what is worth more?

[ducetrae]

is a optic nerve equal to a +2 int tome ?

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Optic nerve value has gone down considerably because of the Silver Flame trinket from the Necro series.

Is it worth a +2 INT tome? Im sure it is to someone.

[Lithic]

I would NEVER trade my optic nerve for a +2 int tome. Others may disagree though.

[Roman]

Back when the lvl cap was 10, the optic nerve had no peer., but in my humble opinion a Silver Flame necklace is currently superior. And then theres always the beholder ring if necklace is a slot issue.

[BlackSteel]

optic nerve is rarer than the int tome by far.

Not to mention both the silver flame and nerve are both usable, considering they're charges, not like they give blanket immunity forever. It doesnt hurt to plop one on after the other is spent. And you cant carry two silver flames.

i'd say the nerve is worth more, but its a buyers market, and everyones opinion will be different. I wouldnt take less than the tome plus plat or 2 plus 2 tomes.

[ducetrae]

in my opinion the silver flame trinket has nothing on the optic nerve when it comes to facing beholder because the trinket does not stop very many beholder attacks. and what is the beholder ring i hear of?

[Lithic]

in my opinion the silver flame trinket has nothing on the optic nerve when it comes to facing beholder because the trinket does not stop very many beholder attacks. and what is the beholder ring i hear of?

Beholder ring is a named drop from the end chest of the beholder side litany preraid. Its 8 charges of doomsphere ray absorption, though I thought it didnt work on normal beholder rays (and I thought the nerves didnt work on doomsphere rays).

[Impaqt]

The Ring is Just a Deathblock Ring....
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...heBeholder.jpg
I dotnthing Doomsphere = Beholder rays, but could be wrong I guess...

As far as the silver flame trinket goes, its great, exceept you ahev to refarm it if ya beat the abbot...

[Ninety]

The Ring is Just a Deathblock Ring....
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...heBeholder.jpg
I dotnthing Doomsphere = Beholder rays, but could be wrong I guess...

As far as the silver flame trinket goes, its great, exceept you ahev to refarm it if ya beat the abbot...

you don't have to upgrade the necklace when you beat the abbot. just take the loot and completion and go on... the 4th level silver flame upgrades aren't really worth much anyway.

[sirgog]

The Ring is Just a Deathblock Ring....
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...heBeholder.jpg
I dotnthing Doomsphere = Beholder rays, but could be wrong I guess...

As far as the silver flame trinket goes, its great, exceept you ahev to refarm it if ya beat the abbot...

3 runs of the Cursed Crypt doesn't take long, and there's excellent named loot in there too.

[Solmage]

I caught this thread by accident but if you don't mind someone from another server's opinion...

The optics beat the trinket, hands down, when facing beholders. Disintegrations, flesh to stones, telekinesis (think von2..) those aren't negative energy attacks.

I recently ran the vons at "like level" with my baby sorcie, about three weeks ago. He was 8 then, only firewall, no pk. Didn't even break a sweat. (ok, not a great example because with decent tactics and no optics you also don't break a sweat, but I mean when someone went in and stupidly aggro'd two beholders I just 'strolled' (ok, fine, ran without haste, durn dispell..) past them to face their backs and webbed them, without any fear about dying or being even moderately inconvenienced)

They are also (in my opinion ofc) worth more than a +2 int tome. It would take a lot to pry them from my hands.

[Aranticus]

in my opinion the silver flame trinket has nothing on the optic nerve when it comes to facing beholder because the trinket does not stop very many beholder attacks. and what is the beholder ring i hear of?

silver flame necklace has deathblock
silver flame necklace blocks 10 death/negative effects

optic nerves stop 10 beholder attacks (incl the deadly disintegrate which is not stopped by silver flame necklace)

both has their uses. against beholders, the optic nerve is superior

[Ghoste]

Depends who you're trading with. Optic nerve isn't terribly valuable to some players. Int isn't terribly valuable to others.

I for one would place considerable value on the int tome, and almost no value at all on the optics.

[Lithic]

Depends who you're trading with. Optic nerve isn't terribly valuable to some players. Int isn't terribly valuable to others.

I for one would place considerable value on the int tome, and almost no value at all on the optics.

Only because your characters are warforged, often wizards, and immune to many of a beholder's attacks anyway

[sirgog]

silver flame necklace has deathblock
silver flame necklace blocks 10 death/negative effects

optic nerves stop 10 beholder attacks (incl the deadly disintegrate which is not stopped by silver flame necklace)

both has their uses. against beholders, the optic nerve is superior

If you have low HP and so risk instant death from Disintegrate, the Nerves are clearly superior for fighting Beholders, as Disintegrate is probably the ray you fear the most.

If you have a decent Fort save and >280hp, you won't notice much difference between the two of them. Enervation and the instant-kill rays are the worst ones for you, and the Silver Flame pendant stops both of those better than the Optic Nerves does (as the Nerves run out faster). Occasionally you'll be hit hard by a Disintegrate, but it's nothing that one or two Heal scrolls cannot fix, and the odds of getting hit twice in a row and failing both saves are pretty negligible..

[Dark_Helmet]

is a optic nerve equal to a +2 int tome ?

Depends on how badly you want one or the other.
Last 50 runs of Invaders, I haven't gotten an optic to drop. An unbound tome is good for creating a new character from scratch, but does that +1 more int really give you anything? I mean you can get 1750 favor for a +2. There are several beholders in the new content and my optics come in more useful than in shroud.

Silver flame talisman is good to supplement the optics (when you run out of charges on the optics, change over to the talisman and it helps against several death spells).

Doomsphere ring was fixed so it only worked against the doomsphere spells. It used to work against regular beholders and was really nice to have both on (made soloing Invaders on my ranger cake).

[Ghoste]

Only because your characters are warforged, often wizards, and immune to many of a beholder's attacks anyway

True.

I've got a fighter who's been recently getting intothe level range where he can have some fun tearing apart beholders. With a 33 DC on his stunning blow (aiming for higher still), the beholders go down pretty quick and offer little resistance.

Funny thing is, after every beholder fight where the beholder went down nice and quick and I've lost little to no hp, someone else in the party still has negative levels.