Latest gear projections for AC tank

[sephiroth1084]

Update: 8/26/12
Here's what I have currently, and what I'm wondering about:


Head: PDK
Neck: ??? - thinking of moving the Triple Air GS here w/ Wiz VI, HP +15, HP +20 || considering only putting on the greensteel in major tanking situations, and going with something else entirely during normal questing, but I don't know what. Suggestions?
Trinket: Planar Focus of Prowess (thinking +8 or +3 Str) || Epic Brawn's Spirits for when I need the extra threat/intimidate
Cloak: Epic Envenomed w/ something
Belt: Defender of Siberys
Gloves: PDK
Boots: Epic Boots of Corrosion w/ +1 Con and something
Bracers: Epic Scorched Bracers w/ something
Goggles: Conc Opp w/ +10 HP, +150 SP, +5 Cha skills
Ring 1: Defender of Siberys w/ +20% Healing Amp
Ring 2: Epic Ring of Silver Concord w/ exceptional Str +1
Armor: Embrace of the Spider Queen w/ +3 Con (currently); would like +3 Str if I get a +8 Str Planar Focus, or vice versa
Weapon: Balizarde, Protector of the King || Epic Brigand's Cutlass w/ Silver || +5 Improved Cursespewing Adamantine Scimitar of Greater Construct Bane || ??
Shield: +6 Celestial Heavy of Alertness (+4 Insight AC, 3% Dodge) Open to suggestions for better here


Not to sure to do about the neck slot and shield. Wall of Wood looks good, but the 30% healing amp is redundant with the PDK gloves, and that seems like its biggest selling point.


Necklace could be a Devotion item perhaps (maybe Epic Adherent's Pendant), or some godly lootgen. Someone pulled a +7 Cha/+7 Protection necklace as an end reward from an EE Sschindylryn completion, which would basically replace one of my rings, freeing that up for something else, though what I would put there...who knows?


I'd like to get Seeker in somewhere, but I don't know how that will occur.

I'll note, also, that I ended up going with a Triple Air helm, and it has been fairly invaluable. The Haste Guard proc has been useful, but the Haste clickies have been real powerhorses in situations where the party Haster(s) is/are dead, or the group is separated, or I've been short-manning without a Hastebot.
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Current thinking as of 11/23.

So I was thinking that if I am going to be using the Epic Ring of Silver Concord with its +7 Cha on it anyway, there's really no reason to continue wearing the Epic Helm of Frost, so I could drop that, move my Min II GS claok to the helm spot and replace it with the Epic Envenomed Cloak. That nets another Con bracket at no sacrifice of anything, except that I would need to swap gear back in ToD since I can't use the Boots of Corrosion there.

Actually, there's no reason to make the new helm a Min II. Protection and Heavy Fort are covered elsewhere, or can be, so I just need the Wiz VI and 35 HP (the Cha skills +1 would be good, but isn't necessary). So the question becomes whether or not I go with an Triple Air or Triple Pos item, or something else...A Lit II guard item would keep the Cha +1, as would a Radiance Guard. Disintegration and Corrosive Salt Guards don't, but are more universally applicable (I wouldn't have to worry about accidentally healing a boss for 600 like I would with the Lit II or annoying a party by blinding stuff). Air Guard would be nice for tanking, particularly in ToD, to keep Haste running and to be able to give myself and the other melees around Haste if the casters are low on SP, dead or otherwise occupied, without having to swap gear, and I've heard that the +1 to AC and to-hit from Air Guard Haste stacks with regular Haste, which is another plus, so I may be leaning that direction. I'd like some opinions on this.
The set-up would look like (leaving out gear swaps for DPS and such):

Head: Triple Air GS w/ Wiz VI, +35 HP, and Cha skills +1
Neck: Epic Grim's Bracelet w/ Good Luck
Trinket: Epic Brawn's Spirits w/ exceptional Con +1
Cloak: Epic Envenomed w/ Heavy Fort
Belt: Defender of Siberys
Gloves: Epic Charged Gauntlets w/ Dex +6/Epic Gloves of the Claw
Boots: Epic Boots of Corrosion w/ -15% ASF and +6 Dex/Boots of Anchoring
Bracers: Bracelet of Tharaak
Goggles: Conc Opp w/ +10 HP, +150 SP, +5 Cha skills
Ring 1: Defender of Siberys w/ +20% Healing Amp
Ring 2: Epic Ring of Silver Concord w/ exceptional Str +1
Armor: Epic Cavalry Plate w/ Greater Nimbleness
Weapon: Epic Brigand's Cutlass w/ Silver/Alchemical Adamantine Scimitar (probably) Fire/Fire/Fire w/ +7
Shield: Alchemical Heavy Adamantine Shield Air/Air/Air w/+7 (mithral, or multiple shields if taking Improved Shield Bash, which I'm not, so going with the small DR and extra hardness from adamantine; if have fighter levels or otherwise have Tower Shield Proficiency, change to tower).

