Barbarian Dragontouched armor

[stoolcannon]

I heard that you can break down runes you don't want to get lower grade runes, and combine three runes to get a higher grade rune. I've got a soveriegn rune I don't need, and was wondering how to break it down into some Tempest runes. It's Lorikk's rune, and I don't think I want it.

Put the sovereign rune in the altar with 1 draconic rune (or whatever the smallest runes are that you turn in for your armor).

It will crunch it into 1-3 eldritch runes, 1 tempest rune or 1 sovereign rune in order of likelihood.

Put 3 eldritch runes into the eldritch altar and you'll get 1 random tempest run

3 tempest into the tempest altar you'll get 1 random sovereign rune

[sirgog]

10% healing amp on eldritch please.

Resistance 5 is better on a tank. You take less damage due to making 25% more Meteor Swarm saves, etc.

I'd look for Resistance 5 on Eldritch, Healing Amplification 20% on Tempest (unless you have it somewhere else - say Levik's Bracers or a ToD ring; in that case, go with a damaging guard or Incite 15%), and a damaging/incapacitating guard or Incite 20% on the Sovereign tier.

Edit: If you can get Resistance 5 on other gear (or at least 4), then consider taking any of Heavy Fortification, Greater False Life or Deathblock that you can't fit on other gear; or Healing Amp 10% or Incite 10% for tanking; or 30 fire resist (so that you have the most important resist *immediately* after being raised).

[timetorun177]

Resistance 5 is better on a tank. You take less damage due to making 25% more Meteor Swarm saves, etc.

I'd look for Resistance 5 on Eldritch, Healing Amplification 20% on Tempest (unless you have it somewhere else - say Levik's Bracers or a ToD ring; in that case, go with a damaging guard or Incite 15%), and a damaging/incapacitating guard or Incite 20% on the Sovereign tier.

I suppose if 2 reflex is a big deal over nightshield... Also resistance 5 is on epic envenomed cloak and 4 is on yellow slots.

[Khellendros13]

I suppose if 2 reflex is a big deal over nightshield... Also resistance 5 is on epic envenomed cloak and 4 is on yellow slots.

Or tier1 of lit2 goggles.

I agree with Sirgog on the importance of a ref save. Even my THF Barb makes saves on the spikes in ToD Hard half the time using uncanny dodge. However if you have that +5 somewhere else, 10%, especially for a WF, is ideal IMO.

[ninjaeli]

Deathblock and heavy fort? Really?
There are tons of other items that give you heavy fort and deathblock? Really?

yes really, some people would rather have those slots for other things besides deathblock or heavy fort. sry if i offended you so much.

[Khellendros13]

Please no radiance guard in epics, it is annoying. Awesome for solo, crappy for epics (unless you are soloing that too).

I have rad2 on my Pally's cloak...luckily she doesn't get hit too much normally in epics (goes after casters and doesn't really pull massive agro of a few mobs like a THF barb).

It's Turbine's fault though...but then how easy would it be if everyone used rad2 weapons on epic trash?

Earthgrab is a great epic guard for 3rd tier, and so is Destruction if you have issues with to hit (WF twf most likely).

[ChaosEmperorDragon]

2. +5 resist, magma surge and enervation - I use this one in epics since the earthgrab almost never succeeds there and enervation has no save.

Earthgrab is a great epic guard for 3rd tier

Conflict. Discuss.

[Khellendros13]

Conflict. Discuss.

Not much to discuss. I have Earthgrab guard on my barbs cloak, and dual earthgrab picks on my Pally. It works well.

Obviously Epic Archers only fail on a 1 when it does proc, but Epic casters, Tieflings, Scorpions, Fire Elementals, Devils, Ogres, Bugbears, Fishmen, Scorrow, Drow all succumb to earthgrab procs.

I know Shade was a lover of enervation guard, but now epic trash regen neg levels fast, not sure how effective it is now.

Get 3 Earthgrab procs/guards between 3 melee and you will have a smile on your face.

Oh, Paralysing works too, just consider it a cheap distraction with a 5% proc rate

[Shade]

At endgame I find the set I use most often is this - my tank set for raiding:

Healing amp 10%, Crushing Wave Guard, Leviks Defender. Along with the Leviks Bracers from hound.

The Leviks Defender 2 piece set actually has a secret benefit:
+1 to will and reflex saves. So it's a very nice tank set for Barbs.

The primary benefit is the +20% hate ofcourse.. That ensures that even finicky raid bosses like horned devils willl stay on you all the time even with the most crazed half orcs attacking from behind with sneak attacks and full rage get a lucky streak of crits.

A good offensive set to use if you dont yet have epic mari chain or red scale is this:

Heal Amp 10%, Crushing Wave, Destruction.
As some enemies, especially epic do have enough AC to make you miss abit, so this increases DPS, and even if you dont miss - some of your party members might, so it will up group DPS. Especially useful for THF, as it applies on every glancing blow to every monster around you.

Crushing wave guard can be substituted for corrosive salt. I think there around the same overall dmg - and salt works on more targets, just prefer the wave one myself. Actually substitute Healing amp 20% if you don't have the Leviks bracers, or wear better bracers like Claw set or Epic hunter.

