Also good for ripping enhancements:

Columi Knight chest, boots, gloves, headgear

Columi Consular gloves, headgear

various Tionese, Energized, Xenotech, and Exotech pieces

Thanks to everyone who has recently added some insight on specific things. I never intended to move beyond just a basic guide of "this is your ability and what it does", but I am going to expand it a bit, and provide some more in-depth information (as well as links to outside sources).

I have been learning a lot of previously unknown information myself ever since I started working on this guide, and I have noticed personally an improvement on my own tank as I get more and more educated.

Keep it coming!!!!

Can you show where the other ten points in your skilltree are? You only show 31 / 41

Thanks

Sticky bomb is actually a good opener. It won't put you "into combat" until the projectile actually hits the mob, so your GCD will actually be partially over. If I'm in a situation where I would open with Storm, I will almost always do Sticky -> Storm instead. Don't use your Explosive Surges immediately after your Storm. You have ~12s to use them, so make sure you've spent some ammo first, or they're wasted. A typical Storm opening should be something like

 

(Sticky Bomb) -> Storm -> Ion Pulse -> Energy Blast -> Ion Pulse -> Explosive Surge (1) -> Ion Pulse -> Explosive Surge (2) -> Stockstrike -> High Impact Bolt

 

If you're concerned about building AOE threat so mobs don't eat your healers, you might move the first Explosive Surge forward one place, but I wouldn't move it any further than that (and you should probably be using Mortar Volley in that scenario, anyway).

Personally I wouldn't use that rotation. It doesn't start your cooldown on Stockstrike soon enough and using Energy Blast after using only a few ammo is a waste.

Sticky Bomb -> Storm -> Stockstrike -> Explosive Surge (1) -> Ion Pulse -> HiB -> Stockstrike (if it reset due to shielding, if not, Ion Pulse) -> Explosive Surge (2) -> Energy Blast

By the time you throw your SB and Storm you'll have gained at least 1 ammo from regen and 1 from shielding and attack, then during your ES or it's GCD you'll have gained another ammo back. You're trying to gain AOE threat and keep threat on your priority target. If dps start in too early and don't take out the trash first you'll lose aggro fast. Always SB and Storm your highest priority target:

You also want to spread your Surges out, 1 at the beginning and 1 at the end to maximize the damage debuff on your targets. Your GCD is 1.5 secs so you'll have expended 3 seconds before using the first ES and the last one will be after 9-10 seconds. That will also give you about 20s of 5% less damage from the group.

I don't have Energy Blast talented because I never go low on ammo and the damage from the attack isn't a great threat builder. I took Brutal Impact instead for the added 6% damage to HiB since it gets a 60% talented armor penetration.

This is my spec

Personally I wouldn't use that rotation. It doesn't start your cooldown on Stockstrike soon enough and using Energy Blast after using only a few ammo is a waste.

I concur with your basic rundown on Stockstrike, but I have to disagree concerning Energy Blast. I use it any time that I don't have full Ammo (or, at least, won't be at full ammo after the latest GCD). At worst, if it tops me off and none of my other harder hitters are available, I'll just burn down some Ammo with an Ion Pulse so that my ammo regen is always working for me. As a VG, you can always find a way to get rid of potentially excess ammo.

As to AoE and initial threat generation, I'm probably the only VG tank I've met that doesn't touch Sticky Grenade at all (I just don't see it as being that useful). Of course, I also don't really use Explosive Surge that much either (I think the only times I ever touch it is when I've just used Storm, which I tend not to open with, and I notice that the rest of my abilities are on CD), and I've never had a single problem with AoE damage or threat generation (I just use Pulse Cannon and Mortar Volley for most of my needs and Sonic Round if I *really* need to get threat). I prefer to just open up with Mortar Volley and tab-target my way through those few enemies that escape my opening threat. A lot of this is due to my general paranoia concerning breaking CC, but it lets me focus on ST threat generation. I've given serious consideration to just getting rid of Static Surge from my spec, but I don't really know what to replace it with (which is problematic since the only useful replacement is Brutal Impact and that's of such low value that the occasional free, higher damage Explosive Surge could easily be more valuable).

