GUIDE: How to Tank Properly and Shed the Noob Bear Status!

[Zeus]

There is no bear self combo (not including weapon combos). Hellscream combos with Mage weakness (or the effect of nearly all dark weapons, except dark blades and nightmare staffs). Stomp while mobs are frozen for a combo. There is a strange execute "combo" if it can be called that, done by striking a target with the vibra sword or shadow hax while they are debuffed by hellscream. Did I miss any?

Crushing blow and stomp results in a white text combo known as "crushed"

[Royce]

Crushing blow and stomp results in a white text combo known as "crushed"

Ah I knew I missed at least 1
So forget what I said about no self combo lol, there wasn't always one right? I mean people used to complain about that all the time.

[Baked-Potato]

Thanks for the combos. I knew there were some but couldn't find info on them and was trying to create them myself. Will update the Guide with the combos soon. If there are any more please let me know.

[Zeus]

Ah I knew I missed at least 1
So forget what I said about no self combo lol, there wasn't always one right? I mean people used to complain about that all the time.

I believe this always used to exist. It was just hard to notice since it was a white text combo. But I believe it destroys armor, dodge, hit percent, as well as damage.

[tenndragon]

thank for the guide, it has helped me a lot. I've use to play that pc mmo way back when, so I understood some of what playing a tank meant, but had no idea of skills and how to do it here. This has helped. the build is solid, have found that I can pull aggro fairly well and hold it during boss fights. And you're right, a well placed stomp during trash mob beat downs has saved a party member or two.

I'd like to see some advice on armor and weapons, something to help me as I level. What stats in a weapon should I look for? Should I give up a shield or armor with good stats for one with not so good stats, if any, but better armor? That kind of thing.

[relayer]

Thanks for the guide! Been playing my bear some lately waiting for the update and found this guide useful. I do my best at tanking but given im currently in ao1 there usually are mages running around everywhere spamming skills and grabbing agro. I wish taunt was more effective!

[StompArtist]

Thanks for the guide! Been playing my bear some lately waiting for the update and found this guide useful. I do my best at tanking but given im currently in ao1 there usually are mages running around everywhere spamming skills and grabbing agro. I wish taunt was more effective!

I used to think this way until I started thinking along the lines of "deaths do not have enough impact"... Mages run around and they do not need a tank because another mage will rev them if they die... there is basically no fear of dying... so why would you need a tank??? Sad really.

[krazii]

Nice start to your guide. Combo information will be helpful, here's a link to an old combo thread:

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/show...-awesome-stuff

Here's a few suggestions:


Include information about debuffs. I generally lead with these, especially against the boss mobs (witch, especially) and them spam them continuously through the fight. Keeps your party alive and well, especially from those one hit wonders.

Also, might want to include information about beckon and using it to throw mobs that have escaped your pin back into the corner or wall, followed by a quick stomp. This is done by moving towards the mob that has just escaped (overlord for instance or Ryloxx (sp?)) and casting beckon, the mob will be thrown through you and past you back into the wall. Note: This may not last for long, I think the devs are working on some sort of anti-collision update whereby you can't occupy the same space as another player or NPC.

Stun effect. Tanks have one of the best abilities in the game to effectively keep a npc stunned through an entire fight. Especially helpful against some bosses who can be stunned (witch, Ryloxx, Keeper, T'Paxx [I think], and minibosses, all these are Lvl 50 bosses, i forget which lower level bosses can be stunned continuously). This is accomplished by first beckoning the npc into a wall (stun), then as npc recovers from first stun, stomp (second stun), then as npc recovers, super mega slash (third stun). Then just rotate sms and stomp, timing them very carefully as to not overlap. If a stun fails, move to the side of the npc, against the wall or in corner, and beckon (will stun again, but not move npc out of wall/corner). I use this along with the spam debuffs to kill witch without tank pot.

[Royce]

This is done by moving towards the mob that has just escaped (overlord for instance or Ryloxx (sp?)) and casting beckon, the mob will be thrown through you and past you back into the wall. Note: This may not last for long, I think the devs are working on some sort of anti-collision update whereby you can't occupy the same space as another player or NPC.

