U42 Preview 2: Named Loot

[DisplayName]

Set 2 (Melee DPS) - Part of the Family:

Umbral Soul Docent
Minimum Level: 15/29

• Fortification +94%/+214%
• Physical Sheltering +19/+54
• Repair Amplification +30/+85
• False Life +29/+81

How Repair Amplification help for MELEE DPS in high reaper quests? We should take pocket arcane caster with Reconstruct spell?

[majikpaul]

Tldr: variety is the spice of life

Then why is a shuriken tosser the only viable end game thrower build?

[Claver]

I can swap the Dragonplate to Medium, sure.

Doing so will make Hruit's Influence more accessible to non-druid spellswords like... Fire pact warlocks, EK sorcerer savants, FVS divine champion war souls as well as more traditional Season's Herald casters who don't want to spend 11 AP in a bear tree or spend a heavy armor proficiency feat just to qualify for the set.

This is a good change for build diversity

p.s...the armor looks amazing

[kain741]

I had an hour or so to look at some of the gear last night for bugs or issues:
Mirror shield not working on raid TS
Is alignment absorption supposed to be 15% or 30%? IMO 15% isn't worth the lost dodge but 30% starts getting interesting as a viable option. The notes and item differ here.
Command on raid help does not actually add any intim
Temperance of Belief does not add lore benefits on collective sight. also "almost there" does not allow crafting of insightful stat on these.

I can swap the Dragonplate to Medium, sure.

And then what will bears use?

My only problem with that is I kind of hope to not just make the Ravenloft sets but better numerically. I want them to do different things defensively. Is there some other stat that I could push up instead of MRR?

After stepping in the raid yesterday the thought of cutting out MRR is very painful. I will repeat my statement from last preview...MRR is relatively more difficult to acquire. It is gone from set, if you aspire for your new best raid shields it will preclude you from quality MRR and there is going to be a new threat system due to non-intimable foes that will make mirror shield less effective or pointless. I am still losing too much MRR in the swap to sharn gear.

Now if you want to do something unique for the set bonus, don't just throw stats at it but give it something different:
Like, raises MDB for Tower shields and Heavy armor by 4
the ability to generate hate while shield blocking (like a dmg proc but with no dmg and substantial threat)
an arcane barrier like proc
since you're pulling a lot of LGS stuff in let each piece act as an opposition shard thus adding 2% each to HP if you have an opposition set equipped
Let the set increase your passive bonus to MRR reflex based effects from 200% (current) with a shield on to 250%. This does not add mrr but will directly boost survivability for those using this set in a tanky mode. It also precludes those that can easily pull in profane on trinket while using a two hander.
Stacking incorporeal bonus that increases as you get hit (think rising fury) up to 5% additional.

I think throwing +5 saves at it really didn't do anything for the set at all. Now after figuring out something unique for the set I think there still has to be something done to get MRR back on our tanks or they will literally cook in the raid.

Real talk - I am least happy with the Raid Weapons. I want them to be more rad. Throw me raid weapon suggestions.

How about a tank driven weapon? I made some suggestions in preview one. You could make one that builds PRR/MRR as tanks swing their weapon that way they're not so exposed while not turtling up. Could also have an auto intim function opposite of how inquisitive works where has a chance to intim on attack.

[PublicEnemy]

Havnt seen any mention about this in the first preview...and didnt check that one.

But any possibility to see some Negative healing amplification put in one of the sets...? Except rage set there's not much for that currently (RL one is giving profane bonus which is....the default bonus type for neg amp).

Also, any chance to see boon of undeath or even greater boon of undeath added on one of the items...? fairly rare bonus as of now, would be better on the ring, but an armor would be fun (actual armor not a robe).

thoughts? thanks!

[Madja]

Bracers:

Moonrise Bracers Bracers
Minimum Level: 15/29

• Enhanced Ki +1/+3
• Balanced Ki Strike: When you activate your Light-Light-Light or Dark-Dark-Dark Finishing Move, you benefit from increased Melee Power for a short time.
• Reinforced Fists/Greater Reinforced Fists
• Concentration +16/+22

I feel like reinforced fists is already easy enough to come by around this level (A level 10 ring, level 13 wraps, level 15 wraps and a level 12 outfit). It'll also be double if you go for the raid belt at level 29.
Something like Banishing Fists, Disrupting Weapons, Dream Vision (to keep with the moon theme) or Manslayer would be really cool, though. Something that makes your attacks gain a proc. Just my personal opinion of course

Another idea I had would be a unique effect. Something like "Wearing this item allows you to project your ki as a barrier around you. You gain the effect of the Night Shield spell." I realise it's not offensive like reinforced fists, but it would be nice for monks to have a way to deal with magic missiles besides clickies and the night shield fits with the moon name.

[HuneyMunster]

Set 7 (Spell DPS) - Esoteric Influence:

Dusk Lenses Goggles
Minimum Level: 15/29

• Potency +60/+154
• Insightful Potency +30/+77
• Enhanced Metamagic - Empower
• Enhanced Metamagic - Maximize

Attunement's Gaze Raid Goggles
Minimum Level: 29

• Spell Focus Mastery +7
• Insightful Spell Focus Mastery +4
• Enhanced Metamagic - Embolden
• Enhanced Metamagic - Heighten

Goggles

Collective Sight Goggles
Minimum Level: 15/29

• (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA +5/21)
• (INSIGHT STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA +3/10)
• Quality Resistance+1/+4
• Temperance of Belief: +1 Insightful MRR per Religious Lore

Orbs:

Resplendent Fury Orb
Minimum Level: 15/29

• (INSIGHT INT, WIS, CHA +3/10)
• Insightful Light Spell Lore +6%/+14%
• Insightful Light Spell Power +47/+106
• Thunderforged Eternal fire/light SP proc

Stygian Wrath Orb
Minimum Level: 15/29

• (INSIGHT INT, WIS, CHA +3/10)
• Insightful Negative Spell Lore +6%/+14%
• Insightful Negative Spell Power +47/+106
• Thunderforged Negative / Cold Spell Damage temp SP

As you can see from with these items above, the only option for Insightful Charisma is only available for caster item set is on Orbs. This is due to the other option is on goggles that conflicts with the Esoteric Influence Set.

The result is that the Orbs will have 3 useless effects on Charisma builds with the exception of most Warlocks and Favored Souls. None of these effects have any use for a Sorcerer or Bard Spellsinger. You could argue that you can get +1 extra Charisma from racial past lives over Int and Wis builds, but these have +2 festive Augments.

The problem is further compounded due to the fact that all new caster weapons are Staffs which can not be equipped at the same time as Orbs. The Esoteric Influence Set already has issue with the fact that only Robes and Docent wearing are included when a number of casters use other types of armor.

[HastyPudding]

That's a good question. I think you and I see armor types that could be supported by each archetype/class very differently. For me, classes like Warlock and Sorcerer fight in no armor as a default, and can opt to buy in to higher defensive measures at a cost. Classes like Paladin and Fighter - who are simply proficient by default - do not spend part of their build sacrificing DPS for the ability to wear armor. When building the itemization suite for Sharn, we targeted specific caster archetypes for our set exceptions that crossed class lines but remained somewhat limited.

Divine Healers (Cleric/FVS) are simply proficient in armor and therefore are not sacrificing efficiency for mitigation. Druid Casters are simply proficient in armor and therefore are not sacrificing efficiency for mitigation. Artificer Arcanotechnics are simply proficient in armor and therefore are not sacrificing efficiency for mitigation.

You can contrast that with Warlock, who can quite effectively make use of the Spell DPS set for efficiency in the same way they can currently use the Beacon of Magic set, but whose usage of any other casting set would require build sacrifice to efficiency for mitigation, and Sorcerers/Wizards, who can also quite effectively make use of the spell DPS set for efficiency, but whose usage of any other casting set would also require build sacrifice.

DDO is about choice, and opening up hard restrictions like this actually removes choice from the game.

For Bards specifically, I envisioned them making a choice - either focus their main set on melee DPS in light, or focus their main set on CC in robes, or focus their main set on healing in medium armor. You can't have it all - or, rather, you can't make your main item set bonus encompass all three distinct playstyles, in the same way you can't take the T5 of all of your enhancement trees. If I missed that mark, please feel free to suggest how I can better reach it, but I'm not aiming for an itemization solution that leaves no choices at all. There is no one best bard build that can do everything a bard can do at peak efficiency, in the same way there is no one best bard itemization suite that does everything a bard could want at peak efficiency.

Bringing it all together, my major goals are beyond making "the perfect item set for a bard" possible - I want there to be "the perfect set for my mDPS swashie" and "the perfect set for my healing/enchantment defensive healer" and any number of other options so entire archetypes don't get wedged together into one single series of items. Ideally, itemization is never solved, it is worked towards and improved upon so there can always be some way to consider something new.

Tldr: variety is the spice of life

Horse pucky.

