Weapons, Resist, Raids... what to do what to do?

[HL12]

<DIV>I noticed a few comments in other threads about switching weapons based on mob resistence or immunity so I have a few questions if anyone could help me out here.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) Im sure its a no brainer if the mob is immune, but how do you tell when a mob is very resistent to a certain type of attack or dmg type?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2) Other then parsing several fights how can you really tell which set of weapons gives you the best combo of dmg vs Mobs?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have been thinking of how I can build my arsenal up as my guild hasnt gotten to raid status yet so I dont have any fabled 50ish weapons.  I dw cestii and I enjoy them.. and every now and then I break out an imbued bo staff for kicks, but other then my attack rating and how long it feels like it takes to kill a mob Im not sure whats the best combo on weapons vs mobs.. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I was thinking about getting a set of dw cudgets for the 13 agi x 2 for when Im tanking but does that 6agi really matter at 50 vs non raid mobs over my cestii. And at current Monks at 50 rarely tank big raid monks. Hoping that changes with the combat patches coming</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3) Can you give some situations where you know using 1 combo is better then another and how you came to that conclusion (and not talking about immune mobs just resistent)?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>4) Also as my guild gets closer to raid status where are the places we should be hitting for good gear?  I have heard the Zek instance is good as well as the CL instance.  what about other instance zones?  PF instance, The summit in EF or the Manergerie (sp). Im not sure what the LS instance is but I have heard of guilds raiding Maidens Gulch. Basically my guild has about 2 lvl 50s and about 8 others closing in on 50 so where should we start raiding?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>5) Where do some of these great weapons Ive heard of come from.  Prismatic Baton is a quest from MG (if I heard correctly?) , RGF, ACF, Sixta, Wanderers, CBOF, </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for any contributions.</DIV><p>Message Edited by HL1240 on <span class=date_text>06-16-2005</span> <span class=time_text>09:08 AM</span>

[Grabaan]

<i>1) Im sure its a no brainer if the mob is immune, but how do you tell when a mob is very resistent to a certain type of attack or dmg type? </i><font color="#00ccff">Initially (as in the first few times fighting a particular mob/instance), this was trial and error for me. I used a combination of parsing, weapon swapping and good ole' approximation to figure out what worked best. By approximation, I mean eyeballing the damage dealt to the mob relative to the max damage listed. </font><font color="#00ccff"> </font><font color="#00ccff"> </font><font color="#00ccff">Icy Talon works well for this, as it is pure crush damage. If it lands fairly near the highest it can do, I took the mob to be weak vs crush. If it landed for some value around the midpoint of its potential, I labled it susceptible to crush. And of course, the obvious cases where it doesn't land (Dryak, first eyeball in Feerrott instance, etc)</font> <i> 2) Other then parsing several fights how can you really tell which set of weapons gives you the best combo of dmg vs Mobs? </i><font color="#66ccff">Honestly I don't think there is an end all way to do this. But parsing is the best technique so far. I can say that for me personally, my highest dps comes when alacrity procs off the sixta's and the mob is very weak vs. crush. But you have to remember that when you parse, you need to make sure your group stays consistent while trying things out. Obviously if I don't have bard haste and buffs, DPS is going to be much lower. So keep things consistent, make sure the same buffs are on you from parse to parse, and try to be analytical about it. </font> <font color="#33ccff">Or, you can just eyeball it. You know when you're doing more damage. I can always tell when I'm about to pull hate unintentionally (without taunts, etc)</font> <i>3) Can you give some situations where you know using 1 combo is better then another and how you came to that conclusion (and not talking about immune mobs just resistent)? </i><font color="#33ccff">The nice thing about monks is we can hit everything pretty well, but especially if they are weak vs. crush. That's when our DPS shines. I can recommend getting a pair of imbued cudgels, cestii and cestus once you find yourself raiding frequently. You won't regret the cost. </font><font color="#33ccff"> </font><font color="#33ccff"> </font><font color="#33ccff">Of course, as fabled drops come available to you, you won't be using the legendary items any more because of greater damage and nicer procs/effects.</font><font color="#33ccff"> </font><font color="#33ccff"> </font><font color="#33ccff">Essentially though, with the exception of Dryak, the first eye in Meeting of the Minds, and a handful of other mobs, you'll be best served by the best crush weapons you can find. Though I personally prefer dual wield, fellow bruisers in my guild have been using fabled 2 handers and they are really pleased with the results (they usually outparse me by 25-80 DPS depending on the mob) </font><i>4) Also as my guild gets closer to raid status where are the places we should be hitting for good gear?  I have heard the Zek instance is good as well as the CL instance.  what about other instance zones?  PF instance, The summit in EF or the Manergerie (sp). Im not sure what the LS instance is but I have heard of guilds raiding Maidens Gulch. Basically my guild has about 2 lvl 50s and about 8 others closing in on 50 so where should we start raiding? </i><font color="#33ccff">Raid them all! Nice armor drops/jewelery drops from every instance. Armor wise your best bet is to snag Nagalik in Sol Eye when he's up, as he tends to drop brawler only armor.</font> <i>5) Where do some of these great weapons Ive heard of come from.  Prismatic Baton is a quest from MG (if I heard correctly?) , RGF, ACF, Sixta, Wanderers, CBOF </i><font color="#33ccff">Sixta's and RGF drop from Zalak frequently as of late. Both of those are nice.</font><font color="#33ccff"> </font><font color="#33ccff">Prismatic quest starts in MG, and is a lengthly quest process. The weapon is nice, but most of the fabled drops are nicer from a damage perspective. However, its mana regenerative properties are quite handy.</font> <div></div>

