I love the visual style of the new Fire stuff. It's making want to shelve my Gadgets Controller to play my Fire Tank again. My issue is that I can't seem to build power back up when it's down as a Brawling user. I'm looking to switch weapons. Any insight on solid weapon pairings with Fire Tanking and/or tips on using Brawling more effectively? As it is now, once I get into a protracted fight and my Cola is on cooldown when my energy is low, it seems impossible to build energy back. Maybe I should be in DPS for solo challenges and whatnot but I kind of like to stick with my role to get used to when I need to use certain powers and stay connected to the aspects of the role that make it good for group dynamics.
I would suggest a melee weapon as you will be in the thick of the fight, however, Tanking can be done with any weapon
If you're not a controller, you're just not going to have much power while solo. That's pretty much the way it is, and switching weapons won't affect it much. You've just gotta ration your power in long fights - use powers one at a time for your role buff, then do weapon combos until you have to refresh it. If anything, I've found Brawling pretty decent for building power, since it reaches improved regeneration with few hits. If I really need power, I do a bunch of melee taps to get the counter into orange or gold, rather than using combos (basically, trading damage and CC for blue bar). And yes, you should generally be in DPS role for solo content (unless it's something you can't survive in DPS role, but that's relatively rare). This will help with power troubles a little, since you'll take things down faster (= shorter fights and less power used, and also more frequent blue orbs). Moreover though, you don't have to be IN tank role to practice DOING tank things. You can still practice juggling, blocking at the right time, pulling, etc in damage role. You can't practice holding aggro while alone, so losing the ability to taunt doesn't matter.
If you are wanting to Tank, then you want a melee weapon. The main job of a Tank is to get the enemy irked enough to keep focus on you and we do that through use of our Powers (weapons generate aggro, but nothing like when a Tank fires off a power). The best way to do that is to be "up in his grill", so to speak. I use Staff, partially because it fits with my character's theme/origin but mainly because it's a great melee weapon and the innates work well for Fire Tanks.
what sort of block breakers do a one hand weapon have, does it have an attack like bow where you leap into the air and shoot multiple arrows at the enemy-this is a block breaking attack.
I used all weapons and must say my top choice is....dual pistols although using MA at the moment and am all teeth with it lol!! Dont care much for slower weapon styles like 2 handed and brawling, cant get handblasters to feel right to me but have seen some tanks using a bow which was wierd but like the pistols it has a good mix of range/melee!! All the other weapons i have a place for but ultimately.............experiment!! to see not what weapon you like, but to adjust yourself so that all the weapons can fit you!!
True one can tank with any weapon. Also true is tanking with a range weapon is not nearly as effective or efficient as a melee weapon. Less CC resistance, less options for melee CC, ranged CC leave one open to being knocked down regularly, they look stupid, etc.
Its a matter of personal preference really, although some weapons are supposed to be better at building back power and SC. Try them all out and see which suits your own style of play best. Like others have said, Staff is really good for tanking due to the amount of stuns it can do, but I've tanked with all weapons except Dual Pistols and not seen any difference in my tanking. Right now I'm enjoying the Shield but I also really liked tanking with Bow and will do so again once it drops in T5 content.
I don't agree bro!! Go into nexus and see how much you use your weapon as a tank!! In there you block straight time only to pop out and catch aggro and thats it!! That alone hurts those points plus another point is that controllers cc not tanks, mind you not much anymore as the threads state but it is part of their job!! Tanks and dps'ers rely more on the troll for power regen where as healers and even more so trolls rely on weapons. I will sort of give you the last 2 lol but using your breakout can spring you back to your feet so it does make you look stupid but not noticeable because more than likely theres someone with you doing something worse lol!!
I agree its almost impossible to safely use your weapon in the first room of Nexus, and the last room at least until you're down to the last Lex, but you can use weapon attacks safely on all the mobs and on the other boss fights between the first and last rooms. I would also say that crowd control can be used effectively by tanks and is not just for trollers. For example, if you have adds bouncing around on screen with say Flashpoint and Backdraft (after Immolation), then those adds arent going to be damaging you or the team. Which is the function of a tank after all, to stop the team from taking damage.
I couldve worded it better but yes Rock you are right!! I said it that way so if new cats read it they dont run off thinking tanks do crowd control and drive the trolls int solidified battery status!! lol but to the op you got a few opinions and a small discussion to guide your way hope this has helped!!
Even though we are blocking most of the time in T5 raids the increased cc resistance we get from melee weapons is all the more reason to use them over range. In Nexus/Wave we get thrown around all over the place, so extra cc resistance is more than welcome. Also a troll can cc but a tank should cc. A tank needs to control where the enemies are moreso than a troll does. That's what pulls, pop ups, and knock downs are for. As a tank I hate when trolls encase mobs, because when they breakout I can't pull them right away, or it interferes with my juggling roation.
