Leveling

As you level, the first thing you build up is . You will be using it a lot, which means it contributes to most of your damage and thus Threat. It also doesn't hurt that it has the second highest damage coefficient of all your skills. Not only does most of your damage come from it overall but it does the most damage vs. your other skills. The Tier bonuses are also better than most, but i'll cover that later.

The next thing you do is grab T4 . This is your other spammable Threat skill and contributes a surprising amount of damage/threat. It's also ranged, which makes it an excellent pulling skill. The T4 bonus doubles the effectiveness vs. packs, but canny Warriors can get multiple AoEs on single mobs by interposing resource nodes, critters and quest items.

Next up is . By this time you'll have worked your way up the Support AMP tree and unlocked this skill. You don't need to get to T4 right away, though. This skill is also spammable and so contributes a great deal to your survivability, particularly in groups without a Medic Healer.

You haven't gotten to L45 yet, so you can sink points into other skills while you can.

After that is T4 , because you know what's better than Grapple? TWO Grapples! Double the Interrupts, double the fun! My only gripe about the skill is that it needs to pull furthest targets first, like Collapse. This is especially important when you consider that it Pulls two mobs but mob packs typically come in threes. Yeah.

As you level up, just pick up the other skills as they unlock, but don't bother levelling them. Focus on and , in that order, all the way to T8. Spend the last points to cap T4 fill out to T3, get to T7 and toss the remaining 2 points into . Done!

I'm sure you have plenty of questions, but first - the AMPs!

AMPs

Pick any of the first 3 Tier 1 Support AMP lines to unlock Tier 2. Once you get there, pick Kinetic Buffer and Full Defense. You'll notice that this build doesn't rely on Finishers so you'll be pretty much maxed out on KE all the time. Yay for synergy.

"Y U NO Mk II Battle Suit?!" Because it's not readily available - good luck trying to find it, let alone buy it. If you do, go with that before the other two AMPs.

Next, grab Bolstering Strike, it's a no-brainer. After that, you should work your way up the Strikethrough chain in the A/S tree. The Tier 2 A/S AMP choices are essentially filler, but until Carbine comes up with better Hybrid AMPs (please do), they're the best of the bunch. The ultimate goal is Overwhelming Presence.

After that you can either go back and cap the Tier 1 Support AMPs or move on to the S/U tree to Reserve Power. Increasing Shield Capacity is important since the Warrior's Tanking Stance increases that value by 30%. Eventually, you'll have spent 51 points. Put the remaining 4 wherever. Sureshot and Vigor are probably the best choices, but they aren't very good ones.

Skills

So we've gone over what skills you want to have and how much you should invest in them. But I need to explain why I chose them and the best way to do that is to explain why I didn't chose the others or invest more into the ones I did. So let's start at the beginning:

: Nothing to see here, move along. It's everything a Tank could possibly want in a Builder. You will have this skill at T8 and because of that the rest of your skills will be compared against its T8 stats.

Which brings us to . Poor Jolt. Uses KE, has a CD and yet does less overall damage per charge than T8 . On top of that, its Tier Bonuses are sub-par. T4 debuffs Tech Resist, but most of your Threat comes from , a Physical skill. T8's Innate CD reduction is pretty neat, but it's too iffy to rely on. Innate use is also situational, so it's not like i'll use it every time it pops.

: On paper, this skill seems great - 30% mitigation with 38% uptime? WoW! But the reality is a tad bit different. See, this skill is a Channel on a CD, like . That means that if I have to Dash, Interrupt or use another skill while I Channel, I lose the rest of the skill. Words cannot describe the hatred I feel for this kind of skill mechanic. Do Engys have a CD on Electrocute or Particle Ejector? NO! Do Stalkers have a CD on Frenzy? NO!. They get 100% use out of their Channels, but for some reason Warriors are different. That we don't actually consume Resource is a crap justification. Oh, and the other Tank Channels do bonus Threat.

My Engy Tank can add 25% more Delfect Rating to the entire party 100% of the time with Unsteady Miasma which uses a single GCD every 6s, 9s if i'm feeling frisky. I don't have to worry about lost Channel time and I am free to keep spamming my Threat skills while it ticks. It also does respectable damage when you stack multiple AoEs on the target, close to the DPS on Flak Cannon but without the extra Threat.

