To play a warrior, or not to play a warrior

[Grayskull]

Hi guys. SO talking to some people about our first character in EQ, I remembered my old little dwarf warrior that I played up to the mid 40s on live, back in pre-velious days, and I remember having a lot of fun on him. HOwever, I also remember deciding not to play him anymore because it was too difficult to group with shit gear. So, what that in mind, questions:

1) Are warriors as gear dependent as I remember them being?

2) If so, what is the bare minimum amount of gear I could buy for a warrior alt to not DIRELY need upgrades until the mid 30s?

3) I played a dwarf warrior on live. Is there any super important reason for me to pick a different race?

4) I wasn't a very good warrior back in the day, anything I should know?

5) Any good guides on leveling progression for warriors?

Thanks for your time

[Daldaen]

1. HP/AC gear is very nice but you can do fine with Bronze armor through your 40s. The main issue warriors have throughout the game is holding aggro. Mostly this is done through weapon procs. The problem with that is until level 37-40 (ykesha), you don't have any really good weapons to hold aggro with. And once you get those weapons you will look at your DEX and see it isn't even close to max so they don't proc all that much.

One thing that will increase your aggro is a Haste item. If you can afford it grab one, if not save up while you're leveling to purchase one. Beyond some basic and cheap HP/AC gear, Haste should be your primary focus. Most aggro weapons at the low end like Ykeshas are very cheap also.

Most warriors end up just using a 2hb weapon and smashing taunt hoping it pulls aggro.

2. Buy two 5AC/55HP Rings for your warrior. They're very worth the investment. Beyond that just grab some cheap HP/AC items. You really don't need much if you're grouping.

3. Nah warrior race is rather irrelevant. Iksar/Troll Regen is nice if you solo. Ogres have great starter stats. Half-Elf have the best charisma (DI nomnom)

4. Three things. Firstly, understand how Taunt works. Taunt will put you at the top of the hate list on the mob when successful. It only works on mobs lower level than you. What this means is a Yellow/Red con mob you won't be able to Taunt AND if you are already tanking the mob, hitting taunt is a WASTE. Do NOT spam click taunt while you already have aggro, this leads to situations where you have taunt refreshing while its beating on a cleric.

Secondly, rooted mobs ignore all hatelists. As long as a mob remains rooted they will attack the PC closest in proximity to it. If you're in a group where mobs are being rooted you want to be right underneath the mobs feet so you guarantee you're getting attacked. This is also a way to bypass the low level issue of having no good means of aggro if you group with casters who can root mobs for you.

Thirdly, hate/aggro is all front loaded. By this I mean the amount of hate you gain by attacking a mob is a flat value dependent on the weapon your using and it is added before any dice roll determining your hit is done. So a MISS generates an equal amount of hate as a MAX hit. Due to this, hitting for more and hitting more often (STR/ATK), though they help kill a mob faster, it does nothing to increase the likelihood the mob fights you (allowing you to tank). Due to this, Haste is extremely important on a warrior. More swings = More Aggro.

5. Sakuragi has one on the wiki? Google Sakuragi / P99 Wiki I think? Or someone will link it for me.

[Madbad]

Daldaen's advice on EQ mechanics is nearly always solid.

Also Staff of Battle makes you feel like a god until yaks start proccing

[Grayskull]

Daldaen's advice on EQ mechanics is nearly always solid.

Also Staff of Battle makes you feel like a god until yaks start proccing

Would staff of battle be good until mid 30s? Im guessing yes?

[kaev]

Staff of Battle is good period. Also, it's got a great acronym. Hell, at L40 a SoB plus a caster or hybrid in the group willing to root every mob is gonna make a pair of 8/24s with 1.5 procs per minute between them look like cheesy child's toys.

Consider that at L37, when SSoY starts proc'ing, you won't even average one proc per mob because the mobs die too fast.

I found that at L46, when Sarnak Warhammer (8/20, Stun) and Trochilic's Skean (10/25, Clockwork Poison, offhand only) start proc'ing, agro was similar overall using those vs. a Jade Mace and a 0.5 ratio off-hand, unless I got my dex up to 140+ for more procs.

At L51 I find that the fights last long enough that the warhammer + skean are pretty much always worth equipping unless I'm 'zerking with my SoB while somebody else tanks.

[Grayskull]

what if I were to play on red, where I would have no gear to start off with? Im thinking maybe red because of the group xp bonus, and how much warriors need groups?

[Jimjam]

cloth-> leather -> bronze -> crafted is an easy enough armour path starting from nothing.

Post on red forum you are starting up a warrior from scratch and I'm sure someone will help you out.

[MycahDavith]

Everyone always goes to the SSoY.... why

http://wiki.project1999.com/Scorpikis_Claw_Impaler

It's Cheaper, proc's at level 30 and has much better agro anyway.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwLk00fzuQQMdzhmdUFEendhdWs/edit

[webrunner5]

Would staff of battle be good until mid 30s? Im guessing yes?

Heck it is good till you get your Epic :) , but I would not hold your breath on that happening. :o

[pharmakos]

i played a warrior to level 59

don't play a warrior

[Ando]

Everyone always goes to the SSoY.... why

http://wiki.project1999.com/Scorpikis_Claw_Impaler

It's Cheaper, proc's at level 30 and has much better agro anyway.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwLk00fzuQQMdzhmdUFEendhdWs/edit

Because SSoY looks badass.

[MycahDavith]

Oh I thought this was a stat/weapon ratio/dmg useful gear post by OP.

Mahbad! I didn't know he was FashionQuesting...

[Grayskull]

i played a warrior to level 59

don't play a warrior

Is there a tank class you would recommend over warrior?

[pharmakos]

paladins are awesome. extremely versatile. some would argue otherwise, but IMO paladins are the best group-content tanks. warriors are just good for tanking raid mobs. they're incredibly gimpy for everything else.

[Raev]

Is there a tank class you would recommend over warrior?

I think Danth and I have come to a tenuous detente: if your group is solid and your gear is good, Warrior is the best. The other 99% of the time, Paladins and Shadowknights will do better.

If you have a great splitting monk who never pulls more than 2 mobs, an Enchanter who is on the ball, a Cleric who loves to stun charmed pets on breaks, and superb gear (Epic/VP weapons)? Then you want a Warrior who will do nearly twice as much damage, has decently more HP/AC, and can burn disciplines on the tougher mobs.

But if those players are bad, then as a Warrior there is simply nothing you can do. Both Paladins and Shadow Knights can compensate for their group mates' mistakes. Maybe its stunning the enchanter charmed pet, or snaring a runner, or healing the overenthusiastic rogue, or FD splitting, or just keeping rock solid threat, but a good hybrid can make a bad group . . . I'm not gonna say good, the way an enchanter or monk can simply carry a bad group . . but OK.

[pharmakos]

warriors are also extremely boring. target mob, turn on autoattack. repeat.

[Madbad]

Everyone always goes to the SSoY.... why


I have heard a rumor that the ykeesha proc happens more often than other procs.

confirm/deny

[EQsale]

Ive owned a RmoY and i do personally think it procs alot more then any other weapons

[kaev]

Ive owned a RmoY and i do personally think it procs alot more then any other weapons

LOL, they made all weapon proc rates here the same a while back, a year ago maybe? What you notice/remember isn't necessarily what actually happens. It "seems" like my warrior's Trochilic's Skean proc's way more often than it should for off-hand, but when I check my logs that's just not true. The perception is likely due to the fact that I just don't lose agro after that lovely poison+stun proc hits a mob, so it really calls attention to itself. RMoY is better melee agro than other ykesha proc weapons, when it procs you're going to have excellent cumulative agro, you'll notice those procs because they'll almost never fail to give you solid agro.

Also, Raev exaggerates a little. Warrior is fine in a group that isn't bad, a group where people know their classes, talk to one another about tactics when necessary, and adapt their play to the strengths the group has. Believe it or not that does actually happen in pickup groups, tho not as often as I'd like.

