Best end-game armor for rogues

[Shunlee123]

Can anyone share with me which end-game armor is the best for rogues?

[SSFWEl]

Can anyone share with me which end-game armor is the best for rogues?

Don't think there is a BEST, but here is what I use:

1. Epic Utility Vest for those times you need the extra +5 to DD. Also not bad armor. Usually now I don't bother what with my epic Kundark Gog's, but I still carry it just in case.

2. Recently I got the Hide of the Goristro from Trial in the Demoweb and like it a lot.


Redscale(both kinds).
hehe maybe. a bit hard to get though. I have ran eVon6 about 12-13 times (a very modest amount, I know - got the pack fairly late) and have a grand total of 1 FRDS.

[Rogann]

Redscale(both kinds).

[Shunlee123]

Thanks for the information but is there anything else before redscales can be grinded? I don't think many people now have the new redscales post u14.

[.Revenga.]

Black dragonscale is pretty nice, with the 10% armor piercing.
Red dragonscale is better in the new content/you're in need for slots

I still use dragontouched with 10/20% healing amp and destruction because healing amp is OP if you are your own healer.

I've never seen the merit of the epic utility vest, it just gives you a blue slot and 2 insight Int. Especially with the +3insight bonus available on
other better gear.
Epic duelist leathers gives you +4% dodge and a blue slot.

[Asmodeus451]

just putting it out there cuz no one's mentioned it yet: the Epic Rakshasa Hide can be quite nice as well

[Rogann]

Don't think there is a BEST, but here is what I use:

Of course theres a best. Redscale adds the most dps. Therefore its the best.


1. Epic Utility Vest for those times you need the extra +5 to DD. Also not bad armor. Usually now I don't bother what with my epic Kundark Gog's, but I still carry it just in case.

Utility vest is useless.



2. Recently I got the Hide of the Goristro from Trial in the Demoweb and like it a lot.

Not bad i suppose assuming you use stunning blow/sunder.



hehe maybe. a bit hard to get though. I have ran eVon6 about 12-13 times (a very modest amount, I know - got the pack fairly late) and have a grand total of 1 FRDS.

Its the best endgame rogue armor period. If you dont like the grind then you gotta settle for less.

[Rogann]

Thanks for the information but is there anything else before redscales can be grinded? I don't think many people now have the new redscales post u14.

Actually alot of people have the new redscale. Its actually alot easier then grinding the raid in hopes of a shard. It depends on the item build which versions are better. Redscale is the best armor but if you dont want to grind for it then i would use Black Scale.

[.Revenga.]

Redscale is pretty useless when there is immunity to fire.

Blackscale will outdps redscale if the armor piercing is relevant.

'Best' is situational.

If i can survive a fight because i can full heal scroll myself because i got high healing amp, i do more dps then when i'm dead with more dps gear.

[LOOON375]

No armor will make or break your rogue.

As this thread shows, it's a matter/difference of opinion on what some think works better.

I have for my rogue: Epic utility vest, and the epic Rakshasa hide and a couple of others. When Im in full DPS mode, I wear the Rakshasa hide. When Im playing the trapper I wear the Utility vest.

If you play your rogue good and have a decent build, you will do fine wearing nothing. Id worry more about finding the right weapons to wield.

[Gizeh]

If you play your rogue good and have a decent build, you will do fine wearing nothing.

No doubt we'll soon see an answer to this by Rogann telling us that "thou shalt have no other builds than Rogann's". :D

[destiny4405]

spider spun outfit and sun soul set works nicely for me. got black and red for swaping, but never bother.

[Karavek]

might not be the very best but I am fairly partial to epic tier 3 duelist leathers. I put a HP gem in its slot and find it a very solid piece of armor on my rogue fighter build.

[Bolo_Grubb]

lol I like the look of the epic utility vest so I wear that, I think I have it slotted with toughness. Works for me. Ac is only in the mid 50 on my rogue but that with15%+ dodge and I seem to do ok.

[Vengenance]

Epic Chimera's Crown (Helm); Chimera III (+20 Stacking Hit Points), +5 Natural Armor, SR 30, colorless slot & yellow slot

Epic Utility Vest; +20 OL & DD, +6 Dex, +2 Insightfull Intelligence, Blue Slot

Mineral II Bracers; +5 Prot, Heavy Fort, +45 HP, 2 clickies of stoneskin

Purple Dragon Knight Gloves; +7 Strength, +30% Healing Amp, +2 Insightful Con

Drow Cloak; +5 SA, +15 Hide & Move Silently, Invisibility Guard

Woodsman Googles; +6 Seeker, True Seeing, Attack +3

Woodsman Boots (Striding +30%, insightfull dex +2, MS +15

Epic Treasure Hunter's Spyglass (+20 Search, Spot, Insightfull Int +2, Enhanced UMD +3, Green Slot (+2 Luck)

Belt; TOD belt with +6 Con and GFL

Necklace: Venom (Superior False Life)

Rings (still TBD, currently wearing Epic Ring of the Buccaneer and Venom)

I still need to complete my helm but everything else is done. I slotted my ring with +6 Char and my trinket with +6 Int so I'm always in assassinate mode and have a standing 40 UMD for heal scrolls. I was planning on going Abashi set and I still may do that for a pure DPS layout but I really like the versatility of my current layout.

[.Revenga.]

Epic Chimera's Crown (Helm); Chimera III (+20 Stacking Hit Points), +5 Natural Armor, SR 30, colorless slot & yellow slot

Epic Utility Vest; +20 OL & DD, +6 Dex, +2 Insightfull Intelligence, Blue Slot

Mineral II Bracers; +5 Prot, Heavy Fort, +45 HP, 2 clickies of stoneskin

Purple Dragon Knight Gloves; +7 Strength, +30% Healing Amp, +2 Insightful Con

Drow Cloak; +5 SA, +15 Hide & Move Silently, Invisibility Guard

Woodsman Googles; +6 Seeker, True Seeing, Attack +3

Woodsman Boots (Striding +30%, insightfull dex +2, MS +15

Epic Treasure Hunter's Spyglass (+20 Search, Spot, Insightfull Int +2, Enhanced UMD +3, Green Slot (+2 Luck)

Belt; TOD belt with +6 Con and GFL

Necklace: Venom (Superior False Life)

Rings (still TBD, currently wearing Epic Ring of the Buccaneer and Venom)

I still need to complete my helm but everything else is done. I slotted my ring with +6 Char and my trinket with +6 Int so I'm always in assassinate mode and have a standing 40 UMD for heal scrolls. I was planning on going Abashi set and I still may do that for a pure DPS layout but I really like the versatility of my current layout.

You took 3 dragonmark feats on a pure rogue? Otherwise you don't get the 20hp and 30SR on the chim crown.
No +5 SA bonus? No exceptional SA bonus or exceptional seeker? No resistance +5/6? (+4 from slot i presume) No tod set? Also you got good luck twice it seems.

Far from the 'best' rogue armor for which the OP asked imo, think we can agree from this thread that e utility vest is only the best for disabling traps.

[karl_k0ch]

I like the Utitlity Vest, because it offers some nice slot consolidation.
Imho, it's not the best armor, but it's an accessible and useful one.
Other than that, I liked a set of DT robes, but their days have gone, with PRR and AC mattering a bit.

[Vengenance]

You took 3 dragonmark feats on a pure rogue? Otherwise you don't get the 20hp and 30SR on the chim crown.
No +5 SA bonus? No exceptional SA bonus or exceptional seeker? No resistance +5/6? (+4 from slot i presume) No tod set? Also you got good luck twice it seems.

Far from the 'best' rogue armor for which the OP asked imo, think we can agree from this thread that e utility vest is only the best for disabling traps.

Didn't notice the DM prereqs, only really shows in the fine print. I'd never waste 3 feats on Dragon Marks. The +5 SA Bonus is on the Drow Cloak. Presently I only have good luck once on the ring of the buccaneer that will be replaced as soon as I find something better. I have INT slotted on the Spyglass until I grind out a TOD ring (maybe) or go with a DunRobar seal instead paired with the Epic Ring of the Stalker.

This char was basically inactive for almost a year and a half as I was displeased with Ranger at end game. I decided to make him into a rogue, a class I really enjoy, just a few weeks ago. I went Int Based assassin and I haven't really fleshed out my gear load out. I just noticed the Crown the other day as I've pulled the seal and scroll while hunting for the Midnight Greetings seal. With two slots & 20 hit points it looked rather sexy (have lots of Epic Tokens), not so sexy if DMs are a prereq for the bonus.

