Shaman Wearing Druid Gear?

[Conky]

Originally Posted by Hawala [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

All of this gear is AC or melee:

Get some JBB gear -- Helm, Gauntlets, Boots and Vambraces -- these are cheap.

Get a 2h blunt -- Poison Wind Censor, Withered Totem of Widdershins, Granite Face Grinder

Quest your own totemic -- Greaves, Breastplate, Bracers, Helm

For jewelry, 55HP 5AC Rings, Gold Jasper all around, unless you can afford Forest Loops, and I use Targishin's Bone Mask for the face.

For a cape, get a Hooded Black Cloak, or a Molten Cloak.

As for belt, if you can afford a FBSS that's the way to go, or else get a Reed Belt.

I'm not even kidding, if you slow the mob, and and buff yourself up, along with haste and regeneration on you and your dog and you can seriously tank until 50 or higher. Even in groups you're gonna be taking a crap ton of damage if you slow, you gotta be able to mitigate it.

Having a huge mana pool or HP pool is essentially pointless. Mitigate the damage, or regenerate it.

You need lots of HP, this is horrible advice...

[DrKvothe]

Kind of agree with yums. When you're taking hits and not medding, meleeing actually has a pretty severe mana cost. That might not be important with mana free epic dot and 200 mana cheal from torpor... But from 24 to 50 with cheap gear, you're probably best sitting in a corner.

I couldn't afford a pwc in the levels when it would have helped me most (20-34) and I imagine thats a common problem. Meleeing with a goblin parrying spear stops being exciting pretty quickly :P

Btw, if you're iksar or barbarian, consider taking a trip to KC to get some solid no-drop gear. Helm, gloves, and legs are especially strong.

[Hawala]

What do you need HP for? It's the same as mana. It doesn't regenerate faster because of gear, but you can mitigate damage to allow for you to cannibalize more.

[Tenlaar]

Being able to port for plats it should be easy to gear up a shaman, basic stuff isn't that expensive.

Use some of the good 5+ wis items to get to about 160-170 wis, then focus on HP/AC. Get a wind censer. Get a few wis/mana pieces you can swap in for group play when you're not taking many hits. Facetank to 50 like a man.

[Estu]

Tanking in the 30s and 40s really isn't worth it IMO. Compare it to root-dotting and you'll see you get way more EXP per hour root-dotting. You might feel manlier tanking but it's straight up less efficient. Your dinky wisdom caster melee DPS is pretty lackluster, and the HP and mana you lose by slowing, tanking, and healing is too much to be worthwhile. There may be an exception if you have some really expensive high-end weapons, but even then I'd be skeptical.

[skipdog]

Originally Posted by Estu [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Tanking in the 30s and 40s really isn't worth it IMO. Compare it to root-dotting and you'll see you get way more EXP per hour root-dotting. You might feel manlier tanking but it's straight up less efficient. Your dinky wisdom caster melee DPS is pretty lackluster, and the HP and mana you lose by slowing, tanking, and healing is too much to be worthwhile. There may be an exception if you have some really expensive high-end weapons, but even then I'd be skeptical.

I agree with Estu.

There is no good reason to 'tank' after 30 when soloing. AC can be useful in groups - mainly when slows resist and when things get chaotic. Most of the time, once the slow lands, most mobs will have trouble even getting through your regen and your AC doesn't get that much use. There is never really much of a reason to want to tank in a group. In almost any instance where you'd think to yourself 'I should off-tank that slowed mob' the better answer is just to root said mob and sit down/continue canni dancing.

[Yumyums Inmahtumtums]

Originally Posted by skipdog [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I agree with Estu.

There is no good reason to 'tank' after 30 when soloing. AC can be useful in groups - mainly when slows resist and when things get chaotic. Most of the time, once the slow lands, most mobs will have trouble even getting through your regen and your AC doesn't get that much use. There is never really much of a reason to want to tank in a group. In almost any instance where you'd think to yourself 'I should off-tank that slowed mob' the better answer is just to root said mob and sit down/continue canni dancing.

Level 5 root is your best friend. That spell alone will help you mitigate nearly all your group damage if you use it correctly.

[Spitty]

Originally Posted by Yumyums Inmahtumtums [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Level 5 root is your best friend. That spell alone will help you mitigate nearly all your group damage if you use it correctly.

Also this. Good point.

Beware at high levels though - it wears off like the cheapest of temporary tattoos.

[Bronia]

Back in the day, I can remember facetanking well into the 50s when I wasn't grouping. Slow mob, slap three dots on, sic dogdog on it and then whale away while dogdog chewed its backside. If I was being really cocky, I cannibalised while beating on it. Shaman really really needs maxed defence and this is the best way to get it. HP/AC all the way [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[baalzy]

Estu wasn't saying it isn't possible. He's saying from an xp/hour min-max standpoint face tanking is slower leveling.