Do I need Shield Ally or don't I?

[Tylia]

Because of work I do not raid very often and rarely in MT grp.  The other guild temps advised that I should spec for SA (which I did), but I was wondering if I really need it.  Is it worthwhile for grp play (which is what I do mostly)?  Due to my lack of available time to raid it's going to be a while before I can get VP set gear and other raid items that are a temp's "must have".  I do have a few of them but should I continue on spec'ed for SA and trying to get the items that are most beneficial to it or should I go another direction?  Any input and advice would be greatly appreciated.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> 

[Enoa]

<p>I would say yes.   Even heroic mobs hit harder in ROK and avoidance is king.   Maybe for COA etc it doesn't make a difference but for solo healing RE2 with a "regular PUG type tank" .... i think that would be almost impossible without SA.  You'll have a much easier time healing with SA spec.   However,  to take full advantage of it you need to do a few things:</p><p>1. get a good shield (highest protection value)</p><p>2. wear % parry wrist adorns</p><p>3. parry/ dodge food and drink.</p><p>4. +/- other gear with % parry/ riposte modifiers on it.  (elite shock trooper forearms, danok mastercrafted neck, mastercrafted vanguard hat, shoulders, forearms, Yeb-soth guardian etc).  </p><p>BTW the VP set is not all that good (with exception of boots, forearms). </p>

[Tylia]

Thank you so much for your reply.  It's greatly appreciated.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />At the moment I have the Shield of Rainbow Hues for fear fights and the Big Boombottom Buckler that I use the rest of the time and use the parry/ dodge food and drink when I do raid.  I can see it makes sense to use that even in a grp.  I'll look for the adornments and armor you mentioned and not worry too much about the VP gear then, especially since it's going to be a long time out of my reach anyway.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Antryg Mistrose]

<cite>Enoa@Kithicor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I would say yes.   Even heroic mobs hit harder in ROK and avoidance is king.   Maybe for COA etc it doesn't make a difference but for solo healing RE2 with a "regular PUG type tank" .... i think that would be almost impossible without SA.  You'll have a much easier time healing with SA spec.   However,  to take full advantage of it you need to do a few things:</p><p>1. get a good shield (highest protection value)</p><p>2. wear % parry wrist adorns</p><p>3. parry/<span style="font-size: x-small;color: #ff0000;"><strike> dodge</strike></span> food and drink.</p><p>4. +/- other gear with % parry/ riposte modifiers on it.  (elite shock trooper forearms, danok mastercrafted neck, mastercrafted vanguard hat, shoulders, forearms, Yeb-soth guardian etc).  </p><p>BTW the VP set is not all that good (with exception of boots, forearms). </p></blockquote>Unless you are using Nexon'a Supple Dogwood Staff, Parry is better.  The reason being that 0.88x0.98 > 0.86 for example.  ie you get more bang for your buck if you max one value (normally parry), than try to get dodge up too.I guess I'm cheap / obsessed with appearance, as I only use the 30min food/drink and mastercrafted crap in raids <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" />Given that Shield Ally avoids more than twice as much damage as Dirge + Templar stoneskins' combined, there is no better AA unless you don't have a tank (ie are soloing or in with a mage group, say).

[Enoa]

<cite>Antryg Mistrose wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Enoa@Kithicor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I would say yes.   Even heroic mobs hit harder in ROK and avoidance is king.   Maybe for COA etc it doesn't make a difference but for solo healing RE2 with a "regular PUG type tank" .... i think that would be almost impossible without SA.  You'll have a much easier time healing with SA spec.   However,  to take full advantage of it you need to do a few things:</p><p>1. get a good shield (highest protection value)</p><p>2. wear % parry wrist adorns</p><p>3. parry/<span style="font-size: x-small;color: #ff0000;"><strike> dodge</strike></span> food and drink.</p><p>4. +/- other gear with % parry/ riposte modifiers on it.  (elite shock trooper forearms, danok mastercrafted neck, mastercrafted vanguard hat, shoulders, forearms, Yeb-soth guardian etc).  </p><p>BTW the VP set is not all that good (with exception of boots, forearms). </p></blockquote>Unless you are using Nexon'a Supple Dogwood Staff, Parry is better.  The reason being that 0.88x0.98 > 0.86 for example.  ie you get more bang for your buck if you max one value (normally parry), than try to get dodge up too.I guess I'm cheap / obsessed with appearance, as I only use the 30min food/drink and mastercrafted crap in raids <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" />Given that Shield Ally avoids more than twice as much damage as Dirge + Templar stoneskins' combined, there is no better AA unless you don't have a tank (ie are soloing or in with a mage group, say).</blockquote><p>I'm not sure I understand your reasoning on parry > dodge.   perhaps you could explain your calculation.   It's my understanding that 2.2% dodge is equivalent to 2.2% parry ... regardless of what your overall dodge/parry stats are.   The advantage of the dodge food is that it has stats whereas the equivalent parry food doesnot.    I do not use the dogwood staff... however the yeb-soth guardian was my favorite weapons until I got my mythical.  </p><p>reference:  <a href="http://www.eq2flames.com/templars/20795-important-shield-ally-information-9.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.eq2flames.com/templars/2...ormation-9.html</a></p>

