Tuesday, January 27, 2009

HIT ME! Gems, Enchants, and Other Gear Enhancements (Part 3)

Alright. So you've assembled some decent gear. The sockets are empty, the weapon isn't shiny, and the cloth just doesn't have that magical sheen. What can we add to our gear that will give us more hit?

If you are like me, some of those items I listed are long forgotten, a bit of dust enhancing some other piece of gear, or a few coins tinkling in your change purse. Here is what I have so far for a DPS set.

Turtle-Minders Robe
Dark Soldier Cape
Ancestral Sinew Wristguards
Breeches of the Caller
Cleric's Linen Shoes
Rune of Infinite Power
Medallion of Heroism

These items pump my hit rating to 336. Not bad for just gear. Now, to help get the last 110 points, we want to enchant and enhance our gear. What can an enchanter do for us? Formula: Enchant Weapon - Accuracy gives 25 points of hit and 25 of crit, which I am sadly lacking. Enchant Gloves - Precision gives us another 20 points of hit rating. Enchant Boots - Icewalker gives us 12 points of crit rating and 12 points of hit rating. By just enchanting 3 items, we gained 57 points!

We need 53 more points of hit rating. I used to be counseled against using gems to get hit rating. I can't remember the logic behind it. The set I am wearing now has 6 sockets to fill. The pants are part of my healing set, and as such, I don't want to mess with anything I have done with them. The shoulders, gloves, wrists, and boots are also parts of that set, but with less sockets to fill, I can justify changing a gem every once in a while. Or, not totally changed, but shared. The blue socket in my wrists, instead of the 8 intellect/3 mp5 I have placed in them, could instead have Shining Forest Emerald, which would still grant some mana regen, and some damage and healing, but also give us 8 more points of hit, and still match the socket for the bonus of 4 intellect. Pardon me, I am a big fan of socket bonuses, when they fit my needs. In the shoulders, instead of the straight intellect gem I have, I could put a straight hit gem in them, like Rigid Autumn's Glow. If I felt a little cheap, I might see if a jeweler got a lucky cut and made Perfect Rigid Sun Crystal. My gloves will keep their gem, and their enchant for healing purposes. Time to invest in a new pair? But the boots, there is an area for tinkering! Veiled Monarch Topaz will keep the spell power and give me 8 hit rating. So, (8+16+8)-20=4 more hit rating! Not wonderful, but closer to our goal.

Thanks to Llanion of Mooonfire! for reminding me that Blacksmiths can make an extra gem slot to put on your belt (yet another spot to stick a hit gem!), and informing me of the weapon chain that gives hit and keeps your weapon closer. This weapon chain is a less expensive option for those that find the weapon enchant pricey.

Are there other ways to gain that last 49 points of hit rating? Yes, and they are called consumables. I will explore that in depth this weekend, or earlier if time allows. Bye for now!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! :)

This is very helpful, especially since I have a little caster on the way up at the moment. Thank you! :)

ShawndraKai said...

I'm glad all my data collecting is helpful! I'm just getting it so I can be silly and cast Holy Nova until I get a free Smite :)

My guild puts up with my whims, thank goodness!

Anonymous said...

Couple thoughts-
Any blacksmith can craft an item that lets you add a socket to a belt slot. That's 16 free hit right there if you socket for straight +hit. They're fairly cheap.

Blacksmiths (You'd think I was a blacksmith instead of an enchanter!) can also make a weapon chain that reduces your disarm time by 50% but, more importantly, grants 28 hit. You lose on the 25 crit, but this is substantially cheaper than an Accuracy enchant. (Yes, it works on spells!)

ShawndraKai said...

Thanks Llanion! I completely forgot about the extra gem slot and I didn't even know about the weapon chain :)

As an enchanter, I'll probably still go with the hit/crit enchant for my weapon, but that bit of info will be helpful to anyone who finds that enchant daunting. I'll edit it into my post, with credit, of course!