Icy Raiment vs. Dragontouched -- What's better for me?

[Resilian]

Right now I am currently specced as a 32pt. Dex based Dark Monk with the following stats:

STR 14
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 8

In wind stance at 15 with gear and enhancements I'm at:

STR 20
DEX 30
CON 20
INT 8
WIS 22
CHA 8

Standing unbuffed AC: 47

I currently own Icy Raiment w/ alchemical AC bonus. I just got my DT vestments, and have begun rolling runes on it. So far my eld and sov have been ****, but I landed an Exceptional Dex +1 on my tempest. I'm wondering if I should keep with the Icy due to the higher AC or if DT is overall better since I'm not focusing on an AC build.

Also, if DT is the better choice..what'd be the best enhancements to get on it? I was thinking Res+5, Except Dex+1, Radiance Guard. Another option I was weighing was getting the same eld/sov, but switching my tempest to wis+6 freeing up my ring slot for a chattering to make up for some AC. So I'm not sure if Wis Ring + option A is better or Chattering Ring + option B is better. Or maybe something else entirely? :P Thoughts?

[Ollathir]

I use Icy all the time and pop a chatter ring for situational AC issues on my monk. Never bothered too much with DT but if I decided I wanted to grind out sov for +4 insight to AC, (radiance is nice, I just prefer not to be hit on my monk), I may put, +5 Res and whatever else I thought would help me balance out my stats in Sun or Wind stance.

Just wondering where did you plan your level up stats? Are you planning light or dark monk? Going for void enhancements? Depending on what you want your build to be, what you currently have as well as what is worth it for you to grind for can effect your gear decisions.

[Angelus_dead]

but switching my tempest to wis+6 freeing up my ring slot for a chattering to make up for some AC. So I'm not sure if Wis Ring + option A is better or Chattering Ring + option B is better. Or maybe something else entirely? :P Thoughts?

The way to go is use Icy Rainment when you think AC will help you. Switch to Dragontouched when you decide not to bother attempting AC at all, so put all guard/save effects on the armor.

AC items are kinda all or nothing.

[Quijonsith]

The way to go is use Icy Rainment when you think AC will help you. Switch to Dragontouched when you decide not to bother attempting AC at all, so put all guard/save effects on the armor.

AC items are kinda all or nothing.

This is exactly what I do. When you consider +7/+8 armored bracers and the +4 dodge on Icy you get higher AC that way than you do with DT armor unless you spend forever trying to get +4 insight on the DT armor, and then DT armor's +6 armor bonus wouldn't stack. If you want AC go with Icy. It's much easier.

Then you setup your DT some nice guards for when you don't care about AC. Try for the untyped guards like corrosive salt. They work on anything.

EDIT: had some typos with incorrect info

[protokon]

I don't have a monk, but i have a few AC toons:

AC is either all or nothing like said above. either you hit above 65 AC or you don't, if your not hitting above 60 you might as well dump it and maximize your DPS potential with tod sets/ect...

what i'd suggest:

-icys for general questing and raid tanking if you plan on doing that.

-dragontouched for epics/DPSing.

..It's really a personal preference on playstyle. some people like to dump AC and go for a set of guards on DT/greensteel, and some prefer the fuzzy feeling of seeing 'miss' all the time *points at self*

certainly doesn't mean you can't have both gear and swap em out on a hotbar depending on your mood.

[Resilian]

Ok, so say I decide to use Icy for when I want the AC, and DT otherwise..what should I get for DT stats? As stated earlier I was planning on Res+5, E-Dex+1, Radiance Guard. Are those good, or is there a better setup to aim for?

[Quijonsith]

I would also get a guard on your tempest rune aswell personally. My goal: +5 resists (got it, eldrich rune), corrosive salt guard (tempest rune), one of: earthgrab/disintegration/sundering ooze guard (sovereign rune)

[Syntax42]

Lets look at the difference in numbers for AC. All of these assume unarmed for monks, meaning no greensteel +4 insight AC bonus.

Dragontouched:
3 dodge rune + 5 deflection rune + 6 armor + 2 dodge on chaosgarde + 2 insight on Epic Gloves of the Falcon = 18

Icy Raiment:
4 dodge + 4 protection + 8 armored bracers + 2 insight on Epic Gloves of the Falcon = 18
Add another +1 deflection/protection bonus to Icy when buffed by a cleric.


There you go. The AC numbers are basically the same, assuming you can get the runes in the DT armor.

[Angelus_dead]

There you go. The AC numbers are basically the same, assuming you can get the runes in the DT armor.

You left out +3 Chattering Ring for Icy Rainment.

[Kancho]

****, he makes a good point, I was trying to rough out a different mix to see if there was a bigger difference if we included chattering rings and a different rune set. Suprised they came out the same, anyone able to expand on this? I didn't include the natural armor bonus from equipment (epic Chimera Helm from Update 4, etc) as they take up the same slot and can be added to both (same could be said about the chattering ring though).

