So I started a new warder because I think the survivability will be a good one to get through ultimate for the first time but I’ve noticed something. Tank characters in early levels seem to be quite grindy and difficult to level. What do I mean by this? Well other classes get good movement skills and movement boost skills and they have good abilities that allow them to kite and do a lot of damage, staying out of range of some of the bosses and hero mobs more devastating attacks.
With the melee tank to do damage to the enemy you have to put yourself in the face of their most powerful attacks. Also every time I’ve tried to level a melee tank I have wound up chugging potions like they are water. Before level 50, at least to me, these seem like the hardest characters to level. Also they don’t tend to do as much damage as the caster and ranged characters in early levels.
Early game you will struggle with Grobles around the Burwitch Outskirts. It’s not impossible but it’s certainly around 20 times easier to pick a large AoE skill and level using that.
Almost all bosses are harder for melee tank char because of their death-puddle mechanic. Moving around is much easier, consequently making DOT type character more viable that direct hitter.
That said, I don’t think leveling is much different between characters because most mobs are quite weak (unless you are bleed warder vs skeletons)
I found sword and board quite strong throughout leveling - BUT grobble swarms were annoying. Ofc you can just run past them without concern if you are sword n board.
Thing is, you shouldn´t level as a tank. Early on, you will be just a bit tanky, and deal very little damage. As a result, fights are too long, and that bit of tankyness doesn´t help at all.
Better to level with a offensive setup. No need to get tanky up until level 65(ish/depending on your gear).
Echo this. Hold off on getting tanky abilities until you get to elite. Maybe grab like 1 point in Overguard just to have it on your bar and get used to using it, but really just putting on heavy armor and a shield is all you need to be suitably a tank in normal.
Hasn’t been my experience with this character. I spend more time running away or chugging potions, with or without shield. Tried overguard and while that helped a little I sacrificed the damage from having a two handed weapon and the bonus +1 to all skills in shaman.