Tanky Buff Classes?

[Lucky Charmz.5089]

Hello, I haven't played for several expansions and am just getting back into it! I remember when the chronomancer was added, it was the first build that really felt like a tank. I understand that tanks today are more tank/buff/healing hybrids, but most of the threads I've found are from 2022. What are the other "tank"-like classes/builds these days?

Thanks for your help!

[Chyro.1462]

Tanks usually also fill the role of being healers, and in PvE are only brought for toughness tanking encounters in specific raids. Chrono, firebrand, herald probably work quite well. Tempest can do it but suffers from low boon range if it has to stand opposite the boss from stack. Not sure about the other healers, these are the ones I'm familiar with.

[Lucky Charmz.5089]

Okay so chrono mesmer, firebrand guardian, herald revenant, and maybe tempest ele? 

Any others? How does engineer do? Seems like it would have defensives, boons, and healing like that. Also wondering about necromancer. 

Edited March 30 by Lucky Charmz.5089

[Mppa.3250]

It all comes down to what content you want to play, to the efficiency and the needed role. In WvW, unless we talk about small scale fights for fun with your friends, the meta has specific builds (only for some classes and specs) that will help the most your allies. You can find more about these in https://gw2mists.com/builds

While the same stands for PvE raids - for tanking bosses, the freedom there is a bit higher as your toughness can be adjusted and also the class and the build depends on the needed role (if the squad needs quickness, alacrity etc) and noone will care much so long you stay alive, do the mechanics, give the needed boons and heals, with chrono, fb, herald as Chyro wrote being the most popular.

For open world, for events, rifts, hero points, fun etc you can pretty much use any class you want as all of them can have a somewhat playable healtank version.

Necro in general, cant utilize other specs except scourge as healer, as only scourge has support traits, while engineer can be used either as heal tank mechanist or scrapper in pve - open world. Warrior could be used in theory with all 3 specs using staff, (with berserker being maybe the most practical) , ranger mainly using druid and thief as specter

 

 

Edited March 30 by Mppa.3250