I don't have Energy Blast talented because I never go low on ammo and the damage from the attack isn't a great threat builder. I took Brutal Impact instead for the added 6% damage to HiB since it gets a 60% talented armor penetration.

Ever since 1.2 landed, I wouldn't imagine going without Energy Blast on a VG tank, even for a 6% increase in HiB's damage. The reasons for this are multifold: it's off the GCD so it doesn't take the place of any of your other attacks, it provides you with extra ammo so that, even if you never run out of ammo, you can start dumping more into additional Ion Pulses rather than Hammer Shots, and it allows you to generate your Absorb stacks faster.

As such, Energy Blast is a better investment than the additional damage to HiB that you decided to take: Energy Blast deals roughly 700-800 damage whlie HiB, even with the 60% arpen deals 1.5k-ish. 6% of 1.5k is going to be only 90 damage or so. Energy Blast will provide more than 600 more damage per 15 second interval than Brutal Impact while costing only 1 skill point further compounded by the fact that Brutal Impact doesn't improve your ammo regen whatsoever whereas Energy Blast *does*.

TL: DR Energy Blast is amazing, and you're a fool if you don't take it. None of the other talents that could potentially take its place even remotely measure up.

I don't have Energy Blast talented because I never go low on ammo and the damage from the attack isn't a great threat builder. I took Brutal Impact instead for the added 6% damage to HiB since it gets a 60% talented armor penetration.

 

This is my spec

You made me die a little bit on the inside. That's where it counts.

As noted by the previous poster...

1. HiB + Energy Blast are both on a 15s CD. Energy Blast operates outside the GCD. You can team them together.

2. Energy Blast damage > 6% HiB to the tune of roughly 1000%. Yes. 1000%. It's 10x's better (or more...).

3. Energy Blast refunds 1 ammo. Yay.

4. Energy Blast adds/refreshes your absorb stacks.

But really if you can't see this there is no helping.

Edit: Just looked over your spec again, you aren't even choosing 6% HiB damage over Energy Blast. You're chosing 3% HiB damage. Which makes this even worse.

Personally I wouldn't use that rotation. It doesn't start your cooldown on Stockstrike soon enough and using Energy Blast after using only a few ammo is a waste.

 

Sticky Bomb -> Storm -> Stockstrike -> Explosive Surge (1) -> Ion Pulse -> HiB -> Stockstrike (if it reset due to shielding, if not, Ion Pulse) -> Explosive Surge (2) -> Energy Blast

Using Energy Blast when you're at 9 or 10 ammo isn't a waste. Waiting until you're at 7 ammo or less is a waste.

I agree that your damage output will be a little higher if you put Stockstrike earlier in your opening, but damage output isn't your job. Your job is soaking damage. The opening I gave gets your shield maximized 4 GCDs after storm. Even if I move your Energy Blast up to the correct position (which would be "between" the first Ion Pulse and the HIB), your shield is only at 2 or 3 stacks after 6 GCDs.

And yes, like other people said, Energy Blast contributes much, much more to your damage output than pretty much anything else you can put talent points into.

eta: here's a long post I did, calculating how much offense I got or would have gotten out of various talents in a HM Kephess fight: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=4973896#post4973896

At the time I didn't even think about calculating the value of Energy Blast, because it seems so obviously good that I couldn't conceive of someone not taking it. But you'll notice in the linked log I did almost 27k damage over the course of the fight with Energy Blast. Compared to the value of a point in Brutal Impact: 765 damage. And that's without even getting into the ammo regeneration.

I respecced today and took Energy Blast and Blaster Augs. When I did my tank spec I took into account the added ammo from Energy Blast but for some reason skipped over the added stack of Power Screen. You are all correct, it is much more beneficial than Brutal Impact. I had a lot more fun tanking SM EV today (new tank) as well and used less Hammer Shot, which is always better. I was able to get 4 stacks of Power Screen and had all my attacks on cooldown before I even had to use Hammer Shot.

Thanks for the wake up call

I'm not sure where you get the 3% from Justcae. There are 2 points in Brutal Impact +6%...but it's gone now, regardless

Will bump this post...Was looking for Vanguard guides with Google and in found this...

