Armor & Attributes

Heavy

  • Void Darkplate / Ironheart

Heavy armor offers the most protection. At first glance, it appears to trade damage for survivability. However, its substantial Effective Hit Points (EHP) allow for a significant reduction in Constitution, thereby enhancing overall DPS. Heavy armor can be paired with a Tower Shield for exceptional protection, a Kite Shield for cooldown reduction, or a Round Shield for increased damage.

Medium

  • Nimble Coat / Attune Leather Pants

A combination of nimble coat and a Kite Shield provides the quickest cooldowns, balancing damage effectively. This setup enables nearly constant uptime of taunts and a 50% absolute damage reduction from the defensive resolve of sword and shields.

Light / Natures Wrath

  • Featherweight

Light tanking boasts superior mobility but carries higher risk, typically suited for experienced players in a static team aiming for Leaderboard times.

Attribute Points - 300 Str 300 Con

Attribute distribution for tanking varies weekly, by mutation, and across different dungeon sections. Beginners should start with 300 Strength and 300 Constitution, then gradually shift points from Constitution to Focus, starting with a 50-point allocation to Focus for flail users. For those wielding a hammer in the offhand, allocate extra points to Strength. If using Sword and Shield (Sns) in the offhand, begin allocating points to Dexterity once Strength reaches 350.

Armor Perks

  • Enchanted Ward x 5 / 6 (If running Tower or Kite Shield Priorities Enchanted Ward as it works even when using offhand)

  • Refreshing x4 as you can see priorities on jewelry and shield to free up Space on armor, you could even drop keen awareness for refreshing

  • Slash Conditioning , once the above perks have been met your next priority is slash conditioning as it will greatly improve your over all survivability against almost all trash mobs and bosses.

  • Health, for obvious reasons health is great , more health you have the further you are from death , slash conditioning is priority before health though

  • I have allowed one space for weapon perks where sundering shockwave is , there are not many important weapon perks for tanks

Amulet

  • “slash protection” should be changed to mutation type or recommended boss protection

  • Lost stopwatch can be used to allow you to run a damage gem in your weapons increasing damage, if you do not want to switch its protection each week then you can put slash protection on it which will protect you in most boss fights

Ring

  • Use Blood Drinker if more leeching is required

Shields

Tower

Kite

  • Refreshing can be changed out here for a weapon perk with refreshing on armor as weapon perks are stronger on shields.

Round

  • Use artisan’s shield unless you have an old bane shield or a nightvale round shield if refreshing move is required.

The Flail & Hammer

The playstyle is well complemented by Heavy Armor, particularly with the Void Darkplate. This setup thrives on crowd control, employing the hammer to effectively lock down large packs with a combination of chaining light attacks between your abilities. The flail, in turn, emerges as a pivotal asset for the team, applying rends, weakens, and substantial fortify and damage reduction. This strategic synergy not only bolsters the team's survivability but also affords the luxury of running lower constitution more safely.

In the midst of combat, a key focus is on spamming Bludgeon, a move that not only adds to your offensive arsenal but significantly benefits the entire team. Its application within range grants an impressive 50% fortify to teammates, further fortifying their defenses. This integrated approach, blending heavy armor with the Void Darkplate and a calculated use of the hammer and flail, encapsulates a dynamic and effective strategy, ensuring both offense and support are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the gameplay experience.

TLDR

Flail

  • Blugeon to taunt and give team fortify

  • Vortex to Cleanse slows/ roots , give haste and give aoe empower to team

  • Trip for cc and rends

  • Smite large Aoe Weaken

  • Barrage if needing mobility / escape option

Hammer

  • Shockwave best cc and taunt

  • Wrecking ball hard cc

  • Clearout aoe cc and team fortify

Basic rotation

Taunt ( bludgeon or shockwave > Vortex waiting for team to group mobs > Trip or smite mobs > Wrecking ball > 2LA > Clearout >

If wanting to CC lock mobs use hammer abilities with 2 light attacks between to keep cooldowns refreshing and be able to perms cc mobs .

Rotations are a general guide and you will need to learn to be flexible for each situation.

Versatile skill tree for applying empower, weaken and rend

Skip / Mobility skill tree

Versatile skill tree for applying Empower and Mass Weaken

Perma CC Skill Tree

The Flail & Great Sword

The opening move involves Relentless rush into Rupture to give some initial grouping and taunt , you then hold calamity counter as mobs come in until the dps start grouping and heals are down , then ideally pop Calamity counter early before 4 stacks so you don’t push mobs backwards , you then look at rotating through your flail abilities using bludgeon and vortex as often as possible, this style of play allows you to have great entry / exit options with the great sword and contribute to the grouping of mobs with having some of the best taunts in the game, Greatsword in this build is used for mobility and not damage , once you have gone through your rotation you will be main handing the flail to assist your team with empower and weaken.

TLDR

Flail

  • Blugeon to taunt and give team fortify

  • Vortex to Cleanse slows/ roots , give haste and give aoe empower to team

  • Trip for cc and rends

  • Smite large Aoe Weaken

  • Barrage if needing mobility / escape option

Greatsword

  • Relentless for entry / exit

  • Rupture for grouping after relentless rush

  • Calamity counter block / taunt

Basic rotation

  • Rush through mobs > rupture to group > calamity to taunt / block > Flail > Bludgeon > Vortex > trip > Auto attack> Rush to exit

Rotations are a general guide and you will need to learn to be flexible for each situation.

The Flail & Sword

The opening move involves Leaping Strike for quickly engaging enemies. Bludgeon is then utilized to taunt and manage aggro. A rotation between Whirling Blade and Shield Rush comes into play when enemies are grouped, applying debuffs like rend and weaken. Heavy attacks follow Vortex and Bludgeon to stack impairment. Adaptability is facilitated by the option to swap Leaping Strikes for Defender's Resolve, providing extra survivability and an additional taunt. The Flail tree's abilities contribute to fortify and damage reduction, enabling teammates to maintain lower constitution levels while still ensuring solid survivability. This setup emphasizes a well-rounded approach to combat, balancing offense and defense with a focus on adaptability and team support.

TLDR

Flail

  • Blugeon to taunt and give team fortify

  • Vortex to Cleanse slows/ roots , give haste and give aoe empower to team

  • Trip for cc and rends

  • Smite large Aoe Weaken

  • Barrage if needing mobility / escape option

Sword

  • Whirling for mass aoe damage and stacking bleeds ( bleed ticks will very quickly charge your heartrune)

  • Shield Rush (aoe weaken) or Reverse Stab (cooldowns)

  • Defiance Resolve Taunt & 50% Flat Damage reduction

Basic rotation

  • Bludgeon > Vortex > Trip/ Smite > SnS Heavy Attack > Whirling Blade > Rush if using > Defiance resolve > Stab (if using) - auto attack for 8s while you have defiance resolve active as its crazy tanky then repeat

Rotations are a general guide and you will need to learn to be flexible for each situation.