Greetings, adventurer! Welcome to our PVP guide for the Tank archetype in Ashes of Creation.
A few points to note down:
- The build and the equipment are set for the current end game experience. In other words – what you can aim for.
- The build is designed around group play(party/raid).
- If you are new to the archetype, check out our beginner guide, where skills are explained.
Skills
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Before venturing into the build, please note that the pick order of abilities does not represent what you would need if you are still leveling. For that purpose, please check out our beginner guide. This build aims to provide a clearer vision for:
- Tank’s offensive capabilities(1-14);
- Tank’s defensive capabilities(14-24).
The tank has 2 distinguished playstyles – aggressor or defender. It is important to verify your playstyle with your party or what your party needs in order to increase your chances of winning.
Tank’s offensive capabilities
Starting from the obvious – The Tank has only one reliable ability for damage – Pulverize with Punish after the target was either Tripped or Snared. The other skills with a high damage multiplier are Ground Pound and Slam. However, they require Courage in order to be used. In the present state of the Tank’s gameplay, building this resource can prove to be a challenge. Tanks must always have their ranged weapon out as primary in order to try and build up Courage before the actual “brawl” starts. In order to use either Ground Pound(50 courage) or Slam(40 courage), you will need 2 Weapon Combo Finishers.
These are the abilities which can help you generate Courage:
- Shield Assault / Shield Slam – 33 courage
- Inciting Strikes – If you hit 1 target you will get 3 courage per swing, for total of 6. The maximum amount of courage that can be received is 20 if you hit 4 targets with both swings. The later scenario is less likely to happen in PVP.
Tanks however excels in other areas. They can keep up with enemies trying to flee the battlefield, they can provide CC in order to secure kills on key targets or to protect their backline.
The mobility of the tanks comes from these abilities:
- Shield Assault / Shield Slam;
- Pulverize – has the same range as Shield Slam;
- Charge – extremely satisfying ability;
- Intercept – if you have targeted a friendly, you will rush towards them (20m)
Tanks provide good amount of CC, both single target and AOE:
- Grapple;
- Tremoring Strike and Forceful Tremors. Tremoring Bellow is an AOE snare;
- Reflect with Oppressive Reflect;
- Vengeance;
- Ground Pound;
- Tomahawk with Tomahawk: Trip;
- Wall – can prevent enemies to roll away into safety.
All of this abilities can be used to prevent your enemies from reaching/harming your party.
Another way which Tanks can assist thier party is by applying Stagger to the enemy.
- Shield Assault;
- Intimidating Aura;
- Finisher and Deadly Finisher (Courageous)
Tank’s defensive capabilities
Tanks have cooldowns which can bolster their personal survivability or that of their party members.
Always use Fortify with maximum Courage. Rush of Courage can help with that.
Indomitable Spirit is an extremely important CD. Besides boosting the self-healing potential, it also increases the amount of shield you can provide with Absorption Field.
Taunt places debuff on a target, which reduces their damage done with 15%. In combination with Protect a party member may survive though serious punishment and to buy enough time for necessary actions (healing, shielding, CC, etc)
Shake It Off with Shake It Off: Unyielding is your way out from CC effects.
Aegis may seem as important to have in order to protect your party members, however, the range of this ability is very small. You will have to be clumped up together and thus you will become a juicy target for Ranger’s Vine Field or Mage’s Hoarfrost and Cone of Cold combo, or Bard’s Mesmerizing Dance and Dark Lullaby (AOE) combo.
Intercept provides small amount of shield, but can help you cover distance, just in time to use Tremoring Strike on enemy who is about to finish of party member.
Stamina
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Compared to PVE, in PVP you will use up your stamina mostly for rolls or sprints. Standing in range of 5 mages (just an example) and trying to block their damage is not good idea.
Melee Weapon
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Tanks can choose weapons based on:
- type of off hand – shield or energy focus;
- type of main hand weapon – mace or sword;
- or if they want One-handed or Two-handed.
Shields
Crystalized Blood Shield provides good amount of defensive stats.
A cheaper version is the Steel Shield. Also it brings some offensive stats.
