Tanking 101
The Tank or Defensive role is one of the four roles available in DC Universe Online.
This role generally focuses on keeping the group safe by attracting opponents and taking damage in place of other group members.
Tank armor tends to have high Health and Dominance as well as high Defense or Toughness.
Earth, Fire, Ice, and Rage have the ability to change to the Tank Role.
The symbol that represents a tank is a Shield.
In PVP, Tanks have a disadvantage against Healers but have an advantage over Quantum, Light, Mental and Gadget Controllers.
Contents[show] Stats In order of importance:
Earth Tanking
Earth Tanks gain Damage Absorption and may Transfer additional damage to a Pet.
Using a power in Tank role will grant 25% Damage Absorption and will increase Defense and Toughness by 1 point for every point of Dominance.
Aftershocks from Gemstone Shield, Jackhammer & Upheaval will further increase Damage Absorption.
Damage Shift transfers a portion of incoming damage to a summoned golem while Reinforce transfers incoming damage from a team member to the caster.
Fire Tanking
Fire Tanks gain Health and Healing received bonuses and may use multiple Self Heals to restore Health.
Using a power in Tank role will increase Health by 60% and any Healing received increases by 80%.
Fire Tanks also gain 2.2 additional Health for every point of Dominance.
Healing from Absorb Heat, Backdraft, Burning Determination, Wildfire, Burnout, Overheat, Fiery Weapon, Stoke Flames, Eternal Flame and Reignition scale with Dominance combined with Restoration.
Ice Tanking
Ice Tanks gain Defense and Toughness bonuses and may use multiple shields to prevent damage.
Using a power in Tank role will increase a character's Defense and Toughness by 90%.
Winter Ward, Bitter Winds, Shatter Restraints and Ice Elemental prevent additional damage equal to Restoration combined with Dominance.
Healing from Hibernation and Ice Elemental scales with Dominance combined with Restoration.
Rage TankingEdit See Also: List of Rage Powers
Rage Tanks gain Health based on the number of enemies and may temporarily defer damage.
Using a power in Tank role increases Health by two-thirds of their Dominance for each nearby enemy.
Relentless Anger and Severe Punishment activate a Rage mode that defers damage into a Rage Crash.
Several Rage powers have mechanics that reduce or ignore the delayed Rage Crash damage.
Some Rage powers heal based on outgoing damage.
Tank Role Powers Taunts Any active power cast by a Tank will Taunt opponents in a defined area.
Some powers Taunt in an area around the caster while other powers Taunt in an area around a target.
Each Tank power set also has a single target Taunt that will override a normal Tank Taunt.
A Taunt will raise the Tank to the top of an opponent's Threat table for twelve seconds and can not be normally be overwritten. Taunts can not be renewed until ten seconds after the initial Taunt.
Note that Boss level opponents have scripted attacks that target an opponent based on certain criteria during which any Taunt will be temporarily ineffective until the scripted attack is completed.
Single Target Taunts A single target taunt can be useful to split a boss from a group of opponents when running two Tanks.
Power Set Powers Earth Stone Fire Fireball Ice Frost Snipe Rage Rage Blast Group Control Immunity Each Tank power set has Group Control Immunity powers that provide Control Effect Immunity to group members and prevents Controller debuffs for 3 seconds.
Power Set Powers Earth Unstoppable Fire Burning Determination, Burnout, Eternal Flame Ice Shatter Restraints, Winter Ward Rage Ferocity, Ire Positioning Powers Positioning or Pulling powers are useful to drag opponents toward the tank.
All positioning powers require a Dominance check to pull an opponent.
Power Set Powers Acrobatics Grapple Line Attack Earth Earthen Grip, Epicenter Fire Backdraft Flight Low Pressure Ice Inescapable Storm Iconic Mesmerizing Lasso Rage Eviscerating Chain, Ragebringer, Without Mercy Super Speed Tornado Pull Useful Power Set Tank Powers Earth
Color Mods should match a socket color to gain bonus affinity stats.
White Equipment Mods require the Home Turf DLC.
Slot Mod Blue Slots Dominance & Health or Health Yellow Slots Restoration & Health or Health & Power Red Slots Precision & Health or Might & Health Weapon Slot Absorption Adapter Neck Slot Fortified Blocking Back White Slot Breakout Protection or Breakout Regeneration Feet White Slot Deadly Block or Explosive Block Chest White Slot Core Strength or Reserve Tank Hands White Slot Regenerative Shielding Skills and Iconic Powers Movement Skills Movement Innate Skills
Passive Movement Skills are important to Tanks as they provide additional Resistance to Control Effects and restore Power after a Breakout.
