What's the best class for a tank?

[TheRock]

Over the years I always liked Cleric. I can hold my own with it against almost any mob. I learned to hone my skills with Cleric. I just recently leveled Healer to 100 and am doing great with it. I find I can take on a larger group when fighting if I am careful. Maybe in a week I may be able to tell which is better imo between Cleric and Healer.
Note: I have not joined a group to test my healing skills with my Healer yet.

Cheers

[hallucin8]

As already mentioned, "tank" is a bit of a tricky term to define in the context of Istaria and how the agro works. Normally, a tank is there to soak up damage, in which case, any class which gets 10 armor use per level and can wear Platemail would typically fit this description. Cleric being the most common suggestion thus far due to their healing capabilities, BUT they don't get 10 armor use per level, so you'd still have to level another school to be able to wear the T5 platemail.

So, if you were looking for your first class and wanted to be a tank, then Warrior would be the only one that gets 10 armor use per level and can wear platemail.

If you're trying to plan your schools and want a diverse "tank", then I'd imagine most people would suggest Cleric. Schools which would support Cleric are Warrior (armor use, strength, weapon skills, some masterables), Druid and Spiritist (for some excellent magic synergies i.e. AoE and life steal), and Healer will boost your healing capabilities (Life skill and Focus increases). This is by no means a definitive list, and it may not work well for your play-style.

I've always been thoroughly impressed with what a high rating Cleric can manage, but for me, Druid has ALWAYS been my go-to It's a hell of a trade-off between a multi-classed Cleric to Druid, with considerably less armor just for Cloak of Thorns. Paladin can certainly work well, but they only have access to the two revitalize spells, so you take a significant hit to your healing capabilities and the increase in damage is not always a suitable trade-off.

Anyway, just some more food for thought.
Just as long as you enjoy the school, then you can't really go wrong

[Dragonredux]

As already mentioned, "tank" is a bit of a tricky term to define in the context of Istaria and how the agro works. Normally, a tank is there to soak up damage, in which case, any class which gets 10 armor use per level and can wear Platemail would typically fit this description. Cleric being the most common suggestion thus far due to their healing capabilities, BUT they don't get 10 armor use per level, so you'd still have to level another school to be able to wear the T5 platemail.

So, if you were looking for your first class and wanted to be a tank, then Warrior would be the only one that gets 10 armor use per level and can wear platemail.

If you're trying to plan your schools and want a diverse "tank", then I'd imagine most people would suggest Cleric. Schools which would support Cleric are Warrior (armor use, strength, weapon skills, some masterables), Druid and Spiritist (for some excellent magic synergies i.e. AoE and life steal), and Healer will boost your healing capabilities (Life skill and Focus increases). This is by no means a definitive list, and it may not work well for your play-style.

I've always been thoroughly impressed with what a high rating Cleric can manage, but for me, Druid has ALWAYS been my go-to It's a hell of a trade-off between a multi-classed Cleric to Druid, with considerably less armor just for Cloak of Thorns. Paladin can certainly work well, but they only have access to the two revitalize spells, so you take a significant hit to your healing capabilities and the increase in damage is not always a suitable trade-off.

Anyway, just some more food for thought.
Just as long as you enjoy the school, then you can't really go wrong

Well, I have already done Warrior to compensate for the Armor Use problem lol. Probably should have made it apparent that I had a decently high leveled biped. I have done Bloodmage, Shaman, some of druid for some masterable, and others. There is of course more masterables that would benefit me like magus style from BattleMage which I had yet to do. Also, the reason I have no real interest in paladin and other similar classes, because I feel in this game Defense is way better Offense.

[hallucin8]

Also, the reason I have no real interest in paladin and other similar classes, because I feel in this game Defense is way better Offense.

A heavily multi-classed Cleric is pretty much going to be the "best" choice in that case; ticks all the boxes you're looking for I rekon. Guardian also has some strong abilities, both offence and defensive, but alas, you trade off the Major/Minor/Health spells, so you're healing capabilities take a significant hit.

As Cleric, you can pretty much wander into a swarm of anything, drop an Ethereal Parox (multi-cast it if you wish), then follow with Thunder and Lightning Storm (15sec recycle), then maybe a Whirlwind (Warrior), Energy Sabre (Battlemage) or Quake attack (Guardian), then back to the Nature spells, and pretty much everything will be dead. It's even faster if you use the Shield Scrolls.

[Guaran]

Don't forget Guardian. Max out druid, spiritist, and healer to 100. Get a full set of nice nature and spirit spells. You can do the ethereal parox which if in a group can help keep aggro on you, and then use nature spells for stuns to minimize incoming damage. Gets several passives that reduce incoming damage like Skin of Thornwood. For more heals go healer or cleric. Arcane side has battlemage and knoc, but they aren't really tanky, more damage dealers in plate.

