Best Tank In Legion
Remember back in the beginning of Star Wars Legion play when every game had armor in it? Whether you were running the AT-ST, a couple of AT-RTs or the T47, it seemed like we all had armor at one point in our lists and we were having a blast.
It was fun because it was thematic, it was also nostalgic and throwing up to 14 dice at another unit is amazing (thanks to Weiss’ giving you arsenal 4). Then the meta shifted and all of us “meta philosophers” told you the age of armor was over and so we (for the most part) moved on.Then a shining light in a sea of minis caught our collective eye: The Occupier Tank. Out of the gate this once again was a win for the Empire. Why did it make us all so happy when announced? First, unlike the Landspeeder it made sense. This was a replica from an amazing scene from one of our most beloved recent movies, not a round peg – square hole like the Landspeeder. Like the Star Wars Legion core set and the AT-ST and T-47 before it, the Occupier knocked on the door where we hide our inner child and said “come out and play”.Once we were done ogling the tank like a dessert cart at a fancy restaurant, we realized it may actually be really good.
Besides the sculpt being (at the release) one of the best sculpts FFG has put out, it comes with 2 different pilots that make perfect sense for the tank. They also can be used to upgrade the AT-ST as well. Oh, by the way it can carry other units.
I mean Come on! Playing the Occupier in Star Wars LegionIn my mind I think there are really three ways you want to play the Occupier:. Transportation – The Occupier can transport full units.
Basically everything in your army outside of Speeder Bikes, the AT-ST, another tank and creature troopers can be transported by this beast. Very useful if I need a unit to get somewhere faster or I need to protect a unit until I get them into a favorable LoS/cover. Deterrent – Being able to hold an objective, table side or area is a really important part of Star Wars Legion. I have found that the tank is a great unit for holding onto land. It isn’t as expensive as the AT-ST and can deal out some damage, especially with the Pilots and hardpoints. Mobile Strike Barricade – That’s right, you can now have a moving barricade that shoots and protects your minis for the low low price of 155 pts! I think there is a lot to this that hasn’t been explored with the tank granting cover 2 and some LoS issues it is really a great way to get your trooper units into position safely.Here is the down side, I believe that achieving all three of those in a single game is not possible.
I really think that in order to be successful with the tank you have to pick one or two. Trying to do all three is a recipe for disaster and will really sour your tanking experience. TransportingIf I am transporting, I really need to be aware of my opponent’s unit deployments and how many of them will be able to get a shot off on the tank. The idea here is to get a unit into position minimizing wounds and maximizing distance. I want to reduce the amount of different attacks the tank will take. I’d rather one Z6 squad hit the side arc of my tank than 3 snipers and a Z6 squad.
Because no matter how many wounds the Occupier suffers from one attack pool it only passes one on to the transported unit, but if the tank suffers one wound each from 3 attack pools your transported unit is suffering three wounds. In addition, if the Tank is destroyed your transported unit takes an additional wound.
DeterrentAs a deterrent the Occupier wants to help hold the objective or table side and needs to live as long as possible. For instance, if the objective is Key Positions I’ll want the tank and possibly other units to hold the position. This means that keeping my side arcs protected is really important.
Best Tank For Soloing In Legion
In this instance I can use other trooper units to cover the tanks sides and stop unwanted flanking. I would also then face the front or back of the Occupier towards enemy snipers stopping them from benefiting from the side arc impact. Mobile Strike BarricadeThe Occupier will most likely not Survive being a barricade. I am using the tank to move up my units behind/alongside it with minimal damage and maximum freedom. The idea here is if my objective is Recover the Supplies, the tank is trying to keep trooper units alive and cut a path to the objective so that the troopers can claim it.
The tank then would cover their getaway. In this scenario I am probably ok with the losing the Occupier (as long as I know it won’t come down to points killed) so that I can get the points from the supplies. Unlike transporting, using it this way allows me to take more damage from multiple sources on the tank and also allows my troopers freedom to move and shoot.
