***RAWR!!: A Comprehensive Analysis of Strength Sets: AO3 to Humania***

[Energizeric]

I see now in the videos, yes I guess the bow is more powerful. I still think the shanks are more useful to a bear though for the reason Crim says.

As you can see in your other thread, the shanks give a defensive set bonus which makes them have higher armor and dodge, so if you are going to fight close up with the bad guys, better off having a set that has better armor and dodge. And obviously the difference in damage between the two is pretty small. The main advantage of the bow is to be able to attack from a distance which as Crim says, is not that useful to a bear as it renders much of the melee skill useless.

I do find it funny in the bow video how when you use the slash skills, the bear actually puts the bow in his left hand while he simply punches the Bandit Queen with his right hand. LOL

[CrimsonTider]

I see now in the videos, yes I guess the bow is more powerful. I still think the shanks are more useful to a bear though for the reason Crim says.

As you can see in your other thread, the shanks give a defensive set bonus which makes them have higher armor and dodge, so if you are going to fight close up with the bad guys, better off having a set that has better armor and dodge. And obviously the difference in damage between the two is pretty small. The main advantage of the bow is to be able to attack from a distance which as Crim says, is not that useful to a bear as it renders much of the melee skill useless.

I do find it funny in the bow video how when you use the slash skills, the bear actually puts the bow in his left hand while he simply punches the Bandit Queen with his right hand. LOL

Actually, based on the statistical analysis, I would rather tank with a bow. I may have less armor, but that is ok when I am killing faster. Plus, that is why we have health pots and mages for healing.

However, let's not lose focus. The shanks may have more armor than bow, and more dps than a 1h scimitar, but the scimitar has superior skill damage and more armor than shanks.

@Fluff - I still hold my stance that if I can't land my skills nor have enough damage to maintain aggro, then increased dodge/armor/health is pointless. I would gladly take more hit% and less dodge. Yes, the first thought is overpowered pallies and warbirds but peolple forget how added strength for classes other than bears decrease their skill damage and effieciency. Raising the requirements for ALL gear (say 225 instead of 160 str/dex/int), would still allow for hybrid builds, yet make pure builds mire effective.

[Ellyidol]

Fluff raises a good point, balance is so much more difficult in this game because of how entangled everything is - hybrid specs and twinks most especially.

I don't know if it's in place yet, but a possible way to segregate twinking from end-game balance is a required character level for a certain skill level, so you don't get level 10s maxing out one particular buff. Then you can scale the game better.

Are buffs even in percentages yet? I remember that I pointed out before that buffs should be made into percentage increases rather than fixed values to also separate twinks from end-game, no idea how that worked out.

Good luck though!

[CrimsonTider]

Fluff raises a good point, balance is so much more difficult in this game because of how entangled everything is - hybrid specs and twinks most especially.

I don't know if it's in place yet, but a possible way to segregate twinking from end-game balance is a required character level for a certain skill level, so you don't get level 10s maxing out one particular buff. Then you can scale the game better.

Are buffs even in percentages yet? I remember that I pointed out before that buffs should be made into percentage increases rather than fixed values to also separate twinks from end-game, no idea how that worked out.

Good luck though!

So you don't think raising gear equipping requirements would help stop the hybrids? I look at Copperhead sets as an example: pure strength bears can get around 99% hit and the sets are very well balanced. I don't know that I have ever seen a Copper pally and few warbirds.

Skills were raised to 7. Only 66 and above can respec to 7 so twinking is still the same. Bears are able to max out all skills except for the slashes and will have them all maxed at the next update except for one. And no, percentages were not added to them. Skills are still based on your attributes.

[WhoIsThis]

It seems that there is a pretty easy "fix" if you will for the complaints of PvP and PvE - just transfer most of the dodge % in the Tiki strength set into hit %. Strictly from a specing standpoint, pure strength should be a viable build and should have 100% hit with a pure strength bear. Doing so would end the dodge complaints in PvP and let bears hold aggro more effectively in PvE.

I'd have to support Ellyidol's calls for raising the minimum requirements - perhaps to as high as 50% - so at level 70 if you were to have 50% of your stats in dex and 50% in str, you could equip it; otherwise if you had say, 40%/60% it wouldn't work. Percentages too have not been implemented - they probably should be but it never really happened.

Finally balance should be around end-game first then twinks. End game should always be a destination, although most of the changes produced here shouldn't lead to one class being more OP than they already are.

[Zneak]

Wow thanks for the help!

[ArtofWar]

Nice necro!!

[iRusher]

Lol on my iPod the title looked like it said comprehensive anal