Sorry, but Warlocks and Bards, by default, are proficient with light armor. This is a hallmark of their classes because they're armored casters and they don't have the raw, destructive power of sorcerers or the highly flexible DC capabilities and extra feats of wizards. We're not talking a sorcerer with 50k crits in heavy armor or a pale master in medium armor with 120 necromancy DC's in reaper 10. We're talking basic features of the classes that are literally (by your admission) being denied them and then you tax them so that they can use them, again for little gain. You're doing this to mitigate the brokenness of blaster/enlightened spirit warlocks and the destructive capabilities of sorcerer and screwing over warlock and bard DC casters in the process.

Furthermore, I ran the raid three times last night on Lammania. There's no way, no manner, no shape or form that I'm taking a class with less than 100 MRR into that quest. My bard has capped at 100 MRR and he got one shot by over 2k damage that's virtually unavoidable and practically spammed during the raid. I saw monks I know that could dance circles around other mobs get utterly destroyed by those roaming skulls like they were a first lifer in snowy korthos. I'm not losing half my MRR in order to gain maybe 2 DC's, at best. The itemization you're envisioning runs counter to the game being produced.

tldr: variety is overrated in an environment where specialization is rewarded and hybridization is not.

[Alcides]

Tanks need MRR, and there should be some way to get better MRR or close to the same MRR as what is available on Ravenloft Era gear.

Assuming a tank uses the Ravenloft Tank Set plus the 5 piece Adherent of the Mists set, the new tank set and gear makes a tank lose the following stats.
-10 PRR, -20 MRR, -20 Healing Amplification, -10 Melee Power, -20 Spell power.

On top of that tanks are being asked to drop -16 to regular saving throws which is a *HUGE* tanking liability as well since I didn't see saves on a single piece of the new gear. That's not going to affect paladin tanks as much, but it does kill fighter tanks. Spell saving throws are not adequate.

That's a whole lot of minuses to ask tanks to stomach.

Set 1 (Tank Focused) - Guardian of the Gates:
Set Bonus: +10% Armor Class, +15/30 PRR, +2/5 All Saves, 75% Threat Generation

Citadel's Gaze Raid Helmet
Minimum Level:29

• Melee Threat +64%
• Intimidate +22
• Higher Caliber Command Morale to Cha Skills, hide penalty
• Quality Sheltering +13

Collective Sight Goggles
Minimum Level: 15/29

• (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA +5/21)
• (INSIGHT STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA +3/10)
• Quality Resistance+1/+4
• Temperance of Belief: +1 Artifact MRR per the higher of Religious Lore or Base Attack Bonus.

Standard Issue Wristguards Bracers
Minimum Level: 15/29

• Magical Sheltering +19/+54
• Protection
• Saves +6/+17
• Parrying +3/+10

[pjstechie]

Actually that's exactly what your asking and furthermore (I'll use your choice of words here) they should give viable and by viable you must mean optimal dps for all build archetypes within the game design. So now we can all play monk

No it’s not. In The current game design having your MRR capped at 50 (or 70 with this set) is just not viable specifically because they have intentionally circumvented the alternative mechanics specifically for which there exists an MRR cap. There is a huge difference in survival in killing time and RSO for someone with a 70 MRR and someone with 150. I know because I’ve done both many times.

And hey, there’s lots of solutions here. If heavy armor in this set is too powerful, give me a heavy version that has -10 prr and -2 dcs or something. Or give me a different heavy armor version set. Balance it.

I’m all for variety and making choices. But if you are going to give us options, which as pointed out are not free, to expand armor use then you should support that in gearing. We want to make interesting build choices and we want to make choices to increase survival at the expense of offense. Because of the MRR cap, again on characters that don’t even by default get evasion which was the reason MRR cap exists, armor type choice is a very meaningful choice. Putting on heavier armor has a cost for these builds in action points and then they still have to make meaningful choices elsewhere to increase MRR.

Specifically because of MRR cap on armor, devs making the choice of what armor we can use doesn’t increase our choices, it limits them. There are only 2 choices given: wear a dc caster set with a robe or don’t. That’s lame and uninteresting.

PS: I still want a light/cloth armor tank set. If you are going to tell me variety is spice of life, give me more variety.

[Zites]

If you are going to tell me variety is spice of life, give me more variety.

Why so you can play monk?

[Arkat]

Actually that's exactly what your asking and furthermore (I'll use your choice of words here) they should give viable and by viable you must mean optimal dps for all build archetypes within the game design. So now we can all play monk

Viable =/= Optimal

[Zites]

Tanks need MRR, and there should be some way to get better MRR or close to the same MRR as what is available on Ravenloft Era gear.

