Hello

Below is a build I came up with. Basically I want to tank for groups PvE. Not concerned at all about PvP. Can you please let me know what you think? Thanks

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Sword Van: Level 40 Champion

Superstats:
Level 5: Super Strength
Level 13: Super Constitution

Powers:
Level 1: Rain Of Steel -- Grinning Ghost, Rank 2
Level 1: Power Gauntlet -- Crippling Challenge
Level 5: Invulnerability -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 5: Flight
Level 8: Mighty Leap
Level 11: Ebon Void -- Voracious Darkness, Rank 2
Level 14: Defensive Combo -- Surge Of Strength
Level 17: Enrage -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 20: Thunderclap -- Challenging Strikes
Level 23: Eye Of The Storm -- Blade Beyond The Veil, Rank 2
Level 26: Shockwave -- Challenging Strikes, Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 29: Dragon's Wrath -- Tiger's Courage, Rank 2
Level 32: Resurgence
Level 35: Iron Lariat
Level 35: Teleport
Level 38: Havoc Stomp

Talents:
Level 1: Superhuman
Level 6: Mighty
Level 9: Enduring
Level 12: Physical Conditioning
Level 15: Bodybuilder
Level 18: Boundless Reserves
Level 21: Paramilitary Training

You need more healing. The best way to tank for a group is to heal people... it generates more aggro than attacking ever can. Just spam Arcane Vitality or Psionic Healing and you'll have every mob in the fight jumping you...

Even if they fix aggro you'll want a good heal to help protect yourself. If you run with a PUG there's no guarantee you'll have a support type to keep you healed up, and even if you do have support you can lower the odds of him pulling aggro off you with heals by also healing yourself some. I really like Arcane Vitality... it's powerful and maintained rather than charged so you can break it off to block without losing anything. Lifedrain with Vampiric Sympathy might also be a good choice since you're already going Darkness.

What if I stick circle of primal dominion in there? Will that be enough?

And what should I go with for a block, ebon void or energy sheild+laser knight?

Ha! Maybe thats what I was missing in all my tanking attempts when trying to keep agro from the healers. I just need to be an tank healer! Agro aplenty. Never thought of actually taking advantage of the broken agro for healing.

Defensive combo isn't gonna be hot. If your just taking it to get a stack of defiance so you can use enrage then your going a long way about getting enraged. Try getting iron cyclone and the iron mastery advantage instead. It will save you powers and ranks and actually does damage.

Is power gauntlet just for the interrupt? Or is it for the damage? Or is it to get you invuln sooner? Either way I think you'd be better served with blade tempest. Plus challenging strikes on blade tempest is cheaper than crippling challenge.

I'd go with energy shield and laser knight over ebon void. Ebon void is great if you're regen, otherwise you'll get more milage out of es+lk.

Circle of primal dominion would be nice to slip in over defensive combo.

Hi
I read up the tips you guys gave me and I came up with this. Let me know what you think. I'm willing to change anything in there. Wasn't sure about the last few powers. What's better Gatling Gun or Shockwave?
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Sword Van 2: Level 40 Champion

Superstats:

Powers:
Level 1: Rain Of Steel -- Grinning Ghost
Level 1: Blade Tempest -- Challenging Strikes
Level 5: Thunderbolt Lunge
Level 5: Flight
Level 8: Energy Shield -- Laser Knight
Level 11: Invulnerability -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 14: Eye Of The Storm -- Blade Beyond The Veil, Accelerated Metabolism
Level 17: Dragon's Wrath -- Tiger's Courage, Rank 2
Level 20: Enrage -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 23: Circle Of Primal Dominion -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 26: Shockwave -- Challenging Strikes
Level 29: Resurgence -- Evanescent Emergence
Level 32: Sword Cyclone -- Challenging Strikes, Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 35: Iron Lariat
Level 35: Teleport
Level 38: Gatling Gun -- Rank 2

Talents:

Also How important is enrage? Any other dmg buff which is good?

Since you won't have any defiance stacks for enrage to consume it won't be useful. You can get the enrage buff from a two point advantage in a full maintain iron cyclone and snag some aggro that way as well. Other than that it looks pretty good.

Enraged is just a damage buff and isn't all that important really. At 38 I'd just grab another active defense rather than Gatling. Your use of GG is going to be extremely limited and it will probably only serve to eat your end up for little result.

You could really completely do without either enraged or iron cyclone and take advantage of that slot for an active defense or a circle or sigil set. Sigils of ebon weakness will help reduce enemy damage and make tanking easier. Though they will get hosed in fights with a lot of enemy aoe.

Edit: in fact... Here's what I'd do: take resurgence at 20 instead of enraged. Take masterful dodge at 29. Take unbreakable at 38. With that setup you'll have an active defense available every 30 seconds and with circle of primal dominion you'll be nearly unkillable.

You have plenty of damage powers for a tank and a lot of ways of gettIng and keeping aggro already. That should also free up some points to drop into other powers.

Wow!
Thanks for the info Goadfang. I'll come up with a final build when I get home.
Couple of questions.
I want a ranged attack. I guess Iron lariat. Anything else. Anything good in Munitions, Fire or Force?
I'm level 27 at the moment and I have shockwave and I really like it. Anything else that is just as effective?
At the moment I also have thunderclap. I find it good as an aoe stun and aoe taunt. Should I try and fit it in somewhere?

After taking your advice goadfang here is the final build.

Not sure about two powers that is Shockwave and iron lariot.

Anything else better out there for a ranged pull or taunt?

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Sword Van 2: Level 40 Champion

Superstats:

Powers:
Level 1: Rain Of Steel -- Grinning Ghost
Level 1: Blade Tempest -- Challenging Strikes, Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 5: Thunderbolt Lunge
Level 5: Flight
Level 8: Energy Shield -- Laser Knight
Level 11: Invulnerability -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 14: Eye Of The Storm -- Accelerated Metabolism, Blade Beyond The Veil, Rank 2
Level 17: Dragon's Wrath -- Rank 2, Tiger's Courage
Level 20: Resurgence
Level 23: Circle Of Primal Dominion -- Rank 2, Rank 3
Level 26: Shockwave -- Challenging Strikes
Level 29: Masterful Dodge
Level 32: Sword Cyclone -- Rank 2, Rank 3, Challenging Strikes
Level 35: Iron Lariat
Level 35: Teleport
Level 38: Unbreakable

Talents:

I think you're light on healing for a melee build. You can't rely on CoPD as much as a ranged tank can since you often have to move around more as a melee character. My ranged tank has lifedrain as his main heal but if I had a melee tank I'd probably go with devouring bite instead.