MT Build

[Tacp]

I am sorry I know this has probably been asked 500 times and I have searched for answers but I can not find anything that really helps me. I am currently leveling with a DPS build 4/4/8 STR 4/4/8 Stam and 4/4/8 Wis but I am going to switch to a MT build at 57 or so. We will be doing the labs and Lyceum mostly along woth the basic guild instances and I am not sure what I should respecc to for a MT build, any help would be most appreciated.

[Conjourer]

<p><span style="color: #0099ff">Hi!!</span></p><p><span style="color: #0099ff"> You will find a lot of differing oppinions on this subject, and all of them have valid points and none of them should be discounted without first assesing what it is you want to get out of your character. That being said I can tell you what has worked for me. I have tanked the zones you mentioned in less then incredible gear, and had success with this build. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0099ff"> 4-8-8-8 stamina, 4-4-8 Strength and put the final 5 points in anything you like...I choose 4-1 Int for Accel strike but it is only usefull if you have a 1handed sword. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0099ff"> Other builds that will work for you are 4-4-8-8 stamina, 4-4-8-8 Int (sub in Wis if you like to read 4-4-8-8 Wis)..</span></p><p><span style="color: #0099ff">Why do I like the Stamina line so much...that has been discussed a million times, and I won't go into it here, you can look it up, I'm sure its on the first two pages of these forums...all I can tell you is that as a berserker I have found that we rely heavily on dps for agro control and the Stamina line is the only way we can hold a shield and still do dps on par with T2 dps...</span></p><p><span style="color: #0099ff"> In conclussion, any build you utilize with a 4-4-8-8 stamina choice will get you tanking those zones you mentioned just fine, even in sub par gear such as the armor dropped by the dragons in PoA...easily gotten and will keep you up just fine in Labs and Lyceum...</span></p>

[FightGame]

Labs and Lyceum?  The build you have now, or any should work fine.  But if you feel it needs changed, well there isn't one defensive build that is really much better than any other defensive build.  After you are in your MT group, take a look at your stats, and you should see where you need help.  That is, with defense, parry, or mitigation.  If you have 2 people in the MT group giving you extra hate, then you shouldn't need more, but if you do, then get the 76% double attack in stamina line, or for the slightly more defensive option, still use the tower shield but max hate in the strength line.  If this will be your guilds first time getting into raiding, then maybe a little more defensive set up might help.  But once you debuff the mobs good, even more so in those 2 zones, you're probably better off with an offensive set up to hold aggro much better and to kill a bit faster.  I'd guess that most raiding tanks, eben ones doing alot more than labs and lyceum, are using the stamina line, with a splash of defense, parry, or mit, but in reality, they could go full offensive and do just as well (I have).  Knowing the strategy (ie studying the parse) and having a skilled raidforce, far outweigh the difference between a totally defensive setup and totally offensive one, imo.  With the crappy mitigation curve, most don't go down the wisdom line any more, but as I said, look at your own stats and decide from there.  One set up may be better for one person, while another setup may be better for another....even if the both want defensive or both want offensive, depending on their stats (ie quality of your gear and buffs, along with your groups buffs).  After looking at the parse, you may see yourself missing on alot of attacks, therefore you may want wisdom line last ability to up your skills a little bit...etc.  One person may suggest to you the agility line for defense, but with your gear and buffs (including your temporary buffs), you may be over the cap, so it may not be as valuable, to you.

[atjtennis]