Assuming a tank uses the Ravenloft Tank Set plus the 5 piece Adherent of the Mists set, the new tank set and gear makes a tank lose the following stats.
-10 PRR, -20 MRR, -20 Healing Amplification, -10 Melee Power, -20 Spell power.

On top of that tanks are being asked to drop -16 to regular saving throws which is a *HUGE* tanking liability as well since I didn't see saves on a single piece of the new gear. That's not going to affect paladin tanks as much, but it does kill fighter tanks. Spell saving throws are not adequate.

That's a whole lot of minuses to ask tanks to stomach.

+1

[Zites]

Viable ??* Optimal

How's your tank build coming or did you decide it too hard?

[Lynnabel]

And then what will bears use?

From the Lamannia Preview 2 notes:

Character

• Druid: Tier 1 of "Force of Nature" (in Tier 5 of Nature's Protector) now grants the following in addition to its current effects: "Your attunement to Nature is emboldened - Your Druidic Oath is no longer broken by wearing metal armor or shields."[/COLOR]

I imagine that if Bears would like to focus on Tanking specifically they will use the Guardian of the Gates set, and if they are focusing on Melee DPS they will use the Part of the Family set. If you would like to discuss this specific change I would request that you discuss it in the main preview thread to avoid derailing item feedback, this thread is 10 pages long already and I do not want to miss anything

After stepping in the raid yesterday the thought of cutting out MRR is very painful.

You're convincing me to completely flip the script. What if the Guardian of the Gates were specifically MRR focused? For example, napkin math - 10% AC, 75% Threat, +35 MRR, +10% Elemental Absorption, +15 PRR (level 29 version, level 15 version will have lower numbers). That makes it a better choice for Magical Damage at the cost of a few PRR. Thoughts?

[pjstechie]

Why so you can play monk?

I’m not even sure what bearing this has on what I said since I’m talking about armor choices relative to a build.

Regardless, I play monk. And paladin. And wizard. Actually, I literally have a character representing every class. Okay sure, maybe I don’t play them all as much as I used to, but I still play a variety.

And okay, I concede, my paladin is currently more artificer than paladin, and I’m not super happy about that, but I think that’s too off topic for this discussion

[kain741]

From the Lamannia Preview 2 notes:



I imagine that if Bears would like to focus on Tanking specifically they will use the Guardian of the Gates set, and if they are focusing on Melee DPS they will use the Part of the Family set. If you would like to discuss this specific change I would request that you discuss it in the main preview thread to avoid derailing item feedback, this thread is 10 pages long already and I do not want to miss anything



You're convincing me to completely flip the script. What if the Guardian of the Gates were specifically MRR focused? For example, napkin math - 10% AC, 75% Threat, +35 MRR, +10% Elemental Absorption, +15 PRR (level 29 version, level 15 version will have lower numbers). That makes it a better choice for Magical Damage at the cost of a few PRR. Thoughts?

I missed the oath bypass. I'm glad you took a look at that so that bears can come out and play now too! Great change.

I think after seeing the raid I like this proposed set change so much better as it makes better sense and hits what is needed. One question... did you intend for it to be -10% AC or +10% AC? I'm assuming that is a hyphen and not a negative

[Lynnabel]

I missed the oath bypass. I'm glad you took a look at that so that bears can come out and play now too! Great change.

I think after seeing the raid I like this proposed set change so much better as it makes better sense and hits what is needed. One question... did you intend for it to be -10% AC or +10% AC?

Hahahaha, no, I use - as a breaker to split up sentences. It does definitely look like that. For clarity, "10% AC" not "-10% AC."

Seriously, I think I'm onto something. Anti-magic tank set? Anyone? Sound more fun than before?

[Arkat]

How's your tank build coming or did you decide it too hard?

Which one?

[Zites]

+100 to this. Even nothing to discuss.

No they shouldn't. WF have enough problems with healing on Reaper (end game) difficulty, as game build around fleshy characters and Positive healing, and searching specifically for person able to repair your characer when doing quests\raids is just waste of party slot, so replacing Healing amp on ALL Sharn docents (if i understand you correctly) won't make any good, it'll just force WF to slot Healing amp elsewhere. Repair amp should be on particular items, that's more than enough, not on mandatory set items where you have no other option to choose from. At least let us have 2 versions, 1 with Healing and other with Repair amp, or crafting option to put any of those on docent.

Yep there are a few of us pointing this out but she don't want to hear it I don't think.