New Druid Advice from the experts

[Faywind]

I'm glad that not getting that ring isn't going to really bite me in the ass, I was second guessing myself on buying gear. Also I still didn't have enough for it so the choice was pretty much made for me.

I went Human Druid of Tunare. Love the Surefall glade starting area. Did 25 wis and 5 sta as well. He is currently level 9 in Blackburrow, having a blast. Harmony is such a useful thing to have so early on in the game.

Notable items I got for myself (have 1k left to spend) include some things I just wanted because it looks really cool:

Brown chitin protector, black chiitn legs, golden efreeti boots, CC arms, CC circlet, CC gauntlets, 5/55 ac hp rings, crystalline belt, rygorr cloak, runed mithril bracers, and of course a glowing stone band for running around at night.

I still need shoulders, face, earrings and neck. I have 1k left for those but not in a rush.

Oh, forgot the best part! Rygorr shield as secondary, cool looking shield and my favorite item i got him was the Oakleaf Scimitar. He looks really cool, might be mistaken for a cleric as he looks like wearing full plate.

Anyways, really appreciate all the advice on this topic.

Cheers!

[bcbrown]

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

I still need shoulders, face, earrings and neck. I have 1k left for those but not in a rush.

The Tunare root clicky neck is definitely worth questing. The cast time is long enough to make it not super convenient, but it's still situationally exceptional. Even at 60 I still occasionally useful. I keep my longest-timed root up, and on root breaks in cramped spaces I'll root my former pet, then override with the root clicky so it'll break sooner before re-charming.

For shoulders, the Prayer Cloth of Tunare is super easy to get with a couple levels in Crushbone. If you're not interested in leveling there I've got one gathering dust in the bank I'd be happy to give you (on green).

For earrings, jasper gold earrings are 30pp and are kinda whatever; they'll take you to 50 no prob. An Earring of Woven Bark is a good longterm goal. For face I like Platinum Ruby Veil but there's several other good options.

[Goregasmic]

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

The Tunare root clicky neck is definitely worth questing. The cast time is long enough to make it not super convenient, but it's still situationally exceptional. Even at 60 I still occasionally useful. I keep my longest-timed root up, and on root breaks in cramped spaces I'll root my former pet, then override with the root clicky so it'll break sooner before re-charming.

I knew the mechanic but never thought about breaking a long root with a shorter root to save time, I feel dumb now. I usually used dispell to reposition but that means you can't debuff until final position.

[Goregasmic]

The gobby ring is a VERY NICE QOL item but not mandatory. You could do without but having to swap invis in is annoying and your timing will be off sometimes so you'll lose mob or have to cast an extra nuke. Nothing critical.

At level 10, 1 wisdom gives you like 2 mana and at 20 like 3 mana. So early on a 6wis piece gives you like 12mana. For the first like, 40 levels you're probably better off with a platinum tiara and a platinum dragon totem than an othmir fur cap and a sarnak battle shield since the return on sta/wis is nearly insignificant at first. I can understand not wishing to swap all your gear at 40 though and just go straight wis right off the bat.

IIRC wis casters don't really have nice cheap hand slots so SCHW + that GCM is a good choice for a while. I did something similar on my cleric and enjoyed it. If you have more budget something like a skyfury scimitar will last you a long time.

[bcbrown]

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

At level 10, 1 wisdom gives you like 2 mana and at 20 like 3 mana. So early on a 6wis piece gives you like 12mana. For the first like, 40 levels you're probably better off with a platinum tiara and a platinum dragon totem than an othmir fur cap and a sarnak battle shield since the return on sta/wis is nearly insignificant at first. I can understand not wishing to swap all your gear at 40 though and just go straight wis right off the bat.

IIRC wis casters don't really have nice cheap hand slots so SCHW + that GCM is a good choice for a while. I did something similar on my cleric and enjoyed it. If you have more budget something like a skyfury scimitar will last you a long time.

Good point about the minimal gains from stats at early levels. One important benefit from something like the shield, though, is the hefty AC bump. If you're charming you're getting hit a lot, and the survivability with good AC is noticeable. For the hand slot OP went with Crystal Chitin, which is my favorite starting item for almost any class that can use it. The AC is fantastic, the raw mana speaks to your point about minimal value of stat gains, and the extra strength is a nice cherry on top.

[spoil]

I almost exclusively charmed on my druid to I think level 51. And you can't overestimate the value of a GGR, it makes you a lot more efficient. But you can live without it. Make sure to have pet commands on a socials button so you can /pet back off as you're channeling invis if either mob is too close to death. Should have that set up anyways, but especially without a GGR for instant break. Also Lumi staff is very useful even if you're not quadding for the free ~200 damage nuke. I also like the convenience of a gobby earring and not needing a target in range, but don't forget the star of eyes is a free GCD clicky.

[spoil]

It's a super item, too bad it's relatively expensive for most players because nobody wants to do the camp.

[kjs86z2]

Its QoL and nothing more, especially on a budget.

I'd rather have a velious bracer any day.

[spoil]

ES bracer is like 500 plat?

[kjs86z2]

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

ES bracer is like 500 plat?

alright, lets go one step further:

ill take velious bracer, velious BP, Woven Bark (snare) Ear, and Earthcrafting (DS) gloves before gobby ear all day every day