Who loves the Tank?I really think that all units love the Occupier but in my head these are the top 4 units that really really love the tank:. E-Webs – The E-webs are an ideal companion to the Occupier. With Transported I can get my e-webs in the perfect forward position to hand out some pain or hold an objective. They love the speed/distance increase and can disembark then standby with their sweet range 3. Snowtroopers – Snows benefit in all manners here. They can get right in the mix quickly and take minimal wounds while being transported. With the Snowtroopers being transported in the tank you’re basically dropping a bomb off at your opponent’s front door.
A well placed disembark then steady flame/frag combo can be devastating. Vader – I mean do I even have to go over it? Vader in a tank moving basically speed 4 across the board to be dropped off right where your opponent feared he would be. Scary business. Similar to the Snowtroopers the disembark then relentless to a saber throw is a deadly combo. You cannot relentless for melee from disembark but you can off of your second move action. Deathtroopers – With their range abilities and sheer dominance you can get a unit of DTs into the action and possibly in range of snipers and really mess up your opponent’s week.The Tank really is loved by all other units for a variety of reasons.
I think the above are particularly good with the Tank but are not the only units to benefit. Here comes troubleAs a tank operator here are some obvious and not so obvious units to look out for:. Stormtroopers with DLT – This is the classic anti-armor unit.
Snipers – Specifically snipers on your side arcs. Impact 1 and Pierce 1 is no joke. Luke Skywalker – He is fast, has Jump 1 and he will be there before you think he will.
He also has impact 2, Pierce 2. If he makes it to the tanks side arc, its good night Irene. Rebels with Z6 and Frag Grenades – This seems like an odd combo but it is brutal at times. Take 10 dice and and surge to crit on a side arc and you can see 2-3 crits most of the time. Snowtroopers with Impact grenades – An oldie but a goody. Impact stacking on 5 dice is pretty good.If you are feeling like there is something missing in your life and your list, I recommend giving the Occupier a shot.
It is an amazing looking piece on the board, fun to play and is actually worth it’s point cost.
The Purpose of This ArticleThis article is a comprehensive guide to tanking. It will cover every aspectof the role, from the fundamentals to more advanced concepts — everythingyou need to understand and apply in order to be a great tank. Whether you arenew to the role or a seasoned veteran, this guide will be of use to you.This article will not go into technical details about talent specs, propergemming or anything else that is tedious, and specific to a class or spec.
Youwill find specific information pertaining to tanking classes andspecs in our existing tanking class guides. This is not to say that we willnever ever make a mention regarding a specific class or ability, but do notexpect to gain any class-specific knowledge from this guide. IntroductionA common misconception about tanking is that it is the most difficult roleto perform, and should therefore not be attempted by new players. This is notthe case; while tanking does demand a lot of up-front knowledge, it mechanicallyis quite simple to execute. The barrier to entry can be daunting for those whohave never tanked before, which we hope to remedy with this guide. Maintaining AggroThere are times when maintaining aggro can be difficult, such as when youare severely under-geared compared to DPS players, when you have to switch offthe target in order to pick up a different one, or when encounter designgrants increased damage done to DPS players, but not to tanks.In any case, the absolute best way to ensure that you never lose aggroover a longer period of time is to know your ability priority. It isessential to understand which abilities must be used on cooldown,and what other threat-generating abilities to fill gaps with.
Proper knowledgeof your abilities will, in most cases, guarantee that you do not loseaggro. 'Tab Targeting'Tab targeting is a technique which involves using the TAB key (the defaultkey for automatic targeting) to quickly switch between multiple targets. Itis very useful when you are tanking multiple targets (adds, for example) andall of your usual AoE abilities are on cooldown or are provinginsufficient.Essentially, you want to cycle through all of the targets by using theTAB key (you can do it manually, as well, though it is less efficient) andapply single target threat-generating abilities on each individual add. Forbest results, check Omen to see if there are any targets on which you havea large threat lead, and do not bother attacking those. Regaining Aggro (Taunting and Tank-Switching)There are two situations when you will need to regain aggro of a mob:when you have lost aggro, unintentionally, to DPS players or another tank,and when you are engaged in a tank-switching rotation. While taunting a straymob on which you have lost aggro is rather simple, a few notes arein order regarding tank switching. First, however, you must understand exactlyhow to best use your taunt.
