It really comes down to personal preference. But that's a solid argument against the Fiery Defender, with its needed quest piece (Book of Scale) costing more than Narandi's Lance.
As stylish and iconic as Natures Defender looks, and as well as Narandi's Lance complements the class, the Fiery Defender still holds roleplay and fashionquest value, having the appearance of a controlled burn and being the ultimate equipped lightsource in Norrath. Though probably more of a status symbol now for BiS completionists, for humans and erudites back in classic the FD must have been a godsend, almost a night and day difference when wielding it in poorly-lit dungeons or meadows at dusk. (What happens in the meadow at dusk? Nothing. Everything.) Also, it's interesting that the fire never dies, even when its wielder has, with its light passively assisting them in locating corpse versus night blindness. So it's not just a decorative particle effect, but one that's situationally useful.
The proc on FD and ND are a nice addition but, for all of the work put into completing the epic, it seems unlikely that a more substantial effect would have drawn much outcry from other classes. A moderate self-heal (blue text: cauterize wound) proc would have set the epic apart from future raid drops, at least situationally, much in the way that Innoruuk's Curse is still swapped in by Shadow Knights during raids to counter AoE damage.
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06-13-2019, 10:19 PM
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