Skill Movement Trees Breakout Mastery Acrobatics, Flight, Super Speed Knockback Resistant Acrobatics, Super Speed Restraint Resistant Flight, Super Speed Stun Resistant Acrobatics, Flight Knockback Recovery Acrobatics, Super Speed Restraint Recovery Flight, Super Speed Stun Recovery Acrobatics, Flight Movement Active Skills
Active Movement Skills will taunt and activate Tank role bonuses just as super powers found in the main trees. Skill Points are used to purchase Movement Skills allowing additional Tank loadout options.
Function Powers Targeted Pull Acrobatics : Grapple Line Attack
Flight : Low Pressure
Super Speed : Tornado Pull
Control Breakout Acrobatics : Launching Roll
Flight : Air Burst
Super Speed : Whirling Dervish
Control Breakout Supercharge Acrobatics : Perfect Poise
Flight :Dustoff
Super Speed : Metabolic Boost
Damage Absorption Acrobatics : Perfect Poise
Flight : Dustoff
Super Speed : Dash Attack, Phase Dodge Crowd Control Acrobatics : Backflip Attack, Forward Flip Attack, Throwing Knives
Flight : Downdraft Attack, High Pressure
Super Speed : Cyclone Push
Passive Iconic Powers A few Passive Iconic powers may be useful to Tanks if Power points are available:
General StrategyIt is the job of a tank to reduce the overall damage a group takes. A Tank should disable and taunt enemies whenever possible with area effect powers that knockdown, juggle or stun. Pulling enemies and gathering them in one large group will make this easier. Powerful attacks should be dodged by moving out of range or breaking line of sight.
Blocking is extremely effective if done right. It will reduce incoming damage by 70%, interrupt most weapon combos by stunning the attacker and provide protection against most crowd control effects. A Tank should always block if overwhelmed and the healer(s) can't keep up with the damage or if a big attack is coming and can not be dodged. However, blocking too long may strain power generation and cause enemies to bypass the Tank as active powers are necessary to taunt opponents.
This role generally focuses on keeping the group safe by attracting opponents and taking damage in place of other group members.
Tank armor tends to have high Health and Dominance as well as high Defense or Toughness.
Earth, Fire, Ice, and Rage have the ability to change to the Tank Role.
The symbol that represents a tank is a Shield.
In PVP, Tanks have a disadvantage against Healers but have an advantage over Quantum, Light, Mental and Gadget Controllers.
Contents[show] Stats In order of importance:
- Health : The amount of damage a player can take in battle before getting knocked out.
- Dominance : Dominance affects Control Effects, Self Healing and Shield Damage Prevention.
Dominance is doubled for all Tank power sets in Tank role. - Defense : Reduces incoming damage from non player opponents.
- Restoration : Affects Self Healing and Shield Damage Prevention.
- Critical Healing Chance & Critical Healing Magnitude : Affects Self Healing for Fire and Rage Tanks.
Earth Tanking
Earth Tanks gain Damage Absorption and may Transfer additional damage to a Pet.
Using a power in Tank role will grant 25% Damage Absorption and will increase Defense and Toughness by 1 point for every point of Dominance.
Aftershocks from Gemstone Shield, Jackhammer & Upheaval will further increase Damage Absorption.
Damage Shift transfers a portion of incoming damage to a summoned golem while Reinforce transfers incoming damage from a team member to the caster.
Fire Tanking
Fire Tanks gain Health and Healing received bonuses and may use multiple Self Heals to restore Health.
Using a power in Tank role will increase Health by 60% and any Healing received increases by 80%.
Fire Tanks also gain 2.2 additional Health for every point of Dominance.
Healing from Absorb Heat, Backdraft, Burning Determination, Wildfire, Burnout, Overheat, Fiery Weapon, Stoke Flames, Eternal Flame and Reignition scale with Dominance combined with Restoration.
Ice Tanking
Ice Tanks gain Defense and Toughness bonuses and may use multiple shields to prevent damage.
Using a power in Tank role will increase a character's Defense and Toughness by 90%.
Winter Ward, Bitter Winds, Shatter Restraints and Ice Elemental prevent additional damage equal to Restoration combined with Dominance.
Healing from Hibernation and Ice Elemental scales with Dominance combined with Restoration.
Rage TankingEdit See Also: List of Rage Powers
Rage Tanks gain Health based on the number of enemies and may temporarily defer damage.
Using a power in Tank role increases Health by two-thirds of their Dominance for each nearby enemy.
Relentless Anger and Severe Punishment activate a Rage mode that defers damage into a Rage Crash.
