Introducing the Melee Vekkinator Mark 2.0 a.k.a. the Ultimate Hero Terratank (E/D)

Good damage, highly durable, enchants up 99% of the time, no micromanaging necessary (though initial micromanaging by locking him onto a target in the centre of a pile of mobs, then waiting for him to run in yields best results). Run this, and you will never use a warrior hero tank again.

Yeah yeah, it works with all elementalist heroes - but after you've seen the Vekkinator charge into the fray... none of the other elementalist heroes come close. XD

*thunder* *lightning* *drumroll*

Behold the jointly tinkered and stitched together mutant baby of Suicide Granny (Winter Firestorm), and the Nugget (Wren Brownfeather):

The Melee Vekkinator Mark 2.0 

OgpjksM8qRpC0CtCpOZDZiuCsXA

Skills
Earth Attunement
Aura of Restoration
Grasping Earth
Shockwave {Elite}
Crystal Wave
Shield of Force
Aftershock
Mystic Regeneration

Stats
Earth Magic [11] + [4]
Energy Storage [12] + [1]
Earth Prayers [6]

Gear

  • Superior Earth Magic rune
  • Blessed or Stalwart Insignia
  • Major or Superior vigor rune
  • Vitae runes to finish off 
  • Any melee weapon (felblade looks hilarious) with hct and +20% Enchanting + shield with Fortitude and -5/20% physical damage. 

Campaigns Needed
Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, Eye of the North (duh, it's Vekk! plus the skills, of course)

How to Use

  • Give the Vekkinator 2.0 a melee weapon. Being a very enthusiastic little fellow, the melee weapon ensures that he'll charge up to his foes and start beating them about the head with his glorious weapon, between PBAOE casting
  • Lock the Vekkinator 2.0 on a target, preferably one in the centre of a pile of mobs (just like you'd use an AOE spell)
  • Wait for the Vekkinator 2.0 to charge in and start stomping on stuff
  • Kill everything
  • Rinse and repeat
  • Seriously, that's all there is to it. The Vekkinator 2.0 is self-running, so if you can't be bothered/don't want to micromanage him past the initial pull, there is no need to.

Variants

  • None - this is the version Winter and I came up with after quite a bit of tinkering.

Counters

  • General Caster Hate
  • Not giving the Vekkinator a melee weapon (no, spears are not melee weapons)
  • Massive enchant stripping

Additional notes

Where have you tested this?
Winter has tested this just about everywhere. Vanquishes, HM missions, Elite areas, you name it. It's great.

Can humans use this?
Yes. It's pretty much dummy-proof, and unlike other terratank builds, doesn't require excellent timing. Just faceroll 3-4-5-6-7, renew 1,2 when needed, and 8 when taking a lot of damage.

A hero tank will NEVER be as good as a human one!
I think what you mean is they'll never be as good as a good human tank. ;) However, as a hero, this is pretty much the best tanking I've seen - and that includes most of the human tanks I've run with, terra or otherwise. And c'mon, Vekk melee = win!