Is agility important for a SK?

Starchild66 · 02-14-2008, 06:49 PM

I'm level 52 and just got my MC armor. My only stat that is low is agility it's 62. Do Sk's need a high agility? I have mainly focused on int ,str and stam. Should I start pumping up my agility? And whats the best stance for solo and a 2 person group? I mainly use a 2 hander and defensive stance should i use the offensive stance or a sword and sheild? Thanks for the advice!

Seolta · 02-14-2008, 08:36 PM

Agility adds to your Avoidance -

Crusaders don't get Deflection like the "other guys".
Mitigation cap is easier to get to than the Avoidance cap due to gear design
Avoidance>Mitigation in general
Short answer yes, but don't put it first in importance. Balance yourself between Int Sta Str and Agi
Rather than choosing tanking gear based on Agi, get as many +parry and +shield block items as you can as this will have more of a direct affect on your aviodance than a few pts of agi.

Grimfort · 02-15-2008, 06:49 AM

I never use defensive stance unless its a hard zone or PvP. Trying to keep agro is hard enough without lowering your ability to damage mobs.

I think agi is based on your playstyle. If you are always the MT then its useful for not being hit, however speccing in +sta gives you a better chance of being alive when your hit SMILEY . I find that as you reach the cap on each stat, its better all round to drop that stat down and pass it to another. I had over 800 int and its help for spell dmg was minimal compared to dropping it to 650 and giving the other 150 to str which did give a big increase. For me I actually prefer to be hit, I have 3 dmg procs that add up to about 200 dmg every time I am hit, along with the usual taps we get and numerous other procs. In a raid zone its not so great, but thats what our guardian is for SMILEY .

Nocifer Deathblade · 02-15-2008, 12:47 PM

Agi is very good to add especially if your agi is very low to start with.. Since our stats follow the laws of diminishing return. Anything that is low will see bigger return per point invested. Anything that is high will see smaller return.. It is pretty difficult to boost our agility compared to strength, stamina and intelligence. Try bring agility up to 500 at least then you are good to go as long as you don't sacrifice strength, stamina and intelligence that much. Suppose your INT is too high like 1k then give 100 INT up to reduce 1k to 900 and transfer 100 points to agility of 100 to 200 would be smart thing.. You would witness improvement out of that.. 1k to 900 INT won't make much of a dent in your spell dps while you'll see nice improvement in avoidance..

Basically, since SK is mitigation tank, it's easy to get high mitigation so focus on avoidance related adornments etc to help Sk out.

I play bruiser and it's avoidance tank so I focus on boosting mitigation on Bruiser.

Basically, anything that is high, go opposite and boost up any low stuff to balance things out..

Dragon · 02-15-2008, 02:58 PM

Not going to get into the whole mitigation vs avoidance debate, since I've done so in the past... and people generally don't get my point of view and reasoning (saying one is more important than the other depends on too many things).Ideally, a good tank has a great balance of avoidance, mitigation, resists (also called spell mitigation/avoidance) and HP. But remember, HP (as far as I know...) is the only one of those that isn't capped. Generally speaking, mitigation is more reliable than avoidance, but avoidance provides the most benefit when it actually happens (having negated all the damage, and sometimes when you block with a shield... it gives off a proc). HP, is good no matter what, but if you have low resists, mitigation, and avoidance, you won't see that great of results.For grouping, I would say that Str>Sta>Agil>Int>Wis. Of course, this will change due to group make ups, but usually str gives you better DPS on your CAs, and gives you a ton of power which you need to tank (running out of power as an SK is pretty much like running out of life in a group). Stamina, pretty self explanatory. Agility, gives you more avoidance... keeps you alive longer (helps with spike damage, as you can evade all of it). Int makes your spells stronger to help with agro and kill stuff quicker. Wis, doesn't usually matter too much... you get resist bonuses from buffs and stuff (plus many spells are dots, which can be removed).This changes a lot for soloing and raiding... and it changes depending on what types of mobs you're up against. And a lot of the time, I'm tanking with a 2 hander and in offensive stance. It all depends on your group and your skills.

Starchild66 · 02-15-2008, 08:43 PM

Thanks for the help. I have also noticed my avoidance is in the red! It's only 653 in offensive stance and around 1135 in defensive but theres a message at the bottom of the avoidance window in red that says my avoidance is to low for my level. Is this normal for a SK or am i doing something wrong? I'm level 52 and wearing MC devout will more agility fix this problem or do i need avoidance items?

Seolta · 02-15-2008, 09:02 PM

MC armor is great (since the upgrades) till you hit t7 and can get some good gear. If you're missing a stat on the MC armor just make up for it with MC jewelry.

Nor · 02-17-2008, 12:03 PM

The only reason it should be red, is if you are either getting a negative stat somewhere (like in offensive stance) or your skills aren't max yet for your level.

