T1 Shard Armor

[Thor71457]

<p>Hi</p><p>  Looking for input on Ground Granite  vs  Zealot  armor... I will be soloing  and not much tanking ... I am thinking the Ground Granite set because of the stats..  Any comments would be nice ..  This is for an SK</p>

[Mathafern]

<p>I picked up Ground Granite first then Zealot-  both are good depending on how you play.</p><p>If you're soloing plan on taking a while to get the shards you need- and look at the T2 and make sure that's the set you want to upgrade to, given that it will take a long time to get that set as well.</p>

[DwarvesR]

<p>I'm finding I love the Zealot set.  I've looked at the Ground Granite, but decided that it didn't quite have the overall stats I wanted, nor did I like what I'll be upgrading to.  So, I guess I'm just a crusading zealot for now....</p>

[Thor71457]

Hi Thanks for the help I went with the Zealot set and me is very happy

[Nole]

<p>I didn't really like either set <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I ended up getting random fabled drops from RoK raids instead though. I notice the TSO fabled set (not T3) is nice, but that might be hard to get.</p>

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

<p>I took whichever one was an upgrade to what I was wearing at the time, so some of each. Upgraded any to Tier 2 that seemed better than what I was wearing. Didn't bother with the set bonuses.</p>

[Thor71457]

After i had gotten the T1 Zealot set I started on the T2 Jewelry and am happy to wait to get T2 armour

[Turb]

<p>If you don't use at least 5 pieces of T1 or of T2, you lose a pile of mit.</p>

[Uggli]

<p>Unless you are raid equipped, it would be foolish not to get a 5 set bonus for the +mit.  It really is a big boost.</p>

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

<p>In my case, the set bonus only increased my Mit by about 1%, at the expense of avoidance (little over 2% loss) and about 1200 hp (less). Group buffed, the benefit from the mit increase is neglible. Not worth it "just to have" if you have other pieces that will give you more benefit.</p><p>Really depends on what else you're wearing and what you plan on killing. Not a ton of crit mit gear instance gear, so the set bonuses would be more important if you plan on grouping in some of the harder group zones (or eventually raiding). If he's generally a soloer (as he mentioned), or only groups the odd instance (DF, Everfrost zones, etc...possibly not even tanking, as the OP mentioned)...could be better off without it and pumped up avoidance/pure DPS items mixed in with some of each set (without the set bonus). He's also just talking about T1 Shard armor at this point (Zeolot vs Granite). I got more benefit from some Zeolot pieces, and more benefit from some granite pieces. If I was soloing, I'd almost surely use a mix of both ( and possibly even 3 and 3 for double secondary bonuses...I'd have to check those bonuses out again to confirm, can't remember them offhand anymore).</p>

[Uggli]

<p>Yes, but you are raid equipped.  So the set bonus will most likely not help you as the pieces each have a lower mit than your raid gear would be my guess.  He is not raid equipped, and that + to mit is a BIG help, even when soloing.    My advice is to get one complete set of either so you can determine if you like the mit bonus, and then pick up a few parts of the other set if you like them.    T1 parts do not take many shards.</p><p>The 3 set bonus is +x to threat each time you are hit.  Not much help when soloing.</p><p>IMO for soloing I'd slot the armor for tanking, and slot all my jewlery/non-armor slots for DPS.</p>

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

<p>For me yes, but the concensus I get from the "soloers" I talk to is that the full set is a waste, and to just mix it up. To each his own, but the full set bonus is not the best option for all.</p><p>Its nice to have the "big" mit number, but it doesn't make much of a diff when whacking down 1-5 solos and 1 ups,. There are other pieces that could be swapped in to speed up the kills, get hit less, and make things easier. The 3 set bonus for the granite is Shield block II. That's decent. The 3 set from the Zealot is not worth it for soloers, ya. The dammage reduction on the Zealot chest is nice, but so is teh double attack/dammage boosts on the granite. Would have to match up for whatever needed the most work really.</p><p>The full T1 set mit bonus (+5) only gives 5% mit increase. So, instead of getting hit for 400 on typical solo mobs (after factoring mitigation into a typical solo mob hit)...you'll get hit for ~440 without the bonus. On most of the group mobs, a typical hit would be a difference of about 250hp....but in both cases...that's assuming that the gear that's swapped in has no mit increase (and some of them do!)...and also assuming that all of the void gear has better mit than everything else solo/group obtainable (which they don't!). So you'd really expect to get less than a +5 benefit, likely closer to +2-3 tops...or possibly even less if you've had some luck on the rarer instance drops <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Thor71457]

Hey Thanks for the very good info, all this is great as I said I now have the zealot set and am working on the T2 Jewelry . I believe it is the onslaught set have the first two ( + 10 int and + 10 str ) and one to go Thanks again

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

<p>Ya, that's great <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Just keep in mind what you are planning on working up the most before you buy any.</p><p>For certain things, some of the T1 jewelry is actually better than some of the Tier 2 (ex. there is a tier 1 piece that increases your avoid and HP total more than any Tier 2 option...but the tier 2 option has a decent DPS proc, less HP & avoid, but an extra stat....useful...or not, depending on what you're other stats are like).</p><p>Look them all over and pick the best ones for what you are working on, not just because it is "Tier 1" or "Tier 2".</p>

[Thor71457]

Thank you ... I did not think of that, will look more into it before I buy more..........