Shaman Twink Gear 70kish budget

[Barlu]

I’ve been reading a number of different Shaman threads here and have gotten a lot of good info. I’m dusting off my level 26 ogre shaman and wanted to spend about 70k on gear. Is the setup I’ve provided below decent or am I missing anything major or more bang for my buck with different gear options?

Will do Fungi Staff and JBB once I get the appropriate levels. Plan on doing mostly dungeon crawling and hopefully some of the beaten path zones I’ve never exp’d in. Any feedback is appreciated.

Fungi
Granite Face Grinder
Silver Chintin Hand Wraps
Enshrouded Veil -
5 ac 55 hp rings - 500pp
Golden Efreeti Boots
Idol of Thorned
Black Sapphire Earring x1
Shrunken Gob Earring
Jaundice Bone Vambracers
Withered Bracer x2
Mucus Girdle
Withered Sleeves
Black Sapphire Neck
Crystal Chintin Circlet
Crystal Chintin Arms
Obulus Death Shroud
Crystal Chintin Legs

Total - 70kish

Thanks,
Barlu/Beeas/Gyanlenie

[pijan]

Few of the Arctic Wyvern pieces might be better than what you've listed. Specifically the bracers, helm, and maybe pants. Hard to look it up at on mobile so can't be sure.

[loramin]

I was a little unclear about your finances. If you were saying that your budget of 70k just for this starting gear, and then you have extra plat for all the items that matter (fungi staff, JBB AND epic) then I think that's a great twink gear list.

But IF your budget doesn't include epic money, you may want to get it sooner by skipping most or all of the stat items. You'll pickup various gear for free as you level, and even though the twink items will have better stats, that difference will only have a tiny impact on your leveling speed. This is even more true for stats like mana, Wisdom, and Stamina at lower levels: as Dad said AC/HP are the best stats for Shaman. The epic makes a very big difference though, because every mob you fight will die faster ... even if it is only from 45-60 (as those levels take as long or longer than 1-45).

A few thoughts on specific items:

Granite Face Grinder - could be a Poison Wind Censor or any other decent weapon; Shaman melee damage is only significant at the lower levels, and even then it isn't significant enough that you'll really notice the difference between the two weapons ... and as I said stats don't matter much

Jaundice Bone Vambracers - this is a stat item, but it like most JB armor it has a semi-useful clicky at 45 and it's pretty cheap, so I'm in favor of it anyway

5 ac 55 hp rings - also stat items, but I make an exception for them too because you get so much bang for your buck, plus it's hard to loot decent finger slot items (unlike most other slots); also, you may want to splurge for 6/65 rings (http://wiki.project1999.com/Velium_Fire_Wedding_Ring), as they're so good I'm still wearing mine (at least when I'm not wearing my FD ring)

Shrunken Gob Earring - definitely a key Shaman item, but you could hold off on buying it, because in my experience it's real power is letting you Cannibalize a ton once you get Torpor; before then you'll get to save only a few seconds when cannabalizing because after a few casts you'll run out of HP

Silver Chitin Hand Wraps - again Shaman melee damage is minimal, and really only relevant at the lower levels, but the SCHW is so cheap and is easy enough to resell later that it's probably a good idea

Withered Leather Wristbands - Since you're going to want a JBB at 45 anyway, and since the stats on the two are pretty close (AC: 3 STR: +3 STA: +2 WIS: +5 MANA: +5 vs. AC 14) if it was me and I had the plat I'd only buy one Withered Leather Wristbands and just spend 7k more now so I could wear my JBB from day one and have it the moment I hit 45

Few of the Arctic Wyvern pieces might be better than what you've listed. Specifically the bracers, helm, and maybe pants. Hard to look it up at on mobile so can't be sure.

Excellent point. I too am too lazy to go compare things, but if you do want stat gear Arctic Wyvern is also a good "bang for your buck" ... ESPECIALLY if you can find a tailor trying to level up on it, because the components of the armor are super cheap thanks to quad kiting druids.

P.S. One last thought: Golden Efreeti Boots.

