Rock, Paper, Snowball
by Vinny (EnigmaticTea)
Introduction
So you want to be a tank? Defending against the endless hordes? Getting up close and personal with fearsome bosses? Sitting there getting clubbed over the head whilst you wait for the sweet embrace of the void after your group calls wipe? Well then, this is the build for you! With the Rock Paper Snowball tank, you can expect a versatile tank ready for all the challenges life throws at you.
A Not-so-brief preamble:
Tanks are a complicated role to give a single build for (In my opinion), as a lot of being a good tank is knowing how to tailor your build to a given scenario. Some examples are obvious (Like swapping Lucent Echos to Pearlescent Ward if you're tanking a trial and the other tank is already running Lucent Echos); however, others can be more nuanced.
Starting off, whilst I run Turning Tide by default in challenging content (Vet HM Dungeons or Vet Trials), I often find myself swapping to Leeching Plate. A lot of tank players talk down on "selfish sets" which contribute nothing to the team, but I think that's rubbish. It's always better for the tank to survive, even if they're not providing any utility or damage amplification; you can't tank if you're dead. Obviously, if they can do both, it's better, but don't shy away from so-called "selfish sets".
Other examples might include equipping a pull such as Leashing Soul, which I would typically place on the back bar instead of Cinder Storm. This is most useful in fights where the ability to group ranged enemies is required. Additionally, if I'm particularly struggling to stay on my feet, I might swap out Gripping Shards for Revealing Flare, which provides the Major Protection buff when slotted. When combined with the Temporal Guard, which is slotted exclusively for passives, with the back bar ultimate being the one which is actually used provides a total 15% flat damage mitigation, which can really help in those harder fights. Finally, on the topic of Ultimates, your backbar ult can be swapped between Magma Shell for higher self survivability and Gibbering Shelter for better team support if you can afford it.
The main point? Figure out what helps you survive different situations, and don't be afraid to shake things up if you're struggling!
My version of the build. Depending on your race, you may need to tweak certain traits on your armour.
Gear:
As mentioned in the preamble, don't be afraid of switching up your gear to better match the scenario. When deciding your traits, you should aim to have as many of your traits be either Divines or Sturdy as possible. This is to help balance your resources better. Divines will increase the Magicka regeneration from the Atronach stone, and Sturdy will help reduce Stamina drain from blocking. Balance the two out until you find what works for you. Here are some recommended swaps:
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Turning Tide ---> Leeching Plate (If you're having trouble surviving, Leeching is a great set that offers significant healing)
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Lucent Echos ---> Pearlescent Ward (If you have a teammate running Lucent Echos)
Now, for those of you nervous about making the jump to trials, I'll provide some non-trial options for gear at the end of the Guide.
Skills:
Once again read the preamble for the whole spiel but if you just want the bare bones then here goes the skills, what to swap and when:
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Cinder Storm ---> Leashing Pull (For scenarios where you need to
group those tricky ranged enemies together)
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Gripping Shards ---> Revealing Flare (Provides Major Protection for those scenarios where you need the extra thickness)
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Magma Shell ---> Gibbering Shelter (If you don't need the extra self-sustain of Magma Shell, then Gibbering Shelter is a great option that'll provide massive shielding to your group)
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Magma Shell ---> Northern Storm (For easier content where you don't need your ultimate to stay alive, Northern Storm can provide a bit of damage to help make things go a little quicker)
Finally, a quick note regarding your front bar ultimate Temporal Guard: this can only be obtained by completing the Psijic Order questline. To be honest, this sucks. The questline is a chore. Fortunately for you, you can work without it!
Runeguard of Still Waters still provides Minor Protection; you have to be more careful to maintain it. You will also lose out on the passive Concentrated Barrier, which provides you with a barrier when bracing. Whilst this extra chunk of shielding can be convenient if you don't think it's worth completing the quest, that's fair.
Playstyle:
There are a couple of things about this build that might need explaining. First, you must make sure your primary target is always marked by the Bloodlord's Embrace. This is easy enough to do; all you need is to bash the enemy you want to mark. This can additionally be done using the scribed skill Chilling Throw with the setup I run. Many tanks run the Interrupt Affix. We do not want this; we are instead going to run Knight's Valour. This functionally does the same thing by turning the shield throw into a ranged bash attack. It will still interrupt enemies; however comes with the advantage of giving us a way to apply our Bloodlord's Embrace at range. When this mark is applied to an enemy, we will regain Magicka from blocking their attacks, which is an important part of the build's sustain.
Beyond that, the build is fairly simple in concept. As with most tanks, it's the process of learning to manage your resources that is the biggest struggle; once you have that, it should be fairly simple. Maintain your buffs ESPECIALLY Expansive Frost Cloak and Runeguard of Still Waters, keep Cinder Storm active for the constant healing and stamina restoration, keep Elemental Susceptibility active for the resistance shred and make liberal use of shields during higher damage phases.
Polar wind is your go-to heal; it restores a ton and applies a decent heal over time. If you find yourself running low on resources, pop your back bar ultimate for a full restore courtesy of the Battle Roar passive.
Some good general advice for tanks is also not to "over block" as you will run out of stamina far too fast.
Food and Potions:
Sugar skulls make for an amazing food choice; however, any Tri-Stat food within your budget will do the job for most content. Tri-Pots are the only viable potion option.
I'm Scared of Trials, so What Now?:
If getting into trials is nerve-racking for you, here are some swaps you can make:
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Lucent Echos/Pearlecent Ward ---> Ebon Armoury (A nice, easy-to-get set found in Crypt of Hearts 1&2 that will buff you and your team with a little bit of extra health)
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Lucent Echos/Pearlecent Ward ---> Brands of the Imperium (Found in White Gold Tower, when you get damaged gives you and your party a decent-sized shield)
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Lucent Echos/Pearlecent Ward ---> Plague Doctor (Easiest to get dropping in Deshaan Zone, but for the least reward, this set just gives you a large amount of bonus health)
Still stuck? Message me @EnigmaticTea on Discord for help!