+4 Dodge (icy raiments)
+3 Dodge (chattering ring)
+4 Deflection (icy raiments)
+1 Dodge/misc (ritual / icy raiments0
+8 Armor (bracers)
+2 Insight (epic gloves of falcon)
21
-------------------------------------------
+6 Armor (DT vestments)
+4 Insight (Sov. Rune / DT Vestments)
+3 Dodge (Chattering Ring)
+5 Deflection (Eld. Rune /DT Vestments)
+2 Dodge (Chaosgardes)
+1 Dodge (ritual / DT Vestments)
21

Case could be made for either but I'd be inclined to set the DT up for DPS/guards as mentioned above.

[Quijonsith]

I would argue that it's easier to get epic Jidz-Tet'ka bracers than it is to get that exact setup on DT armor depending on how often you run both. At the very least epic Jidz-Tet'ka is far more useful than chaos guards given the +8 armor, +1 exceptional wisdom, and 2 augment slots. If your wisdom is odd the +1 exceptional will even it out for another +1 AC.

You can also get +5 protection from a mineral 2 greensteel item, which would give the above Icy Raiment setup +1 over the DT setup.

[Ollathir]

I would argue that it's easier to get epic Jidz-Tet'ka bracers than it is to get that exact setup on DT armor depending on how often you run both. At the very least epic Jidz-Tet'ka is far more useful than chaos guards given the +8 armor, +1 exceptional wisdom, and 2 augment slots. If your wisdom is odd the +1 exceptional will even it out for another +1 AC.

You can also get +5 protection from a mineral 2 greensteel item, which would give the above Icy Raiment setup +1 over the DT setup.

Is it possible to get Epic Jidz-Tet'ka currently? I don't believe Shards or Seals are dropping for this. If this is the case still, I would argue otherwise.



Trying to hit 75,80,85,90 etc., is more importantant than hitting 71-74,76-79,81-84 etc. Based on where you expect your AC to hit with gear, will effect which route you want to take. Additionally your situational concerns will effect this as well.
Currently: Icy, chatter provideds you with the maximum amount of attainable AC for Monks. The amount can vary depending on gear, but maximum over ideal DT set-up would be +2 AC.

Using Kancho's chart:

+4 Dodge (icy raiments)
+3 Dodge (chattering ring)
+4 Deflection (icy raiments)
+1 Dodge/misc (ritual / icy raiments)
+8 Armor (bracers)
+2 Insight (epic gloves of falcon)
21
+4 Insight- Shroud set-up, Kama's, Short or Longswords w/ , MinII or Lit strk.
+5 Prot.- MinII cloak or what have you
+1- ToD ring, exceptional DEX or WIS +2

25
-------------------------------------------
+6 Armor (DT vestments)
+4 Insight (Sov. Rune / DT Vestments)Get with Shroud set-up
+3 Dodge (Chattering Ring) Grind for on DT
+5 Deflection (Eld. Rune /DT Vestments)
+2 Dodge (Chaosgardes)
+1 Dodge (ritual / DT Vestments)
21
+4 Insight- Shroud set-up, Kama's, Short or Longswords w/ , MinII or Lit strk.
+2- ToD ring, exceptional DEX and WIS +2 for both rings

23

Again if +2 AC will not bring your AC to a multiple of 5, then +2 really wont help you much.

***Disclaimer -Generally for DPS purposes Monks will use handwraps w/ holy burst, Lightning Burst on Tod Ring, or just Holy Burst at the very least.

[Quijonsith]

Is it possible to get Epic Jidz-Tet'ka currently? I don't believe Shards or Seals are dropping for this. If this is the case still, I would argue otherwise.

I got the seal this week in the bargain bazaar epic. Friend of mine pulled the shard the week before. The stuff is dropping.

Also: no monk should ever be using ToD rings for exceptional stats. We need that extra burst damage.

[Ollathir]

I got the seal this week in the bargain bazaar epic. Friend of mine pulled the shard the week before. The stuff is dropping.

Also: no monk should ever be using ToD rings for exceptional stats. We need that extra burst damage.

Cool, nice to know. Thanks.

Also: thats why the disclaimer at the bottom of my post was there.

[Resilian]

Since I probably won't be trying to maximize my AC I think I'll aim for a Guard DT. After doing research I think I'm going with Resists +5, Corrosive Salt, and Disintegration..albeit Radiance still sounds nice..

[Ollathir]

Since I probably won't be trying to maximize my AC I think I'll aim for a Guard DT. After doing research I think I'm going with Resists +5, Corrosive Salt, and Disintegration..albeit Radiance still sounds nice..

Thing I like about Radiance Guard on DT vs. Disintegration Guard is the proc rate. Roughly 15% blindness, 4d6 dmg vs, 2% 450+ dmg.

The odds are more in your favor of helping you against mobs by blinding them than waiting for a Disintegration to go off. If you plan on main tanking bosses then Radiance becomes less effective as far as blinding, but you still get the light dmg effect.