Melee Back item - How Annoying is the Maelstrom Cloak?

[evanderheide]

All right - I asked for advice from this forum before and I got fantastic advice, so I'm back.

I created my first character on this server last month - been having a total blast. Currently level 33 with a troll warrior named Rabkan. My strategy has been to save steadily to buy REALLY good items rather then fritter my cash on meh gear, which has paid off in the form of a Frostbringer and SCHW - super happy. That plus some gear loans from an awesome forum person has made it an amazing experience.

I'm getting towards 40 and I'm realizing that DEX for proccing weapons is going to be increasingly important for aggro. I slapped all my points into STA based on my previous EQ experience from EQ Mac... on a troll.

Looking into buying a good cloak / replacing my loaner.

Currently i think the Cloak of the Maelstrom looks best (until Lodi / Temple Veeshan) given the mix of HPs, AC, DEX (thank god), and other stats.

Other options

Shimmering Terror Hide Cloak
Dire Wolf Hide
Hooded Black Cloak (what I'm currently being loaned - essentially just buying my own).
Ancient Seahorse Hide Cloak

What do people think who've had the Maelstrom cloak? How annoying is that 20 weight? Is there another cloak I should look into?

[elwing]

no HP, but if you're in need of dex, did you took a look at cloak of shadows? that's cheap, with tons of dex some ac and even some dr...
http://wiki.project1999.com/Cloak_of_Shadows

[evanderheide]

Hey Elwing!

Thanks for the input - yes I've checked out Cloak of Shadows.

My philosophy has been to either buy BIG upgrades or just rock banded - my feeling is that CoS falls into that meh territory where, yes I can get it cheap, but I can also just save up 2k in 1-2 days of playing and buy something significantly better.

Have you used it before? What did you think of it?

[Danth]

The 20 weight on the Cloak of the Maelstrom seems of no consequence. You've correctly identified it as occupying a sweet spot in terms of cost/benefit. Some of the other cloaks you list are only marginally cheaper yet significantly worse. The majority of players do not reach north Temple Veeshan-level equipment and in many cases the Cloak of the Maelstrom might be the best back slot item they ever use. Get it and don't look back.

Danth

[Samoht]

For Ogre/Troll warriors, the cloak should be no problem. It's also good for rogues. But man... I couldn't afford to wear one on my Halfling warrior. He's already so close to encumbrance all the time.

[evanderheide]

A man speaking my language with that "cost/benefit" analysis :). Okay, that's the reassurance I was looking for. I've got 1k in the bank and just thinking it's worth saving to 2k and buying one. I was mostly asking because of what you're saying - whether the weight issue is super annoying, sounds like no.

Awesome. Looking forward to picking one up this weekend! Been slowly replacing the gear I was loaned and returning it which has made this game very fulfilling.

The 20 weight on the Cloak of the Maelstrom seems of no consequence. You've correctly identified it as occupying a sweet spot in terms of cost/benefit. Some of the other cloaks you list are only marginally cheaper yet significantly worse. The majority of players do not reach north Temple Veeshan-level equipment and in many cases the Cloak of the Maelstrom might be the best back slot item they ever use. Get it and don't look back.

Danth

[Cecily]

What do people think who've had the Maelstrom cloak? How annoying is that 20 weight? Is there another cloak I should look into?

It's as annoying as 4 fine steel long swords in your bag. Probably the best thing to ask you is what's your current encumbrance looking like? If you have 50-100 left over with the cloak, you're not gonna notice it at all.