Firstly, lets review. There are essentially three types of tanks. There is the run of the mill meat shield, which is a player who will be primarily using the Shard of Valor. There is a physical bruiser tank, who will be using the Shard of Iron Will. Then, there is a magical tank, who will be using the Shard of the Arcane Guardian. Each has a different style and

A Mage Tank is a Tank that will utilize magical abilities as well as defensive abilities. They will walk a fine line between the two. The Mage Tank has decisions to make in terms of gear. The first, they’ll need to have magical abilities as well as defense, so the easy decision to make is weapon. Because they’ll need to have a shield with Defense, it’s best that they go ahead and take a metal shield. However, they can take either a Club or a Runeblade for the magical power. Finally, it’s best to take the defensive gear that is available. You could opt to split it and go with a circlet instead of helmet, but it is advisable to stick within the tanky stuff.

To build the mage tank, you’ll need to really look at specific shards and abilities that compliment the Shard of the Arcane Guardian. Fortunately, that shard has Taunt as a discard mechanic, so you’ll still have the ability to sacrifice and not impede it. Because of this, the Shard of Vampirism is the way to go. Drain (Sacrifice) will allow you to replenish your health as you lose it, where needed and you’ll have the magical ability to make it worthwhile.

Don’t fall into the trap of going for a damaging Shard as the 3rd one. You’ve got three really potent magical spells on the Shard of the Arcane Guardian and on the Shard of Vamprism. Your next best bet is to go for the Shard of the Bulwark for the ability Incite (Equip), which will force every enemy you basic attack to attack you for one turn, or to go for a hybrid healer shard like the Shard of Resurrection, the Shard of the Cleric, or the Shard of Mending. The 3rd Shard really needs to be something that offers you utility because you already have damage and self-sustain in the first two Shards. By opting for a healer Shard as the 3rd Shard, you can allow your healer to do more damaging things that will make the party stronger.