So you think you're a stance tank?

Im sure if you've been farming in SF you've run into a lot of clueless tanks. Specifically tanks who think they are stance tanks but who well.... aren't. If you're one of those who has gotten booted from the group at the first stone summit encounter, or a warrior who wants to learn how to farm SF, this is for you. Im not saying this is the end-all stance build or even a good all-around stancer... This is specifically for SF keg/stance tanks.

Things to consider:

1) As the tank, you will NOT be using your weapon. Toss all those weapon skills off your bar. Drop your weapon skill to 0. Thank you. Bring whatever weapon and shield gives you the most defensive/health mods.

2) With 2 monks (usually a bonder and healer types) you dont need that crappy heal sig. If you are a W/Mo, please please PLEASE dont bring mending. As one of the smarter tanks Ive encountered said, "nothing good ever came out of mending" In SF you will need extremely minimal healing skills if your monks are even slightly decent.

3) You need *stances* to be a stance tank. Plural. Oh and *defensive stances*. We're not talking Frenzy. Remember, you won't be swinging a weapon 90% of the time, if ever. A single defensive stance with a long ass recycle time isnt acceptable either. As a stance tank, you should be in a stance AT ALL TIMES, or nearly so.

4) If you're a W/Mo going smite, in general dont bring Bal's Aura or SoW... with the anti aoe code these days its not worth it, and can just end up messing up the SS necro.

Ok since you're all W/Mos, here's my favorite W/Mo kegger build for SF:

12 Tactics
12 Smite
7 Strength

(thats with minor runes. dont bother with sups)

1. Smite Hex (unless the healer monk goes heal/smite. this speeds things up a lot)
2. Shield of Judgement {e} (same as above... in which case, take Gladiator's Defense instead, a great stance)
3. Balthazar's Spirit (you're taking all the hits... free eng/adr)
4. Bonetti's Defense (not so much for the energy, but its a great avoidance stance that runs off adrenaline so it will nearly always be charged)
5. Shield Stance (75% to block attacks. When Bonetti's is down..)
6. Disciplined Stance (shield stance backup, if you find 4&5 are enough, you might sub this out for riposte or deadly riposte. Also if you are bringing Glad stance, dont bring this)
7. Retribution (Easy to use enchantment for your first build. Does a little damage back without the scatter. I like to bring Scourge Healing instead, if there is no smiting monk with it, but thats a little more intensive)
8. Endure Pain (I know you'll feel more comfortable with some kind of heal. Good idea anyway in a pickup group I suppose. The only substitute should be Healing Breeze, though be aware most monks use this and you will probably end up overlapping and wasting a cast)

Also, make sure you are in a stance before trying to cast. This is probably the heaviest damage kegger you should ever see. Don't be afraid to go more defensive if you want. Remember, its your job to take the damage not deal it.


***** BEFORE REPLYING REMEMBER THIS IS FOR SF*****

You're tanking holding a keg/gear/Ural. Remember you're not holding a shield either.

Yea, what Savio said. With a keg or gear in hand, you do not gain the bonuses of any weapon/off-hand items you equip. Anything that relies on you wielding a sword or shield might not be the best idea.

will your adren skills (bonetti's) charge fast enough if you're not attacking?

and why take balthazar's spirit?

ps

just guesses from context.
have only gotten as far as kryta, so have no real idea what you're talking about.

Balthazar's Spirit: you get Adrenaline and Energy.

Most of this build's skills (hell, most skills) need Energy.

Bonetti's Defense needs Adrenaline. If he's getting hit enough with Balth's Spirit up he should be fine.

isn't balth's spirit target ally?
so, one of his monk buddies could hit him up w/it, right?

Quote:

Target ally can mean yourself. Target other ally means only others.

And he already said it'd be nice if a Heal/Smite monk brought it, but since you aren't doing much most of the time anyway it wouldn't hurt for you to bring it.

oh...oops.


sincerely,

A. n00b

hmm gave me a idea for my stance tank as im not taking on your whole build but a few aspects

It's a good build and its excactly what I've been using for a looooong time.

its very, very, very similar to the stance-tank build i use in FoW, the most important difference between the two is that i do, however, use a superior tactics rune since i use glads defense, as it ups the damage. the main reason i chose glads over SoJ is that soj knocks them down, which has its own advantages, but at the same time the time they spend on the floor is time they arent attacking you, which means they arent taking as much damage.

Dolyak Signet and Watch Yourself. Or just Dolyak Signet, or Watch Yourself. You don't have a shield so you're riding just on your 80 AL (or 85 if using Plate/Wyvern).

Shield Stance doesn't work without using a shield... which you can't while holding a gear/whatever.

Disciplined Stance is a good substitute, 45 second recharge time, +24 armor 11/12 second duration.

Quote:

Here is my Sf gear stance build:

W/E

9 Earth magic
12 Strength
14 Tactics

Skills:
1 I Will Survive, 2 Defensive Stance, 3 Disciplined Stance, 4 Balanced stance, 5 Dolyak Signet, 6 Armor of Earth, 7 Endure Pain, and 8 Sprint

Runes: Major Absorbtion, Major Vigor, Superior Tactics, Minor Strength

Armor: glad's with a ascalon helm for the absorbtion bonus

I know it sounds weird but this works every time because you almost always have a condition on you so I will survive makes the monk's job easier, and with dolyak signet and armor of earth you get +80 armor.

Quote:

Yeah, i see that kinda noob all the time.
they bring in cleave and only have defensive stance asnd shield stance complaining "wth my shield stance isnt working". A pain in the ass.
My build is based on still doing a lot of damage but still giving you surpassing survivability. Whats the point, really, of just sitting there and doing nothing? Tanks also have cannons. What everybody else has is really an APC for casters.


My tank goes as follows:
W/N
15k Glads(almost done buying 15k platmail set has better defense but enjoy the energy storge)
Attr:
Tactics-10+1+1
Strength-10+1
Blood Magic-10

Skills:
1)Deamonic flesh(5nrg)- 1/6 of the time I'm farming I will have normal life otherwise I'm at 700+
2)Unholy feast(15)- 35 dmg to 4 targets, I gain 140hp
3)Vampiric touch(15) - Deal 59 dmg and heal 59 hp(both are high energy req for a warrior but i have 40 energ and my nrg regens from my next skill)
4)Bonetti's defense-75%changce to evade every melee attack evaded provides +5 nrg
5)Defensive Stance(5)- +24 armor 75% chance evade
6)Gladiators Defense{E}(5)-75% chance to evade and deals 30+dmg to all atackers who miss.(again another dmg dealer, works magic on nightmares and abyssals in FOW when carrying the TEXT-same as keg)
7)Endure pain(5)- +250 hp puts me over 900 for ~14 secs
8)"To the Limit"(5)-shout gives adrenaline to charge bonnetis

Quote:

Quote: