Orb of Infinite Void for Knights

[Worry]

Is there any downfall to using Orb for Knights? AC isn't calculated differently than shields right? And I assume you can still block with it?

[DeathsSilkyMist]

I haven't done a test on this myself, but I have heard orbs do not count as shields, so you do not get the AC bonus shields normally give. I am not even sure you can bash with an orb. There is a reason why tanks don't use OoIV. OoIV is much better for casters since casters get very few high ac offhand items, and the mana/hp is awesome.

There also isn't any block mechanic when wearing a shield. The only class that gets "block" is Monks, and it isn't shield dependant, it is basically just another parry that further reduces the number of hits you take. The only benefits you get from a shield are the AC bonus (shield AC is not softcapped), and you can use bash.

I would just use an https://wiki.project1999.com/Atramentous_Shield or https://wiki.project1999.com/Sarnak_Battle_Shield until you get a raid shield.

[Snaggles]

Even if you disregard the 25x price difference, best case if the orb is a “shield” you are trading 10ac for 35 raw hps. Most casual knights (w/o NTOV shields) are using a SBS aren’t stamina capped or needs raid buffs to get there so it’s actually 66hps with the 5sta (calculated at level 60) instead of 75. You also get 10mr which is pretty great as a bonus. Most stuff knights are justified to tank have detrimental MR spells you can resist.

There are some nice pickups outside of ToV. The Eru pally shield is 35 AC 20 str and stam with ultra vision (104hp). The Bladestopper is affordable since recharging it isn’t a thing anymore 25 AC 15 STA 50 hp (128 total). Small SK’s can get the raw 100hp Ashenbone from most rogue epic fights in Kith or PoH. Pallies have the Life’s Guard in PoH which is also 100hps but quite a bit less common than the SK one thanks to the rogue epic kills. The SK’s Atra shield is great too.

Tl;Dr - IMHO there are better options than the Orb (high end non-TOV) and the SBS is very solid for 800p if you want to trade 2h dps for durability.

[Allishia]

Ya don't use for tank. It isn't a real shield. Cheap max ac /HP with sta is bladestopper. Cheap since clickys nerf lol

https://wiki.project1999.com/Bladestopper

[Worry]

good stuff, thanks for the responses! good to know.

[ScottBerta]

Use Atranemous shield for SK, and for Paladin Lodi shield or Sarnak Battle Shield. Lodi much more expensive than SBS and honestly not that much better.

[Tunabros]

SBS is your best bet

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Use Atranemous shield for SK, and for Paladin Lodi shield or Sarnak Battle Shield. Lodi much more expensive than SBS and honestly not that much better.

Lodi Shield is much better as a back item than as a shield. I believe it has more total resistances on it than any other back item, and all of those resistances happen to be the best resistances. It also has above average AC for a back item. Not the highest ac possible, but certainly above average.

[Allishia]

Blade stopper is 25 ac 15 sta and 50 hp! How can anything dropable be better then that for a shield! :p

[Argonos]

Lodi Shield or Hiero Cloak for back slot?

[Ripqozko]

Pom cloak

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Lodi Shield or Hiero Cloak for back slot?

Honestly both if you can afford it. Heiro Cloak has no resists, so it isn't very good when fighting casters. Heiro cloak AC is also pretty meh. Use Heiro when you need max HP for a fight, use Lodi Shield for AC/Resist fights. If you can only afford one, I would go with Lodi Shield for resistances and much higher AC. It is also an EB item, so you are gaining stats elsewhere when you need EB.

Pom cloak

Yeah that's another option. PoM cloak is great if you can afford it for the extra HP, and you aren't STA capped. If you are STA capped, PoM cloak is honestly worse than Heiro Cloak. I would still run both PoM Cloak and Lodi Shield, swapping Lodi Shield for Resists/AC when needed. PoM cloak resists aren't nearly enough to make it a one size fits all item sadly.

EDIT: To be clear, I am talking about PoM cloak for Knights specifically. PoM cloak is better for classes like warriors since they do not need mana. It's also better for Monks since they cannot use Lodi Shield.

[Ripqozko]

Depends on race, 15 sta is lot. My human pally is 254? Sta buffed without pe. Sta hard to get on non large races. Still has MR where heiro don't ontop and significant more hp then Lodi considering sta.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Depends on race, 15 sta is lot. My human pally is 254? Sta buffed without pe. Sta hard to get on non large races. Still has MR where heiro don't ontop and significant more hp then Lodi considering sta.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, 15 STA is great on most Paladins since they are small races, and it is nice to have the 10mr on top of it.

However, there are two things you need to consider:
1. Heiro Cloak gives you a good chunk of mana, so you are basically trading max HP for another heal, so it ends up being a wash in reality, unless you are fighting something super hard like raid mobs. When STA capped, the only benefit PoM cloak gives over Heiro is the resistances and a bit more AC, at the cost of 30 HP and like 110 mana.

2. If you really need to go ham on resistances for a fight at the cost of HP/Mana, Lodi Shield is hands down the better option. VERY few items give +50 total resistances to FR/CR/MR in the game, so Lodi is a great stress reliever on your other slots. That means you gain some of that HP back anyway by not having to unequip your HP items for resist pieces in other slots. On top of that, as a paladin, you benefit from the +WIS, so you still get some extra mana for another heal, whereas PoM Cloak has no mana.