Both knights can compensate for laziness or ignorance about agro mechanics. Other obvious knight class strengths... SKs can get around well and do some interesting pulls with invis+FD, have snares and fears, and have some ability to rescue casters using spells, also SKs solo better than paladins. Paladins are quite good at caster rescue with stun+root+heal and can pull using calm when the mobs aren't too resisty (MR & relative level both have a big effect).

[Bill Tetley]

Do you plan to raid? If you want to be a MT during a raid you will want to choose warrior. Pal/Sk tank trash mobs just fine but you won't be tanking the top end raid bosses as an Pal/Sk.

[Samoht]

But if those players are bad, then as a Warrior there is simply nothing you can do.

Not exactly true. Burn nets, mallets, and strings. In that order.

[Grayskull]

Do you plan to raid? If you want to be a MT during a raid you will want to choose warrior. Pal/Sk tank trash mobs just fine but you won't be tanking the top end raid bosses as an Pal/Sk.

The chances of me ever being an end game raider on this server are approaching zero. I have a life.

[khanable]

Not exactly true. Burn nets, mallets, and strings. In that order.

strings before mallets (assuming the mob is >51)

cheaper to recharge

The chances of me ever being an end game raider on this server are approaching zero. I have a life.

Plenty of guilds on this server cater to casual and super-casual folks and they see some end game content

turn that frown upside down!

[Itap]

Cuc have you been told not to post so much? Your presence has diminished here lately

[Tuljin]

Playing a Warrior in a pickup group with bad players is one of the worst possible experiences in EQ. You are also completely dependent upon having both a CC AND a healer in group so you have very little flexibility in group formation. For a Warrior to be optimal in groups you really do need to play with good casters otherwise your group will inevitably wipe and you are powerless to do anything about it. Warrior really isn't even an incredibly popular class due to dependence on others (and gear) and lack of flexibility.

Hybrids offer far more versatility at the expense of not being able to "raid" tank. Very few hybrids even make it past 50 anyways and few will see how powerful a hybrid is in dungeons or have that feeling of not being able to tank "raid" bosses. Besides "raid" offtanking, Hybrids also offer good utility on "raids", with SKs being able to FD and Paladins being able to rez and cast a unique HP buff in Velious.

Very few people level a hybrid to high level and can truly attest to their abilities, but especially at higher levels their utility in a group makes up for lack of DPS (depending on who you talk to.) SK gets Circlet of Shadow and FD which are both very powerful as well as fear. Disease Cloud is excellent for agro. Many people choose SK over Paladin due mainly to the general appeal of evil races to MMO nerds, but my hypothesis is that it attracts people that play pure melee classes more than Paladin does due mainly to FD and not having to be responsible for (and not desiring) heals, CC, Stuns, and Calm.

Paladin at high level is a beast and is also very versatile. You're a tank that can do your own CC with Root and you can also heal. The DW helm is a very useful clicky heal and its cheap. The DW BP is also nice but a bit more cost prohibitive to acquire.

You can use Stun to interrupt casters, and you can also use it when pulling casters and they won't cast a spell when other party members are in range and instead they will go straight for you. You can hide around corners to use this to park casters wherever you want instead of dealing with the pain of them casting from range on your other group members (Chef camp is a good example) Casting Stun when you pull is a good habit so you sit right on top of the agro list and keep it up with Flash of Light. You can also stun to help with charmed pet breaks. Paladin also gets great proccing weapons that are cheap like the Sword of the Morning that proc off real nice with some dex.

When you hit 57 and get Superior Heal you become an effective healer. DA at 55 is an excellent ability as well as Lay on Hands, which in the hands of a great player will save countless hairy situations. Many times you'll have to use it on someone other than yourself. At 59 the 90% rez is excellent.

Many players will say that you never calm as a Paladin but that is false. While leveling and even in your 50s you will find yourself calming often. If you carry CHA gear and get your levels you can calm just fine and its a very powerful skill. I even know Clerics that wear Ragefire gear and Calm all the time.