I still haven't fleshed out my final loadout, hoping to get some ideas from this thread. I can craft the Abashi helm & Cloak right now missing some parts of the boots but still undecided if I want the Abashi set on this char.

Too many choices right now but I like a few pieces of what I'm wearing right now (Min II Bracers, Utility Vest, Spyglass, PDK Gauntlest, Woodsman Goggles, & Drow Cloak). I also have a mineral II cloak that was just replaced with bracers so I can go either or if necessary (kind of a waste of ingredients I know).

[.Revenga.]

Didn't notice the DM prereqs, only really shows in the fine print. I'd never waste 3 feats on Dragon Marks. The +5 SA Bonus is on the Drow Cloak. Presently I only have good luck once on the ring of the buccaneer that will be replaced as soon as I find something better. I have INT slotted on the Spyglass until I grind out a TOD ring (maybe) or go with a DunRobar seal instead paired with the Epic Ring of the Stalker.

This char was basically inactive for almost a year and a half as I was displeased with Ranger at end game. I decided to make him into a rogue, a class I really enjoy, just a few weeks ago. I went Int Based assassin and I haven't really fleshed out my gear load out. I just noticed the Crown the other day as I've pulled the seal and scroll while hunting for the Midnight Greetings seal. With two slots & 20 hit points it looked rather sexy (have lots of Epic Tokens), not so sexy if DMs are a prereq for the bonus.

I still haven't fleshed out my final loadout, hoping to get some ideas from this thread. I can craft the Abashi helm & Cloak right now missing some parts of the boots but still undecided if I want the Abashi set on this char.

Too many choices right now but I like a few pieces of what I'm wearing right now (Min II Bracers, Utility Vest, Spyglass, PDK Gauntlest, Woodsman Goggles, & Drow Cloak). I also have a mineral II cloak that was just replaced with bracers so I can go either or if necessary (kind of a waste of ingredients I know).

yes i figured this item build was still a theoretical one :-p

There's a thread from karl koch somewhere in here where there is alot of talk about possible gear set ups with most of the intresting items mentioned, although it's for a str based rogue iirc, but that shouldn't change much.




I like the Utitlity Vest, because it offers some nice slot consolidation.
Imho, it's not the best armor, but it's an accessible and useful one.
Other than that, I liked a set of DT robes, but their days have gone, with PRR and AC mattering a bit.

I agree with this, i'll be using DT robes solely for solo'ing/shortman with 100% byoh and black dragonscale for epic elite raids, in which PR becomes very useful. The question is what to use in epic elite quest with no healer present... :-p

[destiny4405]

The question is what to use in epic elite quest with no healer present... :-p

shadow form and displace/dodge clickies. PPR and AC doesn't help there. at least the amounts a rogue can have.

[karl_k0ch]

PPR and AC doesn't help there. at least the amounts a rogue can have.
Why do you consider PRR to be non-helpful as damage mitigation? Because the incoming damage is just too much in EEs?

And for the thread which was mentioned. It's this one, http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=389704
My choice should not be seen as 'the best', but as something I can work with. There are a number of interesting setups.

[destiny4405]

Why do you consider PRR to be non-helpful as damage mitigation? Because the incoming damage is just too much in EEs?

aye. the best form of damage mitigation you can get is dodge %. and high saves if you plan soloing.

[RandomKeypress]

For what it's worth, for me:

best DPS armour - Cormyrian (sp?) Red dragon hide
best trapsmithing armour - epic utilty vest
best "I don't want to grind out a few hundred Caught in the Web runs to get three heroic commendations" armour: Gorristo hide (+8 CON is nice)

I don't use dragontouched any more.

