... but iconic, movement mode powers and arts, any power can use those.

Unbalanced is probably a more accurate word than trash but, let's say as a troll, if you have been doing it since launch there's no way you couldn't say Gadgets isn't OP, everything considered and yes... CR affects other stats, BUT you can grind SP to overcome that and spec into it, grind can't get you more defense beyond gear every other power can get is my point.

True, but.. I'm not sure I'd say the content has been... "balanced' recently.

So, yeah I can understand some people's points about SM but, how much content has been like that lately?

I just think Ice Tanking could use a little love from the Devs, specifically how?

People have been pointing out workarounds that highlight ways the Devs could approach it, maybe not all those ways, might be OP but I'm sure they could cobble something together.

I'm all for the puns... that's my jam.

Various posts by Devs have explained the mechanics, not gonna do citations, if you don't believe me, ok.

Yes, tanks get buffed Defense but not to the degree of Ice Armor... yes, the CR differential mechanic comes into play with other stats that you can max out with SP, you can't do that with defense, so if we have two powers.1. and 2.

Power 1. Stat1 x SP + Stat 2 x SP.

Power 2. Stat 1 + Stat 3 x SP.

There are less ways you can effect the OPness (made up word, I know) with grind is my point.

Good evening I'm remember reflect being are strongest shield before being switched with winter ward.
The animations were switched to. Ice needs to buffed like before 90% defense buff for shields before all the changes..
Plus Dps needs frost blast to have faster casting time like fire burst.

Just out of curiousity, what is the hardest raid for fire tanks? And how do ice tanks fare in that raid?

They have been pretty balanced.

- CTe fb on hero side is nasty af, even now, as a Fire/Rage and they have to kite frequently while being juggled at the worst times but Ice shrugs it off fairly easily. FBe a Fire tank could practically battle tank it while it was current where Ice tanks had to adapt a bit.
- FGSe has risk factors for all tanks, with Ice best situated to effortlessly survive an uninterrupted source blast whereas Fire/Rage need to have a gameplan especially in place to ensure zero chip damage gets through at the last second.
- COUe FB is fairly chill as Fire/Rage because it plays to their strengths and riskier for Ice whereas Eye of Ekron and Mordru require Fire to go sorta poor-man-Ice style in that Eye can get a lucky 1-shot during a power without an emergency backup shield to clip and any unmitigated vertical fireball spike from Mordru is a 1-shot (and it's possible to get body blocked so while it can be evaded it's riskier that way whereas the mechanic basically just doesn't even exist for Ice).
- FIe fb sub-tanking was just.... just gross as Fire (that was also pre-buff though) where 2b was fun af on Fire.

Pretty much since Atlantis on there's been a good mix of bossfights that give specific tank powers an easier time than others and vice versa.

Ice is not as exciting as other Tank powers. Totally agree. But it's not any worse. You just have to resign yourself to a taunt/shield/block or pull/aoe/shield/block cycle. Outside of Elite and with a half-decent toon, Ice tank should have no trouble at all in any raid or boss fight.

I actually don't block like 75% of the time as an Ice Tank. Shields / Mystic Seven combo usually keeps Health topped off, 150 SP into Health gives you around 190K standing Health in the 327 range. Blocking matters with big nasty oneshot mechanics, yes, but that matters on my Fire Tank too and she's got right at 290K Health so.

It's not a garbage tank power but the beautiful thing about being me is I don't care about changing your mind... keep sleeping on ice tanks doesn't hurt this ice tank's feelings one bit

I've put everything into Dom, currently maxed, and Resto with nothing in Health, and I'm already at around 190k Health, but that's at CR329 with 2 x lvl200 arts and a 160.

I would say on blocking, that for me it's as much so they'll get knocked down as anything.

I may be misquoting her Health. My point being, there's a lot of Health out there.

Good evening ice is a great tanking power!
No other tank power has won more SM than ice!
Atomic cant do it! Earth with brick, has issues with brick dying all the time. Ask anyone doing SM ice is very viable!
Ice tanks can run any content!

Or could ust be only a garbage player can't effectively tank with ice.

Just sayin...

Atomic, totally agree... different set of issues that could probably be solved with some sort of buff I think. Brick, if the healer isn't running powers that heal pets, yeah... it can be rough, it has advantages that offset that.

I'm exaggerating to point out the "use this tank for this content, this other tank for that" thing is (IMO) kinda stupid. Given the current way content kinda forces you to main a toon. I don't think "I switched to another power for each content" is the way to balance tanks, trolls don't need to do that, Some would say SM kind of does that with Water Healers, I think that's not optimum either.

It could be, but I don't think so...

I'm taking about how the power works, although that is a pithy comeback it "I'm rubber and you are glue" doesn't refute facts or numbers... they don't care about your feelings.

You are just bad with the power that’s it. It’s not the best on adds but you obviously don’t know the power well.

I'm talking evidence, based on numbers... what is your opinion based on? I'm not talking about adds, read it again.