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Intro

This overview and comparison guide should help you to better understand the differences between the three tanking classes. Links and logos come from wildstar.gamepedia.com, and Jabbithole.com which both contain data for everything Wildstar.

Quick Overview

Race

Abilities

Amps

Stat Alignment

Quick Overview

Engineer Engineers use a resource called “Volatility” that builds up with use of their abilities or AMPs, and spends it to use more powerful threat and/or defensive abilities. They have access to many bots however only two can be used at one time, or you can choose to use none depending on your play-style. Your tanking Innate Mode: Provoke grants bonus health, resistance, and threat. On use it reduces damage taken, gains volatility, and puts on a EXO-SUIT.

Stalker Stalkers use a resource called “Suit Power.” Suit power starts out at maximum and slowly regenerates over time. You have abilities to gain some suit power and many abilities to spend it. Your tanking innate Nano Skin: Evasive grants bonus deflect, resistance, and threat. On use you enter a stealth (currently a 25 second cooldown) that gives you access to several stealth only versions of some of your abilities. When exiting stealth Nano Skin: Evasive grants you 15% damage reduction.

Warrior Warriors resource is called “Kinetic Energy.” Kinetic Energy builds up using abilities or AMPs. It decays over time as you stop using Kinetic Energy builders. Abilities do not spend or cost Kinetic Energy, however they require a threshold to be met to allow access to most abilities. Having a high amount or max Kinetic Energy allows for more powerful versions of most abilities. Your tanking innate Stance: Juggernaut grants bonus maximum shield, resistance, and threat. On use it stops Kinetic Energy from decaying, and reduces damage taken. It also reduces your damage done, but brings up your threat to match. A tank specific ability, at max level, can reduce the cooldown of this innate.

Engineer Stalker Warrior crowd control ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ Range ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ Self-Defense abilities ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ Party/Raid Defense abilities ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★★ Mobility ★★ ★★★★★ ★★ Crowd control resilience ★★★ ★★ ★★★

*Stars are based on 21 each as to give favoritism. No class specs can ever be perfectly balanced. My rating are a opinion passover by me and not necessary viable in the coming months and are subject to change

Race

Classes are limited to race however there are no race buffs, so your race is purely cosmetic.

Dominion

Exile

Human

Human Granok

Granok Aurin

Aurin Mordesh Abilities Abilities are broken down into three different categories, Assault, Support and Utility. Assault are damage abilities, Support are tanking (or healing) abilities, while utility abilities offer crowd control and offensive/defensive buffs. Most abilities use Wildstar’s telegraph system for aiming purposes, below are some of the first support and utility abilities of each class. Check out wildstar.gamepedia.com, Jabbithole.com, and Ws-base.com for full detailed information on all abilities. **Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.

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Engineer

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Support abilities

Bruiser Bot The bruiser bot is your first support ability. Unlocked at level 4. When activated and set to help you the busier bot will deal melee damage. When you use his ability “Blitz” he will jump into the fray taunting and interrupting. He can be easily re-summoned if he dies during an encounter.

Hyper Wave Unlocked at level 9. This is the Engineers Intimidate. Note this is the shortest intimidate of the three classes and available far earlier then the other two classes. This is also the only intimidate, at base tier, that also increases your threat during the duration. Also check out Code Red, the Engineer’s taunt, also different then the other two classes.

Flak Cannon Unlocked at level 9. Flak Cannon is your “spammer” or “builder” ability. This is a channeled ability that deals damage and bonus threat every tick along with gaining Volatility.

Unsteady Miasma Unlocked at level 11. The first telegraph is used for aiming. The second is a damaging field that also reduces your enemies chance to hit you.

Disruptive Module Unlocked through AMPs. This is a two second casted ability that puts damage over time on your enemies that will also restore party and your own shield.

Utility Abilities

Urgent Withdrawal Unlocked at level 6. This has two charges. On use this will deal damage, provide a snare, and propel you eight meters backwards.

Recursive Matrix Unlocked at level 9. This creates a twenty meter field around you that provides deflect and crowd control resilience to your party members.

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Stalker

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Support abilities

Nano Field Unlocked at level 6. On first press this creates a damaging field around you. The second use will deal a larger amount of damage all at once. 25% of the damage done will be converted into life-steal.

Whiplash Unlocked at level 9. Your tanking “spammer.” Higher tiers regenerate dash tokens, and provide some suit power regeneration.

Razor Disk Unlocked at level 11. This is the longest range stalker ability at thirty meters. It deals damage and provides a armor expose.

Nano Virus Unlocked at level 15. This is a single target ability that greatly reduces the critical hit severity of the target.

Amplification Spike Unlocked through AMPs. This ability will create a buff field on the ground. You, or any party member, can stand in this field to gain a large increase to deflect chance.

Utility abilities

False Retreat Unlocked at level 6. The first press will leave a marker on the ground while sending you back fifteen meters which will remain on the ground for five seconds. When activated again this will return you to your marker, deal damage, interrupt, and knock down your enemies.

Pounce Unlocked at level 9. This is the longest movement ability of any of the three tanking classes. On use it will send you to the nearest foe in your telegraph or twenty-five meters forward if you hit nothing. It also provides a snare to your targets and a self speed buff.

Reaver Unlocked at level 9. Using this taunt will force targets to attack you for four seconds at base level. At tier eight this has a chance to reduce your support ability cooldown timers.

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Warrior

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Support abilities

Menacing Strike Unlocked at level 6. Your tanking “builder” or “spammer.” At tier eight this has a chance to heal you.

Jolt Unlocked at level 9. This ability fires a missile from your arm cannon. At tier eight this will apply a technology expose and has a chance to reduce the cooldown on your innate ability.

