Shield Ally (Agility AP line) NOT a good choice

[Antryg Mistrose]

After extensive research (okay I did a search for "but you blocked" in my log file), I can report that this 2nd last spell in the agility line is officially garbage.With a GM agility potion, pushing my pitiful avoidance to 23%  (and I'm not even sure it checks against more than my buckler), this procced a massive 13 times in an entire night of raiding (4.5 hours), and almost entirely only on trash mobs.It looks like I'll be joining the other 90% of templars on Critical Heals as well as the (practically mandatory) Timer reduction.  So anyone got a spare 1.3p ?  <span>:smileywink:</span><div></div>p.s. The shield bash Mezz is somewhat useful for soloing, but the DPS increase isn't obvious, so the entire line is IMO somewhat lacking.  Perhaps if the final AOE immunity ability was a permanent buff it would be useful (hardly overpowering as brigands have been given that anyway).Is there anyone who has NOT gone the cookie cutter approach who likes their choices ?

[Supernova17]

Sorry, cookie cutter it is! STA and INT line offer the best of both worlds. <span>:smileywink:</span> Crits heals + Reduced casting timers for healing action and Melee Crits (Yalup wee!) + Spell Damage Crits along with other abilities on the trees for damage. <div></div>

[Hopefulne]

<DIV>if i remember correctly shield ally was parsed and they found that it did shield block hits by the %age it was supposed to BUT they couldn't spot the standard non shield avoidance despite the buffee avoiding more than they should. Which probably means u can't parse it either-plus it doesn't work against AoE's or yourself so it ain't 2 hot against raid or solo mobs. maybe an AoE mit or AoE resistance mod on it would b make it effective</DIV> <DIV>As for numbers i have a buckler and 170 agility giving me 24.1 avoidance solo - this gives a 14.46% chance to avoid at rank 8.  Grouped this is far higher and is a greater benefit than a heal bonus IMO since it is a preventative measure.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As for the buckler mez it is VERY cool against casters in duels (it fast casting) allowing u to mez and then debuff them before stunning and smacking them down.  The DPS mod is probably the best damage mod overall since u don't have to check the delay or upper damage on any weapon u get to gain the benefits.</DIV> <DIV>As for the Holy shield....well i am not spending 8 points for a temporary buff which i could be casting a heal during.  The best level 5 AA IMO is the Divine Recovery on the INT line but then it isn't 'improving my healing' directly</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P>Message Edited by Hopefulness on <SPAN class=date_text>07-27-2006</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>09:00 PM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Hopefulness on <span class=date_text>07-27-2006</span> <span class=time_text>09:11 PM</span>

[EQAditu]

<div></div><div></div>Every time I have looked, it seemed to me that this type of buff lended shield blocking, weapon parry, or brawler deflection.  Your base avoidance from your defense/AGI will not be accounted for in the buff.  As in, you can lend "YOU block." to your target, but the mob will never seem to miss because of you.  I wouldn't call it a study, but the number of misses could never account for the number of blocks or parries myself and a crusader put on a tank.  Thus I came to the conclusion that the buff icon was partially lying and that only the protection number on your shield counted and your AGI could be zero or 5000.  So if you actually cared about this AA, you would forget the AGI potions/gear etc, and simply get a high protection shield.  My suggestion being the 640 priest usable round shield.  Only like 1pp at a broker.  You'll get much poorer results if you don't focus specifically on your shield.I personally have no reason to go away from my AGI/STA configuration.  With my "slow" healing because of no INT line... casting faster so I'm waiting for my recast timers faster doesn't sound all that useful.  If a fight is hard, I will be auto casting my direct heals and canceling the cast if it won't land for anything.  Once I land one I just use the other repeatedly until I have reason to land that one.  Since I am not waiting for a reason to cast thus reacting and starting a cast, a lower cast time is not a concern.  Usually I'll be somewhere in the middle of a cast when I decide to cancel the cast or not.--EDIT--Just looked at my last Tarinax kill...  mob hit the tank 25 times in melee, the tank blocked 7, I blocked 3.  Above average from what I recall, but anyhow...  if you look at his average/median damage for melee on the tank, I intercepted maybe 9k.  That's hardly a useless thing... and this is an <i>orange</i> epic mob.<div></div><p>Message Edited by EQAditu on <span class=date_text>07-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:28 AM</span>