If you come from a caster class you will likely find the lack of spells on a Warrior disappointing. If you come from a melee class you will probably want to try a Shadow Knight over a Paladin because Paladins "are gay" and you haven't realized how awesome it is to play with Stun, Root, Calm, and Heal. Not having FD is quite the tradeoff, but its up to personal choice at that point.

I can say that high level Paladins are excellent (the best) group tanks and with Superior Heal, a Bixie Blade, and a Sky haste belt Paladins are nothing to fuck with at all.

The main issue is the road to 60 is a long one on a Hybrid vs. a Warrior. I don't foresee an incredible explosion of Hybrid classes once the XP penalty is lifted but it should help some. OP should consider a Hybrid but really it takes a lonnng time before they really come to form.

[Roguejm11]

The chances of me ever being an end game raider on this server are approaching zero. I have a life.

Play a paladin or shadowknight then, both are solid classes and only get better once Velious comes out.

1. They are solid tanks in every group setting.
2. They have multiple abilities to help the group, and keep you from getting bored.
3. They can both solo if you wish, Shadowknights do that a bit better.
4. They are less gear dependent than a warrior.

[Roguejm11]

Playing a Warrior in a pickup group with bad players is one of the worst possible experiences in EQ. You are also completely dependent upon having both a CC AND a healer in group so you have very little flexibility in group formation. For a Warrior to be optimal in groups you really do need to play with good casters otherwise your group will inevitably wipe and you are powerless to do anything about it. Warrior really isn't even an incredibly popular class due to dependence on others (and gear) and lack of flexibility.

Hybrids offer far more versatility at the expense of not being able to "raid" tank. Very few hybrids even make it past 50 anyways and few will see how powerful a hybrid is in dungeons or have that feeling of not being able to tank "raid" bosses. Besides "raid" offtanking, Hybrids also offer good utility on "raids", with SKs being able to FD and Paladins being able to rez and cast a unique HP buff in Velious.

Very few people level a hybrid to high level and can truly attest to their abilities, but especially at higher levels their utility in a group makes up for lack of DPS (depending on who you talk to.) SK gets Circlet of Shadow and FD which are both very powerful as well as fear. Disease Cloud is excellent for agro. Many people choose SK over Paladin due mainly to the general appeal of evil races to MMO nerds, but my hypothesis is that it attracts people that play pure melee classes more than Paladin does due mainly to FD and not having to be responsible for (and not desiring) heals, CC, Stuns, and Calm.

Paladin at high level is a beast and is also very versatile. You're a tank that can do your own CC with Root and you can also heal. The DW helm is a very useful clicky heal and its cheap. The DW BP is also nice but a bit more cost prohibitive to acquire.

You can use Stun to interrupt casters, and you can also use it when pulling casters and they won't cast a spell when other party members are in range and instead they will go straight for you. You can hide around corners to use this to park casters wherever you want instead of dealing with the pain of them casting from range on your other group members (Chef camp is a good example) Casting Stun when you pull is a good habit so you sit right on top of the agro list and keep it up with Flash of Light. You can also stun to help with charmed pet breaks. Paladin also gets great proccing weapons that are cheap like the Sword of the Morning that proc off real nice with some dex.

When you hit 57 and get Superior Heal you become an effective healer. DA at 55 is an excellent ability as well as Lay on Hands, which in the hands of a great player will save countless hairy situations. Many times you'll have to use it on someone other than yourself. At 59 the 90% rez is excellent.

Many players will say that you never calm as a Paladin but that is false. While leveling and even in your 50s you will find yourself calming often. If you carry CHA gear and get your levels you can calm just fine and its a very powerful skill. I even know Clerics that wear Ragefire gear and Calm all the time.

If you come from a caster class you will likely find the lack of spells on a Warrior disappointing. If you come from a melee class you will probably want to try a Shadow Knight over a Paladin because Paladins "are gay" and you haven't realized how awesome it is to play with Stun, Root, Calm, and Heal. Not having FD is quite the tradeoff, but its up to personal choice at that point.

