I definitely don't feel useless as a tank, I play a vanguard with 4 pieces of combat tech gear and the rest is supercomando. If you play the class right it's hard to notice, you just got to spam taunts, guard your squishy casters, and you can still do decent amounts of damage. Sure, not as much as a marauder or sage, but they again you're a tank. It's just a different play style.