Tanks in Lineage 2: Phoenix Knight, Hell Knight, Eva's Templar and Shilen Templar
The tank in Lineage 2 bears the blow. This is a role without which raid bosses cannot be defeated and castles cannot be taken: if a mob hits a healer or mage, the group will scatter in a few seconds. Hence the demand for knights on any server.
- The tank's task is to transfer blows to itself, and not to cause damage.
- All four tanks differ in their set of defensive skills and character.
- A tank is needed for bosses, sieges and large groups; in solo he is slow.
- The best investment for a tank is armor and shield, not weapons.
What does a tank do
The main tool of any knight is aggression: the skill forces a mob or boss to switch to a tank. Then heavy armor with a shield, blocking with a shield and the group’s defensive skills come into play. There are four tanks on the servers of the classic chronicles - one for each combat race, and they all appear as the third profession of the knight.
Phoenix Knight - human
Paladin development: heavy armor, shield and protection with holy magic. Phoenix Knight is considered the most “group” tank: he has skills that reduce damage throughout the group, and he is the best at stopping epic bosses in raids. Weakness - low damage: solo Phoenix Knight takes a long time to kill mobs, but almost never dies.
Hell Knight - human
Second human branch: Dark Avenger grows into Hell Knight. This is an aggressive tank: he has a summoned pet that helps in battle and distracts mobs, and some of his skills return his own damage to the enemy. In PvP, Hell Knight is more unpleasant than his brothers; in pure tanking, he is inferior to Phoenix Knight.
Eva's Templar - light elf
Temple Knight Development: Fast, accurate, with elven magic support. Eva's Templar combines the role of a tank with healing the group and moves and casts noticeably faster than other knights. A good choice if you don't have a healer in your group: this tank itself partially covers this hole.
Shilen Templar - dark elf
Shillien Knight Evolution: A tank that drains life from enemies and applies debuffs. It is durable due to vampirism and is useful where you need to weaken the target, and not just stand under attacks. In terms of pure defense it is slightly inferior to a human, but does more damage.
The hard side of the role
- Solo play: the tank is slow to level up, especially at low rates, and often needs help.
- Dependence on the group: without a healer and buffer, the tank lives, but farming turns into work.
- Expensive equipment: armor, shield and sharpening cost money, but they last a long time.
- Responsibility: on the boss, it is the tank that keeps order in the group, and the whole party sees mistakes.
Should a newbie buy a tank?
If you play in a group or are going to join a clan, yes: tanks are always needed, they are taken into raids and sieges first of all. If you play two hours a week alone, tanking will feel like a punishment: choose a fighter, an archer, or a dwarf.
For information on how servers are generally divided according to the pace of the game, read the article “Lineage 2 server rates”, and it’s easier to find a group on a live server from top by votes.
Questions and answers
What is the best tank in Lineage 2?
For raids and protecting the group - Phoenix Knight, for PvP and aggressive play - Hell Knight, for fast play and supporting the group with healing - Eva's Templar, for weakening and vampirism - Shilen Templar. The result depends on the assembly and equipment.
Can a tank farm alone?
Maybe, but slowly: knights have low damage, so farming comes at the expense of survivability. Usually tanks play in parties or agree on a permanent group - this is both faster and more interesting.
What should I pump up the tank first?
Heavy armor, a shield and their sharpening - the whole role depends on protection. The tank's weapon is secondary: it is more important for him not to kill, rather than to die and hold the target.
Live Lineage 2 servers with start dates, rates and player voting: