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Best PvE Armor Enchants for GF?
kolbe11
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
With the advent of the new enchants, I've been trying out the new Elven & Barkshield Armor Enchants on my GF in attempt to see if anything rouses me away from the "trusty" Soulforge. Even though I've tested them myself, I feel my methodical testing is incomplete and would like input from others on their experiences/beliefs.
Here's a list of "Lesser" Enchants with Image links I compiled below:
Lesser Armor Enchantments
Bloodtheft
Description: When below 50% health you have a 5% chance upon receiving damage to deal Necrotic damage to your attacker and heal yourself for that amount. This damage is based on your level. This damage can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Briartwine
Description: You reflect 2% of the damage dealt to you back to your attacker.
Fireburst
Description: When you receive damage you have a 5% chance to release a fireball at your attacker that explodes, damaging all foes near it for Fire damage. The damage of this fireball scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Frostburn
Description: On receiving damage you have a 5% chance to deal frost damage and reduce your attacker's Recovery by 15%. This damage scales with your level. This effect lasts 4 seconds and can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Negation
Description: When receiving damage you have a 5% chance to increase your damage resistance by 10% for 4 seconds. This can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Soulforged
Description: When below 25% health, upon receiving damage you become immune to all damage for 2 seconds. This effect can only trigger once every 60 seconds.
Thunderhead
Description: When you receive a Critical Strike your armor has a 10% chance to deal Lightning damage and Stun nearby foes. This damage scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
New Armor Enchantments
Barkshield
Description: Every 8 seconds your armor receives a charge of Bolstered Bark up to a maximum of 3 charges: 1@324, 2@648, 3@972 Damage obsorbed. Whenever you take damage, one charge of Bolstered Bark is consumed.
Elven Battle
Description: You are 50% more resistant to slows and immobilizes. Their duration is reduced.
Loamweave
Description: On receiving damage you have a 10% chance to deal Physical damage and root your attacker for 3 seconds (1 second on players). The damage scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Here's a list of "Lesser" Enchants with Image links I compiled below:
Lesser Armor Enchantments
Bloodtheft
Description: When below 50% health you have a 5% chance upon receiving damage to deal Necrotic damage to your attacker and heal yourself for that amount. This damage is based on your level. This damage can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Briartwine
Description: You reflect 2% of the damage dealt to you back to your attacker.
Fireburst
Description: When you receive damage you have a 5% chance to release a fireball at your attacker that explodes, damaging all foes near it for Fire damage. The damage of this fireball scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Frostburn
Description: On receiving damage you have a 5% chance to deal frost damage and reduce your attacker's Recovery by 15%. This damage scales with your level. This effect lasts 4 seconds and can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Negation
Description: When receiving damage you have a 5% chance to increase your damage resistance by 10% for 4 seconds. This can only occur once every 60 seconds.
Soulforged
Description: When below 25% health, upon receiving damage you become immune to all damage for 2 seconds. This effect can only trigger once every 60 seconds.
Thunderhead
Description: When you receive a Critical Strike your armor has a 10% chance to deal Lightning damage and Stun nearby foes. This damage scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
New Armor Enchantments
Barkshield
Description: Every 8 seconds your armor receives a charge of Bolstered Bark up to a maximum of 3 charges: 1@324, 2@648, 3@972 Damage obsorbed. Whenever you take damage, one charge of Bolstered Bark is consumed.
Elven Battle
Description: You are 50% more resistant to slows and immobilizes. Their duration is reduced.
Loamweave
Description: On receiving damage you have a 10% chance to deal Physical damage and root your attacker for 3 seconds (1 second on players). The damage scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds.
"It is said that idle hands are the Devil's tools: Idle geek hands, however, came up with gunpowder, nuclear weapons, and toilet plungers." -Illiad
Post edited by kolbe11 on
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Comments
Lesser Barkshield - The Lesser Barkshield seems to work a bit better overall than say Bloodtheft which offers a "bulk" health payload @ 50% health. But while I found the Barkshield to be useful (like in PvP Domination or GG PvP), it just felt as though it just does not do much for a tank when compared to other options.
Lesser Negation Enchantment - After trying the Barkshield, I decided to see if this could help close the defense deficit on my Timeless and Knight Captain sets and possibly fare better than Barkshield. Negation offers an additional 10% damage resistance and it actually helped a lot with my 48% Damage Resistance (adds 4.8% more on lesser). I actually kinda dig it as a well rounded choice for Timeless and Knight Captain sets where SF may fail you. What I do not know though is how the Barkshield, with its "flat" absorption is better than a Negation enchantment using your already high resistance as a counter stacks up. Any math geeks do the math on this?
Lesser Elven Battle Enchantment - Simply stated, I found the Lesser Elven Battle Enchantment simply AWESOME during PvP, but unreliable since the last patch. Initially during fights with CW's and DC's using slow encounters, their effects were lessened and I was able to engage the enemy faster than my cohorts under the same spells. This enchantment just seems like a must for GF's in PvP and shines more than my Soulforge in overall usefulness (when it works). The downside is that in PvE I only found this to be useful in Frozen Heart against the Golems and in Sharadar/MC while the rest of my PvE experience yearned for a SF,Neg or Thunderhead.
In summary, I still find Soulforge to be the best rounded choice for all situations where a saving grace is needed. However, Negation, Barkshield (higher levels) and the Elven Battle Enchantments (when working) are worth considering if you want survivability. If Aggro is what you want, use a Thunderhead or Briartwine (assuming you have a DoT weapon enchant like Plague Fire, Flame, Terror, Bilehorn, etc) to help generate even more threat/aggro.
Thoughts?
Timeless PvP/Grind : Greater Negation Enchantment
Knight Captain PvE : Thunderhead (for added Aggro/Threat)
While Soulforge is a great thing to have in PvE, I found that the Thunderhead REALLY riles the adds up when it goes off, giving my GF ABSOLUTE threat/aggro from pretty much everything within 50 feet of it. Besides, the animation is friggin awesome hehe.
The biggest downfall with Soulforge is this:
-It ONLY kicks in when you are quote: "below 25% health"
So as an example, if you have 25.5% health, have no shield defense and get slammed by Azharzel Dracolich or a TR coming out with lashing blades, you're dead. Soulforge is not as consistent as people think it is and I do not want to stack more than 4500 Defense to ensure it works every time (because even then, it will not).
Negation on the other hand is the perfect Tank enchantment. Giving :
- Lesser 5% chance, 10% Damage Resist for 4 sec
- Normal 10% chance, 15% Damage Resist for 5 sec
- Greater 15% chance, 20% Damage Resist for 6 sec
- Perfect 20% chance, 25% Damage Resist for 7 sec
So, if you have 4,000 Defense (as most GF's have that or more), you most likely have at least 48% Damage Resistance. So, @ 4000 Defense and 48% DR every 60 seconds you get:
- Lesser @10% Damage Resist = 48%+4.8% = 52.8% DR
- Normal @15% Damage Resist = 48%+7.2% = 55.2% DR
- Greater @20% Damage Resist = 48%+9.6% = 57.6% DR
- Perfect @25% Damage Resist = 48%+12% =60% DR
For a timeless build, Negation helps "negate" that paper feeling you get sometimes considering its low defense point offering. Stakcing Rank 8 Azures only reclaim a small fraction of the defense lost compared to even T1 sets. So, I feel a GOOD defensive buff is worth more than the soulforge overall.
Tested this tonight in GG PVP.
My Greater Negation stacked with the boon given for winning the first round, so it appears to not be as static as I thought. As such, my response would be: it is a multiple of your CURRENT damage resistance. Not static.
Honestly, it is hard to keep track of it. In PVP I can see it going off as my toon turns into a bug zapper, but it is extremely difficult to catch it proc during PvE. I use a normal thunderhead on my KC set for PvE and it is AWESOME for catching aggro/gen threat, but I just cannot say with any amount of certainty that it goes off more than every 60 seconds.
While I agree with you in many cases on this, I found myself cursing my normal SF in CN, MC and PvP more times than not. Sure, it has saved my bacon a myriad of times (FH,ToS,SP and once in DV), but how useful it that utility compared to the others in ALL PvE circumstances?
Grinding? - Doubtful a SF will be useful in any way here
Sharandar Dailies? - Doubtful a SF will be useful in any way here either
DD Events? - Once you have your gear with Rank 8s and several hours of running DD's over and over, a SF becomes less desirable
The Thunderhead for example generates so much threat that I just giggle when it goes off, further helping keep the mobs looking at me. In PvP, I find it to be downright comical to watch a stealthed TR get bug-zapped out of hiding and sent into stun-mode. It just works as intended with or without 25% health... EVERY 60 seconds.
The Greater Negation Enchantment, while not as perfect at 100% immunity for 2-4 seconds is still an excellent choice for any GF or GWF needing some tanky reassurance. It too works every 60 seconds, regardless of what my health is and lasts 2x as long as a SF.
So while I get your point and cannot really argue with it as you are right to some degree, I find that Negation just works best as the most rounded between PvP and PvE... a take it anywhere enchant.
Bottom line here is that some people want more than just a last second savior which has very specific uses.
Conversely protectors who are the most defensive and slanted towards threat control, a thunderhead or loamweave may be better as it aids in keeping enemies rooted and focused on you. Protectors benefit less from a defense booster such as negation since they quite often have their guard up and are experts at reducing an enemies damage output.
You really just have to match an enchantment to your playing and go from there.
Gloom level 60 Control Wizard
Dusk level 60 Trickster Rogue
Dawn level 60 Devoted Cleric
Eclipse level 60 Hunter Ranger
Wrath level 60 Great Weapon Fighter
Jinx level 60 Scourge Warlock
You still take the damage... If you want something that "deflects" damage, that would be Barkwood, but it is rather useless for a GF as they are constantly being hit.
For a 100% "turtle" build, I would suggest looking at the changes being made to the SoulForge in Module 2. Otherwise, Negation still tops for additional tankiness. Regardless, read the post below yours @ #15 as caexar makes some excellent points
100% Agreed. I actually realized this as I was testing enchants on my various armor sets. IMO, what determines the best enchantment is:
Filling in the "gaps" can ironically come down to how you want your character to look as well. I found myself using an armor enchantment on my High General set SIMPLY on the premise of how it looked (2x2 with KC arms/feet) more than what it actually did... vain? No, I think I just wanted to look my best "James Dean".
Overall, even with so many prerequisites and options however, I still feel you can shorten the list down to a few "top 5" as they just make sense for the class.
You referenced Loamweave enchants in an earlier post, which I wanted to note is NOT a good choice imo for a GF as Loamweave is a single target item:
"Armor Enhancement Slot: On receiving damage you have a 10% chance to deal Physical damage and root your attacker for 3 seconds (1 second on players). The damage scales with your level. This effect can only occur once every 60 seconds."
GF's deal with mobs/adds more often than not, so if you want to mitigate threat from your teammates or do damage, something AoE/CC oriented is better suited. The ONLY time I would recommend Loamweave for a GF is if they were nearly 100% PvP oriented.