Tanking/Kiting Ring Builds

Do you prefer having a Heal Tank/Kite in Deadman's Shadow?

Yes	84.3%	[ 43 ]
No	15.7%	[ 8 ]
Total Votes:			[ 51 ]

[Ginnjii]

Since different people tend to have their own way of doing things, I'm curious enough to ask to see if there are major variations between how most of us Tank/Kite.
That said, I'd like to ask what's your typical ring build for Tanking/Kiting in Deadman's Shadow?

Does your method of Tanking/Kiting require additional or different tactics from the norm? (Such as someone else having quicksand in Greens instead of the Tank/Kite) Or do you ask your crew to get a specific ring build to complement your Tanking/Kiting?
Do you make use of zOMG!'s ringset bonuses? If so,how, and which sets?

In addition, I'd also be interested in hearing your justifications or reasoning for your methodology, if any present, logical or otherwise.

[Proletariat Porno]

I have a lot of sets, depending on who I'm with and what I'm doing.

Yellow Room:
Hot Foot: Activate the room quickly, decent damage, long range keeps my distance, R4 is about equal to an R1 adren and stacks with adren
Wish: Heal the crew, should be obvious.
Bandage/Diagnose: Self-healing
Meat: More HP to take on more enemies at once.
Fitness/Integrity: I don't need shadow orbs and I'm not attacking so I try to give myself the most stamina possible.
Buff: One last slot for a buff <3 I personally prefer ghost ( dodge higher so I'm not as likely to get hit too hard ) or Keen ( If I do die accuracy isn't important to me )

Green Room:
Meat, Integrity, Diagnose, Bandage: Heals and stamina
Keen, Quicksand ( Kite and hold aggro much easier), Shark, Slash: This is the Pirate Set and gives a percent armor bonus. The armor bonus is enough to make GR much easier than without and I can stay still much more often than I otherwise could.

First Form:
Wish: Heal crew
Bandage, Diagnose, Meat, Integrity
Hack, Slash: I hate feeling useless in crypt, and don't need to full on tank 100% of the time. To make use of my time in between tanking periods I act is a sub-par DPSer. Slash is for bats, Hack is for being amazing.
Keen: Just a left-over from GR generally.

Bloodlust:
This is where my set varies the most.
Rings that don't change: Integrity, Meat, Fitness, Sugar Rush, Bandage, Diagnose.
Slot 1: Usually an attack. I prefer Hot Foot for the batwaves, since it does create an adren-like affect on all of them at R4. If we're really low on the batwaves ( Say working to the 14.5K wave or something ) I will drop my attack for Knife.
Slot 2: This is either Shuriken ( for it's good DPS ) in crews with practiced BUs. In crews with newer BUs I will be considerate and take Turtle instead. I also take Turtle when I'm low on powerups or in a bad mood.

[Omnileech]

I always assign ringsets to structure crews around how I tank.

I have several variations of a build for YM

Diagnose, Bandage, Wish, Meat, Iron Will, Hot Foot, Integ, fitness

If I have a lot of low levels and am concerned about how well I can heal some if they make unwise positioning choices when they attack I'll change my set to increase my dodge so I spend less time healing myself and more on others if they need it.

Diagnose, Bandage, Wish, Meat, Buff, Fortune's favor, Integ, Fitness

If I want to increase the speed of the run by giving my DPSers more attacks I'll take more buffs.

Diagnose, Bandage, Wish, Meat, Buff, Buff, Integ, (fitness or buff)

If I want to help clear the room but push myself on how much I can heal.

Diagnose, Bandage, Wish, Meat, Buff, Hack, Mantis, Integ

I think tanking YM without wish is a foolish thing to do because it limits how much you can heal a group and limits how much aggro you can hold when it gets stolen inevitably. It also requires you to stand much closer to the crew.
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For Green Rooms through HPR I use two sets

My preferred is
Diagnose, Bandage, Meat, Integ, Keen Aye, Quicksand, Shark Attack, Slash

Keen is not a vital buff and it does scale and is not rageable so that's good for a healer to have. The armor bonus makes most rooms a breeze and I can tank just like Yellows though healing the crew is much more difficult.

If I run into a room with 4-5 packs of bats I might switch out my set to one that gives me some invulnerability and higher dodge and the ability to run faster.

Diagnose, Bandage, Meat, Turtle, Integ, Quicksand, Sugar Rush, Keen aye

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Once I hit Crypt I change my ring set out to

Diagnose, Bandage, Wish, Meat, Hack, Integ, (fitness or slash), Keen

Basically my YM set. If I feel like two attacks I carry slash because it helps with bats swarms. I also need wish if I'm to tank 10+ enemies on screen at a time without anyone using crowd control. I also can help with coffin spawns more with high dps melee rings than a ranged ring like I used to tank with.