I'm still attracted to the idea of getting in the Epic Gloves of the Claw. In non-ToD I would go with the Abishai Helm, Cloak, Boots (get +30% Healing amp and +5 Intim, skipping the set bonus), and in ToD would go back to the Gauntlets leaving off the Epic Claw, or could go with the Bracers and lose 2 AC for the amp and Intim. Feels like a little bit of a waste to skip the set bonus, but I don't really need the threat generation, and while the extra damage is good, again, it isn't super0important while the healing amp is very useful, and the intimidate would be nice to have on higher difficulties.

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Leaving my previous notes and thoughts for reference.

Head: Epic Helm of Frost w/ +6 Dex
Neck: Epic Grim's Bracelet w/ Good Luck / Torc / Shintao Cord
Trinket: Epic Brawn's Spirits w/ ??? / The Bloodstone
Cloak: Epic Envenomed w/ Heavy Fortification
Belt: Defender of Siberys / Frenzied Berserker
Gloves: Epic Charged Gauntlets w/ Wiz VI
Boots: Epic Boots of Corrosion w/ what? +1 Con here doesn't help in ToD, but it will be useful in the new content; -15% ASF or Blindness Immunity and Blindness Immunity? / Firestorm Greaves
Bracers: Bracelet of Tharaak / Bracers of the Glacier
Goggles: Conc Opp (+10 HP, +150 SP, +5 Cha skills)
Ring 1: Defender of Siberys w/ +20% Healing Amp / Encrusted Ring w/ +2 exceptional Str
Ring 2: Epic Ring of Silver Concord w/ +1 Str / Kyosho's Ring w/ +2 exceptional Con
Armor: Epic Cavalry Plate w/ Greater Nimbleness
Weapon: Epic Brigand's Cutlass w/ Silver
Shield: Epic Swashbuckler w/ +7 enhancement


Helm: Epic Shining Crest of St. Markus w/ Toughness
Neck: Torc or Epic Siren
Trinket: Bloodstone or Epic Gem (unslotted)
Cloak: Min II w/ Wiz VI, +35 HP
Belt: DoS
Gloves: Spectral Gloves
Boots: Anchoring // Firestorm // Striding
Bracers: Chaosgarde
Goggles: Conc-Opp w/ +10 HP, +150 SP
Armor: Epic Vambraces of Inner Light w/ +2 max Dex and +1 exceptional Str
Shield: Epic Swashbuckler (unslotted)
Ring 1: DoS w/ 20% amp
Ring 2: Chattering

Giving it some thought, I'm considering the following set-ups for my pure paladin Jaerlech-inspired AC threat and intimitank:

Head: Epic Helm of Frost w/ +6 Wis slotted
Neck: Torc // Epic Siren's Charm if using 2-hander (Epic Antique now, ESoS eventually)
Trinket: Bloodstone // Epic Gem of Many Facets if using 2-hander
Cloak: Epic Envenomed Cloak w/ Toughness
Belt: Defender of Siberys
Gloves: Epic Gloves of the Claw (lose Bloodstone for Epic Gem w/ this--stick +6 Dex on Gem)
Boots: Concordant Opposition w/ +10 HP, +150 SP // Boots of Anchoring --don't like this as I lose 10 HP in ToD along with access to the Firestorm Greaves and Epic Kundarak Delving Boots, but don't know where else to stick them
Bracers: Epic Scorched Bracers w/ Good Luck
Goggles: Mineral II w/ Wiz VI, +35 HP
Armor: Epic Cavalry Plate (fully upgraded) w/ +2 max Dex (SFL here gives back the 10 HP lost during ToD, vs. my current gear)
Shield: Epic Swashbuckler w/ +7 enhancement
Ring 1: Band of Siberys w/ 20% healing amp
Ring 2: Chattering Ring

or

Gloves: Epic Charged Gauntlets w/ +6 Dex
Bracers: Chaosgarde
The second set-up loses 30% amp, 20% hate (may not stack with other sources of the same value, such as the Epic Brigand's Cutlass), +5 intimidate (rarely used or needed), +4 damage per hit and +2 luck to saves and skills, for Bloodstone when S&Bing, Greater Shocking Blow, +3 AC (set-up 1 gains the Abishai +3 but loses Chaosgarde +2 for a total of +1 AC over current set-up, while set-up 2 gains both for +5 AC).

or
Head: Epic Helm of Frost w/ +6 Wis slotted
Neck: Torc // Epic Siren's Charm if using 2-hander (Epic Antique now, ESoS eventually)
Trinket: Bloodstone // Epic Gem of Many Facets if using 2-hander
Cloak: Min II w/ Wiz VI, +35 HP
Belt: Defender of Siberys
Gloves: Epic Charged Gauntlets w/ +6 Dex
Boots: Boots of Anchoring // Firestorms // Kundarak // Striding // ??
Bracers: Epic Scorched Bracers w/ Toughness
Goggles: Concordant Opposition w/ +10 HP, +150 SP
Armor: Epic Cavalry Plate (fully upgraded) w/ +2 max Dex (SFL here gives back the 10 HP lost during ToD, vs. my current gear)
Shield: Epic Swashbuckler w/ +7 enhancement
Ring 1: Band of Siberys w/ 20% healing amp
Ring 2: Chattering Ring

This set-up retains Conc-Opp while tanking in ToD, and blessedly retains my two existing tier III Shroud accessories.

I'd like to hear some other people's opinions on the matter.