[ArchDemon]

Don't forget Guardian. Max out druid, spiritist, and healer to 100. Get a full set of nice nature and spirit spells. You can do the ethereal parox which if in a group can help keep aggro on you, and then use nature spells for stuns to minimize incoming damage. Gets several passives that reduce incoming damage like Skin of Thornwood. For more heals go healer or cleric. Arcane side has battlemage and knoc, but they aren't really tanky, more damage dealers in plate.

Hey Guaran free up some pm space so i can tell you an important Idea for dragons and bipeds as a whole.. *smacks a mailbox over his head* As for classes.. anything with a tower shield SOooo annoying!

[Guaran]

Yeah the forum sent me an email so I cleaned it up a bit

[Guaran]

As Cleric, you can pretty much wander into a swarm of anything, drop an Ethereal Parox (multi-cast it if you wish), then follow with Thunder and Lightning Storm (15sec recycle), then maybe a Whirlwind (Warrior), Energy Sabre (Battlemage) or Quake attack (Guardian), then back to the Nature spells, and pretty much everything will be dead. It's even faster if you use the Shield Scrolls.

I was thinking Guardian as I read the OP too Those are good tactics for pretty much any mystic build. So if you are in healer, cleric, guardian, druid, reaver, paladin, the above strategy is how you play.

Guardian has skin like thornwood (+164 armor, 5% chance to deal damage to attackers), passive +162 slash/crush/pierce resists, +150 strength passive, +148 1hc +152 2hc passive, morning dew (small hot, +168 magic evasion). Downside can't wear plate, no intercepts or aura's for the group. Can use the mystic damaging spells. Can be a good "solo tank".

Paladin has aura of command(group buff of +123 attack skill against everything) -or- aura of light (group buff 50% incoming damage vs undead. 125% outgoing damage vs undead)(doesn't stack with aura of command), healing touch (100% heal on group member, 5 min recycle), blessing of life (5% self heal every 20 seconds). Wears plate and gets the mystic damage spells. If you are hunting undead this is the best tank (the 50% incoming dmg from undead is group buff).

Healer gets illustrius stand, a group buff that lowers incoming attack skill from undead, or the aura of health group hot (group buff 5% heal every 5 seconds for up to 85% heal, once a minute), plus more heals/ability heals. Gets all heal spells and mystic damage spells. Even just wearing the chainmail, this is the class my ped is pretty much always in, and he can take on multiple blight hounds and live. It's possible to tank as healer. Use druid spells to stun mobs that go after group members.

Cleric has area dispirit, which slows incoming attacks from all mobs it lands on, Protectorate (85% chance to intercept attacks directed at the group member), and aura of resistance(group buff +104 slash/crush/pierce resistance). Wears plate. Can use all the heal spells and mystic damage spells. For a small group this is a good tank.

Warrior has the most tank-like abilities: Defend Other (30% intercept chance on group member, lasts 15 minutes), Interpose (100% intercept chance for 20 seconds), Distract III (45% intercept chance for 2 minutes), Shield stance (+20 block bonus). wears plate, but can't use mystic spells (for damage/stuns/lifetaps), only gets the revits for healing. So if you use this class to tank, you will need someone healing you. To effectively play this as a tank you need to know all the abilities inside and out.

Battlemage gets shimmer field (+20 block, +20 parry), defend magic (30% chance to intercept spells directed to the group member, 15 minutes), but no other damage intercepters and can only use revits. Wears plate and can use arcane spells like daunting mist (slows movement and attack speed), plus the arcane bombs and ice roots. Rounding up a group mobs, get them tight on you, slow them with daunting mist, run out, then flame,ice,energy bomb them and you just killed a bunch of mobs fast (can be good exp). Get a group member to throw heals on you. Good for group leveling hunts but the group members need to be on their toes. I leveled many levels this way when in arcane schools. It can be tricky but its fun.

Another import thing to consider for a tank build would be the race. Sslisk gets sslisk regen, a full heal over time. Dwarves get dwarven toughness (temporary full damage immunity). One of those 2 would be best for tanking.

And as far as tanking the epics goes, you'd want to be in plate for sure. Epics have abilites which counteract many of the class abilities, such as banish armor immunity, stun immunity, dispirit immunity, mezz immunity... So you want lots of armor and heals, and can pick the one that's right for the job.

[Guaran]

..Healer gets illustrius stand, a group buff that lowers incoming attack skill from undead, or the aura of health group hot (group buff 5% heal every 5 seconds for up to 85% heal, once a minute)...

Oops. that should read up to 45% heal for aura of health. Still pretty nice.

[Dragonredux]

Over the years I always liked Cleric. I can hold my own with it against almost any mob. I learned to hone my skills with Cleric. I just recently leveled Healer to 100 and am doing great with it. I find I can take on a larger group when fighting if I am careful. Maybe in a week I may be able to tell which is better imo between Cleric and Healer.
Note: I have not joined a group to test my healing skills with my Healer yet.

Cheers

While you can definitely hold your own as a Healer, I just rather mitigate as much damage as possible. Not bashing healer or nothing, it's an awesome class.