I can say that high level Paladins are excellent (the best) group tanks and with Superior Heal, a Bixie Blade, and a Sky haste belt Paladins are nothing to fuck with at all.

The main issue is the road to 60 is a long one on a Hybrid vs. a Warrior. I don't foresee an incredible explosion of Hybrid classes once the XP penalty is lifted but it should help some. OP should consider a Hybrid but really it takes a lonnng time before they really come to form.

^

[kaev]

The DW helm is a very useful clicky heal

Gonna disagree with this. It is situationally useful 45 to 50, and at best marginally useful thereafter, neither of those correlates to "very" useful. I don't think I've even carried it bagged since L55 or so, when I realized I hadn't used it in forever. 120hp with a 10 second cast, requires the target forgo or click off a substantially more useful buff like Hero, Natureskin, or SLN, hell even Resolution is twice the HP & AC. And the long cast costs you mana regen while you stand there waiting.

I used the DW helm from time to time L45 to L50 when I was grouped with a Shaman or a sub-49 Druid as healer, at those levels it's greatest value is chain healing a Shaman during/after buffing in a melee-heavy group to speed the Shaman's mana recovery. There are oddball group makeups where it is truly valuable, but groups with a Necro or Paladin as main healer are far from a common occurrence. It's also useful solo, but soloing a 45+ paladin sucks donkey balls regardless of gear.

The next time somebody tells you the DW Helm is a valuable healing item reply "oh wow man, so those Donal's arms must be pure awesomesauce!" and ask him about the amazing groups he's been in where the the Cleric was healing with them.

Group with real healers and wear an SSB or a Valorium Helm because you don't get the free MR a Warrior does. The DW helm is 98% shiny toy hat & 2% marginally valuable situational clicky.

[Destron]

warriors are also extremely boring. target mob, turn on autoattack. repeat.


You can add 'cast spell' and you have all tanks. You're over simplifying the class and role. There is a lot more that goes into tanking than simply target and attack.

Knowing which mobs to kill first in a multiple pull, positioning. Tab targeting throwing taunts/stuns. Timing kicks for spell interupts. You can take it as far as you want.

[pharmakos]

yeah, i used to fear kite seafury cyclopses on my warrior. i've got a tinkerer bag full of various different proccing weapons. i took it pretty far. still a really boring and gimpy class.

[Tuljin]

The DW helm is 98% shiny toy hat & 2% marginally valuable situational clicky.

I will agree that higher levels it loses its effectiveness but it has saved my ass as well as my friends' asses many times. It is "situational" and "situations" are what make EQ awesome. I mostly play in oddball groups so its gotten some great mileage. A lifetime of free HP for 500pp is not bad at all.

Also consider that 45-50 is a long road and most people don't get past there so looking at it from a "I will never get past level 52" standpoint its pretty damn good lol

[Raev]

I always enjoy the Tuljin essays :D

Anyway, Pharmakos, Warriors are in no way 'gimp'. With good gear and competent team mates, Warriors are simply the best, whether its raiding, going for tough targets with low numbers, or just XP grouping. They bring the most HP, the most AC, the most damage, and above all Defensive Discipline. The problem prospective Warriors face is creating those situations: putting in the time to get the gear, and making friends with competent players who can make you look good. There is a reason Warrior is considered something of a raid leader class.

The problem is when you join your average XP group full of people who are somehow bad despite playing this game for hundreds of hours in the same expansion, and the Monk pulls 5 mobs while the Enchanter is clueless and the Cleric is ninja AFK, there is nothing you can do.

I don't think Warriors are boring, either. You have quite a few clickies to manage, you have to manage push while staying in range of the clerics, and you can't really AFK like a Wizard. A good warrior is almost as important as a good monk for successfully 1-grouping the Chardok Royals.

[pharmakos]

"warriors aren't gimpy as long as they have a lot of skilled people helping them out."

sounds gimpy to me.

[kaev]

"warriors aren't gimpy as long as they have a lot of skilled people helping them out."

sounds gimpy to me.

"Warriors are great so long as they don't have a bunch of baddies weighing them down" is more accurate, and not gimpy at all.