Several Rage powers have mechanics that reduce or ignore the delayed Rage Crash damage.
Some Rage powers heal based on outgoing damage.
Tank Role Powers Taunts Any active power cast by a Tank will Taunt opponents in a defined area.
Some powers Taunt in an area around the caster while other powers Taunt in an area around a target.
Each Tank power set also has a single target Taunt that will override a normal Tank Taunt.
A Taunt will raise the Tank to the top of an opponent's Threat table for twelve seconds and can not be normally be overwritten. Taunts can not be renewed until ten seconds after the initial Taunt.
Note that Boss level opponents have scripted attacks that target an opponent based on certain criteria during which any Taunt will be temporarily ineffective until the scripted attack is completed.
Single Target Taunts A single target taunt can be useful to split a boss from a group of opponents when running two Tanks.
Power Set Powers Earth Stone Fire Fireball Ice Frost Snipe Rage Rage Blast Group Control Immunity Each Tank power set has Group Control Immunity powers that provide Control Effect Immunity to group members and prevents Controller debuffs for 3 seconds.
Power Set Powers Earth Unstoppable Fire Burning Determination, Burnout, Eternal Flame Ice Shatter Restraints, Winter Ward Rage Ferocity, Ire Positioning Powers Positioning or Pulling powers are useful to drag opponents toward the tank.
All positioning powers require a Dominance check to pull an opponent.
Power Set Powers Acrobatics Grapple Line Attack Earth Earthen Grip, Epicenter Fire Backdraft Flight Low Pressure Ice Inescapable Storm Iconic Mesmerizing Lasso Rage Eviscerating Chain, Ragebringer, Without Mercy Super Speed Tornado Pull Useful Power Set Tank Powers Earth
- Unstoppable provides temporary Control Effect Immunity to teammates.
- Damage Shift transfers 25% of incoming Damage to a summoned Golem and increases resistance to control effects by 10%
- Reinforce transfers 30% of incoming Damage from a teammate to the caster.
- Gemstone Shield prevent damages based on Dominance and Restoration.
- Jackhammer and Upheaval increase Damage Absorption to 50% after a single Aftershock.
- The higher health Brick Golem will Taunt opponents if the health of the caster falls below 40%.
- The Crystal Golem has an ability to apply Control Effect Immunity to the caster.
- Totem heals any nearby Golem by a small amount and knocks down nearby enemies.
- Earthen Grip is useful as a long range single target pull.
- Epicenter pulls all nearby enemies toward the caster.
- Stone is a single target taunt that will override other Tank taunts.
- Burning Determination, Burnout and Eternal Flame provide temporary Control Effect Immunity to teammates.
- Enflame and Immolation increase resistance to control effects by 10%.
- Absorb Heat, Backdraft, Fiery Weapon and Wildfire will self heal when used on Burning enemies.
- Dominance and Restoration increase Healing from Absorb Heat, Backdraft, Burning. Determination, Burnout, Overheat, Eternal Flame, Fiery Weapon, Reignition, Stoke Flames and Wildfire.
- Backdraft pulls all nearby enemies toward the caster.
- Flashpoint, Enflame and Reignition are Radial crowd control abilities.
- Reignition is a 25% Supercharge that provides a self-heal and will apply Burning.
- Eternal Flame is a 100% Supercharge that doubles health and self-heals after each hit.
- Fireball is a single target taunt that will override other Tank taunts.
- Cold Snap, Ice Bash and Reflection provide a Chill effect.
- Five consecutive Chill effects activates Ice Armor which provides the 90% Defense Tank bonus.
- Cold Snap and Bitter Winds increase Control Effect Resistance by 10%.
- Bitter Winds, Shatter Restraints, Winter Ward and Ice Elemental's Damage Absorption amount is based on Dominance and Restoration.
- Shatter Restraints and Winter Ward provide temporary Control Effect Immunity to teammates.
- Reflection prevents damage from the next three attacks and deflects some damage back to opponents.
- Winter Ward extends damage prevention to teammates.
- Inescapable Storm is a multi target ranged pull.
- Ice Elemental is a 50% Supercharge that triples Health & Defense and Self Heals.
- Frost Snipe is a single target taunt that will override other Tank taunts.
- Ferocity and Ire provide temporary Control Effect Immunity to teammates.
- Without Mercy, Ragebringer and Eviscerating Chain are positioning abilities.
- Relentless Anger and Severe Punishment activate a Rage mode that heals and defers damage into a Rage Crash
- Bloodlust, Galling Eruption, Lacerate, Remorseless Recovery & Violence reduce the damage from a Rage Crash.