[v1510n]

I took shield ally for a while as well, seemed to proc 2-3 times per fight respectably, but 2-3 blocks < a [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]load of crits<div></div>

[quasigenx]

<div><blockquote><hr>EQAditu wrote:<div></div><div></div>My suggestion being the 640 priest usable round shield.  Only like 1pp at a broker.  <hr></blockquote>What's the name of this item?</div>

[Kabil]

Pretty much what I did.  Sta Line (Melee Crits *8*) (Healing Crits *8*)Int Line (Cast time Reduction *8*)  Anything left over is getting put into the Casting Crit and Strength.Might as well join the cookie cutter bunch <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Caethre]

<FONT color=#ff6600>OOC.<BR></FONT> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Antryg Mistrose wrote:<BR><BR>Is there anyone who has NOT gone the cookie cutter approach who likes their choices ?<BR><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><FONT color=#ff6600>Although I still have only 27 APs (due to being busy doing other things than adventuring with my Templar lately), I am still happy <EM>for now</EM> with STA (4/4/8 for max melee crits) and STR (4/4/2 so far, going for 8 in Bolt of Power). The objective eventually is to get the maximum DPS I can manage with my very (relatively to raiding Templars) ordinary gear, but I *might* still go for healing crits yet as well, I'm not decided.</FONT></P> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> quasigenx wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> EQAditu wrote:<BR><BR> My suggestion being the 640 priest usable round shield.  Only like 1pp at a broker. <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>What's the name of this item?<BR></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><FONT color=#ff6600>I think you might be referring to the Bulwark of the Brave, an early reward on the Claymore quest line.</FONT></P> <P><FONT color=#ff6600>Felishanna.</FONT></P>

[NummieSh]

<P>Has anyone taken the wisdom line?  With all that undead smacking you would think that would be a cool line to have.</P> <P>The probably did something crazy like have no high level mobs be undead or something huh?</P>

[Nari]

<P>I've read good things about the WIS line in this forum.  It might not be as popular because it is so specialized.</P> <P> </P> <P>I am sorry to hear that about the agility line.</P>

[Zannah]

<div><blockquote><hr>NummieShin wrote:<div></div> <p>Has anyone taken the wisdom line?  With all that undead smacking you would think that would be a cool line to have.</p> <p>The probably did something crazy like have no high level mobs be undead or something huh?</p><hr></blockquote>Thats about the size of it, tho there are high level undead in several places (Solusek's Eye, the Splitpaw AP, Sinking Sands, Living Tombs, Silent City, Palace of the Awakened, The Bonemire, Blackscale Sepulchre, Forsaken City in FD).  I believe that Tarinax is undead (his model is anyway, not sure if he takes more damage from undead spells tho)</div>

[EQAditu]

<div></div><div></div><a href="../view_profile?user.id=111390" target="_blank"><span>Caethre</span></a> wrote:<hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote><font color="#ff6600">I think you might be referring to the Bulwark of the Brave, an early reward on the Claymore quest line.</font></blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%">That would be funny.  I'm pretty sure that I got the item way before I knew what the Claymore quest was.  Way before I heard people starting to talk about it.<a href="../view_profile?user.id=199039" target="_blank"><span>RancidRage</span></a> wrote:<hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote>I took shield ally for a while as well, seemed to proc 2-3 times per fight respectably, but 2-3 blocks < a [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]load of crits</blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%">Taking the same DT run as I used for a previous example, I found what you said to be a very hard thing to prove.  Merging 96 encounters together, it came to be with my 26.7% crit rate on heals, it added on average 41k to my total.  If you took the average hits the tank got and said that I blocked an average hit every time, I would have blocked 153k damage.  So in these terms, which certainly might not be a good way to look at it, your statement seems false.<div></div><p>Message Edited by EQAditu on <span class=date_text>07-28-2006</span> <span class=time_text>06:21 PM</span>

[v1510n]

