For sure Ranger or Bard will be my next alt and I'm looking at Salindrite Dagger for my main hand. I'm assuming it'd be a strong but dangerous weapon for a Bard in a group, and a great one for a Ranger who can take hits and be a main or at least secondary tank? Ideally would be paired with Swiftwind or Singing Short Sword. 20k isn't cheap and I want to be sure it's a good investment before I commit.
Bards don't generate aggro from the stun portion of the proc. Rangers tank worse than a similarly geared bard, but they can build aggro. It's a trade off.
There is no real way to build agro as a bard with melee outside of letting the bard swing alone for quite a while. Blade of carnage helps but is still pretty limited
As I recall, it's pretty good...but, as mentioned, it can rip aggro often once it starts to proc. Jolt casts or proc helps. I always liked to have one when I played my ranger. I mostly tanked my trio with the ranger, so I was getting hit a lot anyway.
I experimented a bit with a BoC on Year (bard) tanking while Syphie (bst) DPS'd. BL weapon procs were enough to pull agro away without trying too much. Ranger with a BoC would probably be fine, but since they can cast flame lick it doesn't matter as much. A bazaar-equipped bard could probably get away tanking with like a druid and a necro/mage or something.
Worth noting that Ranger Piercing skill caps lower than their other weapon skills, and so it's not the ideal weapon skill to rely on. Still a great weapon, and I used one for some time.
What is the Rangers piercing cap? Tanking is the absolute last thing I would want to be doing on a Bard. To me, they are a caster in plate. BoC I'd consider for Ranger but they really don't need it, and if not that, then Sceptres of Destruction would be the next choice.
Bards are great tanks; they can take hits better than anyone other than warriors and knights. They can also pump their DS through the gorram' roof, which is great DPS on unslowed stuff. Their hate generation is terbs, but a pet that generates decent hate helps with that. Just don't group 'em with melee DPS.
Interesting. Bard is sounding more appealing of the two then, especially since their Epic is far easier to complete here than on P99. No massive wait lists for white scales. Between the two then, what wins out for a Battle Bard that's doing melee dps/tanking, Salindrite Dagger, BoC, or SoD?
BoC is the clear winner for threat generation on droppable weapons for bards. They get the full 700 hate from the BoC, but they only get the DD portion from the other two. The BoC also has the best ratio / melee dps out of the three. Edit: Incorrectly listed hate from BoC as 750, but it is only 700. Still the winner.
Okay, BoC is what I'll put aside the money for then, to pair with Singing Short Sword eventually. I already have a Fungi ready to go. Cheers guys.
FWIW, buying a weapon then choosing a class to wield it feels a bit like picking out an engagement ring then finding a spouse whose finger it fits. You might get better results by throwing some baseline gear (a couple of good-not-great weapons, a haste item, some HP items) on a bard and a ranger, seeing how you like playing each class, then twinking the one you prefer.
Probably, but the gear they can choose from is similar enough that whatever I would've bought one to twink out would've worked just fine on the other too. Fungi, Belt of the Great Turtle, 36% Haste Cloak and two excellent weapons. Everything after that is just spritzing whipped cream on the coffee. That said, I was informed about a weapon called Troubadour's Mace, and that'll probably be on my list if I go Bard.
Yeah, I started my bard out with Troubador's Mace and Battle Drummer's main-gauche. Both are cheap and have instrument mods, which is handy. Neither are BoC fancy, but practical
Aah, that'd be nice to pair with the mace, the BD Main Gauche. I'd still need placeholders until 50 but those would be good weapons to swap to when the time comes. I'll keep an eye in the bazaar for that one. Would still like to find a Fungus Vest for my BST but can't find a seller. I don't even know what they average these days, guesstimated around 20k, which I'd be willing to drop.
Vests are required level 51 and by then there isn’t a huge amount of use for the item especially if boxing or playing in some sort of group.
Put your bard twink in full Lambent minus helm/boots, get singing steel helm/boots and slap some SSoYs on him the way nature intended.
Wait, what? I thought the Ranger epic required a trip into PoSky for a Swirling Sphere of Color, and it can't be MQ'd? That would make it 46 minimum.
it can be MQd since it's a multi-item turn in, it's one of the more commonly purchased epic MQ items since plane of sky isn't visited very much [ ] Give Mairee Silentone the Dwarven Smiths Hammer and Swirling Sphere of Color, receiving Hammer of the Ancients.
Any idea how much the MQ for Swiftwind costs? I plan to do Earthcaller as well but I don't know what Hate Emeralds sell for. Edit: Now that I think about it, isn't Swiftwind an off-hand weapon only? That means it wouldn't be usable until Level 17 for a Ranger, when they get dual-wield.
yeah offhand only for Swiftwind, good point on the dual weild requirement! swirling sphere MQ around 5-10k shattered emerald MQ around 20k
I have a Pulsing Green Stone and would MQ it for free if you get to that point. Just hit me up here on the forums.
It won't be for quite a while, months at the very least. I still have a lot to do with my BST, from grinding AA's at specific levels (6 at 51, 18 at 55, 48-54 AA's at level 59) to completing Tranq armor and the Epic. Lots to do still, and I'm in no hurry.
If you’re making a ranger alt and plan on him taking hits, having him rock a horn of hsgara isn’t a bad idea. Esp at the lower levels it genuinely makes a difference. But this is assuming you’re doing true leveling and not PL blasting.