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For Bloodlust my set depends on how competent I think my backup healer is and if someone in crew has Sweetheart

If nobody has Sweetheart I have to tank it

Diagnose, Bandage, Turtle, Meat, Sweetheart, Integ, Fitness, Sugar Rush

If someone does then I take an attack. I take Hot foot because it has a good AoE at r4 and it debuffs dodge on bats. The downside is the lower dps of the ring means I lose aggro to someone sooner in the run.

Diagnose, Bandage, Turtle, Meat, Hot foot, Integ, Fitness, Sugar Rush

If I think my backup healer is going to do a fantastic job I can drop turtle. They have to be really good at multi-tasking because turtle is a safety net against Bat attacks if the bats reach me.

Diagnose, Bandage, Meat, Shuriken, Hot foot, Integ, Fitness, Sugar Rush.

The DPS of the two combined rings means I rarely lose aggro to the crew and I do a respectable amount of damage to Kamila too. It's an expensive way to tank, however, because I use more superchargers for stamina. Gets the run fast though if everything goes well.

I don't assign knife for Bloodlust so my backup healer really as to know what they're doing.

[strapping young Iad]

I think that I'm pretty much just a cookie cutter tank.
sweatdrop

For YM I take: Bandage / Diagnose / Wish / Attack / Meat / Buff / Fitness / FF
I just recently started bringing an attack instead of Scaredy Cat, so there's not a set one yet. I've tried Hack but I think I'll need a little more practice before using that comfortably. I started taking Hot Foot as well, and I think it will be part of my set from now on, just gotta level it.

I don't have as much experience in GR, but what I usually bring is: Bandage / Diagnose / Quicksand / Turtle / Meat / Buff / Fitness / Sugar Rush
So yeah, I kite, use QS, turtle in a pinch, etc.

I've wanted to try using the Pirate set but I'm kind of scared and not very confident I could pull it off.
sad

I've only tanked Kam's first form once, don't even remember the exact rings I had, it was probably just the set I took into GR. It wasn't very pretty but we got it done.

And I don't have Integrity so I don't think I can even tank BL efficiently at all.
sweatdrop

[Omnileech]

I think it shows that Porno learned to tank from me.

[Ginnjii]

Proletariat Porno

Omnileech

I like your sets, since to me, they seem efficient and flexible with no wasted slots. D'you prefer having a Tank in Deadman's Shadow or, Mobbing (for lack of better wording) it? Though I'm guessing that would depend on who you would happen to be crewing with.

If yes to mobbing, then what're the usual ringbuilds you'd have assigned to the crew?

strapping young lad

Naw, cookie-cutter tank's still a tank long as you get things applicable to your role done without much hassle. Your ring builds sound like the norm for tanking/kiting. Have you ever tried mobbing Greens? If you have, d'you prefer it to having a crew with a Heal Tank/Kite, or not?

[Proletariat Porno]

Ginnjii

I generally prefer a tank because it cuts down on the number of heals needed in crew, and allows the DPS to focus on attacking rather than attacking and healing.

[strapping young Iad]

Ginnjii

strapping young lad

Naw, cookie-cutter tank's still a tank long as you get things applicable to your role done without much hassle. Your ring builds sound like the norm for tanking/kiting. Have you ever tried mobbing Greens? If you have, d'you prefer it to having a crew with a Heal Tank/Kite, or not?

Yeah, things can still get done smoothly most of the time so it's ok.

Mobbing? You mean like everyone just goes in and starts attacking?
I think I've only done something like that once, everyone stayed huddled up together and there were 2 people who would rage Duct Tape and several people with wish (maybe everyone?), and even then a sort of... pseudo-tank was still needed for some rooms, to kite the bats if there were too many or to deal with a NF.

It takes a lot more coordination than simply having a tank to kite and whatnot I'm sure, so probably not ideal if you're in a crew made up of random people. And with a tank you can possibly have more attacks without some of the heals and crowd controls.

[Pandiecakes]

For GR's, I usually prefer to kite with
bandage, diagnose, wish, meat, turtle, quicksand, sugar rush, fitness/integrity

but if I had integrity, I would drop wish for it...
you could also carry fortune's favor instead of wish

another good set is
bandage, diagnose, meat, turtle, shuriken, sugar rush, fitness, fortune's favor (or integ)
(For Kam)

Dunno about Bloodlust as I've never tanked Bloodlust, seeing as how I lack integ.

