round shield or DW?

[boopoo]

<p>my troub has been an AF  buff  bot  till this  point but was wondering if  it's better  to DW or go sword and board  for dps. i have seen alot  of  the drops seem to have DA on them and  i'm starting to think maybe the points i have in the sta line would be better spent elsewhere?</p>

[Prestissimo]

<p>If you're at the point that the gear is providing enough that you don't need the sta line's DA, respec it into something else. DW is typically the way you'd want to go at any given time if survivability is not a problem, and if the DA obtained by sword and board is going to give more dps gain than the extra damage rating from DW (IE, one really good main weapon, a rather poor offhand) then it's better to go with sword/board to make use of that sta spec.</p><p>Bottom line, it really depends. The questions you really need to ask are "Is my dps/survivability more agreeable with sword and board or with 2 weapons?" and "Is the points spent in the sta line worth the DA I'm getting from these points? Could I spend them somewhere else and get more use out of them?" and the only person you need to get an answer from is yourself because really there is no right answer; just preference. It's a crap shoot either way as the troub aa options are pretty poor when you get down to the 3rd line to put points into, and even the main line all troubs should be taking is becoming increasingly less valuable every day as SF is putting more and more players at cap on crit and approaching caps on casting benefits. SF is turning troubs pretty much into purely "moar procs or [Removed for Content]" as the system in place had absolutely no consideration for the long term beneficial health of bards remaining usefull to any degree.</p><p>Edit: just as a point of reference, with my myth mainhand and marrowsong off hand (not great dps wise, but gives the group 5% faster reuse) i'm doing double the dps as myth and a shield with dps oriented stats. Even with a mastercrafted weapon as my off hand, I'm doing noticeably more damage than if sword and board. DW is really the only reasonable option past level 60 unless you're having survivability issues otherwise, but thats my personal experience, and I perfer to make the mob dead before it has a chance to do so to me.</p>

[Artalis the Elder]

<p>In the last 2 expansions there has only been one decent roundshield for dps that I know of.</p><p>Even with that unless your double attack is seriously lacking and your offhand choices really limited, you will do more dps dw than s+b</p>

[boopoo]

<p>awesome  thanks for  the advice. i'm  going  to  give it  a go and  DW <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Cannibalize]

<p>Call me silly since I don't play a troub as my main, but I've been tossing around the idea of going S&B with a 6second weapon just to see if it offers an increase or come out to about the same as DW.  I know there isn't a lot of 6 second scout weapons in the game and it'd have to be an amazing one at that.  I do think that i happen to find the one it would have to be to come close.</p><p>aITEM 914689798 2020035911:Tongrip, the Unbreakable Blade/a</p><p>aITEM 90340196 -341905765:[Rune Covered Terrazite Round Shield]/a</p><p>or</p><p>aITEM -1142729822 581357847:Ethernaut's Roundshield of Knowledge/a</p>

[Gargamel]

<p>Not to beat a dead horse but DW 10000%</p>

[Nimbrithil]

<p>Which leads me to ask why the round shield requirement is still there. They took the empty hand requirement away on brig and swash now pony up sony and give the much ignored bard some lovin.</p>