Druid Gear - 250 pp What to Buy

[Seconis]

Hey all, I have about 250 pp saved up. Besides 55/5 rings, what gear would you recommend? I'm particularly curious for a main weapon.

[Troxx]

You won't be using your weapons much past mid teens at latest and your killing speed or healing rate will be limited by mana regen over time instead of mana pool.

My rec?

Save that money for spells - at least 2 spell sets above your current spells. If you're going to spend money on gear, I'd focus on things like those 5/55 rings for survivability. Unlike a lot of gear, they will hold their value over time as you get more druid oriented gear.

[Seredoc]

You won't be using your weapons much past mid teens at latest and your killing speed or healing rate will be limited by mana regen over time instead of mana pool.

My rec?

Save that money for spells - at least 2 spell sets above your current spells. If you're going to spend money on gear, I'd focus on things like those 5/55 rings for survivability. Unlike a lot of gear, they will hold their value over time as you get more druid oriented gear.

Get level 14 before you buy gear.

5/55 rings are useless with SoW + snare, if you're not getting hit then there is no reason to have higher HP's.

At lower end, I personally would say sub level 30, aim for + mana and not + wis as the gear is both cheaper and more effective. at level 15 one wisdom gives you 3 mana. at 30 that doubles to six mana for every wisdom. Even at level 30 a + mana ring like Moonstone Ring (http://wiki.project1999.com/Moonstone_Ring), which you can get for 50-75pp, is WAY more useful than a 5/55 ring. Because the HP ring means you can take a few more hits before dieing but the + mana ring means you can kill the mob more easily before it has a chance to hit you.

At level 24 mobs started hitting me for 40-50 damage, so two 5/55 rings mean two more hits before dieing. Or 1 moonstone ring is 1 root or 2 snares which can mean a world of difference.

Don't get me wrong, + hp is good, but don't sacrifice your ability to kill things for the ability to take a hit you still won't survive/gain xp from

[Valdarious]

Jasper Gold Earrings
Jaded Platinum Rings or Platinum jasper rings, whichever you can afford.
Split Paw hide gloves
Black Iron Medallion.
Just go through the wiki under equipment by class of Druid and sort picking up some things are affordable to your coin and look up the prices. If they are to your liking, start asking in Auction for those items.
I just got my Druid to 19 and those items above are what I am using so far along with a couple other items like a Foreman's Tunic etc.

[Troxx]

Until a druid is old enough to quad kite mana pool takes a back seat to mana regen. The rate of healing and dpsing is limited not by the size of the pool, rather how quickly it fills. Mana pool is paramount with ventures like quadding where the pool needs to just be big enough to drop all targets before your tank runs empty - but quadding isn't something young Druids will be doing.

As for 5/55s bring useless ... Heh ... Not sure that even warrants a reply. Especially at low levels, a pair of those can mean the difference between life and death. They are always in demand and hold their value. When you outgrow them, they also make great handmedown gear for Alts if you don't need the money.

Having said all of that, Druids can function and level perfectly well naked.

[Erati]

go to Kith n have someone kill undead cleric for free +wis mace

[Seredoc]

First off, the flaws in what you stated


Until a druid is old enough to quad kite mana pool takes a back seat to mana regen. The rate of healing and dpsing is limited not by the size of the pool, rather how quickly it fills.

The only things you have that increase mana regen until high level as a druid are clarity and meditate. Meditate being higher increases mana regen per tick. So your argument right there is incredibly flawed.

A smaller mana pool vs. a larger mana pool does not interact with regen rate, just changes how much mana you have when at 50m.


Mana pool is paramount with ventures like quadding where the pool needs to just be big enough to drop all targets before your tank runs empty - but quadding isn't something young Druids will be doing.

Mana pool is also paramount for snare kiting which is what a lot of low level druids are stuck doing since dots are weak and root is short duration. 1 snare and 5-10 dd's are one mob down, having a larger mana pool means you can pull more on one bar of mana before going oom. Which suddenly means that if you have more mana and are keeping snare up for 15m you lose ALL functionality of the 5/55 rings

As for 5/55s bring useless ... Heh ... Not sure that even warrants a reply. Especially at low levels, a pair of those can mean the difference between life and death. They are always in demand and hold their value. When you outgrow them, they also make great handmedown gear for Alts if you don't need the money.

I don't know what druids you were playing but every time I died below lvl 10 it was because of adds or red con mobs and 110 HP's would've bought me all of 20 seconds of life(if that). Nice way to cherry pick my statement, I said they were useles when you have snare and sow. Could be useful low end but 60 mana is much more important because that has way more applications than 110 hp's

Having said all of that, Druids can function and level perfectly well naked.

One thing you said I actually agree with

[Wildino]

Save money for spells
Use wiki to target drops u can use
Use charm animal as much as you can to level (Lake III omen, Karana's are golden places for druids)
Use 5/55 hp rings below level 30

[Vermicelli]

The Testament of Vanear is a good read until well higher levels, and it's practically free! I remember being able to take down Dyllin no problemo at L19 on my druid. Just make sure you keep him rooted to avoid him alerting his buddies.

http://wiki.project1999.com/Testament_of_Vanear_Quest

[Troxx]

/facepalm

The only things you have that increase mana regen until high level as a druid are clarity and meditate. Meditate being higher increases mana regen per tick. So your argument right there is incredibly flawed.

A smaller mana pool vs. a larger mana pool does not interact with regen rate, just changes how much mana you have when at 50m.


There's not really a flaw with what I'm saying man, I think you are misunderstanding me. The point is there is no way to increase mana regen other than level for more meditate and finding external buffs. The *point* is that the bottleneck is a factor largely beyond your control - it's not like you can meditate any faster. Having more mana means you can go a bit longer before meditating - but it also means it takes you longer to meditate back to full.

Mana pool is also paramount for snare kiting which is what a lot of low level druids are stuck doing since dots are weak and root is short duration. 1 snare and 5-10 dd's are one mob down, having a larger mana pool means you can pull more on one bar of mana before going oom. Which suddenly means that if you have more mana and are keeping snare up for 15m you lose ALL functionality of the 5/55 rings

Unless you are routinely running yourself dry each single target kill (in which case I'd argue you're biting off more than you should chew), 100-200 extra mana just gives you a bit more of a mana buffer - nothing more or less. It's presence doesn't increase your xp rate.

Will 5/55s help you kill faster? Nope. Will it make you nuke harder, meditate quicker, run faster, or shoot laser beams from your eyes? Again - nope. Will it make you sturdier when shit hits the fan (either solo or grouped)? Yes. At low levels before you can afford good mana or wisdom (increased returns at higher levels) gear, it's really hard to find a better value ... I don't care what class you are.

I didn't die often, but especially when my druid has sow, yes ... 110hp makes the difference between life and death. It'll nearly buy you a full round from that wandering Hill Giant you didn't see (or hear? lol) stomping up behind you. In a group, it might just buy you the twenty seconds <your words, not mine> needed for the tank to taunt off you, the rogue to burn it down ... etc.


My point is simple. 60 mana for the sake of 60 mana isn't nearly as useful in the long efficient grind as some people make it out to be. It isn't your mana pool slowing you down ... it's the rate you fill that pool. For raiding, quadding, and high level high intensity grouping a mana pool will buy you added degrees of safety ... but once again these aren't things that a low level druid is going to be doing.

If you're snaring/nuking on a low level druid ... that's a pretty bad way of getting xp compared the the much more mana efficient root/rot or better yet charm methods of xping.

[Seredoc]

/facepalm


Unless you are routinely running yourself dry each single target kill (in which case I'd argue you're biting off more than you should chew), 100-200 extra mana just gives you a bit more of a mana buffer - nothing more or less. It's presence doesn't increase your xp rate.

Will 5/55s help you kill faster? Nope. Will it make you nuke harder, meditate quicker, run faster, or shoot laser beams from your eyes? Again - nope. Will it make you sturdier when shit hits the fan (either solo or grouped)? Yes. At low levels before you can afford good mana or wisdom (increased returns at higher levels) gear, it's really hard to find a better value ... I don't care what class you are.

I didn't die often, but especially when my druid has sow, yes ... 110hp makes the difference between life and death. It'll nearly buy you a full round from that wandering Hill Giant you didn't see (or hear? lol) stomping up behind you. In a group, it might just buy you the twenty seconds <your words, not mine> needed for the tank to taunt off you, the rogue to burn it down ... etc.


My point is simple. 60 mana for the sake of 60 mana isn't nearly as useful in the long efficient grind as some people make it out to be. It isn't your mana pool slowing you down ... it's the rate you fill that pool. For raiding, quadding, and high level high intensity grouping a mana pool will buy you added degrees of safety ... but once again these aren't things that a low level druid is going to be doing.

If you're snaring/nuking on a low level druid ... that's a pretty bad way of getting xp compared the the much more mana efficient root/rot or better yet charm methods of xping.

Again with the cherry picking my statements. The 20 second it buys you is below lvl 10 when druids would be snare/nuke kiting. I'd like to see anyone make root rot efficient when root takes 10% mana and lasts 2-3 ticks. It won't happen and in that case it is when you use snare/nuke, then at 14 you start charm kiting and around that level mobs start hitting for 30 damage so it buys you a few hits is it, drastically diminishing returns over 30 or 60 extra mana

[Troxx]

Prior to charm kiting the best kill rate still isn't nuking and snaring.

Treeform + self thorns + flame lick = profit in those awkward levels 9-15.

Sucks that you can't move and all, but with proper planning you can keep a lot more mobs dead with very little comparative mana expenditure. I did this with nothing but a cracked staff and some patchwork up to 15. I was broke at the time. If you haven't tried it in those ranges you don't know what you're missing. Tree regen is enough to offset a large portion of low mob incoming damage. Instead of ending a fight having lost a big chunk of my mana I'd end a fight having lost 20-30% of my hit points and the cost of thorns, 1 root/snare and flamelick. I could speed up the killing and milk 2 mobs out of 1 thorns by chain sitting - losing more health, but then very quickly getting back to full health while meditating.

Point is - snare nuking is incredibly inefficient in the absence of clarity line buffs. A deeper mana pool doesn't mean a lot at low levels where your bottleneck is mana regeneration. The exceptions we've already discussed. With quadding you CAN'T do it if you don't have the mana pool to kill them. In higher groups you will benefit from a deeper pool by holding se reserve for emergencies. In standard groups, charm kiting, root rotting, etc ... the bottleneck is, has been, and will always be mana regen - not mana pool.

Look man, we'll just agree to disagree. Wisdom and mana are a Druids bread and butter but the question here is a guy low level with limited resources. Those 5/55s will pay for themselves. They are very consistent in the market and everyone wants them and can wear them. Doesn't matter what your class is, they are a fantastic investment.

More mana at low levels does not increase kill time. It gives you a slightly deeper reservoir for those moments you might need it - but the reverse is also true with regards to having more hit points giving you more hp reserve when the alternative is death.

"Potato tomato potato tomato"
-Megamind

[Vermicelli]

Just a zone away from Dyllin Starsine, undead spawn in the Kithcor Forest at night, and if there are any players hunting there (sometimes for a part of the Rogue epic quest), they might be killing some Undead Clerics which carry a NO DROP a weapon that often goes to rot that would be great for ya!

http://wiki.project1999.com/Tainted_Battleworn_Morning_Star

[Seredoc]

Look man, we'll just agree to disagree.


SOunds good, didn't mean to try and single you out or derail this thread either, going from personal XP both here and live so trying to make sure the next generation of druids have knowledge from everyone

cheers

[lecompte]

Save for Lumi staff at level 44 or invest in your next toon. druids don't need anything they can't farm themselves!

[mtb tripper]

Save for Lumi staff at level 44 or invest in your next toon. druids don't need anything they can't farm themselves!

[Auvdar]

Save for Lumi staff at level 44 or invest in your next toon. druids don't need anything they can't farm themselves!

In a nutshell this.

I started my druid when the server opened, so I really had nothing to get. Pathwork/Leather armor, saved up enough to get a combine scimitar (for magic hit), then farmed what I needed for the most part.

If you are wanting to quad kite (like I had to do, since druid charming back then wasn't very viable like it is now) then getting +mana is paramount. Hunt the bandits in WK, turn in sashes for bronze weapons, turn around a tiny bit and sell to the guy right next to him. You can make a few hundred PP extra to get some gear.

However, charming takes far less mana for almost a far greated exp return. Once you are able, charm until you are in your 30's. Then you can do the port game and make some coin. And well, keep charming until you are 60.

I will also say unless you are melee'ing, or maybe root/rotting 5/55 rings are somewhat useless. They will help a ton early on when quading and charming isn't an option, but you will outgrow them fast in favor of +mana rings. But the return investment on them is great, you can easily resell them fairly quick.

I would honestly say if you really want to gear up buy some cheap +mana items, work on getting a set of leather/patchwork armor made, and do some easy quests. Testament is a easy one you can do like said before here. If you have patience you can do the Paw quest around 25/26 solo. (Breaking the fungi room can be a bitch, but it can be done). Split Paw gloves you can easily get from Paw yourself, or just buy them for 20p or so (and these will be your gloves until you get higher up. I really don't know if there are any other good wis/mana gloves for druids until you get higher up.. if someone else knows some, let me know.) Black Chitten Leggings I think are cheap, and have good +mana. There is a quest in Crushbone I believe that gets you a nice melee or shoulder item. Not sure which (really has been a long time). Tunares Initiate if I remember has a few good items you can get, but I heared the quest is a PITA.

But you really don't have to gear a druid. You can get some decent items on your own that will last you. I would save for spells.

[Wildino]

Some other advice that come in my mind for druids.

Again : charm animal is the win. Karana's, Lake and many kunark outdoors and the temple of XP, i called Kedge Keep.
In kedge, play comfortable, save for an EB item and, why not, a gazhugi ring, witch is way more efficient than invis and hide. U can sell it back once 60 (Cuz KK can lead you 70 60 straight)

Once 34, bind yourself and xp in OT, join <Dial a port>, make profits and good xp with buffs from clients, lot of 60 there want a port.

At level 25+, a good place for a druid is ogre camp in west Karana. Lot of items u can use and resell. Beware, they are caster, put resist on, root'n dot and stay out of range is the best way i think on this place. Chief Gooda will be a problem if he pop though, but check who s in zone and send a tell to have him killed.

Overall, play your druid as you want, because the druid permit it, it s a swiss knife. I promote the charm way, but kitting is not a bad choice.

[Aeaolena]

The Testament of Vanear is a good read until well higher levels, and it's practically free! I remember being able to take down Dyllin no problemo at L19 on my druid. Just make sure you keep him rooted to avoid him alerting his buddies.

http://wiki.project1999.com/Testament_of_Vanear_Quest

You can use harmony on his buddies also, to make it safer, before killing.

This book and the no-drop morning star from Kith is solid advice.

You can do /who all kith, and wait until you see a hunting party of high levels there. Ask them if you can tag along to loot any no-drop wis weapons that may rot.

As for other gear:
30p - Gold Jasper Earring (+3 wis)
30p - Gold Jasper Earring (+3 wis)
50p - Moonstone Ring (+30 mana)
50p - Moonstone Ring (+30 mana)
50p - Black Iron Medallion (+3 wis)
50p - Savants Cap (+3 wis)
Free - Tainted Battleworn Morning Star (+6 wis)
1p - Testament of Vaneer (+10 wis)
------------
$261pp for +28 wis and +60 mana, assuming a little luck is on your side.