PoM cloak is in a weird spot as an item, because it is better suited for solo play (because you will be easily STA capped in a group/raid). But with a Paladin, soloable mobs will give you time to heal, so the heiro cloak mana is actually pretty good. In groups/raids when you are STA capped, you lose the HP advantage of PoM cloak, so the only benefit you really get is the resistances. But if you need good resistances, Lodi Shield is way better hehe.

So overall I say PoM Cloak is something that is fun to get if you have the time/money, but it is actually kind of underwhelming for it's price/rarity when compared to the other items. You can get a Heiro Cloak + Lodi Shield for less than a PoM cloak, that combo will be overall better than the PoM cloak (unless you are super lazy at swapping resistance items) and you can sell them both later when you get bored of your Pally:)

[Ripqozko]

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, 15 STA is great on most Paladins since they are small races, and it is nice to have the 10mr on top of it.

However, there are two things you need to consider:
1. Heiro Cloak gives you a good chunk of mana, so you are basically trading max HP for another heal, so it ends up being a wash in reality, unless you are fighting something super hard like raid mobs. When STA capped, the only benefit PoM cloak gives over Heiro is the resistances and a bit more AC, at the cost of 30 HP and like 110 mana.

2. If you really need to go ham on resistances for a fight at the cost of HP/Mana, Lodi Shield is hands down the better option. VERY few items give +50 total resistances to FR/CR/MR in the game, so Lodi is a great stress reliever on your other slots. That means you gain some of that HP back anyway by not having to unequip your HP items for resist pieces in other slots. On top of that, as a paladin, you benefit from the +WIS, so you still get some extra mana for another heal, whereas PoM Cloak has no mana.

PoM cloak is in a weird spot as an item, because it is better suited for solo play (because you will be easily STA capped in a group/raid). But with a Paladin, soloable mobs will give you time to heal, so the heiro cloak mana is actually pretty good. In groups/raids when you are STA capped, you lose the HP advantage of PoM cloak, so the only benefit you really get is the resistances. But if you need good resistances, Lodi Shield is way better hehe.

So overall I say PoM Cloak is something that is fun to get if you have the time/money, but it is actually kind of underwhelming for it's price/rarity when compared to the other items. You can get a Heiro Cloak + Lodi Shield for less than a PoM cloak, that combo will be overall better than the PoM cloak (unless you are super lazy at swapping resistance items) and you can sell them both later when you get bored of your Pally:)

Hum pal or hum sk gonna have same stam issues , no one wants to be an ugly troll/ogre.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Hum pal or hum sk gonna have same stam issues , no one wants to be an ugly troll/ogre.

If you don't care about the extra STA from being an Ogre/Troll, you shouldn't care about the extra STA from PoM cloak anyway hehe.

[Ripqozko]

If you don't care about the extra STA from being an Ogre/Troll, you shouldn't care about the extra STA from PoM cloak anyway hehe.

Gotta flex in a PD robe. Sorry you don't got.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Gotta flex in a PD robe. Sorry you don't got.

PD Robe sucks. You hide all the cool plate you get from being a tank class. Literally defeats the purpose of fashion questing as a plate class.

[Ripqozko]

PD Robe sucks. You hide all the cool plate you get from being a tank class. Literally defeats the purpose of fashion questing as a plate class.

That sounds like something someone without one would say.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

That sounds like something someone without one would say.

Lol I feel like an Oracle (I guess I am one as a Shaman), I knew you were going to come back with that. I do not have one, as I need to show off my sexy plate.

[Snaggles]

Hiero or kael bear cloak. Solid hps on a maelstrom if not stamina capped.

I had a loddy on my pally for a long time. 75hps isnt going to transform what you can do but it helps when pushing for that bragging number and I sold the loddy for other toys. It’s really best for someone who’s less hp and more sv dependent like a ranger. I frankly don’t care much about FR/CR with the pally.

Edit: a loddy is really good. It’s just 10-20x the price of those other hp items and almost 30% more costly than a Hiero. Amazing situational piece but for tanking random stuff it’s on par or worse if you are getting CH’s.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

Edit: a loddy is really good. It’s just 10-20x the price of those other hp items and almost 30% more costly than a Hiero.

I do agree here. Lodi and Heiro cloak are pricey, as is PoM cloak. Worst part about Lodi Shield is the constant temptation to sell it lol.

[Snaggles]

I do agree here. Lodi and Heiro cloak are pricey, as is PoM cloak. Worst part about Lodi Shield is the constant temptation to sell it lol.

Lol yea. Liquidity is a nice thing but I wish it took more than a few hours to turn back into plat :D

[Argonos]

I currently ( Human Paladin sta around 160ish) use the Hiero Cloak, but am wondering more and more considering I'm never usually MT anyways so it's not so much a CH chain to consider, as it is lasting until someone realizes I'm offtanking and can heal me.

[Ripqozko]

I currently ( Human Paladin sta around 160ish) use the Hiero Cloak, but am wondering more and more considering I'm never usually MT anyways so it's not so much a CH chain to consider, as it is lasting until someone realizes I'm offtanking and can heal me.

Get a pom cloak seriously, hum is best race but low on sta.