Ac Boost!

[insaneuou]

Hi,

I rolled a pally and kinda feel his ac is too low even with the shield...

Apart from barskin what else potions can boostup his ac?

Thanks in advance

[Xantiss]

I join:

Im lvl 7/2 pala/fighter and Now with Full Plate +5 i have only 25 AC with some enchancments...I think I need AC value like 28 or better. I can buy wrist which give +2 AC but this is still to low I think on lvl 9...

[Zereth501]

Bracers do not stack with armor. You can drop those.

Try to find an item that increases dexterity : it increases your armor by helping you to dodge. Potions of cat's grace work, but you might want to find something more permanent. However, heavy armors hinder movement, so they have a maximum over which dexterity does not help anymore. Here is the math.
The modifier of a stat is (stat - 10) / 2, rounded down. The dexterity modifier is added to AC. Look at your armor : it has a max dexterity bonus. So if your armor has a +1 max dexterity bonus, you won't benefit from a dexterity over 12, as (12 - 10) / 2 is 1.
Some enhancements can increase your max dexterity bonus. Tower shields have a max dexterity bonus too. Some armors, including those made of mithral, have an higher than normal max dexterity bonus.

[TechNoFear]

A meaningful AC after level 12ish is hard to get and must be built for.

Most builds are better off focusing on DPS.

Have you maxed the Armor Aura enhancements?
Do you have the highest level Protection item you can wear?
Do you have Mithril FP and the Dex to use it?
Have you added the extra +1 from rituals/crafting to both your armor and shield using the altars?
Do you have any of the Armor Mastery enhancements (Dwarf/Fighter only)?
Have you tried the DoS enhancements?
Barkskin and Haste (+1 AC) potions?

Can you grind the Titan raid for a Chattering Ring?
Run the Reavers Reach lottery for Dragon Touched FP?
Grind the shroud for a tier 3 +4 Insight AC greensteel weapon?

Bracers do not stack with armor. You can drop those.

I assumed they were talking abut the Chaosguard (+2 Dodge AC) which does stack (from Xorian Cypher).

[Zereth501]

Indeed. At high level, a meaningful AC require lots of good loot.

Here is another topic on the subject : http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=225798

[Xantiss]

Bracers do not stack with armor. You can drop those.

Try to find an item that increases dexterity : it increases your armor by helping you to dodge. Potions of cat's grace work, but you might want to find something more permanent. However, heavy armors hinder movement, so they have a maximum over which dexterity does not help anymore. Here is the math.
The modifier of a stat is (stat - 10) / 2, rounded down. The dexterity modifier is added to AC. Look at your armor : it has a max dexterity bonus. So if your armor has a +1 max dexterity bonus, you won't benefit from a dexterity over 12, as (12 - 10) / 2 is 1.
Some enhancements can increase your max dexterity bonus. Tower shields have a max dexterity bonus too. Some armors, including those made of mithral, have an higher than normal max dexterity bonus.

They will stack if it is deflex bonus for example or dodge bonus.

[blitzschlag]

They will stack if it is deflex bonus for example or dodge bonus.

there is exactly one item in game that hase dodge (and deflection) on it. its a named item.
so thats the usual exception of the rule: bracers ac bonus does not stack with armor ac-bonus

[Xantiss]

Now on my Paladin i have 12 dex as i Think without item.Im wearing now +5 full plate but i cant get mithril full plate +4, only adamantite...I think if i have low dex i cant get bonus from armor (for example +5 full plate have -6 bonus dex armor as I remember. Meyby Im wrong...)

[blitzschlag]

Now on my Paladin i have 12 dex as i Think without item.Im wearing now +5 full plate but i cant get mithril full plate +4, only adamantite...I think if i have low dex i cant get bonus from armor (for example +5 full plate have -6 bonus dex armor as I remember. Meyby Im wrong...)

the +5 armor got a maximum dex bonus of +1. so with 12 dex (+1 bonus) you fit it pretty well. the armor got -6 armor check penalty. so dex based skills, like balance, tumble, open lock, get -6 on the skillcheck.

the +4 mithral full plate is superior to the normal +5 one because mithral full plates got a max dex bonus of 3. so if you up your dex to 16 (with a +4 item) you gain 1 more ac with the +4 mithral full plate as you would get with the +5 normal full plate.

[Bobbyearl]

at level 9 i had a 50+ AC. at level 13 with DOS 2 I have a 64AC. 66ac with recitation from a cleric. I do not have rare or hard to get gear either.

At level 9 you can get...

Chaosgards
Protection+3
+4 mithril FP (+5 VERY expensive) dex+3
+5 tower shield
DOS1
Paladin aura +2
Haste
weapon of parrying
stone of change enchanment on shield and armor
Combat expertise (int 13 A MUST if you are going to be an AC tank)



barkskin +3 potions (House J)


sooo...

Base-10
Chaos-2
Prot-3
Mith-16 (15 with regular tower shield)
Shield-9 (mithral +4 dex bonus)
DOS1-2
Aura-2
Haste-1
Parrying-1 (greater parrying even better but i think it is higher level)
SOC-2
CE-5

total with out pots... 53AC all those items are very doable.

If you are a dwarf or fighter you can raise that with armory mastery, and just in case... make sure you have the highest level of fortification possible.

[Xantiss]

Hmmm i see its so cool with Mithril Armor but i cant find +5 on lvl 9...

[Bobbyearl]

I wear +4 mithril at level 13. the extra 1 point is not worth the millions of gold at this point. I can make up that AC in several other places.

[Xantiss]

I have one question:

How can I get weapon with Insight bonus to AC??

[Rusty_Can]

I have one question:

How can I get weapon with Insight bonus to AC??

- Common loot: weapons of Parrying (+1 Insight) and Greater Parrying (+2 Insight)
- Crafted weapons: Greensteel weapons from Shroud; you can get up to +4 Insight bonus to AC on them.

As side notes,
- Levik's set (bracers and tower shield from Hound, Levik's sovereign rune on DT armor): two items will provide you +3 Insight bonus to AC; all three items +5;
- sovereign runes (DT crafting) can also provide +4 insight bonus to AC.

[Retort]

Check my warrior/pally

http://my.ddo.com/character/cannith/ruanah/

I also use shield wand for +4 shield bonus and bark i get more then 40AC I'm hunting for chaos now. Its my first char on this server.

[Uhtred_Stark]

So Paladin's get the +2 AC bonus from their own aura? Why doesn't this show up on the character sheet? My L6 Paladin has a 28 AC on the sheet, but when I'm around another Paladin it goes up to 30. When the Paladin leaves, it's back down to 28.

[Bobbyearl]

depends on the level of the pally and their enhancements.

you have to spend points on your auras.

[Rusty_Can]

So Paladin's get the +2 AC bonus from their own aura? Why doesn't this show up on the character sheet?

It does; miscellaneous bonus, iirc.

My L6 Paladin has a 28 AC on the sheet, but when I'm around another Paladin it goes up to 30. When the Paladin leaves, it's back down to 28.

Aura of good can be improved with enhancements (Bulwark of good, Resistance of good and so on); their aura might be better than yours.

[Uhtred_Stark]

Got it. Quite useful. Can get some nice AC boosts without spending all that many APs. Does this stack with insight and protection?

[Rusty_Can]

Does this stack with insight and protection?

Yes they do.

As general rules,
- bonuses from different sources (e.g. protection, natural armor, insight and so on) stack;
- bonuses of same kind don't stack, only highest has effect;
- only exception are Dodge bonuses, which stack also with different Dodge bonuses: e.g. +2 Dodge bonus (from Chaosgarde) and +3 Dodge bonus (from Chattering Ring) stack, giving +5 Dodge bonus to AC; but +3 Dodge bonus from Chattering Ring and +3 Dodge bonus on Dragontouched armor (Sovereign rune) don't stack.