How to TauntTaunting a mob has two effects:. It forces the mob to attack the player who taunted it, for 3 seconds.
It grants the player who taunted it an amount of threat equal to that ofthe player who had aggro on the mob at the time of the taunt. It increases the threat generation of the taunting player for the same3-second duration.The duration that the mob attacks the taunting player for is subject todiminishing returns.
Subsequent taunts, within a 15 second window, will reducethe duration of the fixate and threat increase window until the spelleventually has no effect. Note that all taunts share the same diminishingreturns, so a Warrior's taunt will cause the Paladin off-tank's taunts to havediminished effects, for example.You can use taunt pro-actively as well. Taunting a mob you currently haveaggro on can be a good way to make sure the target will stick to you for theduration of the taunt, or to help you keep your threat high and maintain aggroif your co-tank or DPS are catching up in threat.Taunt's cooldown is relatively low, and it is a key part of any tank'stoolkit, so do not be afraid to use it. While you may get the idea thathaving to taunt off people is 'shameful', as a reflection of your abilityto maintain aggro, this could not be farther from the truth. A good tank is onewho makes liberal and efficient use of taunt.Keep in mind that simply taunting is not enough to maintain threat; if you donot subsequently attack the mob you just taunted, it will simply return toattacking the player who initially had aggro after the fixate has ended.Finally, due to the diminishing returns on taunt, it should not be usedas part of your 'rotation'. Rather, taunt should be saved for when it isactually needed.
How to Tank-SwitchThere are a great many encounters in the game which require two (or more)tanks to taunt the boss off of each other at specific intervals of time,usually due to some debuffs applied to the tanks.While the practice itself is not overly complicated, we would like to makethree mentions. Understand exactly why you are taunting the boss, why it is beingtaunted off you, and what the correct timing for it is. Boss mods usuallyalert you as to the timing, but you must make sure that you can monitor yourfellow tanks' debuffs. Time one or more powerful threat-generating abilities to land immediatelyafter your taunt lands, to ensure that you do not lose aggro aftertaunting. When you have been taunted off of, stop using powerful threat-generatingabilities for a sensible amount of time (a few seconds), in order to help theother tank stabilize their aggro.
Depending on various circumstances, you mayeven need to stop auto-attacking.Additionally, it is very important to observe the correct position andfacing of the boss before you taunt it. Many bosses have a front-facing cleaveability which will hit anyone in front of them, and some bosses (like manyDragons) have rear-facing cleaves as well. The best thing to do is to toposition yourself exactly in the same place as the tank who currentlyhas aggro, before you taunt, so that the boss does not move at all.Lastly, it's important that you position yourself behind the boss when youare not tanking it. This ensures that you do not receive damage from breath orcleaving type attacks that the boss may perform. Keep in mind, however, thatsome encounters specifically require both tanks to be in front of the boss. SurvivalInstinctively, it feels as though your survival, as a tank, is all in thehands of your healers, but this could not be farther from the truth. Yes, withincompetent healers, you will die, and there is little you can do to saveyourself.
However, even excellent healers will fail to keep you alive if youdo not make proper use of the tools at your disposal.This section will be rather brief, but there are a few important mentionswe feel need to be made. Active SurvivalEach tanking class has various active survival and mitigation tools attheir disposal.
These take the form of abilities with low or no cooldown, whichoffer great benefits but are also rather expensive. You must learn to makeconstant (and proper) use of these abilities in your rotation, otherwise youwill be practically unhealable.Going into depth about these abilities is beyond the scope of this guide,so we recommend that you read our class-specific tanking guides. CooldownsEvery tanking class has at least a few defensive/survival cooldowns.
