I use F for guard and G for follow so I can switch and find my guard targets quickly. I'd also recommend marking your favorite healer or guard target on your side with a Shield Icon (non hutball), so you can always see them on the battlefield.

 

If you're real advanced you can get into using focus target more (ALT F sets it, Control F give you their target), but thats a bit much for me right now.

 

I just added a recommendation for an automatic marker and debuf here if you want to bump it.

Visual Marker for Guard Target AND Debuff for being out of 15m range to Tank

 

The only problem in your setup is you're wasting a mark on your teammate that should be on the opposing team. Healers are just easy to find as long as you have good memory of their positions in the operation frame. That's what i do, at the start of every game i take note of who the healers are and the sorc/merc dps (squishy/casters) in rateds and even in regs. You should be able to see everybody in your screen by turning around frequently and observing movements of opposing team to guard switch before they burn their target. That way you don't have to put a mark on any teammates, because it may also confuse your dps focusing on marked targets.

 

Honestly, you wouldn't really need follow to stay in guard range as long as you have good awareness of your surroundings. You can be more efficient by pressing an ability instead of the follow button. But, whatever works for you man. Just saying.

Edited August 30, 2013 by dijskykiller

Is there any rational behind playing dps with 36 - * - * build, shield and dps gear? Edited August 30, 2013 by Aetideus

Is there any rational behind playing dps with 36 - * - * build, shield and dps gear?

 

You mean going up the ST tree with basically dps gear and shield offhand, right? You won't be any good tanking or dps-ing because ST is all about mitigation and utility. You need to justify your mitigation and TTK to use all team utility and keep teammates alive, which you will not have in dps gear. If you want to focus dps-ing, i would suggest going through the 2 dps specs.

 

Though in 4v4, full AP with Oil Slick in IGC with full dps or tanking gear is viable for main tanking. I actually prefer it more than full ST for arenas. But that's for another topic.

Edited August 30, 2013 by dijskykiller

Though in 4v4, full AP with Oil Slick in IGC with full dps or tanking gear is viable for main tanking. I actually prefer it more than full ST for arenas. But that's for another topic.

 

Maybe worthy of a try.

Why isn't this stickied?

Why isn't this stickied?

 

I wonder that. It is one of the most comprehensive guides. I tested all of the above in action.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Aetideus

I wonder that. It is one of the most comprehensive guides. I tested all of the above in action.

 

Just voted it a 5. I've been running full partisan 38k health, shield/absorb and following this guide, it's been awesome. Just got 300k in protection in a huttball today without working at it, and notice plenty of moments where I'm surprised how long I stay alive. I point anyone with questions over here.

Have you done any testing or plan on updating this guide to reflect new PvP changes, Sef?

 

I would be real interested in what you come up with for the 4 vs 4 PvP tanks since people are saying you will be better off with a Jugg than a VG or PT tank.

I was loving my ST PT til my last PUG. Since switched to an AP at least til I get in the 30s. Does PvP tanking get getter when you get a few more skills?

Have you done any testing or plan on updating this guide to reflect new PvP changes, Sef?

 

I would be real interested in what you come up with for the 4 vs 4 PvP tanks since people are saying you will be better off with a Jugg than a VG or PT tank.

 

The build remains the same for unranked wzs (8v8).

 

For 4v4, i am liking ST/AP hybrid compared to full ST, which is considered a more offensive type of tank that picks-up Oil Slick and goes all the way on top of AP tree.

 

Due to the buff on PFT on 2.4, i'm thinking it is a good idea to take advantage of that buff as it is not going to be tied to HEGC for PT tanks to improve its harassing nature and slow effects with better damage compared to Juggs. In addition to that, we will be utilizing AP's defensive talents such as energy rebounder and stabilized armor to stay tanky while in IGC.

Just voted it a 5. I've been running full partisan 38k health, shield/absorb and following this guide, it's been awesome. Just got 300k in protection in a huttball today without working at it, and notice plenty of moments where I'm surprised how long I stay alive. I point anyone with questions over here.

 

I've been out of the loop for a long while, but can you actually beat any classes solo with that, or is it purely a team-support role that you can fill?

I've been out of the loop for a long while, but can you actually beat any classes solo with that, or is it purely a team-support role that you can fill?

 

Team support is always my first focus. I can contribute dps, especially AOE, but thats always secondary and I never try to solo anyone, even if I could, it just takes too long. Even if I harass a node, my focus is on living long enough to keep a few people busy.

I've been out of the loop for a long while, but can you actually beat any classes solo with that, or is it purely a team-support role that you can fill?

 

It works well in a team, but i would have to say yes you can win a solo match with it. Based on my experience, it is not hard to outlive anybody since 2 of our CDs are HP-based, which is perfect for a full endurance build as long as you are also doing your work to dps while applying debuffs. Though you will seldom see this happen in warzones as they are objective-based games.

