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How do you view a Tank?

TequilaZombie·3/11/2017, 2:00:03 PM·6 votes·1,341 views

Disclaimer: this is a discussion about Tanks in general, not necessarily just in League. But feel free to talk about League tanks as well, all discussion is welcome!

Hey guys, I've just learned how to properly mod a nice CRPG named Pillars of Eternity and after messing around with the tools for some time, I've decided to take on a rather big project: To recreate all the classes from the base game into something completely different. And hopefully make the game's combat more fun, specially for the non-caster, melee classes.

While the Barbarian was my metaphorical lab rat (and right now is an overpowered drain tank while in Frenzy), the first class that I want to actually recreate is the Fighter. The good ol' Tank.

My goals are to turn the Fighter mostly into a CC-Tank (and have the Pally become even more of a Buff-Tank) that can spam low-ish impact abilities during long fights. However I'm currently more interested into discovering how YOU guys see a Tank in the first place. Not just the regular "Ohh, he's a big though guy in a big armor with a even bigger shield and uses that one left over sword in the inventory that nobody else bothered to grab", but how you see him in terms of actual gameplay.

Maybe as a low cooldown single target CC machine, who becomes a threath not due to his damage, but by how annoying he can be during longs periods of time. Maybe as a impenetrable and unkillable Aggro bot, whose only job is to get people to hit him over a very long period of time. Maybe he is the guy with the really impactful CC on a high CD, and you hit him because you are afraid that he will live long enough to use his CC a second time.

Long story short: How do you view the archetypal Tank?

16 Comments

Earl Eulrich3/11/2017, 3:03:32 PM3 votes

a tank should be the big(or small) guy(or women, or thing) that takes a hit for his team.

in PvE that´s rather easy to do via aggro, in an PvP environment though that´s a whole other story.

I think Hots actually does it really well right now...mostly because the game has a really neat bodyblocking mechanic that makes playing tanks a lot more interessting and skillfull, but also because it allows tanks to do the same amount of dmg as everyone else if they get ignored - at least over time and many targets, so they just cannot be ignored. And tanks there have a lot of actual mobility and survival tools do consistently threaten with engages or escape after having soaked some burst to get healed back up.

So the archetyp is mostly a being that is consistently annoyingfor his opponent and protects his teammates from their blows. How that can be achieved though differs greatly in PvE and PvP.

Darth StepVader3/11/2017, 7:33:11 PM2 votes

In classic MMO's, the tanks i used to play certainly didn't have high damage outputs. But, you'd usually lose if it did its job right, meaning draw all your attention while the healer filled up its hp bar from all the mediocre damage others dealt to it. Generally, a tank should be a heavy cc/utility character, that can actually tank even in a fully equipped and buffed character environment. Its damage is certainly not threatening in a party vs party situation but, it is usually so annoying with its debuffs and aggro tools, that helps its team greatly. Furthemore, while you cannot expect a tank to create snowball situations, it usually is one of the best duelist classes, albeit quite predictable and avoidable.

I'd love Riot to give tanks and bruisers better gold efficient items that scale equally to AD/AP items to late game, even if it meant a weaker mid-game.

Very Hard Engage3/11/2017, 2:21:08 PM2 votes

someone who has damage mitigation and works with a team to kill a target.

a tank should not bring damage, they instead bring utility and enable team mates to kill targets.

their primary goal should be a team setting.

And A Real Hiero3/11/2017, 4:23:07 PM1 votes

I used to love to run off to full tank builds on Guild Wars 1, 2 however completely killed the franchise for me. I enjoy using tanky dudes in most of my strategy games aswell.

GW: -High DPS, strong tank stats, small tank increase through abilities. -Teamwide tankbuffs, strong tank stats, low DPS. -Unkillable for certain enemies, low DPS, team dependant. -Allround high tank, with damage based on conditions (certain enemies immune to your skills).

AmazoX3/11/2017, 4:29:36 PM1 votes

Tanks are the heavy BIG HARD TO STOP enemies who'll take the whole world on just for the sake of their teammates.

GigglesO3/11/2017, 4:50:23 PM1 votes

{quoted}

Disclaimer: this is a discussion about Tanks in general, not necessarily just in League. But feel free to talk about League tanks as well, all discussion is welcome!

Long story short: How do you view the archetypal Tank?

Should live a longer than squishy champions by a factor of 10... Squishy dies in 1 (seconds) tanks survive for 10, squishy dies in 2, tanks die in 20.

RDhank3/12/2017, 6:51:26 AM1 votes

a tank is machine that shoot things

greekvandaL3/11/2017, 2:04:51 PM1 votes

Of course a big mofo model whise. For abilites usually low cost cc type of abilities who disrupt people movement and attacks a steroid ability that gives him something required for his kit to function wether its DMG MAGIC or simply RESISTANCES and his ultimates spells/ability be a long cd high impact spell that can turn fights around if the enemy dps has misspossitioned. that's what a healthy tank would be for me. The overall base dmg would be low but he will help set up his dps to do the dmg not do the dmg himself . Ofc his ultimate should have a bunch of dmg since its going ot be a high impact ability.

Aptest3/12/2017, 1:07:37 PM1 votes

A tank is a setup champions that creates for the carries the ability to fight "counter" champions by preventing (momentarily) both the ability of the counter to escape and the ability of the counter to engage on the carry.

Erockandroll3/11/2017, 2:25:42 PM1 votes

Over all, I would think most RPG type tanks resembling more closely to Juggernauts in League terms. That's probably in part because the player needs to be able to do solo quests as well. (and still needs damage)

In either case, The tank should be someone who is difficult to ignore. whether that comes from Damage or CC. That in mind, I would probably prefer more short lived CC, (who likes being stunlocked?) designed to keep enemies off the important carries. I'd say, think of a fighter with a Large two handed weapon, who swings so fiercely, that it knocks his opponents away. Or perhaps is able to hook the enemy (Darius' Apprehend) Combined short displacement with moderate damage and high durability.

Gregor Gysi3/11/2017, 4:18:03 PM1 votes

Tanks eat damage for their team, that's the only thing that is really important imo. I've played several games and things like CC/dmg of tanks varies heavily, so I don't mind that.

BTW, everyone that is about to say "but Juggernauts eat damage while not being tanks" - Juggernauts fullfill the role of a tank, although they are a subclass to "Fighters" and not "Tanks". That why "Assassin" class champions could still be tanks in the sense that they fullfill the role of one by building tanky and eating damage.