Plasma Wall Unlocked at level 13. This reduces your damage taken by 30%. At tier eight this ability can project and apply its effects to other players in your group.

Polarity Field Unlocked at level 15. This creates a damaging field on the ground on up to two targets. At tier eight you can stand in the field to gain a armor bonus.

Bum Rush Unlocked at level 27. This ability is not gained until a later level, however it is the only support mobility ability. This send you forward as well as providing a damage reduction buff.

Bolstering Strike Unlocked through AMPs. This restores shield on a very short cooldown. At tier eight this will also restore shield to nearby party members.

Utility Abilities

Plasma Blast Unlocked at level 9. This is the longest range taunt of the three classes. Upgraded tiers restore shield.

Defense Grid Unlocked at level 21. This creates a large buff field on the ground that reduces damage taken.

AMPs

Wildstar allows you to fully customize your character. AMPs let you pick up passive buffs or grab additional abilities. They give you the option to grab from any spec regardless of what role your playing. I will go over the “support” or tanking tree AMP’s. Keep in mind that you will not just be using this tree but possibly all six for specific AMPs. The first tier of AMP’s are the same for all classes. Link to <Pulse>[EU] guild full AMP location spreadsheet.

Engineer AMPs

AMP Name Tier Point cost Description Deflect Critical Hit I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Critical Hit Chance by 2% each. Support Power I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Support Power by 2.5% of your current maximum each. Deflect I,I,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Chance by 1% each. Reroute Power 2 4 Taking damage grants a 10% chance to gain a absorb shield for 10.0s. Enmity 2 4 Landing a hit grants a Threatening for 3.0s. Can only occur every 5.00s.

Threatening: Increases Threat Generation by 25%. Quick Restart 2 4 Reduces Shield Reboot Time by 2.00s. Rejuvenating Rain 2 4 When you deflect an attack, restore health to self and 2 allies within 5m. Repeat Business 2 4 When your attack is Deflected, grants a Defense for 5.0s.

Defense: Increases Deflect Critical Hit Chance by 9.6%. Boosted Armor 3 6 On Taking a Heal grants a Defense for 5.0s.

Defense: Increases Armor Rating by 12.5%. Try and Hurt Me! 3 6 While between 30 and 70 Volatility, grant 1 stack of Try and Hurt Me! every 0.5s. Reaching 5 stacks of Try and Hurt Me! restores health. Disruptive Module 3 2 Unlocks the Disruptive module ability

Stalker AMPs

AMP Name Tier Point cost Description Deflect Critical Hit I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Critical Hit Chance by 2% each. Support Power I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Support Power by 2.5% of your current maximum each. Deflect I,I,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Chance by 1% each. Empowered Attack Mastery 2 4 Landing a hit while in Nano Skin: Evasive has a 20% chance to restore shield Regeneration 2 4 When dropping below 35% health you restore health. Can only occur every 30s. Don’t Call it a come back 2 4 When below 35% health summon a clone that deals damage, and taunts. Can only occur every 2 minutes. Forbearance 2 4 Forbearance Deflecting an attack grants a stack of Forbearance for 6s.

Forbearance: When the stack count reaches 6, Forbearance is consumes and heals you. Avoidance mastery 2 4 When you Dash gain a Defense

Defense: Reduces the damage you take by 6% for 6s. Last Stand 3 6 When dropping below 1% HP gain a Invulnerability.

Invulnerability: Next 3.5 secs you cant be killed and you recover health. Can only occur every two minutes. Amplification Spike 3 2 Unlocks the Amplification Spike Ability That’s All you got? 3 6 While above 70% HP gain a defense.

Defense: Reduces Damage taken by 10%

Warrior AMPs

AMP Name Tier Point cost Description Deflect Critical Hit I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Critical Hit Chance by 2% each. Support Power I,II,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Support Power by 2.5% of your current maximum each. Deflect I,I,III 1 1,1,1 Increases Deflect Chance by 1% each. Full Force 2 4 Landing a hit has a chance to gain threaten for 8sThreaten: Increases Threat Generation by 25%. Can only occur every 15s MKII Battle Suit 2 4 When taking physical or technology damage you have a 10% chance to restore health. Can only occur every 3s. Impenetrable 2 4 Bulwark now grants 2 Interrupt Armor Kinetic Buffer 2 4 Above 500 Kinetic Energy gain a DefenseDefense: Increase damage mitigation by 4.5% Full Defense 2 4 Above 500 Kinetic Energy gain a DefenseDefense: Increase Deflect and critical deflect by 5% Fortify 3 6 Above 50% shield gain a Defense.Defense: Increase Armor by 25% of your current maximum. Bolstering strike 3 2 Unlocks the Bolstering Strike Ability To the Pain 3 6 Taking damage that would kill you instead restores health, but drains health every second for 15s. Can only occur every 5 mins.

Stat Alignment

Engineer

Brutality

0.25 Strikethrough Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Finesse

0.37 Assault Power

Moxie

0.50 Critical Chance Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Tech

0.37 Support Power

Insight

0.50 Deflect Critical Hit Rating

0.25 Deflect Rating

Grit

14 Base Health

Stalker

Brutality

0.50 Assault Power

Finesse

0.25 Strikethrough Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Moxie

0.50 Critical Chance Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Tech

0.37 Support Power

Insight

0.50 Deflect Critical Hit Rating

0.25 Deflect Rating

Grit

14 Base Health

Warrior

Brutality

0.37 Assault Power

Finesse

0.25 Strikethrough Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Moxie

0.50 Critical Chance Rating

0.50 Critical Severity Rating

Tech

0.37 Support Power

Insight

0.50 Deflect Critical Hit Rating

0.25 Deflect Rating

Grit

14 Base Health