I've noticed when people talk about usefulness, they talk about 6-mans. That's fine. But most pvp that most people experience isn't 6-man pvp, it's pugs! Sure, many SCs have a 6-man in them...but what about the rest of the people in the match? What about those delicious BW/Sorcs sitting the back getting raped by WL/Maras? Its only going to get worse for them in T3/T4 when WLs get Pounce, WE/WH become useful, Maras get their pull, etc. They need help. They need a big tough mofo who can disable threats, while also tearing them to pieces.
I believe with the right build and gear 2H tanks can fill a "new" type of roll in SCs/RvR: 'Backlines Bodyguard'. With such a different build from usual tanks, they will fulfill this role better than an MDPS (who would be wasted babysitting the back), and a typical 6-man SnB tank who should be in the front-lines assisting The Slayer/Choppa faceroll train, or fighting the mirror 6-man group.
2H tanks, when properly built, are basically MDPS who do not need to be guarded/babysat with the trade-off that less dps is being dealt to non-Taunted targets. The key word here is properly built: this means no goddamn Focused Offense. It translates to you taking +30%+ more physical damage for +15% more damage dealt. A great talent in duels/roam versus casters, but for general SC/RvR not so much.
What is the build?
- Focuses on Strength > Toughness > WS. You build like a DPS, but available tank gear always has toughness on it. You should have more Toughness than an MDPS, but less STR/WS overall.
- Run DPS Tactics, but NO FOCUSED OFFENSE. It ruins your survivability. Rugged is good too if you only have one decent DPS Tactic. SM have 2 fantastic DPS Tactics in T2, Ensorcelled Agony and Deep Incision.
- When Reknown Ranks are finished, focus on a mix of Defensive (Reflexes, Trivial Blows) and Offensive (+Str, +Crit) ranks.
- Always run Champion's Challenge M1. SMs can run Wings of Heaven when available, otherwise use Raze for burst.
- Negate MDPS who make it to backlines.
-Primary responsibility. In most cases, the enemy MDPS will tunnel someone in your backline and may or may not be assisted by some RDPS. This allows you to Taunt him and do some pretty nuts damage as long as he stays Taunted. You will get Detaunted, but so will everyone else. This is where 2H tanks come in handy - using Challenge (-30% dmg dealt) + Dragon's Talon (-20% dmg dealt), you can effectively 'Detaunt' any MDPS, in addition to Guarding his target. This forces the MDPS to turn and face you, or just sit and not do any real damage to anyone. Because you're smart and didn't forsake Toughness and you don't run Focused Offense, you can safely Guard an ally from 1-2 enemy DPS without exploding. In addition, you can use Champions Challenge M1 to effectively negate anything they can do to anyone for 10s (assuming it works). Couple this with the huge amount of stats you generate from Nature's Blade, perma-snare, +50% build-up (only good for MDPS channeling) and rock-solid DPS, you can keep your squishies safe and sound without stressing your healers too much. - Assist 6-man deathball by harassing enemy backlines.
-Secondary; you will only be able to do this if your deathball is better than theirs. Since you naturally take 50% less damage from physical, you can saunter up to enemy backlines amidst your 6-man Deathball (don't go solo - you have no Detaunt) and harass enemy squishies. As previously stated, well-built 2H tanks deal considerable damage versus Taunted targets. Being able to tie up a healer and force him to run prevents him from being able to stand still and chain-cast AoEs, which can create an opening for your deathball to swing on through. If you get detaunted, great! This allows your deathball DPS to swap to that healer and explode them. You can also use your M1 to root an enemy tank/healer that got punted as your deathball chases the enemy healer. Note: Guarded 2H tank makes for a real tough SoB, so if your non-deathball SC group has a tank in it, take advantage. - Roam and backcap.
-2H tanks with a good build perform extremely well in small 2v2, 3v3 skirmishes, and as such is perfect at backcapping. While you do well 1v1 versus most classes, the real 1v1 classes (Healers, Mara) will eventually beat you. Partner up with a buddy and go steal points away from the zerg/deathball!