Since im new to tanking it helped me allot.

Ty.

This has worked for me on some pulls where there are grouped up mobs that you need to agro but you also need to CC some of them.

Of course this is more dependant on the type of CC you have available.

[Now I am a PT, not a Vanguard so some of the names may be different]

What I will do is Jump [storm] into the group of mobs, and do a Flame Sweep to grab agro on what I need to and maybe even Taunt, then I have the Sorcerors use their CC while I walk away from the CC Mobs. This also helps that if a DPS breaks the CC by accident the Mob may run to me first before going ot the Sorcceror.

Once Clear I start using a AoE Threat Rotation so the DPS can start to AoE as well.

Another method, though not always available on all the Dungeons is to pull a mob then run around a corner to they all group up towards you. Then once around that corner you can Flame Sweep, Flame Thrower, or Death from Above [Mortar Volley]

I use sticky grenade. When I'm in FPs and there's some weak mob the DPS are ignoring it's a great little CC.

I have to say this is the most comprehensive guide to vanguard tanking I have ever read. Thank you.

Also I know people have said Explosive Round is something to ignore but I would disagree to a small extent. As with the quote it can be a useful tool to knock back normal and week targets that the DPS are ignoring that just might go for the healer. Yes it uses some ammo but it does a fair amount of damage. Don't get me wrong I don't use it a lot, maybe 2 or 3 times in a HM FP but it can be useful especially if followed by an Energy Blast and Rail shot to make up ammo spent.

I also use it at the end of an encounter to unload on targets to help out the DPS (especially if there fairly green) as you can recharge once out of combat.

Just my point of view.

Is this good the point of Heavy Stock over armour is to trigger High Impact Bolt?

Thanks

Nice guide, well laid and easy to understand. Wish this had been posted back when I started my Vangaurd.

 

The question I have for you, and all Tanks in general. Grabbing aggro when you're in a HM or OP which requires CCing some of the tougher elements of the fight. In that situation you can't use AOE taunts or Mortar Volley without breaking CC.

 

What's the best rotation to use in that situation? I rely heavily on single target taunts, and storm. It's a heckuva lot of work that way but hey, that's our job...

Our AOE taunt doesnt break CCs. So you can feel free to use the AOE taunt near CCd mobs. I do it all the time. Shoot ive accidently tab targeted a CCd target and threw a taunt on them, still didnt break the CC.

Since I have this set up on my Guild's website and don't want to reformat it for here, check this link - For anyone who wants to know the in's and out's of tanking with Vanguard for PvE - Flashpoints, Heroics, Operations, etc.

 

http://zenswtor.enjin.com/forum/m/2859668/viewthread/3769201-vgos-guide-to-tanking-vanguard-edition

 

SPECIAL NOTE: Please be considerate of others when posting a reply to this thread. Also, if you are going to post something here, It is best if you fully read the tanking guide BEFORE posting anything. Thanks!

I use sticky grenade. When I'm in FPs and there's some weak mob the DPS are ignoring it's a great little CC.

Yeah, it comes in really handy. Even more so if that mob was annoynig your healer. That's 6 seconds of keeping your healer at ease.

Since I have this set up on my Guild's website and don't want to reformat it for here, check this link - For anyone who wants to know the in's and out's of tanking with Vanguard for PvE - Flashpoints, Heroics, Operations, etc.

 

http://zenswtor.enjin.com/forum/m/2859668/viewthread/3769201-vgos-guide-to-tanking-vanguard-edition

 

SPECIAL NOTE: Please be considerate of others when posting a reply to this thread. Also, if you are going to post something here, It is best if you fully read the tanking guide BEFORE posting anything. Thanks!

Thanks

Why avoid using Explosive Round?

Thanks

It is not so much that you "avoid" using it, it is more that you don't use it "regurlarly".

It is more situational, and not something you use *all* the time.

For example: You opened up with "Mortar Volley" on a pack to pick them all up. That pack is now almost dead and you see that there is another pack near to you but "Mortar Volley" is still on cooldown. If you have the ammo for it, go ahead and use Explosive Round. The "splash damage" should be enough to bring them all to you (at least initially).