Can a casual player ever have AC (as a 2hander)?

[Aiwendel]

My pally has pretty good DPS with KotC build and holy greatsword but the ac is in the lower 30s unbuffed.
People talk about 40-50 AC but there's nothing on the auction house or any items I can have that stacks better than +5 Fullplate of whatever (adamantine just to lower the damage) and necklace with +5 protection bonus.

So how do you survive with a 2hander as your first toon?

[Angelus_dead]

My pally has pretty good DPS with KotC build and holy greatsword but the ac is in the lower 30s unbuffed.

Characters using a two-handed weapon rarely try for decent AC. If they do, it is probably by means of monk levels, or at least extreme dexterity.

People talk about 40-50 AC but there's nothing on the auction house or any items I can have

Without having more information about your character (what level?!), accurate advice cannot be given.

So how do you survive with a 2hander as your first toon?

You kill enemies before they kill you. It's not too difficult, really... but of course, there's also no reason you can't carry a shield and scimitar at the same time, for occasions when that seems better.

[William_the_Bat]

Casual Pally AC (non-S&B, non-defender)

+5 addy Fullplate + alchemy ritual: 8 (base) + 5 (+5) + 1 (dex) + 1 (alchemy) : 15
(mith fullplate would allow 17, but it can be expensive, and probably ties up an item slot with a dex item, dragontouched FP with ritual gives 17 as well)

Chaosguards +2 (xorian cypher is fun, good XP for it's level, and you might also get a planar gird, if you have to sell the gird and get chaosguards and mith FP you can, but the greater heroism clickie is well worth having)

+5 protection item +5

Bulwark of Good +4 (I'm making a guess as to your level, it goes up to +5)

I'd consider adding combat expertise here, but I am guessing you don't have it, and probably would rather use power attack.

= 36 "beholder" AC, i.e. the AC you'd have after going through a beholder's anti-magic field, also called standing AC.

Barkskin potion: +3 (buy these in bulk!)

Haste +1 (carry potions for when there's no caster along)

Shield clicky +4 (in practice, the shield clickies are not really sustainable, but let's go with that anyway)

= 44 "self buffed" AC

At 44, you'd start to see a little bit of difference on normal quests, but nowhere near invulnerability.

Stuff you can get if you work really hard:

Dragontouched FP instead of your +5 addy (hint: you can use angelskin for DR) +2

Tier III insight bonus shroud weapon: +4

Chattering Ring: +3 (from titan raid)

Bulwark of good IV +1 (by the time you have this stuff, you'll be higher level!)

The DT fullplate really isn't so much grinding as all that, you really only have to run 4 quests, and you are guaranteed to get it., though you may want to grind out some extra runes if you end up with uninteresting enhancements. Of course, if you get super lucky and or grind out runes, you can get a natural armor bonus or insight bonus on the armor as well.. but I would not count on those unless you really go for the grind.

= 54 At this point you'll see a real difference on normal quests.

Stuff that's nice but you can't count on having, "raid buffed"

Ranger barkskin +2 (it's +5, but it overrides the +3 barkskin potions)

Recitation +2

Song: +2

(I may be forgetting some!)

= 60 Here you are getting plain old hard to hit.. though on elite you'll feel it still.

Now, if you did keep around a nice +5 large shield with ritual for emergencies, you could add 4 (it won't stack with your shield clickie, but unlike the clickie it's sustainable) and if you spend all that trying to raise your AC, you might also try combat expertise, for 5 more

= 69 Now we're talking!

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Can a casual player who uses THW have AC worth anything? No. You cant.

Go for DPS if you use THW.

Even powergamers have some serious grind ahead of them if they ever want AC that matters.

Chattering Ring, greensteel insight bonus, high DEX, multiclass with monk and high WIS, icy raiments/dragontouched armour, +3 tomes, exceptional DEX/WIS boni.

Yeah, AC is, as the kids say, da bomb. But the grind is endless.

[KKDragonLord]

My pally has pretty good DPS with KotC build and holy greatsword but the ac is in the lower 30s unbuffed.
People talk about 40-50 AC but there's nothing on the auction house or any items I can have that stacks better than +5 Fullplate of whatever (adamantine just to lower the damage) and necklace with +5 protection bonus.

So how do you survive with a 2hander as your first toon?

surviving is easy if you play right, you will have good ac for most of the leveling process, but after lvl 16 it will be useless.

its possible to get to the 60s, (with a lot of grinding and buffs from rangers, clerics and bards) but that wont be enough for anything above lvl 17

On my character i made a list for quests below 16 and quests above 16, on the quests above i ditch all ac equipment in favor of greensteel guards and healing amplification.

[Monkey_Archer]

So how do you survive with a 2hander as your first toon?

Stay mobile.

A THF's biggest advantage over other styles is its long range and wide swing arc. Move in swinging, and keep moving.... if you get more agro then you can handle start back-peddling. A mobile THF not only takes less damage, but if done correctly can even do more dps.

[PurdueDave]

Yes but only in the lower levels. I'd say it's not much trouble having a halfway decent AC through maybe 10-12th level or so, depending on what you're running.

[Impaqt]

So how do you survive with a 2hander as your first toon?

Do enough Damage and Play smart enough that people dont mind healing you.