Defense

Staggering Force: This skill makes your Thrust attack interrupt the target. While it offers a generally useful enhancement by stopping enemy actions briefly, it is considered subtle and less impactful than other options. It is generally worth taking if you are investing in this tree.

Stance: Challenger: Activating this stance causes you to periodically taunt enemies around you, effectively making your character the primary target for enemies. Unlike other taunts with long cooldowns, this stance ensures enemies remain engaged with your character.

Blade Wall I/II: These skills increase your engagement limit and provide a damage bonus against stunned or prone enemies. In Tyranny, increasing engagement limit is less crucial than in other games because enemies are more prone to breaking engagement. However, engagement still discourages enemies from leaving melee, and you gain a free attack if an engaged enemy leaves. Blade Wall II is considered less useful than Blade Wall I due to Tyranny's smaller engagements, making it unlikely for three melee enemies to constantly attack your tank. This also has an anti-synergy with Stance: Challenger, as constant taunts make the engagement limit less relevant.

Pinning Strike: This attack, usable from stealth, roots enemies. It can be used as a distance attack (e.g., with a bow) to pull a group of enemies while isolating one for later. It is also effective against rogue-type enemies that teleport to squishier party members; by staying stealthed and striking them, you allow your party member to escape.