<p> I personally am STR 4-4-8-7 INT 4-4-8-8-2</p><p>This thread talks all about different AA's and what people are using them for</p><p><a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=349731" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...topic_id=349731</a></p><p>Here is something that helps a lot with making your decision It is from the Guardian forum so ignore when it talks about ToS (tower of stone) everything else is pretty accurate.</p><p>Stance mastery won't affect your mit at all, because the 15% is a bonus on defensive stance, not a penalty on offensive stance. What stance mastery is basically good for is 17 c/s/p in defensive stance, which translates to a better hit %, particularly against yellow con mobs. But the wis line for a Guard imo is a mistake, because the rest of the abilities are weak, and a Guard can self-buff c/s/p high enough through Call to Siege that it's not usually a major issue as it is for Berserkers. If mit is a problem get points into Enhance: Command and Enhance: Wall of Force in the EoF tree and get in the habit of using them. Also Enhance: Sever can offer a significant reduction in the damage you take - at M1 it will drop a mobs autoattack from 1000 to 700, more of a bonus than any +mit would offer. Get points out of the Wis line; 340 mit is no way worth 8AA points. If you want survivability more than anything else get the points into +parry in the int tree (which offers some useful haste bonuses and the best special attack). Str is a decent line and worth keeping, but I'd try and get 8 points into crits there, and worry less about the 10% hate. There are 4 main Guard AA setups imo;   Str 4 4 8 Sta 4 4 8 Int 4 4 8 1 This is maximum DPS and thus the most single target hate you can generate. It's the best spec in any situation where trash clearing is taking most of your time up, and burning through it fast is what matters. It sacrifices some survivability, but I've never had a problem pulling a tower shield when needs be (and then you still do respectable DPS because of the haste and crits). It's also unquestionably the best line to solo with.   Str 4 4 8 8 Sta 4 5 8 8 This is the more hardcore buckler-using approach. Whereas with the previous spec you alternate a tower shield depending on how tough the mobs are and your healers, this spec aims to make you the best buckler tank possible at the cost of lower DPS. Less flexibility than the previous spec, but also less shield swapping.   Str 4 4 8 7 Int 4 4 8 8 2 This spec, or similar seems to be popular amongst guards that prefer to stick to tower shields 24/7. You gain a faster reuse on all abilities, which means quicker tower of stone and reinforcement, and the faster taunts and CAs which add up. You have some good DPS through crits and haste. Whilst you'll never match the DPS and hate a buckler-using Guard can generate, this setup can be good if you find survivability is often an issue.   Agi 4 4 6 8 2 Int 4 4 6 8 2 Finally, this is the most defensive AA setup. You max out +def and +parry, and gain dragoon's reflexes when things look bad. Additionally, the int endline complements dragoon's reflexes so you're only stifled for 8 out of the 12 seconds it runs for, helping you keep aggro. The obvious weakness of this line is the low DPS and hate generation - all the survivability in the world is no use if the mob isn't hitting you. This in turn means you clear trash slower, but gives you a greater comfort zone when tanking a tough named (assuming you can keep aggro). </p><p>Basically it comes down to if you want to MT with a buckler or not for the biggest differences, there is not 1 right answer to this question but if you look at the top 20 Berserkers, in terms of HP, 3/4ths of them are spec'd for using the buckler line and then either have the STR or INT line to compliment, a few have the AGI line, overall there are quite a few different routes to take you just need to find 1 that fits not only your playstyle but also will be compatible with your raid force make-up.</p>

[Tacp]

<p>Ok I am on board with the stam line no doubt, so I guess my next question will be why str over Int I realize you get hate gain and with Int you get the extra parry. I am not sure if I want the stam/str line or stam/int so maybe I just need to understand the benefits of each build better.</p><p>Damm sorry did not see the post above, let me read through that <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[atjtennis]

<p>Answer this question to help you make your decision</p><p>Are you having an issue with holding aggro? If you are go the STR line</p><p>Are you having an issue with survivability, ie are you taking more damage than your healers can keep up with? If so take the INT line for the parry</p><p>When you hit 70 if you are at the parry cap then you can drop the line also.</p><p>Do you have a 1 handed axe or a 1 handed sword? While neither of the axe and sword abilities should make or break which line you use it is a nice ability to have too.</p>

[Tacp]

Thanks for all the help and replies, it has cleared a lot up for me and basically I need to figure if I want the str or Int line which at 54 I will not know the answer until I raid with this toon. I think I might try the Sta/Int route for now, since swords also seem easier to get <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.

[Schmalex23]

Hate would be the major reason to take str line for tanking.  Sta/int i think is optimal for leveling, you should have no problem keeping agro in groups.