 

In my duels in Jerc's Friday Fight club, which is a server-wide dueling weekly event of my guild. My win to loss ratio is 10:1. I've also beaten one of the skilled sins in our server who had previously won a dueling tourney on POT5. The duel was lengthy though, and was a very close match too. I actually was not expecting to win as my HP got reduced to less than 50% so early. He tried to cloak sap recover, but i used my scan and cannon to counter. If i have not used my carbonite in the beginning, i might have lost because i was able to use it the second time stopping his killing blow.

Very helpful. Playing ST in Arenas, and this is a huge help for learning to spec.

For 4v4, i am liking ST/AP hybrid compared to full ST, which is considered a more offensive type of tank that picks-up Oil Slick and goes all the way on top of AP tree. .

 

Where can I find this build? I've been looking everywhere for it. And also, do you gear up as a dps or take some tank gear?

 

I'm assuming its the dongcleave build?

Edited October 4, 2013 by SickNastee

There is some reluctance to stick threads in this forum. Stick the thread and Koozie's guide.

I have tried different set-ups and ended to this.

The idea of guardian being a better tank in pvp is inaccurate.

Edited October 20, 2013 by Aetideus

I created this guide to answer the questions of some players in my server and also provide tips regarding PT tanking for both rated and non-rated games.

 

Just to let you know, English is not my primary language so please bear with me.

 

Updated Kolto Overload: 9/18/2013

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

We know for a fact that PTs had been disfavored pvp tanks due to their lack of utility and CDs. That is no longer the case after patch 2.0. The changes in Shield Tech tree and improvement in pvp shield mechanics has made PT tanks heavy presence in warzones.

 

PTs playstyle will always be the most passive among all tanks as we have flat mitigation talents on our ST tree, therefore adding more defensive CDs would put PTs ahead of the two classes. Though I would agree that Coolant or Oil Slick can be tweaked for the better, we are in a good standing at this moment.

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Gearing

 

Max Endurance > Max Mitigation

 

1. Elemental/Internal Damage: This type of damage is unmitigated by our armor and mitigation stats, therefore stacking HP is the only way to decrease incoming damage from this type.

 

2. Auto-crit attacks: In the 2 roll system of SWTOR, crit pushes shield off the table on the 2nd roll. Therefore, the only way to decrease incoming damage from this is by defense (RNG) or by increasing HP (flat increase).

 

3. Time to Kill is Increased: Mitigation stats all rely on RNG, while increasing HP is a direct buff to lower the % of damage taken from any source based on overall HP.

 

4. Shoulder Cannon & Kolto Overload: They increase in effectiveness as overall HP increases.

 

5. PvP is dynamic: Team compositions will always vary, meaning the % of incoming Force/Tech, and Melee/Range damage will always change, which makes optimizing mitigation stats flawed in pvp.

 

 

Stat Prioritization: Endurance>Shield>Absorption>Defense

 

2pc Supercommando + 2pc Combat Tech Set: 5% buff to damage while guarding is nice but dps-ing is not our main role as a tank. Besides, all damage that we do is fluff and is not beneficial for our team in a rated setting. The decreased CD on our CC-breaker and increased duration of Carbonite is more favorable for objective plays and team utility.

 

Armory

 

9 Advanced Weighted Mod 28BX

7 Advanced Vigilant Enhancement 28X

14 Advanced Fortitude Augment 28

1 Conqueror Supercommando’s MK-1 Module

2 Conqueror Supercommando’s MK-1 Implant

Conqueror Relic of Shield Amplification

Conqueror Relic of Fortunate Redoubt or Matrix Cube M7-Y3

 

You may wonder why I did not get that much defense. Based on my testing, all incoming damage is smoother with SH>ABS>DEF compared to SH>DEF>ABS.

 

PT wants shield stat because of Heat Blast boosting Absorption to high levels. Absorption will only be effective with a reasonable amount of Shielding and vice versa. And since we’re gearing for max END, increasing the value of shield is better since it covers more damage types than defense. Lastly, dodging/parrying an attack will not give us the chance to shield it and activate procs in our tree such as shield vents, hydraulic shield, heat screen, and heat blast.

 

Stacking defense might help you dodge some crits, but once it bypasses defense you will get more damage by not stacking abs.

 

Ok, say what now. I agree shield>abs>def, that bit I get, I have 20% def chance and the rest is dumped into shield/abs with my shield chance slightly higher than my abs%. But for ranked arenas I don't get why you'd ever stack endurance over mitigation.

1. Internal damage. Most of this damage comes from dots which can be cleansed if running with the proper healers, which you should be in grouped arena.

2. As you've said we're not meant to be in the middle of the fight, we're all hit, mez, debuff, pop to the outside. The major autocrit in this game to worry about is lolsmash, so just stay away from them.

3. This may be true, but if you're able to mitigate damage you're easier to heal. My healers love that they don't have to spend hours healing up my huge hp pool, it allows them to focus on keeping the dps topped off and not concentrating on their tank so much, which is important in arenas since if you lose 1/2 dps, you're done.