Other good eldritch is resistance +5 if you otherwise can't fit a resistance item in your setup.

[Carpone]

At endgame I find the set I use most often is this - my tank set for raiding:

Healing amp 10%, Crushing Wave Guard, Leviks Defender. Along with the Leviks Bracers from hound.

The Leviks Defender 2 piece set actually has a secret benefit:
+1 to will and reflex saves. So it's a very nice tank set for Barbs.

The primary benefit is the +20% hate ofcourse..

Do you not own the Red Fens pack or something? The Epic Claw set gives you the same 20% incite, 30% healing and other goodies like +2 exceptional CON (allowing 20% heal amp on a ToD ring), heavy fort (so you can replace Minos with Epic Red Dragon Helm/chest blue aug slot), and +4 damage. If you aren't tanking, you can wear DT with Tharnes Sovereign Rune to negate the incite from the gloves.

[Chad28]

Maybe I should try to get Red Fens when the packs go on sale again. I recently had the points to buy something, but I bought Devil's Assault because it has a wider level range.

[Wraith_Sarevok]

Do you not own the Red Fens pack or something? The Epic Claw set gives you the same 20% incite, 30% healing and other goodies like +2 exceptional CON (allowing 20% heal amp on a ToD ring), heavy fort (so you can replace Minos with Epic Red Dragon Helm/chest blue aug slot), and +4 damage. If you aren't tanking, you can wear DT with Tharnes Sovereign Rune to negate the incite from the gloves.

Not everyone has the epic claw set and crafting up a DT armor is MUCH easier to do, especially now with the new changes, than finding all of the pieces for a 2-part epic set.

The OP's question was more concerned about what runes should go on his DT armor, so I'd assume it's his first one. Personally, I find guards to be very unreliable and with the exception of a few, very useless.

What I finally went with on my first armor, and what has worked very well for me through both epics and raid tanking:

* Resistance +5
* Healing Amplification 20%
* Destruction

This frees up your cloak slot for a triple HP GS item, boosts healing amplification (very important whether you are WF or not), and reduces enemy AC, which is especially important in epics and indirectly boosts the entire party's DPS. It's simple, it's reliable, it's very versatile, and it can last you all the way until you find that epic armor you're looking for.

[Molotov]

i suggest you make two sets of dt armors, one of the armors is for regular questing and the other for raid boss tanking, the raid boss tanking armor should have 10%heal amp, 20% heal amp, and incite20% or whatever good guard you get, just imo

[Chad28]

Yeah I have to agree healing amp is especially useful for the class that quite possibly has the highest hitpoints in the game. Unless someone makes a beef tank with constitution as his main stat or something.

[Shade]

Do you not own the Red Fens pack or something? The Epic Claw set gives you the same 20% incite, 30% healing and other goodies like +2 exceptional CON (allowing 20% heal amp on a ToD ring), heavy fort (so you can replace Minos with Epic Red Dragon Helm/chest blue aug slot), and +4 damage. If you aren't tanking, you can wear DT with Tharnes Sovereign Rune to negate the incite from the gloves.

Oh yes because anyone can just go out and get 2 hard to get epic items right now no problem! Heck why not grab an epic sword of shadows and abishai set while your at it along the way, yay!

Try to keep things into perspective.

DT armor = easy enough to get and build at level16. Will take some time to get the right runes, but nothing near like the epic grind required to get Epic gear.

Dual set Epic items = Months and months of farming post level20 on a hopefully already well geared character.

You got to understand the game has some minor progression.. You don't just jump into epic naked when you hit level20.

You get your DT armor, Shroud gear first.. Then you farm Epic for crazy stuff like the claw set.

And yea, the topic.. Is DT armor.

That is something DDO is lacking.. Any real hard-locked progression like other mmo's. Epic has some real tests of gear, let they let you right in the door on a naked level20.. There should be some minor requirements to fufill or something as a sanity check.

As to why I personally don't have said gear.. Well I've been gone a good 6+ months as I quit when update 5 was released.

[WilbyZ]

I heard that you can break down runes you don't want to get lower grade runes, and combine three runes to get a higher grade rune. I've got a soveriegn rune I don't need, and was wondering how to break it down into some Tempest runes. It's Lorikk's rune, and I don't think I want it.

Place one Sovereign Rune and one Draconic Rune in the Dragontouched Sovereign Altar and Crunch!

There is a small chance of getting another Sovereign or Tempest rune back (mostly just Eldritch runes)

http://ddowiki.com/page/Dragontouched_Armor

[Carpone]

Oh yes because anyone can just go out and get 2 hard to get epic items right now no problem! Heck why not grab an epic sword of shadows and abishai set while your at it along the way, yay!

Try to keep things into perspective.

Says the guy with LotD, epic SoS and epic Marilith Chain...

You're the posterchild for barbarians. I was honestly surprised you weren't at least advocating it as something to strive for.

[grodon9999]

[QUOTE=Shade;3540135You don't just jump into epic naked when you hit level20.[/QUOTE]

From the pugs I saw this weekend, you could have fooled me!