[Odysseus2011]

My guildy and brother has been playing his rogue for 3 years now, he hits insane amounts of damage and yet still disables traps, and can heal/raise. Earlier he was using the Epic Utility vest/Dualist leathers switching out for the utility vest when he needed to disable a trap. Then he began using blackdragon armor, which gave him a very nice amount of dps. Earlier he pulled a shard of the red dragon (more out of luck than anything) and got his Epic red dragon armor. However he has told me that he plans on getting the cormynian red dragon armor because it has more for a melee class than the old epic version. Finally because he is an assassin he can hit sneak attack damage, and lots of it, when an enemy is not agroed on him, yet he also wields Epic Midnight greetings x2 giving him deception (will hit sneak attack even if they are agroed on him). Because he is an assassin he gains proficiency with them, while these wepeons can be hard to get a good alternative (and one he uses occasionally) are stars of day x2, which aren't to hard to get from the new series (15 cleric commendations). The blinding effect works just like the deception, making them vulnerable to sneak attack for a short period. On a smaller not ring of lies will also give you deception. For a rogue having deception is probably one of the most important bonuses out there giving you a chance to hit sneak attack even when not flanking, with an assassin you get assassinate (lvl 12 and 18 if i remember corrrectly) allowing you to instakill just about everything giving a vorpal strike or assassinate move, as long as your DC is high enough. While he doesn't have a crazy high dc (~50 depending on what is equipped) he has definantly compensated by making him a well balanced killing machine. He relies more on his sneak attack damage, with benifits from his wepeons like deception/paralyzing/blinding to deal the necessary damage. If I had to rank the armor he has worn in order it would be cormynian red dragon/blackdragon/epic red/dualist leathers/Epic Utility vest (switched out for disabling traps when needed)

[Therrias]

I'm surprised nobody seems to be using Marilith Chain now that its light armor.

[Odysseus2011]

The marilith chain is not a bad armor, but it does have several problems, the biggest one being the negative level that is aquired by wearing it if the character is good, which can be bypassed by being neutral, but it is not really worth it, as you gain the ability to wear that armor, but then other items require that you must be good aligned, and for the seeker +10, which you can get on the cormynian, and the DR and guard are nice, but from a stand point of a dps rogue, and the dmg some monsters can hit, its not worth it

[Mellkor]

I like robes. There are a lot of useful robes you can wear depending on the situation at hand, and they are an instant swap, so a great clickie swap spot.

[Hsoftl]

Cormyrian all the way, the toughness, seeker +10 and heavy fortification add survivablitiy and dps to the mix, it gets the epic toughness hp bonus on your armor, saving you a slot, same with heavy fort and seeker +10, as for bracers look at the bracers of the sun soul or epic bracers of the claw, as for cloak the drow cloak is useless, get the epic envenomed cloak. Rings should be epic rin go the stalker with TOD ring, ring of lies upgraded, or epic ring of venom depending on what you are needing, as for trinket, the spyglass is useless as an absolute end game item, get the subterfuge or the epic dusk heart, and go for the epic googles of time sensing. for necklace i stuck a GS hp item on my rogue, not much in the way of rogue necklaces except gs. Boots of the woodsman are nice, i especially hate ff, so i really like them, but for the cases where you want ff, cannith boots of propulsion work well. belt i use a tod belt for ow, going for the epic belt of the mronana (just need the seal) but not sure if i want it that much considering the cormyrian red dragon armor

[me_TOO]

Epic Elite Whisper Chain is pretty fancy

+7 Mithril Chainmail, ML:25, Blurry, Ghostly, Superior False Life, Exceptional Sneak Attack Bonus +5, Hightened Awareness 5

[Emizand]

Epic Elite Whisper Chain is pretty fancy

+7 Mithril Chainmail, ML:25, Blurry, Ghostly, Superior False Life, Exceptional Sneak Attack Bonus +5, Hightened Awareness 5


Is it light armour?

Wiki states '(Though it lacks the Mithral enchantment effect)'. Does this mean medium, or is it light?

[Therigar]

Of course theres a best. Redscale adds the most dps. Therefore its the best.

A highly contentious claim.

If a person believes that the only thing that matters is DPS then of course everything that a player does to improve DPS is absolutely critical.

But, this is a false premise.

The answer to the OP's question depends on several factors that only the OP can answer. Chief among those is what does the OP want the armor to do for them.

In the case of my assassin build I am not overly concerned about straight up DPS because I rely instead on instant killing via assassination. Most of my gear grinding is done for things that benefit that -- epic Midnight Greetings as an example.

For me, I am looking for armor that maximizes my DEX bonuses in order to get my passive dodge to the highest possible number. I want a layered defense of dodge, concealment, incorporeal bonuses, etc. This is because I recognize that I won't have a high PRR with light armor -- so I'm looking at what gives me the best layered protection.

