GearThe desirable properties on gear for tankers are mainly %hp bonuses,% TAV (total armor value increased),+hp bonuses and +All Attributes/Strength/Will for reduced feeds and thus more points invested in Stamina.Out of those:
-%hp bonus properties have Stamina feeds,based on property grade (common/rare/legendary) and item level.Since it's the stat Guards will invest all leftover points in,it's a welcome feed.
-TAV properties have Strength feeds,also based on property grade and item level.Since Strength is needless for tankers,massive Strength feeds are to be avoided.
-+hp properties will have Stamina feeds,based on property grade and item level.
-+Stat properties have Stamina feeds,being half of the number they provide to a stat.So +10 Strength will add 5 Stamina feed,and so forth.
-+AA properties have Stamina feeds,being double of their own number.So a +10AA will add 20 Stamina feed and so forth.
Leveling gear and Surgecasters extraordinaireAny armor pieces that loosely follow the above guidelines should suffice for leveling as a Guardian,even more so if the area of choice is Stonehenge.However,the weapons that seem to need their own subsection as they are often overlooked are
Surgecasters.
Specifically (and especially in Stonehenge),a simple tanking/kiting process in conjuction with one or two Surgecasters can arguably become the easiest way for a solo Guardian to grind for exp.
This process is showcased in the following video:
Endgame: Full set,3-5 pieces or no setThe Guardian set armor can be found here:
http://www.hellgateaus.cyou/wiki/Angelic_Armor_SetThe full set is often seen as an affordable choice for a decent tanker,and the +1 to all Guardian skills is an appealing part of the full set bonus.This property by itself on a legendary helmet would yield massive Strength feeds,whereas in this case it is a free bonus.
However,it is noteworthy that the currently best Guardians either use a well-augmented set (that is,with properties discussed above) or legendaries and specific augmented uniques.In a condensed form:
Set pros: Relatively bearable feeds on individual pieces, decent properties on individual pieces, useful free set bonuses such as +120hp & +80 pp,+1 to all skills and so forth.
Set cons: Many pieces lack multiple desired properties or have them in low amounts. Availability and price of the torso (and possibly other pieces) may make the set acquisition a difficult task, even more so if one wishes to augment pieces for more desired properties.
Legendaries/uniques pros: More availability and high chance that pieces will have most/all the desired properties for much better results. Uniques may have some properties twice (such as TAV) and thus augmenting for perfect results may be much easier.Some uniques also provide points in skills.
Legendaries/uniques cons: Hunting for specific properties in specific grades may be very time-consuming,and needless properties such as Thorns may carry equally needless Strength feeds.+1 to all skills through a legendary helmet will likewise have tremendous feeds,as mentioned earlier.
Noteworthy set/unique armor pieces include:-
Set torsoAn amazing 245 base armor,TAV,+hp and decent feeds.May need a %hp bonus augment,but still a choice to consider.
-
Set leggingsGood base armor,TAV,+hp bonus,+AA and 1 point in a random skill.Lacks a hp%,but it can save 1 skill point and
possibly provide Stampede.-
Signo VincesGood base armor,+hp bonus,one or two TAVs and +AA to lower feeds.Also lacks a %hp bonus.
-
Sol's InvictusGood base armor,one or two TAVs.Lacks a %hp bonus,but
saves 2 points in Aura of Defense.-
Warrior BeltOne or two TAVs,+hp bonus.Lacks %hp bonus,but
saves 2 points in Aura of Renewal.So to return to the initial question,there can be no definite answer as augments on any pieces,feeds on legendaries and available skillpoints can vastly vary.The only solid conclusion that one can draw is,
the clean set may be a decent choice,but a well-augmented set or a set/legendaries/uniques combo can yield vastly superior results due to the total number of desired properties available.To provide a point of reference,here is a demonstrational video in Hell Shadow Pass.
Weapons and shieldsWeapons and shields get their own section,as the weapon sets usually used and some specific choices are noteworthy.
The tanker will not be inflicting damage,therefore the weapon should provide armor,skills and in the case of the "runner set",movement speed.Of course,massive feeds are ever to be avoided.
Shields: The desired properties discussed earlier still apply to shields,but with the noteworthy remark that "+1-3 to X skill" properties yield massive Strength feeds and are thus to be avoided.Usual choices for shields include:
-
Keeper of the North StarLower base armor than later shields but still decent,
provides a +1 to all Guard skills.-
Hyeonmoo's Iron ShieldGood base armor,7-11% hp bonus,
provides 2-5 points to essential skills.Main set weapons: The idea of main set weapons is to provide useful properties for tankers.In accord with this,weapon choices include:
-Wart's Peg Leg
Minimal feeds,it is among the very few weapons in the entire game that provides armor (in this case,55).The amount of armor increases with the number of enchants on it (ie,188 at +7),which in turn are very cheap due to the item being a very low level common weapon.
-
Yahtel's FistProvides 175 armor,which is not improved with enchants but it rivals the armor provided by a +7 Wart's Peg Leg.Not often preferred due to higher feeds.
Runner set: The runner set is one that players switch to for increased speed,which may be very useful in a number of situations.The set consists of:
-
Alt's Hack-
Shinn's GuardIf one's Accuracy feeds allow it,one may use 2 Alt's Hacks instead for more points in Sprint.
Cast set: Many classes use cast sets for skills in which they don't wish to invest points.For Guardians,such skills may include:
-Prayer of Healing
-Great Defender
-Stampede
-Challenge/Denounce/Auras (in which case the cast set needs to be the active set throughout a whole boss encounter)
