Useful armor enhancements?

[Kaeper]

Just looking for some feedback on what are the better armor enhancements to aim for based on a frequently soloing melee character.

I'm finding invulnerability has helped my life expectancy considerably in the 6-10 level range; is there a point at which it becomes obsolete?

Also; Fearsome or Deathblock? Both would be nice but that doesn't seem to drop.

Any other enhancements I should keep an eye out for?

[Alabore]

I'll sneak in a quick reply, while real experts come up with in-depth explanations.



I'm loving Guard - any - of Invulnerability.
It works even when blocking, it stings a bit when they hit you and when trying to conserve hate, every little bit counts.

Deathblock drops on shields and some p2p gear too.
The helm from Red Fen is a popular choice for Deathblock, from what I could see, until people can farm tapestries for a Minos Legens, taking up the same slot.

I haven't tested Fearsome out extensively, but unless you tackle more than you can handle, on some builds you're actually better off being surrounded by foes, so you can cut a swathe through them.
Fearsome is the kind of armour I'd give to somebody who does not want to be in the thick of it or would rather shed off the attention quickly.
On my melee chars it proved aggravating trying to chase the last feeling foe, stricken with fear.

Fortification is also welcome, especially if you have trouble finding a ring or a belt.
Guard robes/outfits of Fortification were relatively cheap on Khyber.
The Nightforge Gorget takes up the rather critical neck slot, but is also a relatively easy to obtain item - and you could put a p2p Gem of Many Faces in your trinket slot and still get a Set bonus.

Some players swear by cloth so much they'll wear it even before hitting dex30 or monk - even on barbs and fighters.
If you don't mind the appearance, cloth armour was generally cheaper last I checked.

Do consider Dusk/Blur and similar sources of displacement too.
They can be valuable to your survival rate as much as high AC and DR.

[LightBear]

Fearsome of Invulnerability
Deathblock of Spellresistance
Twilight and Mithral is a superb combination as well if your an arcane (Elfs can get away with fullplates if they spent some action points this way).

Some other nice enchantments:
Resistance
Deflection
Fortification
Guards

It depends on what foe your facing to what you have to put on.
DR will keep it's usefulness all the way through level 20.

Keep your eyes out for things that can not be provided by spells, songs or slotted somewhere else then armor.

[Sarisa]

Spell resistance is great at low levels (1-6 or 7), but it's not commonly available on random drops at those levels. The best low level SR items are named items from P2P quests, the Phiarlan Mirror Cloak and the Infested Armor.

Invulnerability is definitely great to use, it starts becoming less effective in the level 10-12 range. Mobs at that level start carrying magic weapons, and you'll face more mobs with natural magical attacks. Spearblock (arrows...) and maybe Axeblock becomes more effective then.

Deathblock starts at either level 6 or level 8, and is good to wear when you're in a dispel or antimagic heavy area. It won't protect you against level drain from a Beholder but will protect you against their Finger of Death. Thraak Hounds also cast Phantasmal Killer, and Deathblock protects you against those.

Fearsome is good for solo'ing purposes, but is generally bad to use in groups. A fear'ed mob can sometimes bring more "friends" back when the fear runs out, especially if someone who doesn't know better chases it down. It can also slow down a quest where a certain number of mobs must be killed to progress the quest.

If you're a melee who can use heavy armour effectively, Adamantine Full Plate is a good replacement for your Invulnerability. It's a non-breakable DR3/-. Lighter adamantine armour is less useful.

If you're a melee with a bit more dex and you have enough AC to matter, Mithral Full plate (it's medium) or Mithral breastplate (light) will give you a higher dex bonus to AC, and is effective up to or slightly beyond Gianthold.

[Kinerd]

Resistance and deflection don't show up on armor, only on shields.

I really liked having invulnerability, each of the weapon blocks, and each of the elemental resistances. Then as levels increased I got "deathblock of" versions of each. I mostly use monks so I didn't have to worry about Spell Resistance too much, ymmv.

On a soloer I was never that psyched with guards. Ymmv there too.