What I settled on was tier 3 Epic Duelist Leathers or Epic Rakshasa Hide. I have neither, but these are what I'm working towards. The Duelist Leathers will be more attainable if Crystal Cove ever comes back since I have tier 1 versions.

So, what armor is best is dependent on what the OP's need is. I it could well be Red Dragon. Then again, it might not be. ;)

[Gridwalker]

This thread is ready to explode in a str/con rog vs dex/int rog.

I still use DT with radiance guard, with few other items with deception and improved deception on them, but when I get 3 Commendation from raid, Red Dragon Scale Robe here I come (I wont wear light version of it. Rucksack is awful). It is real bruiser armor that sets your for a battle. x2 eGreetings will be swaped when I get x2 Celestias (those swords are THE BEST).

eUtility is ok for EE VoN 5 and that's it. DT is outdated. Black Dragon Robe/Armor is fine but it lacks epic uberness. Survivability is fine for parties, where u should be able to get some agro and survive, heal, raise, pull or something. In raids you must be best DPS or you are waste of a slot.

Final verdict: Red Dragon Scale, mark 8/10. Only flaws are min level 23 and a need to grind all that favor for PDK with all those FRDS and commendations.
Second best is Black Dragon Scale, mark 7/10. "Easy" to get, decent for epic levels but lacking a power for EE endgame.

[.Revenga.]

aye. the best form of damage mitigation you can get is dodge %. and high saves if you plan soloing.

So why not get 6% reduced damage from attacks for free if you can? I agree that dodge/displace/incorporality are the main defensive stats for a rogue, but it's silly not to wear light armor really.

At the moment i'm using a goristro hide with +10 stunning. Stunning mobs with sense weakness twisted is an incredible increase in dps, not to mention the auto-SA and CC.

[maddmatt70]

Is it light armour?

Wiki states '(Though it lacks the Mithral enchantment effect)'. Does this mean medium, or is it light?

Yeah its light armor. It is one of the better armors for rogues if not the best one at least if the rogue does not wear the new stuff.

[Mellkor]

So why not get 6% reduced damage from attacks for free if you can? I agree that dodge/displace/incorporality are the main defensive stats for a rogue, but it's silly not to wear light armor really.

At the moment i'm using a goristro hide with +10 stunning. Stunning mobs with sense weakness twisted is an incredible increase in dps, not to mention the auto-SA and CC.

I think it is silly to wear light armour IF that armour reduces you max dodge % cap below 25%. Most light armours do, even with Lithe (SD ability that raises max dex bonus on armour you wear).

[maddmatt70]

So why not get 6% reduced damage from attacks for free if you can? I agree that dodge/displace/incorporality are the main defensive stats for a rogue, but it's silly not to wear light armor really.

At the moment i'm using a goristro hide with +10 stunning. Stunning mobs with sense weakness twisted is an incredible increase in dps, not to mention the auto-SA and CC.


So you have not run the new quests on epic elite with your rogue I am guessing? Let's see your rogue stun in there on ee.

[karl_k0ch]

I think it is silly to wear light armour IF that armour reduces you max dodge % cap below 25%. Most light armours do, even with Lithe (SD ability that raises max dex bonus on armour you wear).

What's your current gear/fate point setup to max out your dodge bonus?

[Mellkor]

What's your current gear/fate point setup to max out your dodge bonus?

4% - citw rapier OR on a ring or a robe when not using rapier (rarely)
3% - planar conflux
3% - dodge feat
3% - perfect balance twist
3% - unearthy reactions twist
6% - passive bonus from uncanny dodge feat
-----
22% static
+
1 to 7% - untouchable from SD caps dodge at 25% after 3 kills. This leaves 4 charges for use without affecting dodge bonus.

With Uncanny Dodge active dodge is at 75%.

-JR

[Coyopa]

Personally, I like the Frozen Tunic on my rogue. The freezing ice proc is very nice - it improves my (and my party's) dps and reduces the incoming damage. Granted, that's only when it procs, but it procs reasonably often. I slotted mine with Heavy Fortification and the colorless slot is yet to be used.

I have the Epic Utility Vest as a swap-in item. However, I only seem to "need" it when I'm trying to pick the high DC lock in House of Broken Chains (I can get this lock w/out the vest, but the vest makes it noticeably easier).