Unless they change the way the beckon skill works, you will still be able to do this. One of the cool things about beckon is that you can change your position while beckoning and alter the path of the beckoned target. So if you sidestep the beckoned mob, you can hook him around and behind you

[Baked-Potato]

Thanks for the wonderful feedback Krazii. I'll be updating the Guide soon. Just gathering a few more bits of info.

[Baked-Potato]

Sorry for double post. Just wanted to say I updated the Guide with a few combos I could think of, updated the Techniques with a little more info. And added a brief Combate section outlining how a typical battle is played out (atleast how I play out most of my battles).

[Protaris]

A very nice GUIDE. Thank you!!

[Bgandyful]

Perfect!!!plz read will post ongam. I love when a bear comes in takes aggrothen uses becon.i stay on his *** when they group I us screamblast combo.boooooommmmmmm every one dies
frustrating though when he uses stomp and I can't
get my combo to work

[Duke]

Okay... potentially dumb question, but why max out Taunt? From what I can see, adding ranks only has a minor increase in Dodge %. Is there another effect, such as making it more effective at gaining/holding aggro?

So unless I'm missing something, this is a 1-rank skill.

[Royce]

Okay... potentially dumb question, but why max out Taunt? From what I can see, adding ranks only has a minor increase in Dodge %. Is there another effect, such as making it more effective at gaining/holding aggro?

So unless I'm missing something, this is a 1-rank skill.

It's just a dodge buff after rank one, but still worth spending on for a tank. First of all the buff lasts longer than the cooldown (unlike the other dodge buff, evade), so you can keep the dodge buff of Taunt on constantly (Evade has a long space where you have to wait for the cooldown and is only 4 more dodge). The skill also has zero mana cost. It used to be a tiny dodge buff but really since the rebalance it's a lot closer Evade.

[Duke]

It's just a dodge buff after rank one, but still worth spending on for a tank. First of all the buff lasts longer than the cooldown (unlike the other dodge buff, evade), so you can keep the dodge buff of Taunt on constantly (Evade has a long space where you have to wait for the cooldown and is only 4 more dodge). The skill also has zero mana cost. It used to be a tiny dodge buff but really since the rebalance it's a lot closer Evade.

Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't impair my ability to gain aggro before deciding to wait on building it up.

[Tsarra]

This guide should be mandatory reading for all tanks. After taking nearly 20 minutes last night to kill Keeper because the bear just left aggro on me, the squishy int mage for the ENTIRE fight...I now completely understand. 3 mages and a bear should not take 20 minutes to kill the Keeper.

[Fyrce]

Um, hell not. Keeper should be loving the bear most of the time. Bear barely notices these love taps.

[chrononh]

I played with an all level 40s group the other day in Close Encounters. While fighting P'lothox (or whatever his name is), we kept begging the bear to stomp him against the wall and stun him. We were dying serially, and the bear was hiding behind the rock. He'd come out, brandish his weapon for a couple of seconds, then hide again. Three archers and a Mage had to take P'lothox down after much dying. When we got to Keeper, the bear first ran out the room with the Keeper on his tail, then he finally just left the game.

From what I remember of his stats, he only had a little more than 300 kills and was level 48. Next time I join a random game, I'm definitely checking out the kill counts before I commit myself.

[bladesword]

I played with an all level 40s group the other day in Close Encounters. While fighting P'lothox (or whatever his name is), we kept begging the bear to stomp him against the wall and stun him. We were dying serially, and the bear was hiding behind the rock. He'd come out, brandish his weapon for a couple of seconds, then hide again. Three archers and a Mage had to take P'lothox down after much dying. When we got to Keeper, the bear first ran out the room with the Keeper on his tail, then he finally just left the game.

From what I remember of his stats, he only had a little more than 300 kills and was level 48. Next time I join a random game, I'm definitely checking out the kill counts before I commit myself.

Whats his name?