The defender build is the most defensive build in the game. This build will allow you to stay in combat for a long time while providing some protection to your melee around you.
This build is recommended to be used with heavy plate armor although it can work with medium for the more experienced players. Nevertheless don’t forget that being on plate you can get more HP.
In this build you will have a lot of stamina and stamina regeneration that will allow you to keep your shield up for a long time.
You can’t block everything so attacking and dodge to avoid massive damage and to deal damage to maintain aggro is required.
As a tank you will need to have a full warded gear for the dungeons. Your tanking weapons slotted with Cut Pristine Carnelian Gems. Most tanks use Sword & Shield and a secondary weapon which either fits their playstyle or does more damage for the specific dungeon. Never the less there is one weapons which is good for all dungeons regardless of damage out put. It is that good because of the crowed control and healing it provides and that’s the Warhammer. For this build we will use Sward & shield and a Warhammer.
For tanking it is best to have the following perks on the sword weapon:
Refreshing Move – Light and Heavy attacks reduce your active weapon cooldowns by 2.9%. (0.2s cooldown.)
Bane – Deal more damage against the specific enemy type
Enchanted – Light and Heavy attacks deal +9.8% damage. OR Lifesteal – Heal for 5.2% of the damage you deal. (Does not trigger off persistent damage or DoT effects.)
Refreshing Move is a must!. The sooner you can re use your skills ( heal / taunt) the easier the tanking becomes.
For the Warhammer is best to have these perks:
Sundering Shockwave – Shockwave inflicts Rend, reducing the target’s armor by 14% for 10s.
Bane – Deal more damage against the specific enemy type
Enchanted – Light and Heavy attacks deal +9.8% damage. OR Lifesteal – Heal for 5.2% of the damage you deal. (Does not trigger off persistent damage or DoT effects.)
Sundering shockwave is better than refreshing move for the hammer as it has its own cooldown reducers. The hammer is more for the utility and crowd control than damage.
Sword & Shield
(Defender path)
The main skills we will be utilizing in this build are:
Shield Rush — 20s CD: Rush forward 5m, staggering and pushing back foes. This attack deals 125% weapon damage.
Improved Rush — On a successful hit, all enemies within 5m are weakened 10% for 10s.
Shield rush is a good opener in many mobs especially when combined with Fortifying Shield Rush perk allowing us to aggro multiple enemies, apply weaken ( outgoing damage is reduced by -10%.) and with Fortifying shield rush apply fortify (Your armor is increased by 20%.) to ourselves.
Shield Bash — 25s CD: Deals 50% weapon damage, staggering and stunning foes in front of you for 2s. Taunt Gem Compatible.
Intimidating Bash — Shield Bash causes greatly increased threat and deals 100% more damage.
Concussive Bash — Shield Bash stun duration increased by 1s.
This is our single target taunt and stagger. Using this to get aggro from a single mob that is attacking a group member or start with this to taunt a boss. You can also use this to interrupt a mob / boss ability.
Defender’s Resolve — 45s CD: For 8s, reduce the incoming base damage from attackers by 30%. Taunt Gem Compatible.
Final Countdown — If your health is above 50%, damage reduction is increased by 20%.
Restoration — When Defender’s Resolve ends, heal 15% of your max health.
This is our main taunt which is AOE. In addition it reduces incoming damage and heals us at the end of its duration.
Restoration can be used as a healing skill on its own. Use the skill and then switch weapon to end the skill and receive the full healing of 15% of your max health.
Sword & Shiled
(Swordmaster path)
From this path we will only be picked 2 passive skills.
- Empowered Stab – Successful heavy attacks grant you 30% empower for 5s. (Empower increases damage.)
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Freeing Justice – Successfully hitting with a heavy attack causes you to lose 1 de buff.
Alternative to Freeing Justice
Precision – Sword and shield critical strike chance increased by 10%.
Gaining empowered to increase damage and aggro. Removing a de buff is always useful for a tank. Alternative you might want / need more damage switch the de buff removal with 10% critical.
Fill in the rest of the trees with the passive skills as seen below.
Warhammer
(Crowd Crusher path)
For our secondary weapon we will be picking the following skills:
Clear Out – A wide swing that knocks back 4m and deals 100% weapon damage.
Power Cleaner – Hitting a target with Clear Out grants fortify, increasing armor by 20% for 4s to all friendlies within 6m
Clean and Refreshed – Clear Out’s cooldown is reduced by 5% per enemy hit with the ability.
A skill not used by many. Clear out will provide us with a way:
- To get out of corners IF pushed in one due to collision.
- Some breathing room for our healer
- Heal us ( the more mobs the better)
- An Interrupt when needed
- Fortify for us and the al friendlies 6m away.
Shockwave – Slam your war hammer into the ground, causing a 3m radius earthquake that deals 60% weapon damage, staggering and stunning all impacted targets for 2s
Frailty – The trauma of the attack causes weaken, decreasing the damage dealt from the target’s attacks by 10% for 10s.
Meteoric Crater – Expands the range Shockwave to a 4m radius.
This is the taunt ability plus a stun applying weaken and with sundering wave on the weapon Rend – (Your armor is reduced by 20%.)
This weapon will also require to be slotted with Cut Pristine Carnelian Gems for tanking.
Warhammer
(Juggernaut path)
Wrecking Ball – Strike the ground with your war hammer, dealing 90% weapon damage and knocking down your target.
Safety Measures – On a successful hit, gain fortify, granting 20% damage resistance for 7s.
Breathing Room – Expands the range of Wrecking Ball to a 1.5m radius.
An knockdown with good damage and a stack of fortify for us.
With this third skill the Warhammer provides us with 2 fortifies, heal , and 3 crowd control skills (stun, knockback, knockdown).
Fill in the rest of the passive skills according to the images below.
Attributes
As a tank you will need to have 300 constitution ( with the new patch) and the rest in strength to keep some damage up. At max level and with some buff food you should be able to get
Strength 210+
Constitution 260 + food(40) = 300
Try and use single attribute gear and weapons.
Conclusion
A solid setup for any PVE activity as a tank. Lots of armour, protection for you and the melee around you. Self heal and full crowd control with 3 cc skills on the Warhammer and 2 on the sword. With this you will surely be the last man standing. You may not have much damage but you will be holding those mobs where they need to be with no problem or worries.