The T4 Bonus is pretty useful, were it not for the above issue...and the T4 bonus for the Stalker's Frenzy, which beats it up and takes its lunch money.

T8 is downright insulting. The first thing you learn as a Tank (other than switch to Tank Stance when entering an Instance) is that you tank mobs AWAY from the rest of the group. No one should be standing behind the Tank, especially in a game where you can heal the Tank through the mobs.

. Sounds neat, huh? Big damage, high Threat and generates KE, wow! Well, not quite. I said at the start that you'll be comparing skills vs. Tier 8 . This skill scales poorly in comparison and is overtaken by by around Tier 6. You will not have this skill at Tier 7 or 8, so such comparisons are pointless.

Why? Because it sucks compared to other Tank proc skills. Warriors run with less Deflect than other tanks, leading to less uptime on this skill. The CD is 10s, not 8, which also means even less usage on this skill. The KE it generates is also useless because the Warrior's KE sinks are useless, unlike the Stalker Tanks and their use of Decimate + Steadfast to generate extra Suit Power. Finally, comparing its damage to the Engy's Feedback is just depressing, so i'll leave it at that.

: Wonderful skill, no real complaints other than the T8 Bonus; it's kind of weak. +7% of your total Armor is not the same as increasing Resist or Deflect. If you want, you can leave it at T7 and distribute the points elsewhere.

: The basic skill is fine - it's the Tier Bonuses that are broken. T4 is a throwback to the old days when Shield had 100% Mitigation. Obviously, it meant that Shields went down pretty often and so Tanks got a lot of use from this bonus. Now it doesn't and the value of the T4 bonus is questionable. Like T8 , you can leave it at T3 and distribute the points elsewhere.

T8 is godawful for the same reasons as T8 . If anyone is standing within 7m of the Tank (outside of specific encounter phases), they are doing something wrong. Its effect can be applied to up to 4 other allies...which would mean that in order to get full use from this bonus, your entire party would have to stand on top of you while you whack away at a boss. Clown Car Tanking ftw!

: Pretty straightforward, like it says on the tin. Only problem is that its base damaage is nominal - what would be the point of increasing nominal damage through Tiers? And why would the T4 Bonus simply be more nominal damage on top of it? Get back to me when this skill scales in damage comparable to . T8 isn't as useful as it sounds when you consider that this skill has no CD. Spending 5 points so that you can save yourself an GCD every once in awhile isn't what i'd call a good return on your investment.

: Just like , the damage it does is nominal, so why would anyone bother with more nominal damage? The Tier Bonus should increase duration of Intimidate (like the Stalker's Razor Storm), this is a no-brainer. And just like , the Tier 4 bonus is garbage. Tier 8 is also garbage because a threat boost makes for a lousy Tier 8 bonus in general and for this skill in particular - 4s of 25% more Threat every 30s? Really? That reminds me: why does this skill have a duration of 4s and the other two classes have 6s Intimidates?

Given how little damage this skill does, why even bother with the DoT? I’ve seen weapons and AMPs proc for more damage!

: This is actually a very useful skill; Tank mobility matters in Wildstar. At T4 it is clearly superior to, let me count the ways...

It's a mobility skill.
It's Instant - no mucking about with a Channel on a CD and being locked in a mediocre DPS/Threat skill.
It has comparable base Mitigation, yet also scales with each Tier.
I has a shorter average CD, split between 2 Charges.
It doesn't 'consume' KE beyond a single GCD of decay.
It has the same 3s buff - which amplifies the all the advantages above.

: The last is probably the worst of the bunch. Like , it was introduced when Shields had 100% Mitigation. Having a short CD skill that can only used on Shield depletion is like a bad joke nowadays. The joke gets funnier when you consider that using or even being in Tank Stance will actually inhibit the use of this skill!

T4 is teeth-grindingly bad for the same reasons as T8 . Really, Carbine? T8 is...for PVP? I'd never use this skill in its current state, let alone get it to T8, so it's a moot point.

Yes, this skill can be useful...in long boss fights without a Medic Healer. That's not good enough.

: No brainer. T4 is nice, but T4 is soooo much better. T8 is neat, but T4 does the same thing with an extra GCD and good timing.