[Antryg Mistrose]

Ok, ignoring other people's avoidance checks. My reasoning is:Chance of damage coming through =  (100% - Chance of you parrying ) x (100% - Chance of you blocking) x (100% - Chance of you dodging).Plug in some numbers and you'll see that adding 2.2% to the one you have highest, does more overall, than adding to another.It doesn't matter what order the checks are actually applied.I don't guarantee I'm correct, as there are too many external factors in parsing to isolate it. But my parsing bears this out.Having the parry gear (incuding wrist adorns), and no dodge gear is why I use parry food/drink.  Nexona's staff has 15% uncontested dodge.

[Enoa]

<p>Consider this 100 swings.    20% block,  20% parry, 5% dodge (will ignore base avoid as it doesn't work with SA)</p><p> 100 swings  -> 20 blocked -> 80 swings to dodge check -->  4 swings dodged - > 76 swings to parry check- > 15.2 swings parried ->   60.8 hits (39.2% avoid)</p><p> Now consider:  20% block, 20% dodge, 5% parry </p><p>100 swings - >   20 blocked -> 80 swings to dodge check -> 16 swings dodged -> 64 swings to parry check -> 3.2 swings parried -> 60.8 hits (39.2% avoid)</p><p>If you're using the avoid %'ages from ACT avoidance calculator be aware that the % listed are % of total swings (or total avoids) NOT the % of swings that the skill was actually checked for.   </p><p>Enoa</p>

[Antryg Mistrose]

Take it to extremes would you rather: a) Have 50% damage stopped by one check and 50% of damage stopped by another check    (25% of damage through)b) 90% of damage stopped by one check, and 10% by the other (9% of damage through)What you are seeing there is (a+c) x b = a x (b+c) only if a=bOr in english - only if your dodge % is the same as your parry % is the choice of food/drink irrelevant.Its high school maths, something the egos in eq2flames sometimes get in the way of.Puting in actual figures in full SA gear are:Parry: 3% + 3% (wrists)  (more if you have the SoH wrist)Riposte: 2% (neck)  (might be combined with parry check, hard to tell from the info SoE has given out)Block: 4% uncontested (3 MC items + shield adorn) + some extra amount contested (shield) about 10% in practiseDodge: zip, zero, naddaSo makes the choice of food/drink easy.  Now if there was a BLOCK food/drink, choosing would involve parsing (and some very large samples to get rid of all the other factors).

[Tylia]

Excuse my ignorance.. I'm awful in math.  <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  What I'm getting from this is.. I want to use parry food AND drink instead of one being dodge?  Also, does anyone know the name of the parry wrist adorn?  I looked on the broker and couldn't find it.  <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Thanks in advance.

[Jonnytom]

<p><b>The adornment you are looking for is made by a sage and is called Smoldering Balanced Fasting<b>.</b></b></p>

[Antryg Mistrose]

<cite>Illyrian@Kithicor wrote:</cite><blockquote>Excuse my ignorance.. I'm awful in math.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  What I'm getting from this is.. I want to use parry food AND drink instead of one being dodge?  Also, does anyone know the name of the parry wrist adorn?  I looked on the broker and couldn't find it.  <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Thanks in advance.</blockquote>If you aren't raiding often in an MT or OT group, then I wouldn't worrry about getting wrist adornments, unless a) You have a nice fabled wrist(s) and b) You have the 20p+ to buy the adornment, or a hardened mana to make one.If you ARE raiding in the MT group, then getting you wrist adornments is as high priority as getting the MT gear.Yes, parry food/drink > dodge food/drink.  Its not a big effect, but its more then the trivial stats you'd be losing and every little helps.

[Tylia]

TY very much for the replies.  You've all been very helpful.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />