Damage fighter as good as lockdown fighter?

[Second Batch]

So my fighter is 4th or 5th dwarf with knockdown, defender modal (+2 engaged, +Deflect for slower attack) , improved defender modal (more deflect and 10 to the other defenses), a flail that restores some end on a hit, the smith's door shield, and some other toughness pick I can't remember (main & shield maybe).

She's not flashy, but she can buttplug a door like a pro, and when things go wrong and we have foes from two directions, she can pretty much tie up half of the goons.

My paladin and the ranger's stag usually plug the others, while my ranger with the slowest crossbow slays a dude every time she happens to get around to it, and my theif with double dirty fighting also pin cushions with the fast bow.

Anyway, the engagemnt fighter's so good at what she does, I'm wondering how a damage build could even be close to as good at killing. The description for fighter says they're equally reliable at both.

What damage fighters are you guys using, if any, and why wouldn't you just go barbarian?

[Erei]

I'm not using a damage fighter per say, but a barbarian and Eder as tank. Eder's damage is really crappy, like 7dmg when crit. But he is a real tank, and can take a beating like it's nothing.
I use my barb and Pallegina (a paladin) as offtank. They both have 2handed, are damage oriented, with a bit of survival stuff/perks, but not really much. They certainly can't take as much, by a large margin, but their damage is much higher.

While a damage tank might hold in late game when it's easier thanks to stuff and whatnot, I'm pretty sure he will not at the beginning of the game.
Also, bosses like the Caed Nua end boss, the endgame boss, and bounties will be a pain without a dedicated tank.

As for damage fighter vs barbarian, I think the barb win. If only because of frenzy. They also have carnage, for AoE every time they hit, and it's really strong.
When thye say the fighter is equally reliable at both it's true, but they are less efficient than a dedicated class (IE the barb).
Also, while a barb will be better for melee AoE, arguably the best (except for spells, but they have their pro and con), a rogue is probably the best for single targets. No really, my gun rogue would crit for 100 and stuff like that. it's crazy, you can one shot kill any mob, and really hurt the bosses.

I don't think making a tank in PoE is that good, unless you really want to play one, because Eder is available almost right away, and he is just insanely good at it.



tl:dr : fighters are best at tank, and a "jack of all trade" thing when it comes to damage. A dedicated class will do better, either aoe (barb), or single target (rogue). But they are still able to, not the best at all, that's it.

[MTV]

I made a hyrbid tank/damage fighter once.

I maxed Might and Dex. Dumped Con and Intelligence, put all my leftover points into Perception and Resolve. I was using the Tidefall greatsword. He was pretty effective on POTD. Albiet a bit boring because he was a pure passive character.

[Lyle]

I dumped Con to 10 with my Fighter, and picked Disciplined Barrage instead of Knockdown. More damage, less micro. Using a Morning star and focusing on Accuracy and Crits. Really fun. And I can still tank when needed.

[talgaby]

Some enemies on PotD hit like a truck though. I'm not really keen on the idea to not have at least one character with pure defense build to soak up the sometimes insane amount of damage some mobs can dish out.