Sunday 9 December 2012

Limited Mobility?

Do we miss leap or charge? This is something which is discussed every now and then, let me share my view in a nutshell. All tanks should be provided with some gap-closing abilities. And I'm saying they are. Vanguards have Harpoon and Storm, Jedi Knights have Force Leap and Guardian Leap, Shadows have Force Pull and Force Speed! There we go, two gap-closing abilities for each tanking class. Some say that Shadow tanks are the most limited movement-wise and their basic argument is:

'Guardians can leap, Vanguards can charge, but Shadows are screwed because Force Speed is not a proper gap-closer. It's not just a click'n'hit ability.'

I agree, you don't just target the enemy and tadaaa, there you are. Leaping or storming to your enemy truly can be effective, especially during fights like Firebrand & Stormcaller in the Explosive Conflict. However, if you learn to rotate your camera, strafe and jump, Force Speed is a far more flexible ability than Force Leap or Storm. There is a common knowledge that you need to learn to handle a Shadow in order to be an efficient tank – this applies here. You sometimes have to jump, change direction, but you don't need to target anything to be able to rush anywhere! Force Speed is not limited by your sorroundings and you can still use abilities while speeding. How comfortable it is to have Force Speed during Kephess encounter in Terror from Beyond when you need to cleanse yourself of the electric debuff. Additionally, Force Leap/Storm cannot be used on targets in cover, not to mention that it sometimes even messes up the bosses cast which might give those in charge of interrupting a hard time (the cast occurs again in 3 seconds if interrupted by such an ability). Yet, Force Leap or Storm can save you from falling in various occasions (SoA etc.) and offer a direct path toward your target even through AoE without practically 'stepping into that AoE'. And, of course, PvP is a totally different matter.

To summarize, I'm not trying to prove Force Speed to be better than Force Leap or Storm, I just wanted to point out that it definitely can be treated as a proper gap-closing ability even though it technically isn't. Feel free to question my statement, I'm always happy to discuss any mechanic.

A post focusing on survivability and cooldowns coming soon, until then...

2 comments:

  1. As someone with a Shadow Tank alt, I couldn't agree more. The first character I leveled was a Sentinel, so of course I was used to having Force Leap available. Especially during the early stages of playing my shadow, I would accidentally trigger my Force Wave ability, as it's on the same quickbar slot as my Sentinel's Force Leap.
    I guess what that would say most is that yes, it would have been nice to have, but then it's not really necessary for a Shadow Tank to be THAT up close and personal from the word go. As you pointed out, while you charge with Force Speed you can already trigger your ranged abilities. You'll make it to your target before you need to perhaps get a few melee strikes in to bridge the cooldown gap. So yes, Force Speed is definitely sufficient as a gap closer.
    And on a general note, thanks for starting this blog, I look forward to hearing (reading) your thoughts on everything regarding Shadow tanking. Also, thanks to Shintar for mentioning the blog. :)

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    1. Thanks for your comment :-)

      I will try my best to update this blog constantly with either practical information or just random personal thoughts.

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