4. This is true, but it also helps if it takes their team a long time to get you down to 35% for kolto overload, like separating you from your healer for >30secs, which shouldn't happen w/ experienced players. It's an oh shiz button not something to be counted on, in arena I usually don't find it necessary, I usually actually rely on it in regs if my team is taking FOREVER to respond to incs. Que w/ premades and your team comp is not very dynamic, and in rated's the games aren't too dynamic at all. It's generally tank/heal/2dps on both team. There's small changes with what classes you're facing but you get to see them more than 30sec before the arena starts, and compensate for them.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I'd just like to understand more of the logic behind it. My healers usually find me easy to heal because I mitigate a lot of damage, which means less healing.

Ok, say what now. I agree shield>abs>def, that bit I get, I have 20% def chance and the rest is dumped into shield/abs with my shield chance slightly higher than my abs%. But for ranked arenas I don't get why you'd ever stack endurance over mitigation.

 

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I'd just like to understand more of the logic behind it. My healers usually find me easy to heal because I mitigate a lot of damage, which means less healing.

 

Here's the logic behind it:

 

PvP is not PvE. You're going up against Elemental, Force, Tech, and Internal damage...not white damage. Not to mention there is a heavy focus on critical hits in PvP. All of the above have been proven to bypass armor and mitigation. In short, your defense stats are far less effective in PvP. The best way to offset this in PvP is with HP stacking.

 

Shieldtechs should avoid Defense stacking at all costs. Read the talent descriptions in the Shieldtech tree, as many of them rely on your shield proc, including venting heat. If you are avoiding damage instead of shielding it, you're only making things harder on yourself.

Edited October 22, 2013 by TheronFett

Ok, say what now. I agree shield>abs>def, that bit I get, I have 20% def chance and the rest is dumped into shield/abs with my shield chance slightly higher than my abs%. But for ranked arenas I don't get why you'd ever stack endurance over mitigation.

1. Internal damage. Most of this damage comes from dots which can be cleansed if running with the proper healers, which you should be in grouped arena.

2. As you've said we're not meant to be in the middle of the fight, we're all hit, mez, debuff, pop to the outside. The major autocrit in this game to worry about is lolsmash, so just stay away from them.

3. This may be true, but if you're able to mitigate damage you're easier to heal. My healers love that they don't have to spend hours healing up my huge hp pool, it allows them to focus on keeping the dps topped off and not concentrating on their tank so much, which is important in arenas since if you lose 1/2 dps, you're done.

4. This is true, but it also helps if it takes their team a long time to get you down to 35% for kolto overload, like separating you from your healer for >30secs, which shouldn't happen w/ experienced players. It's an oh shiz button not something to be counted on, in arena I usually don't find it necessary, I usually actually rely on it in regs if my team is taking FOREVER to respond to incs. Que w/ premades and your team comp is not very dynamic, and in rated's the games aren't too dynamic at all. It's generally tank/heal/2dps on both team. There's small changes with what classes you're facing but you get to see them more than 30sec before the arena starts, and compensate for them.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I'd just like to understand more of the logic behind it. My healers usually find me easy to heal because I mitigate a lot of damage, which means less healing.

 

The guide above is made, as stated, for 8x8 RWZ which are variant in composition thus explaining the reliance to endurance. For 4x4 RWZ your comments seem to be reasonable although they rely on an ideal healer. Elemental dmg also is from AP/Tactics.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Aetideus

I absolutely disagree with stacking health over mitigation. Unshieldable damage (crits, elemental, internal) make up about 35% of all the attacks you'll encounter. You are guarding a target so the number actually becomes smaller. Heavy shield, heavy absorb, a decent amount of aim and always always pick up ~130 surge. Do not touch defense with a thirty foot pole and aim for about 34k health. Having more health doesn't change the rate of healing or damage and will lose out to mitigation in any fight exceeding 45 seconds.

An opinion: I use full pve 72 blaster rifle and shield gen tank gear with full obroan min/maxed rest tank gear. The pvp dps is ~56% and dr ~36%. Better dmg in Arenas imo? Endurance ~3400.

 

EDIT: Mainhand PVE is feasible in WZ.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Aetideus

I'm thinking of leveling tank in pvp. Right now, I am 24. Should I start stacking absorb enhancements as soon as I can and "try" to stay up longer?

I'm thinking of leveling tank in pvp. Right now, I am 24. Should I start stacking absorb enhancements as soon as I can and "try" to stay up longer?

 

Whenever you could buy mods and enh with shield - absorb.

You should explain to people also, that going this route is not a "solo" survivability spec, this spec is purely a spec based on a group of people that are supporting you with dps and heals.

 

I find this setup great for taunting/guard throwing, but I see a lot of people trying to ***, solo out dps snipers and Sins.

 

I repeat this is a "Strong" group based spec/build for defending and protecting.

 

So for those that don't know now you do

Edited November 2, 2013 by Tonev

If your the last man standing on your team in a arena, can you actually kill some one 1on1, in this spec or is it futile?