[Morrolan V]

<P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>Hey Exolia,</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>I don't want to reperesent myself as an expert raider (only been on a few), but can summarize what I have learned/picked up from the threads and others in game.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>1. Telling when MoB is resistent/immue.  Best I can tell you here is to ask other players, or look at this site: </FONT><A href="http://eq2pedia.net/index.php?title=Category:Raid_Encounter" target=_blank><FONT face=Garamond size=3>http://eq2pedia.net/index.php?title=Category:Raid_Encounter</FONT></A><FONT face=Garamond size=3>.  It has some great info.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>2. Building up arsenal.  In a raid, 2 handers are always better than DW.  (Unless of course the MoB is immune to crushing, as all of our slashing and piercing weapons are DW.)  There are a number of factors that play in here.  First, the primary benefit of DW is the stat bonus.  On a raid, you should be so buffed that 15 or 20 pts don't matter much.  Second, if you're tanking, there's the dreaded riposte.  (Ripostes from raid MoBs hurt:  "You try to crush King Drayek, but King Drayek ripostes.  King Drayek slashes you for 2,198 points of slashing damage.")  Third, longer delay, higher damage = better DPS.  It is believed there is a haste cap, so you get the full benefit of haste on the longer delay weapon, and your autoattacks spend less time "waiting" on your combat arts with long delay weapons.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>3. Specific examples.  Can't really help you, beyond the general principles above.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>4 and 5.  Maiden's gulch (the 2x instance) is a good raid to start on.  It's where you get the starter for "To Speak as a Dragon" - the first quest in the series for the prismatics, and the boss MoB drops the Drake Hide vest.  Another good place to start getting some good stuff pre-raid is from named MoBs in the tier 5 zones.  The Brood Mother and Undertow in EF are particularly good, in my experience.  (I got a Sparkling Greathammer from Undertow.)  As to which raids drop which stuff, check out Ne Plus Ultra's database: </FONT><A href="http://www.npuguild.com/" target=_blank><FONT face=Garamond size=3>http://www.npuguild.com/</FONT></A><FONT face=Garamond size=3>.  Some others may be able to help more with where the monk-specific weapons drop.</FONT></P> <P><FONT face=Garamond size=3>Hope this helps.</FONT></P>