[me_TOO]

4% - citw rapier OR on a ring or a robe when not using rapier (rarely)
3% - planar conflux
3% - dodge feat
3% - perfect balance twist
3% - unearthy reactions twist
6% - passive bonus from uncanny dodge feat
-----
22% static
+
1 to 7% - untouchable from SD caps dodge at 25% after 3 kills. This leaves 4 charges for use without affecting dodge bonus.

With Uncanny Dodge active dodge is at 75%.

-JR

with very little effort my dex based (32 str) rogue is hitting high 70's low 80's AC without ship buffs for 50%+ miss chance and a 19% capped dodge (no dodge feat) and a modest 7% PRR. Seems to me the best of both worlds.

[Mellkor]

I have gone the high (for a rogue) AC route. (admittedly, a while back). It seems to me that 25% dodge + 25% incorporeal + 20/50% concealment is far superior to high AC. You simply do not get hit too much with all of that! This with high reflex save (60+) works a lot better for me than high AC ever could because I can get all of this without sacrificing anything at all roguish wise.

[me_TOO]

I have gone the high (for a rogue) AC route. (admittedly, a while back). It seems to me that 25% dodge + 25% incorporeal + 20/50% concealment is far superior to high AC. You simply do not get hit too much with all of that! This with high reflex save (60+) works a lot better for me than high AC ever could because I can get all of this without sacrificing anything at all roguish wise.

55% chance of miss (from end game AC gear) Pre-dodge + 19% dodge (non dependant on shadow stacks) > than 25% dodge in a dress/outfit

Ghostly, blurry, and displacement is available to all melee and should be used when ever possible

[Mellkor]

Then we must agree to disagree. My experience on other toons with 60-70 AC is that it simply does not work well at all in EE quests and raids. That miss chance you quote is for at level normal quests (assuming that is the number you got off of you character sheet). For reference, I always talk turkey regarding EE quests. I do not build for normal quests.

Also you seem to be missing the point of 25% dodge + 25% incorporeal + 20/50% concealment are 3 separate checks for each incoming blow. That is what makes it so effective, and trumps 70 AC in elite quests by a mile, IMO.

[me_TOO]

Then we must agree to disagree. My experience on other toons with 60-70 AC is that it simply does not work well at all in EE quests and raids. That miss chance you quote is for at level normal quests (assuming that is the number you got off of you character sheet). For reference, I always talk turkey regarding EE quests. I do not build for normal quests.

Also you seem to be missing the point of 25% dodge + 25% incorporeal + 20/50% concealment are 3 separate checks for each incoming blow. That is what makes it so effective, and trumps 70 AC in elite quests by a mile, IMO.

I understand...
what i am saying is 75-85 AC miss chance +19% dodge + 25% incorporeal +20/50% concealment adds an additional layer of protection, with all the goodies various types of armor provide compared to robes or outfits at the cost of 6% dodge and freeing up 3 shadow charges

edit: also why would we build for anything but EE

[.Revenga.]

So you have not run the new quests on epic elite with your rogue I am guessing? Let's see your rogue stun in there on ee.

Ofcourse i have. The chance to land it is about 30% atm, not awesome i must admit. When i will finally get my env cloak shard, it will go up with 10%. Primal scream helps too.

I am considering a few (2) fighter past lifes to get the dc up to 50, tho i think i'd need a +4tome too then.

[Qezuzu]

With U16, Whisperchain (http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/jgould2005/DDO/Items/WWW/Whisperchain24.jpg) is a pretty strong contender. The Epic Elite version just changes that Exceptional Backstabbing to +5.

[Mellkor]

With U16, Whisperchain (http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/jgould2005/DDO/Items/WWW/Whisperchain24.jpg) is a pretty strong contender. The Epic Elite version just changes that Exceptional Backstabbing to +5.

too bad its max dex bonus is only 11. Can probably only have a max dodge bonus of 10% or so wearing that.

[karl_k0ch]

too bad its max dex bonus is only 11. Can probably only have a max dodge bonus of 10% or so wearing that.

Why not 11? Or 17 with Lithe?

[Rogann]

Things have changed. It would appear the 'Epic' Redscale armor is the best now. (dps wise)