[Raev]

"warriors aren't gimpy as long as they have a lot of skilled people helping them out."

sounds gimpy to me.

Nah, gimpy is a fully buffed half-elf paladin being 1-rounded by a sebilite juggernaut.

[Colgate]

if you have no intentions of raiding, paladin or SK is the way to go

they can tank everything in the game currently aside from just overseer of air, hand of veeshan, bee boss

they won't be tanking many, if any, velious raid mobs, so doesn't seem like you NEED to play a warrior

knights are way cheaper to gear out as well

[TheThaloc]

Warriors are fun once you get the proper toys.
Velious raids in general, knights are for off tanking. Pretty much everything vindi + is warrior only.

[Danth]

Warriors likely aren't merely as gear dependent as you remember. Rather, they're probably much more so. A Warrior IS its gear, much more so than any other class. However, that's not the right question to ask. Warriors are a specialized class, and they have a unique lock on their role. The real question is whether you want to perform that role.

Warriors are strictly a long-term commitment. They're terrible at low through mid levels, and remain terrible at high levels with crummy gear. If you're the sort of player who gets bored and quits a character once it plateaus off in the high 50's, make something else. If you want to push through the leveling phrase and spend most your time living in very high-end content, you can get good service from the Warrior class. If you want to be the rock star who main tanks the biggest raid bosses, it's your ONLY practical choice. It's not for everyone, but there are folks out there who greatly enjoy that sort of rush and who are willing to put up with the many levels of weakling-mode to get there. Consider it a rite of passage.


Danth

[kaev]

Nah, gimpy is a fully buffed half-elf paladin being 1-rounded by a sebilite juggernaut.

paladin was naked and L45? :p

[SamwiseRed]

i leveled 1-54 in full crafted using CoM weapons once I hit 40. at 54 I left CoM for seb and from there I geared, leveled, and farmed to 60. this was on red ofc so it took a lot less time but i never had a problem holding agro as long as the group wasnt full retard.

[webrunner5]

The bad thing about thinking you are ever going to Raid with a Warrior is there really is only ONE that is the MT, and unless your brother is the Guild leader lol, or you are TOTALLY committed to Raid at the drop of a hat every single time they raid, forget being one. :p

You will be second fiddle or less, until you ass rots off. :( But with Velious coming out you WILL have a "seat at the table" as they say. You WILL be needed in groups trust me. :cool:

[pharmakos]

someone else compared being a raid main tank warrior to being a rockstar.

the thing is, only a really small % of the people that choose to play music for a living actually end up becoming rock stars. the rest end up living in their mom's basement eating doritos and playing P1999.

[SamwiseRed]

The bad thing about thinking you are ever going to Raid with a Warrior is there really is only ONE that is the MT, and unless your brother is the Guild leader lol, or you are TOTALLY committed to Raid at the drop of a hat every single time they raid, forget being one. :p

You will be second fiddle or less, until you ass rots off. :( But with Velious coming out you WILL have a "seat at the table" as they say. You WILL be needed in groups trust me. :cool:

warriors are still great dps, especially in fights were people are dumb and die to aoes and shit. precision is tite.

[Tuljin]

someone else compared being a raid main tank warrior to being a rockstar.

the thing is, only a really small % of the people that choose to play music for a living actually end up becoming rock stars. the rest end up living in their mom's basement eating doritos and playing P1999.

Rofl

[Legday]

There is a lot more to tanking as a warrior than some people would have you believe.

First of all, I rolled Barbarian because I wanted to be a large class (for slam stuns/spell interrupts), but didn't want to be a big fat ogre or troll. Barbs look cool.

Positioning the mob for the group is huge. You will have a rogue(s) in most groups in this game, and even though they should be getting themselves in position to backstab, you need to make sure the mob is facing a direction that he won't quickly be pushed in to a wall or corner. On that note, sometimes you need to organize the direction of the push, so making hotkeys along the lines of "/g Push WITH me" etc., are very handy. Towards end game there are several mobs that gate or CH. Pushing for interrupts can make the difference between success and a wipe. If you have the ability to slam/bash stun the mob, even better.

You also need to pick the targets and call assist. Make sure you have the agro you need before you call the rest of the DPS in, and always taunt a mez'd mob before hitting it. Once you land a taunt, you will see the text "I'll teach you to interfere with me, <your name>!" from most mobs. For some reason, some mobs will never give that text. If a mezzed mob breaks and runs for your chanter while you're still fighting another mob, don't just run over and start taunting and wacking it. Chanters should be able to get another mez on it, and you hitting it is going to cause problems. Keep an eye on it though, and if the chanter's hp is dropping too quickly, shift targets and sink a charge of a spider net (or if you're desperate, a mallet) in to that mob. More on those clickies in a bit.

Caster's first when you're picking the next mob to kill. If you have 4 mobs in camp all mez'd and there are 3 melee mobs and 1 wizard mob, kill that wizard first. The reason is that if mez breaks on the wizard, he might be able to nuke (ice comet...ugh) your enchanter before he gets remezzed. Some people will prefer to mana drain the casters while they're mezzed and actually ask you to kill the casters last so they can drain away while the group/raid kills the melee mobs. This is more common on raids, and its acceptable. Just make sure you're communicating with your group/guild on this.

Holding agro becomes MUCH easier when you are higher level for the zone you are fighting in. For example, fighting in KC at level 51 versus fighting there at lvl 55, I had a much easier time landing successful taunts at 55 when the rest of the melee dps was in the lvl 50-54 range. The mobs were blue at both levels, but for some reason they just respected me a little more.

Once you get to level 52, using your Evasive disc in group settings can be a life saver when there's that huge pull and the CC/cleric are LOM. Evasive lasts 3 minutes and has a 7 minute refresh. When its on, mobs will have a hard time even hitting you. At level 55 the Defensive disc is huge for raid boss tanking. Evasive in groups (and for lesser raid tanking).

Spider nets, spider nets, spider nets. This comes back to the OP's question about gear reliability as well. At about 500-600p per net, you can easily spend 5k+ getting yourself the right amount of nets where you'll feel comfortable. Each net has 3 charges of Root. Once you get there though, you have de facto snap agro for life. Root agro rules apply, but since you're the one casting root, you should be able to use it to your advantage in just about any situation. At level 60 I run around with 14 nets on me, and on any given dungeon crawl or planar clear, I go through 10-13 nets. You can also recharge the nets yourself (always leave a 3 charge net on you). Adding to the cost is the fact that they cost about 20p each to buy back when you recharge so its another 200-300p every time you recharge.

For raid boss tanking, Midnight Mallet is the best affordable clicky (500-600p each). Each mallet has 5 charges of a slow click and it generates good agro. On engage of the boss I'm always simultaneously hitting my disc and the mallet (sometimes more than 1 charge). If you're in a guild worth a damn, most people at the raid should be carrying mallets on them (they're lore), and ready to hand one to a tank that calls for a new one.

With enough spider nets, warriors are actually better group tanks than the knight classes considering they're sturdier, have snap agro, and carry no XP penalty. The question just comes down to how much money you have to spend on gear and clickies. Warriors are EXTREMELY gear dependent in this iteration of EQ, especially since we've been in Kunark for 5 years. There are so many alt twink warriors running around that you might feel a little silly running around in bronze gear until later levels. Have thick skin!

For gear, HP (and STA) is king. Haste is huge. Dex is huge once you're using proc weapons. Everything else is whatever.

Legday <Asgard>
Lvl 60 Warrior

[maskedmelon]

I will agree that higher levels it loses its effectiveness but it has saved my ass as well as my friends' asses many times. It is "situational" and "situations" are what make EQ awesome. I mostly play in oddball groups so its gotten some great mileage. A lifetime of free HP for 500pp is not bad at all.

Also consider that 45-50 is a long road and most people don't get past there so looking at it from a "I will never get past level 52" standpoint its pretty damn good lol

For solo the helm is goddamn amazing at those levels: about 80% faster than medding to heal.