- Dreadful Blast, Eviscerating Chain, Outrage, Plasma Retch & Revenge can be used to ignore damage from a Rage Crash.
- Vindictive is a supercharge that Self Heals and provides immunity to Rage Crash.
- Redirected Rage's Damage Absorption amount is based on Dominance and Restoration.
- Rage Blast is a single target taunt that will override other Tank taunts.
- Without Mercy, Rage Blast, Ragebringer, Remorseless Recovery, and Channel Hate provide a Self Heal based on the damage dealt.
Color Mods should match a socket color to gain bonus affinity stats.
White Equipment Mods require the Home Turf DLC.
Slot Mod Blue Slots Dominance & Health or Health Yellow Slots Restoration & Health or Health & Power Red Slots Precision & Health or Might & Health Weapon Slot Absorption Adapter Neck Slot Fortified Blocking Back White Slot Breakout Protection or Breakout Regeneration Feet White Slot Deadly Block or Explosive Block Chest White Slot Core Strength or Reserve Tank Hands White Slot Regenerative Shielding Skills and Iconic Powers Movement Skills Movement Innate Skills
Passive Movement Skills are important to Tanks as they provide additional Resistance to Control Effects and restore Power after a Breakout.
Skill Movement Trees Breakout Mastery Acrobatics, Flight, Super Speed Knockback Resistant Acrobatics, Super Speed Restraint Resistant Flight, Super Speed Stun Resistant Acrobatics, Flight Knockback Recovery Acrobatics, Super Speed Restraint Recovery Flight, Super Speed Stun Recovery Acrobatics, Flight Movement Active Skills
Active Movement Skills will taunt and activate Tank role bonuses just as super powers found in the main trees. Skill Points are used to purchase Movement Skills allowing additional Tank loadout options.
Function Powers Targeted Pull Acrobatics : Grapple Line Attack
Flight : Low Pressure
Super Speed : Tornado Pull
Control Breakout Acrobatics : Launching Roll
Flight : Air Burst
Super Speed : Whirling Dervish
Control Breakout Supercharge Acrobatics : Perfect Poise
Flight :Dustoff
Super Speed : Metabolic Boost
Damage Absorption Acrobatics : Perfect Poise
Flight : Dustoff
Super Speed : Dash Attack, Phase Dodge Crowd Control Acrobatics : Backflip Attack, Forward Flip Attack, Throwing Knives
Flight : Downdraft Attack, High Pressure
Super Speed : Cyclone Push
Passive Iconic Powers A few Passive Iconic powers may be useful to Tanks if Power points are available:
- Powerful Resistance: Adds 100 Health
- Intimidating Gaze: Adds 50 Dominance in Tank role
- Dominance is added to Restoration for Self Heals and affects damage prevention Shields
- Fire Tanks gain 2.2 points of Health for each point of Dominance so this adds 110 Health
- Earth Tanks gain 1 point of Defense for each point of Dominance so this adds 50 Defense
- Rage Tanks gain Health equal to 2/3 of Dominance for each nearby enemy so this adds 33 Health for every enemy
- Nanoweave Armor: Adds 50 Defense & 100 Toughness
- Hard Light Shield: Damage Prevention = Restoration + Dominance
- Self Heals if using the Empowered Channeling Hands Equipment Mod
- Useful for a Fire Tank as there is no Shield in either Fire tree
- Amazonium Deflection: Adds 5000 Defense; Knocks down & Stuns nearby opponents
- Prevents Control Effects and Counters including Block Breakers
- Sonic Cry: Stuns nearby opponents
- Mesmerizing Lasso: Ranged single target Pull
- Pheromone Bloom: 35% Supercharge; Self Heal; Knocks down & Stuns nearby opponents
- Useful as a Self Heal for an Earth Tank as Envelop prevents movement
- Word of Power: 50% Supercharge; Self Heal; Knocks back nearby opponents
- Provides power to self and group
General StrategyIt is the job of a tank to reduce the overall damage a group takes. A Tank should disable and taunt enemies whenever possible with area effect powers that knockdown, juggle or stun. Pulling enemies and gathering them in one large group will make this easier. Powerful attacks should be dodged by moving out of range or breaking line of sight.
Blocking is extremely effective if done right. It will reduce incoming damage by 70%, interrupt most weapon combos by stunning the attacker and provide protection against most crowd control effects. A Tank should always block if overwhelmed and the healer(s) can't keep up with the damage or if a big attack is coming and can not be dodged. However, blocking too long may strain power generation and cause enemies to bypass the Tank as active powers are necessary to taunt opponents.