Druid weapon choices for tank & spank

[Diogene]

Im doing pretty things with good ole jade mace right now (lvl18) but I wonder if I should switch to 2hb after lvl20 damage cap has been lifted ? Il hesitating between Massive Velium Brawl Stick (32/37) or Skyfury Scimitar (13/23). Any advice ? I plan to melee till maybe 30 or so...

[Jimjam]

Iksar Berserker Club for spell AC pad? I find spell AC can help hugely, even in small amounts.

[GreldorEQ]

Hail Competent Adventurer!

Druid melee provides enjoyment even at 60! I think that with low attack, the most touches possible the better until you can use a Heirophants Crook and proc Earthquake. Pro tip, dont underestimate the value of treeform for blue killing in low risk scenarios, will cut downtime a lot.

I used a Brells Keg Popper for the infrequent high damage hit, but once I got my Sky sword with Combust proc, I could see how lower delay was better. I would go for the scimitar as DS will be doing the most damage the higher you go, more touches the better. A seconday slot item can offer more AC which makes a difference! Less expensive option would be iksar berserker club.

Once you can proc with the 2hb quake staff, its hard to beat a proc or two per fight, especially if your dex is over 150. Either way, work on thos melee skills, you will be using them! When you have the option to use Epic, Sky Sword or Heiro Crook, youll be happy to have max skill!

The ratio wasnt as important at lower levels as much as the weapon skill to actually land hits, again, ds will be doing the bulk of the work. So go for stats and procs, and have fun!

[Briscoe]

Primal Velium Battlehammer

[zodium]

DPS Druid's weapon of choice: Smoldering Cudgel (http://wiki.project1999.com/Smoldering_Cudgel), yarr!

:o

[Diogene]

Thanks for insight guys. I must admit I already bought that Massive Velium Brawl Stick (reminder : 32/37). Gimme a good reason not to sell it apart from a fashion perspective (really looks badass)
Also on a side note, I made this toon to see how far a melee druid can go with an AC / STR build. Currently Im sitting at 150 STR unbuffed. Should I sink a couple more pp's into STR to get to 200+ ? I know it sounds silly, but as of now fun factor is BIG.

[Jimjam]

Do it. Gimmick characters must have their gimmick adhered to!

[Lhancelot]

Do it. Gimmick characters must have their gimmick adhered to!

I think if I built a gimmick Druid, I would stack hps, ac, and focus on thorning myself while meleeing.

This means I'd use a Sarnak battle shield and a scimitar of emerald dawn for meleeing. A COF would also be needed for maximum haste.

[Tuurin]

Tough to do better than the brawl stick- don't listen to the "fast weapon" argument. If you're actually trying to melee with a priest you'll want something slow so you can mix in a nuke/heal between swings. There are some other options, but most will either be inferior ratio or extremely expensive (aka Emerald Dawn, which runs 25k+).

[Diogene]

Tough to do better than the brawl stick- don't listen to the "fast weapon" argument. If you're actually trying to melee with a priest you'll want something slow so you can mix in a nuke/heal between swings. There are some other options, but most will either be inferior ratio or extremely expensive (aka Emerald Dawn, which runs 25k+).

Excellent point ! Thank you.

[Jimjam]

For clarity I suggested IBC not due to its delay, but due to the AC proc which will help mitigation.

Slow swingers are better when all other things are even.

Any more good procs for druids? Like a longer duration AC buff perhaps?

[GreldorEQ]

I think using a slow swinger with low attack is a mistake. Your damage will not primarily come from your weapon unless you have a big proc and 201 dex.

This isn't the same a shaman tanking, Druids hit for shit, and miss a lot with 2 handers. The DS will be your dps, and any procs you have can aid you - that is my experience tanking as a Druid.

[Lhancelot]

This isn't the same a shaman tanking, Druids hit for shit, and miss a lot with 2 handers. The DS will be your dps, and any procs you have can aid you - that is my experience tanking as a Druid.

That's my sentiment too. That's why I would go with a shield that adds ac as well as HPs, and get a 1h weapon that has as good of a ratio as you can get. Meleeing is not going to do the bulk of the damage anyway, your DS and additional dot here and there will be the prime damage imo.

I tried to use Hiero Crook for damage on my druid ages ago, and you simply don't have the dex to proc it enough to make it that great in hard fights. Against lowbie greens, the proc is good enough but against worthy mobs you are XPing off of, it simply won't be good enough.


TL;DR

your DS is the best bet for damage against mobs.

[Diogene]

At the moment I'm wielding jade mace + sarnak shield... so far so good. Anyway once I hit 20, I'll see how it goes with 2handers...
side question : does 1h skill level up faster than 2h on druid ? It seems both are at the same level at the moment ?