General party makeup questions

[Tadamalley]

So, i'm looking at starting a new game for the first time post 2.0. With the new changes to AI and tanking, it seems that the tank needs to serve a significant dual purpose. I like the idea of a tanky paladin leader, or a tanky chanter leader... (i really like chanters personally). Can a chanter serve as a primary tank defensive wise? was thinking a more offensively focused fighter as second tank. priest for support, cipher with maybe warbow in back. for last two, thinking either barb or rogue with tall grass. i would like to fit a paladin in here as well, but im not really sure what i would build towards.

 

If i went with a pally tank how do they hold the aggro ? do enemies draw to them based on the healing they do as well? i was feeling chanter with all the buffs/debuffs might keep a target on him, but im not sure if it will actually work that way.

 

is the damage difference single target between a barb rogue significant enough to be a rogue with a pike instead of barb?

 

As for final slot, i generally like more melee/archers than pure casters. maybe ranger? or would a ranged rogue pull similar damage? or pull the chanter back from main tank to be mid range with pally and offensive warrior as tanks?

Edited February 25, 2016 by Tadamalley

[Wolken3156]

If i went with a pally tank how do they hold the aggro ? do enemies draw to them based on the healing they do as well? i was feeling chanter with all the buffs/debuffs might keep a target on him, but im not sure if it will actually work that way.

There is no aggro, only engagement. Enemies by default will either try to aim for whichever the squishiest character they can find or the closest character they can reach. You need to engage enemies to have them focus on your tank. Establishing engagement though simply means clicking on a target and having your tank auto-attack them. Due to engagement limitations, its near impossible to run only 1 tank. You'll probably want to run at least two.

 

Also, enemy Paladins, Rogues, Monks and Barbarians will always try to aim for your rear line. Unless your tank has a powerful disengagement attack, they are usually very willing to break engagement just to harass your poor ranged characters. In such cases, its usually a good idea to have your back line characters have some kind of way to defend themselves.

 

Chanters will usually draw more attention to themselves than a Paladin, since they're treated as a caster class and they have lower defenses than a Paladin; which makes them a more attractive target for enemies.

 

is the damage difference single target between a barb rogue significant enough to be a rogue with a pike instead of barb?

Barbarians auto-attacks are AoE whereas the Rogue is more in-line for huge single target damage, both classes work just fine with pikes. If you're using the Tall Grass though, a Barbarian will be a much better user, since they can effectively turn that weapon into an AoE prone inflicting attack.

 

As for final slot, i generally like more melee/archers than pure casters. maybe ranger? or would a ranged rogue pull similar damage? or pull the chanter back from main tank to be mid range with pally and offensive warrior as tanks?

Ranger is the king of ranged weapons, a Ranger will out damage a ranged Rogue. The Ranger will also bring a lot more than ranged Rogue as well since they also come with a pet which can be used to distract enemies and deal a lot of damage.

 

Cipher is another option, since they're basically a caster that can use weapons (Technically so can a Wizard as well but they have per rest abilities). They won't do as much damage as a Ranger but they do bring various powers which can help keep enemies under control. Its probably a good choice if you're having problems with enemies sticking on your tanks, since they can just Charm any stray enemies coming towards the back line.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Wolken3156