Best armor for a Bard level 12-16

[Gordo]

Please advise...

[Impaqt]

Please advise...

Cant without more information.

What kind of bard? Melee? Buffer? Crowd Control?

Playstyle? Zerger? Slow? Guild runs? Pugging?

The vast majoirity of the time, AC means very little to a bard. Its the effects on ityour after. and that will vary greatly depending onthe goal and playstyle of the build.

[Gordo]

ok. Warchanter, Melee participant, non-zerger, hold monster then kill kinda' bard LOL

[Thrudh]

I don't even bother with AC on my bard... Displacement, Haste, Stone-skin wands or clickables.

Self-healing if you do get hit.

[Oxvon]

I use the Docent of defiance or Dragontouched docent on my bard.

[Gordo]

any of the GH dragon scale robes good for a bard? Blue? White?

[Emili]

Best armour for any character is totally dependent on dex mod and play style... most bards within that area use something like the delving suit... or a +5 cs... or dragon crafted... etc...

any of the GH dragon scale robes good for a bard? Blue? White?

Blue for spells White for more ac type (saves a slot for protection item) - but only if your dex supported it...

[Lucian_Navarro]

Please advise...

There are a few interesting blends out there but the Dragontouched Armor for 16th level characters is my personal favorite.

The Leather Armor version allows a high Dexterity and a low Arcane Spell Failure with an above average Armor Class Value.

The three Enchantments that you can add to it makes it very custom to your build. One suit for my Bard has Fearsome, +3 Exceptional Charisma Skills, and +5 Protection on it. If you spent the time and effort you could make another suit that is custom for other tasks such as Spell Casting.

The Dragonskin Armor is a close second. Followed by the Kundarak Delvin Suit.

And finally your run-of-the-mill armors such as +5 Mithral Chain Shirt, Elven Chainmail.

ZEIRA

[Gordo]

Nm...

[Impaqt]

any of the GH dragon scale robes good for a bard? Blue? White?

Not particularly no.

Get yerself a nice set of Fearsome of Greater Resist robes or Vestaments. Very nice for a non zerger melee bard.

[EinarMal]

I just use robes for swapping, obviously if you feel like grinding for a dragon touched robe you can save some slots.

The way I look at it is if I can't get close to 50 AC it isn't worth the slots. Even in gianthold you get hit a lot with 40 AC.

I usually ditch the mithral chain shirt for robes when my Bard's hit gianthold.

I guess if you really go all out it would be possible on a Bard to get high enough to matter.

[skraus1]

I just use robes for swapping, obviously if you feel like grinding for a dragon touched robe you can save some slots.

The way I look at it is if I can't get close to 50 AC it isn't worth the slots. Even in gianthold you get hit a lot with 40 AC.

I usually ditch the mithral chain shirt for robes when my Bard's hit gianthold.

I guess if you really go all out it would be possible on a Bard to get high enough to matter.

I would second this. Unless you can get 50 or 60 AC at level 16, stop being concerned with AC completely at gianthold levels and above.

[alchilito]

DT robe on my bard has

Sovereign: Greater Elemental Spell Power
Tempest: +6 Cha
Eldritch: + 3 Cha skills

The guy runs perma blurred / stoneskinned / hasted / raged

[doppleganger]

As I have not bothered beginning grinding for a dragontouched armor on my spellsinger, and he goes duke it out in melee against trash mobs, I like the Breastplate of Destruction from the Hound. Giving me (and others) an additionnal +4 to hit is nice.

[kingfisher]

the -4 to hit is nice from the bpod

[Schmackdown]

Just get any Destruction weapon, ranged or melee, use it until it procs, then switch to something else. If the BPOD provided an effect that was consistently useful vs. a single target(read: boss) that would be one thing, but if you or your crew is having trouble connecting vs. trash mobs, you have larger issues.

Not remotely worth giving up a valuable hot-swap spot for imo.

DR robes from jump on any bard I build. Appropriate Blocks from level 2 to 4, Invulnerability through 7-9, hardened Symbiont and greater resists after that.

[doppleganger]

Just get any Destruction weapon, ranged or melee, use it until it procs, then switch to something else. If the BPOD provided an effect that was consistently useful vs. a single target(read: boss) that would be one thing, but if you or your crew is having trouble connecting vs. trash mobs, you have larger issues.

Not remotely worth giving up a valuable hot-swap spot for imo.

DR robes from jump on any bard I build. Appropriate Blocks from level 2 to 4, Invulnerability through 7-9, hardened Symbiont and greater resists after that.

I agree, it is not optimal, but I play this toon for fun, and I dont want to see yet another one of my toons in outfits or robes like my rangers/rogues/monks.

Plus, when I go against high level trash mobs, I use vorpal quite often. While my to hit is not too bad, I am still not combat specced like a warchanter that invested in str. So the +4 to hit to confirm my crit is nice when Im vorpaling around. Maybe I just dont need it a majority of the time, I must admit I have not analysed my numbers.

And no, I am not going to keep switching gear at every trash mob I encounter just to get the effect.