These are just AC: 5 WIS: +9. As a reward for the first part of your epic you get Black Fur Boots (http://wiki.project1999.com/Black_Fur_Boots), which have AC: 9 STR: +3 STA: +3 WIS: +3 AGI: +3 SV DISEASE: +3 SV MAGIC: +5 SV POISON: +3 ... and they insta-cast SoW (although to be fair you can do that from inventory without wearing them). The quest is pretty easy except for Black Dire, and if you get a little help from higher level players it's trivial.

If it were me I'd save the plat (maybe to buy some help with Black Dire) and just run around barefoot (or in some crappy leather boots I looted) until I can get my black fur booties.

[Barlu]

Thank you all very much for the feedback. Looking into some of the Arctic Wyvern Hide pieces they are better and cheaper than what I listed there so I will pick those up instead.

As for my finances, sorry I wasn’t clear about that. I have 70k now to build out this character. I will have enough to buy a JBB whenever he turns 45 to use it. Epic I have not started saving for. My thought was that I would keep the fungi and farm the rest of the plat by the time I’m 50.. I’m a semi casual player so it will be awhile before that happens.

I like the GFG over PWC just because I think it is a little easier to cast between swings but your point is well taken about melee damage being fairly small relative to the rest of the dmg.

The Shrunken Gobby Earring is mostly used for Global Cool Down reset isn’t it? Also, you don’t have to target yourself for it to work do you? I would hope it works like rod of insidious glamour where I can have the mob targeted.

Great idea on the boots too. Will see about knocking that out as soon as I can.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[loramin]

The Shrunken Gobby Earring is mostly used for Global Cool Down reset isn’t it? Also, you don’t have to target yourself for it to work do you? I would hope it works like rod of insidious glamour where I can have the mob targeted.

Correct on both counts. But for one thing it only works on the spell in the top slot, so unless you're constantly changing that slot its benefits only apply to one spell. Usually Shaman use that for Cannibalize, since saving a second between casting your disease dot and your poison dot really doesn't matter (as you noted you can usually just get a swing with your GFG in in-between).

Now, you will typically be casting Cannibalize twice or more in a row, so being able to reset the global cooldown can save you a little time. But it's not that useful: you can only cannibalize so much at full health, and often you won't even be at full health. Plus, you generally cannibalize outside of combat, so the few seconds it does save you are typically only during downtime anyway (which isn't to say you won't Cann during combat, but just that you will do it far less often than you wll outside of combat).

On top of all that, you can't Cann-dance with the earring. Cann-dancing is where you cast cann, then sit to catch a med tick, then stand up, cann again, repeat. Using the earring will convert your HP to mana slightly faster, but you'll have less mana at the end than if you'd cann-danced, and for losing that mana all you'll save is a few seconds of downtime ... that you'll then have to spend medding for the mana you didn't get.

Of course, some people just hate cann-dancing, and for them the fact that you can spam Cann without having to sit is a positive, not a negative, even if it results in less mana.

TLDR; I'm not saying it's bad without Torpor, just that it's an awesome item with Torpor, and that's where it gets its prestige as a key Shaman item from. Before that it just adds minor utility.

[Penish]

Man Loramin is full of shitty advice, follow what dad said, go win EQ.

[fortior]

Granite Face Grinder - could be a Poison Wind Censor or any other decent weapon; Shaman melee damage is only significant at the lower levels, and even then it isn't significant enough that you'll really notice the difference between the two weapons ... and as I said stats don't matter much

Seeing this a lot but I'm 46 and still meleeing a lot just because my DoTs are way less efficient than just regen + slow tanking with haste on me and my pet. Concrete example (yeti cave DL), root rotting drains my mana 3-4 yetis in while slow tanking allows me to grind through them one at a time endlessly. I have fungi and worn haste though

[ScaringChildren]

Seeing this a lot but I'm 46 and still meleeing a lot just because my DoTs are way less efficient than just regen + slow tanking with haste on me and my pet. Concrete example (yeti cave DL), root rotting drains my mana 3-4 yetis in while slow tanking allows me to grind through them one at a time endlessly. I have fungi and worn haste though

what haste item?

[fortior]

what haste item?

FBSS since I have crystal chitin gauntlets, but SCHW are just as good (with life on belt)

[ScaringChildren]

FBSS since I have crystal chitin gauntlets, but SCHW are just as good (with life on belt)

Are you using a JBB?