For Yellow Mazes, it's usually
Bandage, diagnose, wish, meat, (buff), fitness, sweetheart, fortune's favor or cc if lower level crew.

[Ginnjii]

strapping young Iad

Ginnjii

strapping young lad

Naw, cookie-cutter tank's still a tank long as you get things applicable to your role done without much hassle. Your ring builds sound like the norm for tanking/kiting. Have you ever tried mobbing Greens? If you have, d'you prefer it to having a crew with a Heal Tank/Kite, or not?

Yeah, things can still get done smoothly most of the time so it's ok.

Mobbing? You mean like everyone just goes in and starts attacking?
I think I've only done something like that once, everyone stayed huddled up together and there were 2 people who would rage Duct Tape and several people with wish (maybe everyone?), and even then a sort of... pseudo-tank was still needed for some rooms, to kite the bats if there were too many or to deal with a NF.

It takes a lot more coordination than simply having a tank to kite and whatnot I'm sure, so probably not ideal if you're in a crew made up of random people. And with a tank you can possibly have more attacks without some of the heals and crowd controls.

You would be right about it not being ideal in a random crew since it's easier to co-ordinate with your regulars and that bit about having increased Damage Per Second with a Heal Tank in order. Do you think it took longer than a usual typical Green Maze run with a Tank?

Also.. this might seem irrelevant but.. was mobbing it more fun? o3o

[Ginnjii]

Proletariat Porno

Ginnjii

I generally prefer a tank because it cuts down on the number of heals needed in crew, and allows the DPS to focus on attacking rather than attacking and healing.

Understandable~
A bit of a seemingly unimportant detail, but if a Damage Dealer has three attacks, ideally Hack, Slash And Mantis, and a passive, if more free slots are present, would you prefer them to bring another attack or another passive?

[Ginnjii]

Pandiecakes

For GR's, I usually prefer to kite with
bandage, diagnose, wish, meat, turtle, quicksand, sugar rush, fitness/integrity

but if I had integrity, I would drop wish for it...
you could also carry fortune's favor instead of wish

another good set is
bandage, diagnose, meat, turtle, shuriken, sugar rush, fitness, fortune's favor (or integ)
(For Kam)

Dunno about Bloodlust as I've never tanked Bloodlust, seeing as how I lack integ.

For Yellow Mazes, it's usually
Bandage, diagnose, wish, meat, (buff), fitness, sweetheart, fortune's favor or cc if lower level crew.

Sounds like your standard Tank/Kite sets. Have you ever tried the Pirate Set for the Armor bonus or for tanking Bloodlust, what d'you think about trying the Athlete's set?

[strapping young Iad]

Ginnjii

You would be right about it not being ideal in a random crew since it's easier to co-ordinate with your regulars and that bit about having increased Damage Per Second with a Heal Tank in order. Do you think it took longer than a usual typical Green Maze run with a Tank?

Also.. this might seem irrelevant but.. was mobbing it more fun? o3o

You know, it was actually a very quick run, even being unlucky in room choice it only took about 3 hours or so (maayyybe pushing 4) to get through the green rooms.

Haha, this is a game, I don't think fun should be considered irrelevant!
xp

It was very different than how I'd ever done GRs before, and the people in the crew were nice. I did enjoy it.

[Ginnjii]

strapping young Iad

Ginnjii

You would be right about it not being ideal in a random crew since it's easier to co-ordinate with your regulars and that bit about having increased Damage Per Second with a Heal Tank in order. Do you think it took longer than a usual typical Green Maze run with a Tank?

Also.. this might seem irrelevant but.. was mobbing it more fun? o3o

You know, it was actually a very quick run, even being unlucky in room choice it only took about 3 hours or so (maayyybe pushing 4) to get through the green rooms.

Haha, this is a game, I don't think fun should be considered irrelevant!
xp

It was very different than how I'd ever done GRs before, and the people in the crew were nice. I did enjoy it.

Ahahah well, relevant or not, sounds like a decent run for a mob crew~

[Proletariat Porno]

Ginnjii

Proletariat Porno

Ginnjii

I generally prefer a tank because it cuts down on the number of heals needed in crew, and allows the DPS to focus on attacking rather than attacking and healing.

Understandable~
A bit of a seemingly unimportant detail, but if a Damage Dealer has three attacks, ideally Hack, Slash And Mantis, and a passive, if more free slots are present, would you prefer them to bring another attack or another passive?

Ideally if they have room for two passives, I like the DPS to take them because FF has a gorgeous Accuracy bonus and integ/fitness are nice for stamina.