AC, PRR, avoidance...which order??

[Torvaldsberg]

Just wondering what a rogue or ranger should focus on? I am pretty sure that my AC is never going to be high enough to be effective, so do most rangers/rogues work more on avoidance(blur, ghostly, dodge, etc) or PRR, or ???

Does this change through the level curve?

Any help would be appreciated.

[redspecter23]

Just wondering what a rogue or ranger should focus on? I am pretty sure that my AC is never going to be high enough to be effective, so do most rangers/rogues work more on avoidance(blur, ghostly, dodge, etc) or PRR, or ???

Does this change through the level curve?

Any help would be appreciated.

For anything less than epic elite difficulty, focus on AC if you want to. You can get to a useful number on a rogue or ranger if you choose to do so, but it may not be necessary. As the damage is lower (relative to EE) the % mitigation from PRR is less useful overall. You'd rather take fewer hits than take less damage from the hits you take. Get whatever PRR you can, of course, but it's not really going to effect your defense the way it will in EE.

For epic elite content, AC is your least useful defense on a rogue or ranger. Get a blur from spell or item, reasonable dodge and as much PRR as you can without major sacrifices.

[Satyriasys]

I don't really stack any of them but try to get a good mix of all.

[Veles]

14 PRR from light armour, 15 from Planar focus, 12 or 14 from augment. NEVER neglect PRR even with huge dodge and displace...It goes like : dodge, dodge, missed, incorporeal, dodge, oh **** !
Perma blur item or Greensteel.
At least 3 displace green steel clickies . Yes it's a pain, but it's SO worth it.
Perma Ghostly on Treads of falling shadow or Ring of the stalker or Ghost Waking Coak.
Dodge is going to get changed and you don't have any tactics so perhaps Tendon Slice Dun Robar ( it will get 8 dodge ) that fits your setup. Tendon slice works great with twf/ranged.

Deception / improved deception on gear or weapons, Avithoul, Backstabber gloves, Rebellion, that ring from FoT, Agony from Citw ... it's fantastic defense.

[Torvaldsberg]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the quick replies.

[Teh_Troll]

AC is the best bet in heroic. After level 20 it's PRR and dodge.

You really can't get enough PRR in heroics to matter, after 20 AC does meh to help you so it's not worth pursuing.

[droid327]

Like others have said, Dodge is easier to stack for endgame content on non-heavy-armor classes. Post-EP its going to be even easier, since Dodge gear is getting doubled up in value...so you can more easily get Dodge + Incorp + Blur from gear.

Plus, don't forget Mobility shards for craftable items. Your Tempest Ranger will probably have the feat already, but its a cheap low-level shard that grants 2% Dodge for anyone without the Mobility feat (which pretty much means all non-Tempests, plus all Tempests too post-EP)

[nokowi]

AC is the best bet in heroic. After level 20 it's PRR and dodge.

You really can't get enough PRR in heroics to matter, after 20 AC does meh to help you so it's not worth pursuing.

With the introduction epic past life feats this is no longer completely true (AC can be useful).

% Physical Damage Reduction= (1-(0.99^PRR))*0.65
% Miss Due to AC (Defense Chance) = 1 - (MBAB+10.5)/(2*AC)
Monster Base attack Bonus (MBAB) is around 2.5*Monster Level but can vary by monster type (caster vs melee).


Should you add +3PRR per past life or +4AC per past life?

For low initial AC builds, each +4 AC helps more (~+5% miss chance) as long as your new AC gets you above a 5% Defense Chance. Each +3 PRR will reduce damage by 1.75% at PRR 10 and 1% at PRR 65 and 0.78% at PRR 90.


Let's say you only have 40 AC. (AC becomes worthless quickly)

Monster level 20 24% miss chance
Monster level 25 9% miss chance
Monster level 30 5% miss chance
Monster level 35 5% miss chance
Monster level 40 5% miss chance

Bump that AC up to 76 with 9 past life feats and Character Level 20-28.
Monster level 20 60% miss chance
Monster level 25 52% miss chance
Monster level 30 44% miss chance
Monster level 35 36% miss chance
Monster level 40 27% miss chance
Monster level 45 19% miss chance
Monster level 50 11% miss chance

At Char level 30, AC will increase by +45 to 85AC with 9 past life feats.
Monster level 20 64% miss chance
Monster level 25 57% miss chance
Monster level 30 50% miss chance
Monster level 35 42% miss chance
Monster level 40 35% miss chance
Monster level 45 28% miss chance
Monster level 50 20% miss chance

If you are willing to put the time into Epic TR's, AC is now useful again.