A notable option is Sands’ Bastion with Bitterquill.
Energy Focus
Steel Energy Focus is the best option.
One-hand Maces
Embertoss has slighly less damage compared to Steel Mace, but swings twice as fast. Steel Mace, however can be cheaper to acquire and have more accuracy rating.
A more defensive option for mace would be Igneous Striker.
If you choose mace for your weapon, consider thse nodes:
- Deadly Finisher: Stagger or Daze
- Deadly Extended Finisher: Daze
- Rhythmic Swings – to increase the chance of getting Stagger or Daze
- Increase the proc chance and the proc duration
- Weapon Training: 4x Critical Hit Avoidance.
- Concussion will apply Shaken, which leads to more damage done.
- Unstoppable will increase the physical penetration and damage done.
One-hand Swords
If you can’t get your hands on either Sword of Briarhome or The Emberblade, Khadgar is an excellent option. The base stats are on par with the previous two, which require world boss drops to craft.
Crystalized Blood Sword can swing slightly faster and brings physical critical chance rating for the cost of less physical power rating.
A cheaper option would be the Steel Sword.
Two-hand Swords
Lumen Star is a solid option if you want to go down this path.
If you choose sword for you weapon, consider these nodes:
- Deadly Finisher: Bleed or Wound
- Deadly Extended Finisher: Wound or Bleed
- Rhythmic Swings – to increase the chance of getting Bleed or Wounded
- Increase the proc chance and the proc duration
- Weapon Training: 4x Critical Hit Avoidance.
- Concussion will apply Shaken, which leads to more damage done.
- Swordmaster will increase the attack speed and damage done.
Bleed and Wound will enable the Fighters to do more damage. Ranges should provide for Snare and Mages for Chill debuffs.
Ranged Weapon
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Crystalized Blood Longbow is the best option for ranged weapon.
For nodes:
It is wise to have them both.
- Heartseeker – to boost up your next ability;
- Rhythmic Swings for more chances to proc Deadly Finishers;
- Increase the proc chance and the proc duration;
- Weapon Training: 4x Critical Hit Avoidance.
Equipment
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Disclaimer: The process is slow! All the displayed items can drop, but to get them to legendary quality you will need the crafting recipe. It will require considerable dedication or help in order to achieve those crafts. Even if the materials are available, a town with journeyman armorsmith or weaponsmith or jeweler stations will be required.
In order to see which set of the 2 available is best suited for PVP Tank, all items are set in a legendary rarity. Some stats values can vary, therefore the minimal value has been taken to compare the sets.
Academus Set can be farmed in Tower of Carphin.
Rosarium Guard Set can be farmed in Citadel of Steel Bloom.
Here is the stats breakdown of the 2 level 20 sets:
The Academus Set is designed to provide more defence, which is perfect for Tanks. In PVE. The actual diference in terms of defece is 360 hp, 4,6% physical mitigation and 3,1% magic mitigation. Those numbers are insignificant with the current time to kill (TTK) in PVP. These stats differences are not near enough to keep you alive. In PVP, as Tank, you should take on the strategy “best defense is a good offense”.
The main “hole” of Rosarium Guard set is the low Physical Penetration Rating. That can be fixed easily with jewelry and weapon nodes. Some weapons such as Khadgar or Embertoss can cover this quite well, without making changes.
If you decide to stick with Academus set, Lumen Star could help you futher boost your defence. In that case you should consider the lower amount of Physical Accuracy Rating and Physical Attack Speed Rating.
Gearing tips
Tip 1: Do not immediately jump on level 20 items. Some level 10 rare items are worth enchanting and could still provide more than common or uncommon level 20. Especially if there is no Journeyman Scriber available. Head to our starting guide to check for the items, which are worth keeping/grinding for in order to boost up your character, until the meantioned items in this build are available for you.
Tip 2: General rule for weapons would be to always equip the combination, which will provide the highest power rating. Naturally, level 20 weapons will give more than those from level 10:
Forsaken Blades Sword vs Monitor Blade
Tip 3: Be mindful that some weapons (or gear), even in same level range can have very different power rating stats:
Iron Sword is slightly weaker than Steel Sword.