: Another no brainer. Wonderful kiting tool. Applying the Taunt for the damage debuff right when the mob unloads their big AoE is a good idea even if you still have aggro, but I dunno exactly how useful the tactic is. Still, it's what I do - hey, it's a 15s CD, I gotta use it for something. That said, the T4 bonus is weak and the T8 bonus is nice but the points are better spent elsewhere.

: Nice skill, but Warriors have better options for PVE tanking. It's worth noting that Warrior Deflect is not only the lowest of all Tank classes but also has the worst synergy in the form of and the absence of Deflect-proccing AMPs.

: Wonderful skill. Useful and lolworthy. I just want it to hit furthest targets first.

: Mixed feelings about this one. Some say it's great, but when I use it, i'm not impressed. If it works for you, get it.

: Useful if you're the OT or if you're the DPS trying to give the Tank a hand. But if you're the only Tank in a 5 man instance, you don't need this.

: Nice skill, but not worth plowing through the Utility AMP tree to get it. Leave stuff like this to the Assault Warriors.

: Another nice skill, but the lack of mobility makes it kinda shady. I'd go with instead. Sure, the damage mitigation buff lasts for only 3s vs this one's 10s, but you get mobility and a shorter CD that means it's up when you need it to be. The T4 bonus for is also far superior to this skill's T4 bonus.

I try not to think about the fact that it applies to all allies inside the field, because the notion that other party members will be standing next to you while you tank is simply absurd. It gets worse vs. Bosses with large hitboxes like Stormtalon. Geometry is not this skill's friend.

: CC breaker skills are very powerful. But for Tanks it's something to swap in for particular encounters.

: Tethers are more of a PVP skill. Haven't come across a case where I have to pin a target down. Actually it's often the opposite - I need to reposition or kite the target.

AMPs

I won't go over all the AMPs, only the ones in the Support, A/S and S/U. So without further ado:

Support:
Impenetrable - Too situational, like pretty much anything to do with the Innate.

Fortify - Powerful, but confusing as all hell. We have this, but we also have skills built around Shield depletion. Carbine needs to make up their damn minds and clean this mess up. Until then, pass. Taking out 2 points elsewhere and adding your remaining 4 to get this isn't a bad idea. but be prepared to respec once Carbine gets it all sorted.

Also worth mentioning that like T8 , 25% increase in Armor typically works out to a net 7.5% damage reduction. Still powerful, but not as much as you'd think at first glance.

To the Pain - It auto-triggers and you don't die. Okay...but I think the Stalker's Last Stand AMP is superior, both for the Tank and the Healers keeping the tank up. The invulnerability buff for Last Stand is particularly useful since whatever killed you is probably still kicking you in the face. On top of that, the regenerating effect of Last Stand makes more intuitive sense to Healers instead of one giant jump in HP and then a steady trickle down. I'm not jealous at all.

A/S:
Lifesteal - Tanks don't do enough damage to make good use of this. Support Warrior levelling is a different story, though. Besides, the T8 bonus on is far superior, as it scales directly with SP, not overall DPS.

Stance Dancer - Stance Dancing as a thing is a relic of the old Vanilla Warriors, where they had to swap stances to gain access to all their skills (I was one of them, too). That's not the case in Wildstar, so the stance dancing requirement is gone. It's frankly too situational to waste on a AMP slot, let alone investing in it.

Sure Shot - Why is there an AMP at the end of an AMP chain that counteracts its effects? If I pick up Strikethrough, then Sure Shot procs less and becomes less useful. On top of this, dedicated Tanks will try to gear as close to the hit/Strikethrough cap as possible. Frankly, this AMP only makes sense if a) you are undergeared, or b) it's impossible to reach the cap passively through gearing.

Protip: When crafting Tank gear, use the Red Sockets for Strikethrough instead of trying to cram Tech or Insight into it.

Fury - Well, you will be taking damage, but you won't be dishing much out. Opinions on this AMP are mixed, which is reason enough for me to avoid it for now. Good for Support Warrior levelling/soloing.

S/U:
Anti Magic Armor - Lol, no. Snares are a distinctly PVP effect.

Vigor - Pretty good, actually. Taking damage that forces you to GTFO is a great time to suck up those heals. Not a bad spot to put your last 4 points.

Health Sponge - Another Beacon, this time triggered by dropping below 30% HP. If you get below 30% often enough for this AMP to be useful as a Tank, you've got problems that the Beacon isn't going to solve. Wipe is imminent, assume the position.

Bring It - Let me get this straight - 6 points gets me an effect where getting punched in the face TWENTY TIMES will give me a heal comparable to a single T8 proc? I don't think Carbine realizes how often I use and how often I get those sweet, sweet procs.

Spiked Armor - Too weak, especially for a Tier 3 AMP that costs 6 points. This is worse than a DoT because it depends on the speed of incoming attacks. Typically that means you'd have to tank 2 mobs at once to get the most out of the 1s CD. Very, very weak - i'm not even sure how it relates to the rest of S/U.

Gearing

Basic Stats, Secondary Stats, Stat Breakpoints, Diminishing returns on Ratings, Strikethrough/Crit Deflect Caps, Instance Downscaling Effects on Soak Stats, Crafting Tank Weapons and Glaciform Schematics, Runes

The

"Pulling" refers to the initial positioning of mobs relative the Tank. Specifically, the refers to the target's initial behaviour once they enter combat. A good pull means they do what you want when you get their attention and a bad pull means the opposite.

This is particularly important for melee Tanks like the Warrior. If the targets are all kept close together and in range, Threat can be applied most efficiently and the DPS has a grand old time. If you're caught out in the open and get attacked by ranged mobs spaced far apart, you're in for a very hard time.

There are three chief considerations when pulling: Patrols, Spacing and Ranged Mobs.

Patrols should be pulled first if possible, since they always present the risk of chain-aggroing nearby mobs.

As mentioned above, spaced mobs are bad for melee Tanks like Warriors - use a tactic that gets them close together.

It's the same for ranged mobs - they won't come into your loving embrace by themselves, sexy beast though you are. You need a way to "persuade" them to do so.

Let's look at the variety of pulling options available to Warriors:

+ LOS: A classic approach usually used with some sort of ranged weapon by the tank or designated "puller". The Tank then hides behind some terrain feature that breaks line of sight (LOS) to the mob. The mob or pack will then make a beeline to the Tank by the shortest route possible. It's a classic because it takes care of all three cases - patrols will approach you in a predictable manner, spaced mobs will close ranks as they approach the same point and ranged mobs will run at you to try to get a clear line of fire.

The chief drawback of this method is that the rest of your party needs to cooperate. The pulled mobs have no Threat on them so a trigger happy DPS can easily ruin the entire pull and by extension your day. As such, use of this tactic in PuGs is contraindicated.

: A good method, but keep in mind that it only Pulls 2 of the closest targets; Collapse it isn't. All too often you'll find yourself stuck in with 2 melee mobs and want to snag that third ranged mob sitting in the back, only to find that you've just lassoed the mobs already in melee. Bonus Frustration Points if you were trying to land an Interrupt on the ranged mob. If you use this skill to pull, be sure to get it right - even with two Charges it's all too easy to mess it up by repeatedly Pulling the same two mobs.

+ LOS: Another solid method. The pro is that you've actually got decent Threat on the target so it's harder to mess up the pull, particularly if it's a pack. The con is that the range on the skill is less than and the AoE applied can aggro nearby mobs - it's not as precise. Overall, it's probably the safest type of pulling and is my most popular choice.

: Ah, the ever-popular Charge pull. Since this method often brings you out of range of the Healer, it's typically associated with speed runs with overgeared players. The unique advantage of using is the substantial 3s damage mitigation buff it applies. Charging also gives the Tank something of a head start in generating Threat - if the rest of your party doesn't know you're engaging the mobs until you've already started smacking them around, then it's less likely they're going to screw it up. This is in contrast to the LOS-based methods above. The main drawbacks are that this type of pulling only works on melee packs or solitary mobs and leaves the Tank out in the open, exposed to any nearby patrols. Other than speed clearing, this method is also used to pull Bosses, as they also are largely solitary, stationary and have no nearby patrols.

Rotations

Ideally, the Warrior Tank should use a Skill priority system where more important or appropriate skill are used over others. The reality is that so many Warrior skills and AMPs are subpar or flat out broken that managing skills is literally too easy.

There is no Resource Management since you have no viable Resource Dumps.

There is no prioritizing Proc Skills because