SK & Avoidance, I want to learn :)

[cptnapa]

Hello!

 My name is Shadarr(If anyone wants to check eq2players)

I am a 70SK / 100AA specced with decent KoS fabled, and a few EoF pieces (pvp fabled, clock work menace).

 I am trying to make myself a better tank. I can get insane mitigation, about 6k with a healer in group, so about 5.3k selfbuffed.

But my avoidance sucks. All you raiding SK's (and grouping!), what have you done to up your avoidance, get better at tanking ?

 The best avoidance I can get is 54% Selfbuffed, but then my mit drops to about 4200, which is not all that hot (albeit, only like 5% less, with DimRET).

Can you give me any tips ? What would you do, would you even try to fetch more avoidance ?

 If you need some more info, in order to help,  please ask, and I will answer promptly

/Shadarr, 70SK, Venekor

[Xaxtionlorex]

We have all the avoidance abilities of a brick, as an sk never hope to see huge numbers there, but make up for it with self healing and hp pool and you'll be fine, if your spell spamming with reaver its not hard to see 100-250hps on self, its small, but it adds. [Tap viens+opps pull= wow great job!]

[cptnapa]

I was hoping for a little bit more facts oriented discussion. Why do we have a bricks avoidance? What makes us that much less of a tank in that regard. And how would we go about changing the fact ?

/Shadarr

[t0iletduck]

Good question. With EoF, mitigation is no longer the key stat for tanking. If you can get 5500+ with a priest, then you have plenty of mit. Usually with despoil constantly running, its easy to be at 5800+ which gets into the diminishing returns curve for mitigation.  That leaves avoidance and HP as the most important stats to focus on for survivaility. There are some things you can do to help increase your avoidance. You want to get your AGI stat up, and get items with +parry and +defense. There are also some nice adornments to help increase avoidance, but they are expensive. I think they are worth it though if you want to tank as an SK. Dirges have a significant Parry buff. Also, pop an AGI potion when tanking to give a bump to avoidance. Forearm adornment with +7 parry: aITEM 1482803614 -205667127:Scintillating Glancing Splint/a Wrist Adornment that increases chance to parry by 2%: aITEM -215791872 355068026:Scintillating Balanced Fastening/a Shield adornment that increases chance to block with shield: aITEM -1948528182 -65828338:Lambent Balanced Strut/a Get the +14 AGI adornment for legs and boots. Here are some jewelry pieces that come to mind for increasing avoidance: Claymore Belt: aITEM -1187699262 453963603ragonscale Sash/a Unrest instance: aITEM 1433778792 -1163079226:Jagged Band of the Cursed/a Chel'drak Ring: aITEM -1853701950 1940392895:Chel'Drak's Ring/a Chel'draks Earring: aITEM 811843341 -837922744:Crystal Earring of the Stars/a Shredder in FTH: aITEM 1115900918 -590025310:Hoop of War/a Shield from Segmented Rumbler in EH: aITEM -1463910661 1315888537:Bulwark of the Grove/a BP from Segmented Rumbler in EH: aITEM 742094460 295312767:Apis Thorax Breastplate/a Thats all I can think off on the top of my head. Hope this helps.

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

couple options out there are...

+7 Parry forearms

+14 AGI adorns

Dragonscale belt

Dragonsclae wrist

Acurita neck

+5 Defense 1 hand adorn

Couple diff symbols have parry or def (or both) on em

Block adorns

AGI stats in AA (but they only add 1.8% maxed)

Higher shield ratings, some shields with extra...Bulwark, 1 off Tarinax (forget the name) etc..

[cptnapa]

So, what are peoples avoidance then ?  I have most of those items, and if I *really* stack avoidance gear, I get up to 54% ... Are there tanking SK's here with 60-65% ?

/Shadarr

[MaCloud1032]

when i was down our agi line for a bit i managed to hit 60% avoid but for me being our raids pickup tank and a primary dps i lost to much to stick with it.  my gear is decent i have a steady parse of about 1200 in labs and 1k even in HoS(dependng on group makeup) but not havng the end of ether the stg ling or wis line hurt my pars andn pvp the aoe attack gets you a few to many mobs to keep t and  dont use spears.  just my observatons

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

Depending on the group setup I can hit 60% at times. Generally I hover around 58% though.

[Xaxtionlorex]

Why our avoidance check is so low because back in LU32 [i think it was that one? one of scribes can correct me there] they changed how tanking works,and one of those things was base avoidcence of plate tanks, crusaders got 10% to start,the lowest given.

[Luxun]

All I can say is, focus on building str, stamina, MIT and str ..get your agility and avoidance form group buffs on raid. That is the way I do it on my SK.

[gnarkill]

Mitigation is broken and gimped...Focus on HP and avoidance if you wanna tank

[Andy4dtw]

Maybe this is a stupid question but with VERY high avoidance wouldn't that basically defeat the purpose of Dark Caress?  If we avoid most of the incoming attacks then Feedback Caress wouldn't happen.  I personally stand around 49% self buffed w/o Devious Evasions. 

[CHIMPNOODLE.]

I'm around 57.5% to 63% MT raid buffed usually, depending who I'm grouped with. The caress line is just bonus hate the way I see it, I mastered it....put the AAs into it....but I'd rather not be hit every time the mob swings

Even at the 60% avoidance level against Epics.....you still get hit alot. Only a portion of the 60% is uncontested (ie Block).