[fortior]

Iksar so no

[loramin]

Seeing this a lot but I'm 46 and still meleeing a lot just because my DoTs are way less efficient than just regen + slow tanking with haste on me and my pet. Concrete example (yeti cave DL), root rotting drains my mana 3-4 yetis in while slow tanking allows me to grind through them one at a time endlessly. I have fungi and worn haste though

I'd be curious to see some actual numbers. I'm not saying Shaman at 46 shouldn't tank; face tanking is the best way to handle a lot of mobs.

But I think the important part of face-tanking, just like real tanking, is the tanking part, not the damage dealing part. In other words, if you parse:


how much damage your poison dots do
how much damage your disease dots do
how much damage your pet does
(how much damage your epic does, if you have it)
how much melee damage you do


I strongly suspect you will see that your melee damage is a relatively small piece of the overall picture.

Also, with regards to root/rotting using up your mana and tanking not, for one thing I'd imagine you kill much faster when you use DoTs, especially if you also mix-in some dog damage and melee damage (they're not mutually exclusive). So sure you can do endless Yetis without DoTs, but you're only going to kill X yetis an hour that way. Even with med breaks, the DoT way is going to kill Y yetis an hour.

What X and Y actually are does vary based on what you're killing, how you're killing it (as I said, even if you're using DoTs you could tank and/or use pet ... or not), etc. But I suspect Y > X.

Even if not, Y still requires less active playtime, so really it's also a question of playstyle (some people like taking breaks, some don't). Personally if I have the choice of playing for 40 minutes with 20 minutes of break, or playing constantly for 60 minutes, I'd chose the break, but not everyone would.

[White_knight]

If you got a fungi the rest of your gear is only a slight factor till 55+ when you probably do more face tanking off mobs (but with epic you just root rot 3-5 mobs)

I would sell everything but the fungi and get your epic at 46. With epic and fungi you gtg till 60.

P.s. get your sow boots before turning in epic otherwise you gotta do the faction again, sow boots are your best clicky for canni dancing in outdoor zones. Gobbie earing for indoor zones. Plys who doesnt want intanr clicky self sow??????

Fungi+ 5/55hp rings + banded armor + epic + sow boots (outdoor clicky) + goblin earing (indoor clicky) = level to 60 and save every drop of plat you have to buy torpor at 60 then win.

[pijan]

If you got a fungi the rest of your gear is only a slight factor till 55+ when you probably do more face tanking off mobs (but with epic you just root rot 3-5 mobs)

I would sell everything but the fungi and get your epic at 46. With epic and fungi you gtg till 60.

P.s. get your sow boots before turning in epic otherwise you gotta do the faction again, sow boots are your best clicky for canni dancing in outdoor zones. Gobbie earing for indoor zones. Plys who doesnt want intanr clicky self sow??????

Fungi+ 5/55hp rings + banded armor + epic + sow boots (outdoor clicky) + goblin earing (indoor clicky) = level to 60 and save every drop of plat you have to buy torpor at 60 then win.

Can you click epic at 46? Wiki says 50 I think

[Barlu]

Thank you all very much for the help. Got almost all the important stuff at this point and ready to get going. As I get closer to 50 for epic going to need to put some work farminf on my enchanter to buy epic which shouldn’t be terrible. Thank you all again.

[Para99]

Correct on both counts. But for one thing it only works on the spell in the top slot, so unless you're constantly changing that slot its benefits only apply to one spell. Usually Shaman use that for Cannibalize, since saving a second between casting your disease dot and your poison dot really doesn't matter (as you noted you can usually just get a swing with your GFG in in-between).

Global cooldown clickies only allow you to spam the top slot, but they also allow you to cast say spell #2 and immediately cast spell #3 without waiting for the cooldown of spell #2 to complete. The lower 7 slots will still be greyed out but they can be cast just not back to back.

Also with GCD clickie you can Canni twice and be sitting again before the next tick making Canni dancing much more effecient. If you timed it absolutely perfectly it's only 3.51 seconds, allowing 2.49 seconds for error. It's even more tedious than regular Canni dancing, but it's doable.

[Tortok]

Once you get used to GCD clicky, playing toons without one becomes so annoying... Would make that prio #1 on any character.