02-14-2008, 06:49 PM	#1
Starchild66 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 15	I'm level 52 and just got my MC armor. My only stat that is low is agility it's 62. Do Sk's need a high agility? I have mainly focused on int ,str and stam. Should I start pumping up my agility? And whats the best stance for solo and a 2 person group? I mainly use a 2 hander and defensive stance should i use the offensive stance or a sword and sheild? Thanks for the advice! __________________

02-14-2008, 08:36 PM	#2
Seolta Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 503	Agility adds to your Avoidance - Crusaders don't get Deflection like the "other guys". Mitigation cap is easier to get to than the Avoidance cap due to gear design Avoidance>Mitigation in general Short answer yes, but don't put it first in importance. Balance yourself between Int Sta Str and Agi Rather than choosing tanking gear based on Agi, get as many +parry and +shield block items as you can as this will have more of a direct affect on your aviodance than a few pts of agi. __________________

02-15-2008, 06:49 AM	#3
Grimfort Loremaster Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 170	I never use defensive stance unless its a hard zone or PvP. Trying to keep agro is hard enough without lowering your ability to damage mobs. I think agi is based on your playstyle. If you are always the MT then its useful for not being hit, however speccing in +sta gives you a better chance of being alive when your hit . I find that as you reach the cap on each stat, its better all round to drop that stat down and pass it to another. I had over 800 int and its help for spell dmg was minimal compared to dropping it to 650 and giving the other 150 to str which did give a big increase. For me I actually prefer to be hit, I have 3 dmg procs that add up to about 200 dmg every time I am hit, along with the usual taps we get and numerous other procs. In a raid zone its not so great, but thats what our guardian is for .

02-15-2008, 12:47 PM	#4
Nocifer Deathblade Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 850	Agi is very good to add especially if your agi is very low to start with.. Since our stats follow the laws of diminishing return. Anything that is low will see bigger return per point invested. Anything that is high will see smaller return.. It is pretty difficult to boost our agility compared to strength, stamina and intelligence. Try bring agility up to 500 at least then you are good to go as long as you don't sacrifice strength, stamina and intelligence that much. Suppose your INT is too high like 1k then give 100 INT up to reduce 1k to 900 and transfer 100 points to agility of 100 to 200 would be smart thing.. You would witness improvement out of that.. 1k to 900 INT won't make much of a dent in your spell dps while you'll see nice improvement in avoidance.. Basically, since SK is mitigation tank, it's easy to get high mitigation so focus on avoidance related adornments etc to help Sk out. I play bruiser and it's avoidance tank so I focus on boosting mitigation on Bruiser. Basically, anything that is high, go opposite and boost up any low stuff to balance things out.. __________________ EQ I: Archfiend Nocifer Deathblade -Retired Fall '06, Bristlebane Server Vampire Cavalier, 80 Armorer, 390Transmuter, 138 AP, 2.3M Guild Status Points

02-15-2008, 08:43 PM	#6
Starchild66 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 15	Thanks for the help. I have also noticed my avoidance is in the red! It's only 653 in offensive stance and around 1135 in defensive but theres a message at the bottom of the avoidance window in red that says my avoidance is to low for my level. Is this normal for a SK or am i doing something wrong? I'm level 52 and wearing MC devout will more agility fix this problem or do i need avoidance items? __________________

02-15-2008, 02:58 PM	#5
Dragon Server: Unrest Guild: Executioners Rank: Executioner (min 21,807 gs) General Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 61	Not going to get into the whole mitigation vs avoidance debate, since I've done so in the past... and people generally don't get my point of view and reasoning (saying one is more important than the other depends on too many things).Ideally, a good tank has a great balance of avoidance, mitigation, resists (also called spell mitigation/avoidance) and HP. But remember, HP (as far as I know...) is the only one of those that isn't capped. Generally speaking, mitigation is more reliable than avoidance, but avoidance provides the most benefit when it actually happens (having negated all the damage, and sometimes when you block with a shield... it gives off a proc). HP, is good no matter what, but if you have low resists, mitigation, and avoidance, you won't see that great of results.For grouping, I would say that Str>Sta>Agil>Int>Wis. Of course, this will change due to group make ups, but usually str gives you better DPS on your CAs, and gives you a ton of power which you need to tank (running out of power as an SK is pretty much like running out of life in a group). Stamina, pretty self explanatory. Agility, gives you more avoidance... keeps you alive longer (helps with spike damage, as you can evade all of it). Int makes your spells stronger to help with agro and kill stuff quicker. Wis, doesn't usually matter too much... you get resist bonuses from buffs and stuff (plus many spells are dots, which can be removed).This changes a lot for soloing and raiding... and it changes depending on what types of mobs you're up against. And a lot of the time, I'm tanking with a 2 hander and in offensive stance. It all depends on your group and your skills.

02-15-2008, 09:02 PM	#7
Seolta Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 503	MC armor is great (since the upgrades) till you hit t7 and can get some good gear. If you're missing a stat on the MC armor just make up for it with MC jewelry. __________________

02-17-2008, 12:03 PM	#8
Nor General Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 104	The only reason it should be red, is if you are either getting a negative stat somewhere (like in offensive stance) or your skills aren't max yet for your level. __________________ Rigg O'Muertes 7x Shadowknight, Level 7x Alchemist Rume Phorent 7x Warlock Kris 5x Coercer "Until further notice, everything is working as intended..."