When I first made this class there was a huge lack of information on the 4.5 mod Neverwinter runs on the XBOX for Guardian Fighters. What follows is what I have found keeps my Tank up and my group up as well as possible.
The primary goal I built this spec with was to mitigate as much damage as possible, including what Knights Valor is sending at me. The mechanic that I use for this is to be able hold my shield up almost indefinitely. Let’s be clear here, to survive the speed runs and massive pulls from CN my Guild runs I threw out any idea of being able to do damage. This build is all Tank and no spank.
Stats:
The primary stat is Constitution. Con equals HP and AP, ’nuff said.
Secondaries are STR and DEX; for which arguments can both be made. The added deflection chance and AoE resist does sound nice, but I opted for STR to help with holding threat and for the Stamina Regeneration.
Powers:
At Wills: Threatening Rush and Cleave. I love the no CD charge from Threatening Rush and the Mark helps out in a pinch when Enforced Threat is on CD. Other than that, At Wills won’t matter too much in the Dungeon because your shield will be up.
Encounters: Into the Fray, Knight’s Valor and Enforced Threat. Into the Fray is a beautiful thing for your DPS crew. It helps them run significantly faster to avoid enemy AoE, boosts their AP gain and a huge chunk of extra DPS based off of your own Damage Resistance. Knight’s Valor sends most of the damage your team would have taken to you instead and helps build a little threat, good deal there. Using Enforced Threat will give you 25% of your stamina back on use and Mark all enemies within a 30′ which will also play well with one of the Paragon Feats we’ll talk about next.
Dailies: Villain’s Menace is my personal favorite, when used right after Enforced Threat I doubt any enemy isn’t going to be focused on you. Not to mention the immunity to disabling effects for a short period, i.e. no more Dracolich hands or stuns. I also slot Fighter’s Recovery for that just in case moment.
Personal: Shield Talent helps you keep your shield up for an extended period of time, that along with the guard bonus we’ll get from our feats is invaluable. Enhanced Mark for the second personal, however, a strong argument can also be made for Guarded Assault. Personally, I like keeping all the enemies focused on me beyond a doubt.
Feats:
Action Surge: 5/5 More action points, sign me up.
Toughness: 3/3 More HP.
Armor Specialization: 5/5 AC and Defense buffed by 15%
Potent Challenge: 3/3 Threat Generation buffed by 15%
Ubiquitous Shield: 5/5 This will help you deal with the enemies that surround you and aren’t facing your shield.
I had 1 extra Heroic point left, spend it where you want. If you rolled a Human, I’d suggest Powerful Attack for Enforced Threat and Villain’s Menace.
Paragon: I chose Iron Vanguard. You can’t get Threatening Rush otherwise, however I see no difference in abilities used between either Paragons.
Protection:
Plate Agility: 5/5 Deflect increased by 5%
Shield Defense: 5/5 AC increased by 5
Shieldmaster: 5/5 Stamina lasts 10% longer
Brawling Warrior: 5/5 Increases your own DR by 5% and deals more damage and threat by 10% from Enforced Threat
Iron Guard: 1/1 Debuff enemies so they don’t hit as hard.
Tactician:
Fight On: Encounter CD’s reduced by 10%
Daunting Challenge: Marked targets now deal 10% less damage to your allies. This is big, total of 80% damage mitigation for your allies when added to Knight’s Valor.
Tyranny of Dragons Boons:
I used 800 HP, 200 Deflect, 200 Defense, 200 Regen and 10% increased incoming healing.
Companions:
If you can afford it, get yourself a Black Smith. Red Dragon Ioun Stones give you a Deflect bonus on top of active bonus. Pseudodragon’s will help keep that Shield up. Other than that, pic the stats you want.
Gear:
I use 2 of the Timeless Hero set for the 450 Deflection bonus and 2 of the Grand Regent set for the 450 Defense Bonus. These all have +100 Defense Reinforcement Kits. You can use the Draconic main hand/off hand set for the HP boost, but you’ll get far more Defensive Stats from the Ancient Set. Its somewhere around 900 more Defense and a noticeable increase in Deflection. Rings and Neck should be Ancient pieces adding Defense Deflect and Power. Plated Band of Constitution and Gemmed Shirt and Pants are a must.
As far as Gems go, I use Radiants in my offensive slots, Azure in my Defensive slots, and Dark Enchantment’s in my utility slots. It doesn’t make much sense to slot Dragon Hoard there because you won’t be getting many killing blows. A Soulforged Enchangment is a must no matter what class you’re playing and for my Weapon Enchantment I use a Holy Avenger to further increase my teams DR.
Set up like this my GS is 17.2 with 40,000 HP, 54% Damage Resistance and 29% Deflection change. This build is more than tough enough for any of the current content and will keep your group alive.
Cheers,
Balik@Darthmulvey