<div><blockquote><hr>EQAditu wrote:<div></div><div></div><a href="../view_profile?user.id=111390" target="_blank"><span>Caethre</span></a> wrote:<hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote><font color="#ff6600">I think you might be referring to the Bulwark of the Brave, an early reward on the Claymore quest line.</font></blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%">That would be funny.  I'm pretty sure that I got the item way before I knew what the Claymore quest was.  Way before I heard people starting to talk about it.<a href="../view_profile?user.id=199039" target="_blank"><span>RancidRage</span></a> wrote:<hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote>I took shield ally for a while as well, seemed to proc 2-3 times per fight respectably, but 2-3 blocks < a [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]load of crits</blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%">Taking the same DT run as I used for a previous example, I found what you said to be a very hard thing to prove.  Merging 96 encounters together, it came to be with my 26.7% crit rate on heals, it added on average 41k to my total.  If you took the average hits the tank got and said that I blocked an average hit every time, I would have blocked 153k damage.  So in these terms, which certainly might not be a good way to look at it, your statement seems false.<div></div><p>Message Edited by EQAditu on <span class="date_text">07-28-2006</span> <span class="time_text">06:21 PM</span></p><hr></blockquote>It wasnt really a statement, it was just my opinion from my experience with shield ally. If you wanted a more specific answer, It seemed to proc 2-3 times per NAMED encounter</div>

[Hopefulne]

<DIV>ok so it seems to only prevent damage via the protection of a shield rather than the entire avoidance.  Not good. Also i remember a shield which templars could use - ok stats, only a treasured. But it had over a 1000 heat resist and about 1k protection.  something shield of heat reflection??  Couldn't find a version of it on the database or broker so i can't be sure of it anymore.</DIV> <DIV>Has anyone attempted to parse the buff on regular mobs then?  go out to bonemire with a mit tank and a let 1 or 2 mobs swing away for a while then check the results?  Should be easy to confirm-can even do it without the buff to have a good comparison</DIV>

[EQAditu]

<div></div><div></div><hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote>It wasnt really a statement, it was just my opinion from my experience with shield ally. If you wanted a more specific answer, It seemed to proc 2-3 times per NAMED encounter</blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%">A statement of opinion anyways... I didn't mean to say that you meant it more than you did.  Hard to read it when half of it says <i>haxx0red by Raijinn</i> anyhow.  And named encounters don't seem to change it a lot, since every lucky block is usually a comparitively huge amount of damage to the trash anyhow.  (4 DT named = 41k blocked, 14k in crit heals @ 28.5%)And I'm sorry if I come off as defensive... every so often a post like this will show up telling me that my AA choices are crap when they seemed to have done very little research on it themselves.<hr size="2" width="100%"><blockquote>Also i remember a shield which templars could use - ok stats, only a treasured. But it had over a 1000 heat resist and about 1k protection.  something shield of heat reflection??</blockquote><hr size="2" width="100%"><div></div>As I remember, a patch note one day said they made it non-priest usable.  Oh, and for controlled testing of just you and a tank, good luck finding one that bored <span>:smileyhappy:</span><p>Message Edited by EQAditu on <span class=date_text>07-29-2006</span> <span class=time_text>01:27 AM</span>

[dragontamer619]

<DIV>I went down the Melee Templar part created by Kendricke.  Prior to that AP respec I was all about the INT / STA line.  At one point in time I thought about heading down the WIS line but everyone I spoke to on the worldwide Templar channel gave it bad reviews.  Plus I found it limiting.  While it is cool to be an all out undead smiter I wanted more versatility in combat.  So the AGI/STR/ STA line I have gone down.  I am very happy with the changes I made and I feel more adequate in battle.  Not so much for group battles, I tend to solo a lot so I like to hold my own in battle.  With the new changes I'm able to do that.  As of right now I have 4/4/8 on the STA line, 4/4/8 down the AGI line, and 4/2 down the STR line.  I am sure that you all have read Kendricke's post about what boosts it gives you.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>(Also I am glad to of go down this AP path because I'm an Ogre.  Seeing a huge Ogre swing a giant 2 handed hammer for 300 points of damage is just sad.  Ogres are strong brutes bred for battle.  I like smashing things then healing them.  :smileyvery-happy<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>