Before update 14 I used my torc (not epic upgraded btw) as an always-on item for my pale master. Since update 14 I find its use a lot more situational and I am finding myself looking for an alternative main use for my neck slot. The same goes for concordant opposition, by the way (situational use nowadays more than always-on).
Epic hard is now easy enough that I find I rarely need to sit back and soak arrows or melee hits to regain spell points. On epic elite, the mobs hit so hard that you can't soak more than a couple of hits anyway, so you get a bit of incidental sp regen on epic elite but not enough to make a big difference.
So it leaves me wondering whether there is a better item for the neck slot than the torc. A good answer is probably 'the epic-upgraded torc' for the greater spell pen (if only it went to lvl 9 spells). Aside from that, does anyone have any ideas on what is better than the normal torc?