Best Tank In Legion 10/14
Youneed to be familiar with what they are, how they work and, very importantly,you must have them bound to accessible keys. Furthermore, you should keepin mind that you have other survival tools at your disposal outside of themajor cooldowns, such as trinket on-use effects or minor cooldowns. General Guidelines. Prevention is better than remedy. Unless there is a specific event in theencounter which you need to save cooldowns for, use them freely, as manytimes as possible during the fight. Damage reduction cooldowns should always be used proactively. Do not botherusing them when you notice you are on 5% health, since it will already be toolate by then.
Use them when you anticipate a period of high damage, or whenyour healers are going to be unable to heal you. Health increasing and healing cooldowns can be used both proactively andreactively, though if given the choice, you should try to save them for momentswhen your health is suddenly very low. As much as possible, do not stack cooldowns. As a rule, if you needto use all of your cooldowns at once to survive a fight mechanic, chances areyou are not intended to survive it in the first place.
Be aware of the external tools available to you, specifically healerdefensive cooldowns. You can and should coordinate with your healers to make useof these abilities whenever you are unable to ensure your own survival.Having a good understanding of the encounter mechanics and of your raid'sstrategy will help tremendously in allowing you to time your cooldowns toperfection.
Practice makes perfect.Additionally, good communication with your healers is invaluable. Everythingmay appear to be fine, but a healer disconnecting, or being targeted by aboss ability which requires them to move are important events that justifythe use of a cooldown. Positioning and MovementIn addition to not standing in any harmful ground effects — which issomething that every raider should be aware of — and facing bosses andenemies in such a way that your raid is not in danger of being cleaved, there isanother absolutely key piece of advice for every tank out there: never everhave your back to a mob which is attacking you. This is because when yourback is turned to an attacking mob, you are unable to dodge, parry, or block itsattacks and will therefore be taking more damage than necessary. Instead, what you should do instead is strafe sideways. If your side isturned to the attacking mob, you continue to parry, dodge and block attacks, andwhat's more, you maintain your normal run speed.This is slightly tricky to master right away, but you can always find a lowlevel mob (so it doesn't kill you), aggro it and run away from it. This willallow you to practice the exact angle you need to be facing.
Just check tosee if you are registering any dodges or parries, as this will be an indicationthat you are facing the correct way.Finally, you should always make sure that you do not leave line of sightof your healers, as this is a sure way to get yourself killed. While it is lessof a problem in raids (as most rooms do not have obstacles), it can happeneasily in dungeons. PushingIn case the target you are tanking needs to be moved a short distancebackwards (that is to say, in the direction that you are facing), you canemploy a technique known as pushing.
To do this, simple step forwarduntil you enter the target's hitbox. This will cause them to adjust to yourposition, and in most cases this means that they will step back a very shortdistance, and face you again.The alternative to this is to drag the target to the desired location, butin the process of doing so, you need to move a lot more, and the target isvery likely to turn around for extended periods of time, making it much lessdesirable than pushing.We would like to note that some mobs, due to the size of their hitbox, arenot very receptive to this technique.
Maximizing Your Raid's and Your Own DPSHolding aggro and not dying are essential aspects of being a great tank, butto move to the next level, you have to understand how each and every oneof your actions impact the rest of your raid.There are many encounters which require you, as the tank, to position ormove the boss. Doing so is, generally, a requirement to completing theencounter successfully, but simply knowing when and where the boss needs tobe moved is not all there is to it.Understand that melee DPS players must be within melee range of the boss toperform their attacks. Whenever you move the boss, you should aim to move asefficiently and as little as possible. The less you move the boss, the lessmelee DPS players will have to move to follow it, and the more DPS they will beable to do.Additionally, understand that many melee DPS specs gain DPS by attackingtheir targets from behind.