which armor is best for a monk

[hockeyrama]

Is it better to wear the old red dragon scale. The new comyrian red. Even the spider spun caprison with the set helps absorb damage in earth stance and gives some nice boosts, reinforced fists...

I have a level 12 monk, 6 pally 2 fighter and i use him to tank alot. I have the pdk favor and scales but need to pick which armor. Old, new stay with spider spun. I have other toons that could use the armor as well so only going to use the scales if it worth it.

For those who have both would love some feeedback.

Biggest issue is the ki gen in earth versus teh advantage for getting the armor.

[zarthak]

spiderspun, if u tank alot the earth proc from the sunsoul set helps alot for taking less damage

[redspecter23]

From a simplified DPS standpoint

Old red adds 3.5 flaming damage per hit and a small amount more on crits. I'd consider the fire guard and Incineration guard icing on the cake, but not overly reliable dps.

New red adds +4 seeker compared to seeker 6 that you can slot elsewhere, just over 1 damage per hit assuming earth stance. It does have some defensive potential, but nothing amazing compared to other choices.

Spiderspun adds 2 hit and damage with the full set if you can fit it

My vote goes to the Spiderspun. It's way easier to get than 20 scales, a shard and a set of GH dragonscale. I wouldn't even think about the new red on a monk. The extra seeker, while nice on any other melee, just doesn't do enough on a 19-20 x2/3 character. If I have 20 scales, I'll use them on my barb or fighter. If you have your heart set on a red robe for your monk, I'd say go with the old one, especially if slotting all 3 pieces of the monk set isn't something you'll be doing.

[Chette]

I use a +3 insightful wisdom robe on my monk since I don't otherwise have insightful wisdom slotted anywhere. I don't use the sun-soul set though, as I use claw bracers and spare hand belt. The caparisons make for nice slot consolidation, and reinforced fist if you don't have it anywhere else. Since my monk is wisdom based, the ability to get insightful wisdom without having to wear some otherwise useless goggles or slot a ToD ring is excellent.

If you don't gain as much from the caparison (you don't care about the dex or wisdom and you have reinforced fist elsewhere) then old Velah red is, as posted previously, a much better choice for a monk then the new one.

[moo_cow]

Even if you are not wearing the rest of the set for the spider spun it is still the best choice because it has 1/2 die step, +1 ki a hit, +8 or +3 dex/wisom, toughness, and concentration 15, but remember the red makes you look like a boss

[hockeyrama]

ty for responses. I do use the spider now and the earth proc goes off very often.

I will stick with it then. Oh my fighter will be soo happy

[goodspeed]

It's hard to say. I mean theirs lots of useful things.

For instance sun soul set. Gives +2 to dmg and hit. And then the stuff if you hit a 20. Now that's nice but look at the slots needed. The chest piece which as stated can already be used for the extra 1-6 dmg plus extra on crits from the red scale. As well as holding a blue and colorless slot.

So that's some extra dmg right there.

Next you look at the belt slot. Now I don't know about other monks but mine has a spare hand in his slot, and he's very adement about not giving it up. The reason being you can never have to much SF, that thing should work every time to hit it. Cause it;s saving you dmg, and giving you dmg.

Now true, it;s available in the cloak slot and the ring slot now. But again lets have a look. Your going to take extra hate and give up EXCEPTIONAL seeker, LESS threat gen, +4 att, and the +4 dodge? Ya the hell with that.

Ok now ring. Unless turbine gives us extra fingers those ring slots are important for monks. Why, cause tod rings are flippn awesome with handwraps. Not only that, theirs far better things that could be slotted there. For instance a +10 stunning. Now I have some nice stunning wraps. Nice +10 holy or something, wraps, icy bursted by risa, and alter imbued. But, instead of that for trash why not, slap that thing there, cover a stat, and the stun, and then use a specific wrap. Like caustic of greater elf bane. Banishing of something.

In the end the more I looked and mulled, the more I found that set bonus just could not compare with mix and matching. Though the knights gauntlet thing actually has given me reason to give up the old tier 3 brawlers. I mean the yellow slot and that 1-4 dmg, with the SA +4 was nice. But that 30% amp with the exceptional con is really **** nice. I wish you didn't need the **** plate armor for the extra +3 to att and dmg for the set.