Here's something i was discussing with some folks yesterday on IRC. Since the beta started, it's been clear that Shield Tanking is way more interesting and efficient than Armor Tanking in Dust 514. But in the current build, the difference is clearly more noticeable : With the high prices of the dropsuits and module, it is pretty obvious that tech II suits, with their enhanced base HP shield, regen rate and delay, and movement speed are the most interesting solutions.

Even if you go for higher type of suits, you'll still have the same amount of HP in shield and armor. And you will always choose shield tanking for a few reason that have a massive impact on the battlefield :

1) Repair rate :

Shield tanking offers a default repair rate that comes with the suits itself, a skill associated that can buff that rate by 15% and modules that will also allow for a pretty good raise.
Armor tanking on the other hand requires a module to get even the slightest repair rate, that's mostly ridiculous. 2,3 or 5 per Sec. It also offers a skill that can boost by 15% this rep rate but it's mostly useless for those modules and serves only for the Rep Tool.

=> If this kinda makes sense regarding the EVE universe, it creates a huge gap between the self-healing efficiency of those two style of play. If i can understand that armor rep rate are made low to avoid Heavies being fully independant war machines that repairs themselves fast, i'd say armor rep is really really too low.

=> Only perk of the armor rep modules is that it never stops repairing. When you get hit, there is no delay unlike shields. But, is it better to have to wait less than 5sec to then rep 30HP\sec ? Or to rep 5hp\Sec even when sustaining fire ?
Even worse, you can now shorten the shield regen delay with modules.


2) Movement penalty\bonus

Choosing to tank shield can give you a speed bonus when using T2 where on the other hand, every armor plate will reduce your speed. The penalty has even been raised recently if i'm not mistaken.

=> Again it makes sense and it's the same in EVE, but it's another disadvantage for Armor Tanking.

3) Damage efficiency

In EVE, one of the main difference between Shield and Armor is the difference of behavior they offer against various type of damage. Shield being better suited against kinetic (projectiles) and explosives (mostly) damage while armor are better suited to face heat and Em type of damage.

In Dust, those difference are already supposed to be working. But let's face it, i dont feel like my shield is very efficient against explosive damage. Or my armor tanks being better suited to face EM forge guns. Or tank shield being more vulnerable against those same FG.

=> Maybe this part could help to create a real balance between shield and armor tanking. But at the moment, it doesnt.

4) Slots.

One of the biggest advantage of Armor tanking is that it can free high slots so you can fit the damage mods. Thus armor tanking could lead to very powerfull units. Wich would somehow justify the need for more support regarding reparations, or transport ( heavies !).

But when you get to fitting, there's no way you can achieve that. Damage mods, and armor plates are gready in CPU\PG and as you use the low slots to tank, you don't really have the space to fit a CPU or PG enhancer. Or you would have to sacrifice an armor plate, wich means your tank will be mostly inexistant as the bonus HP they offer still remains way less interesting than what shield modules can offer.

Thus in the end, most people tend to choose the shield resilience and fast repair rate over the potentially high damage and so called resistance of an Armor Tank. Even when they use a class that's supposed to be armor tanked based.
This problem also affects vehicles. While armor tanked HAV are nearly too fragile, shield tanked HAV can become pretty much undestructible. HAV are the most extreme example of how unbalanced those two type of defense are.

So in the end, unless there are a lot of stuff to be added regarding shield and armor tanking that would balance this, i'd say that self armor repair module should receive a decent buff as well as armor plates. Or make it so that armor plates and rep are less CPU\PG consuming (wich would make sense imo) than equivalent shield modules. Also, we need to see a real difference of behavior against different damage types between shield and armor.

And you guys, what's your opinion on this ?