Tanking in Blade & Soul

[Fox]

This is just an unofficial Q & A write up. First off I want to say that pre 45 most dungeons feel like the concept of a tank is laughable in BnS. Most pre 45 dungeons are face-roll, with group combo attacks coupled with endless Cc means you can have any combo of 4 man or 6 man group and be successful. However, at 45 I started seeing the need for tanks for the first time. This is most likely due to the lack of gear. Those with all the ungraded Hongmoon gear blast through most challenges. At 45 end level you get your first small taste of "uh oh, i need better gear!." This is when TANKS come into play. However, due to the large amount of splash damage, or direct damage that TANKS in BnS can;t soak (like in WoW, Wildstar, EQ, etc) you need heals....thus we come to Summoner!

In my opinion & experience I put my support for Blade Master as the #1 tank in BnS, followed by the Summoner tank pet, and trailing at the end....yup...Kung Fu Master. You might say "Hey! why no love for KFM??" Don't get me wrong, i love KFM and its fun to play, however the amount of damage you take, and your inability to soak up damage, coupled with an almost unforgiveably short block time thats directed in a cone in front of you, and lack of self maintenance skills like Blade Master make tanking a horrible experience.

What are everyone else's thoughts or experiences with Kung Fu Master, Blade Master, or even Summoner pet in tanking dungeons?

At 45 you have to build for dungeons, meaning to maximize survival, you can't roll into the dungeon with your solo PvE build. Thats why we get extra books for skills (like WoW or Wildstar dual spec). If you have a dungeon team full of players who build for team dynamic it is really easy and fun. However, with randoms or people who don't have the NC Coin to get that extra spec unlocked, it can be a real challenge.

[Anti Hero]

I would have to say that Blade Master is the top tank when compared to a Kung-Fu Master simply because of a more forgiving block timer. I would have to put KFM in second place because they will have to move around more than a BM, but if played properly using your blocks when needed and taking full advantage of your iframes they can tank most situations without being touched. As much as I love my Summoner, I have to place the cat in third because our threat is on a timer. When our taunt skill ends there is a 2-3 second CD before we can taunt again, usually resulting in someone getting hit pretty hard because they weren't ready for the aggro switch.