Quote Originally Posted by whisperwalk View Post
Because 1 point of int, 1 point of str, 1 point of dex, does relatively little to your overall stats. It is important to think of base stats as item wearing prerequisites rather than trying to get stat advantages from them. 37 int is necessary for the ring, so 37 int it is.

2 int only adds 1 skill damage to the rhino's most powerful skill, Holy Tempest. This means that a 50% str, 50% int rhino gains about 90-ish damage which will barely tickle mobs with several thousand HP. Meanwhile, Rhino skills have 5-6 second cooldowns and are hardly anything to scream about. What I mean is, adding a lot of int will not do much to your character. The majority of skill damage comes from equipped weapon.

A second aspect to consider is, whenever you want damage, dex is always a better choice. Dex adds dodge which is THE MOST important stat of a tank; it also adds more crit n base damage than int does. I play a 50% str and 50% dex rhino, and the Molten set surpasses any benefits I can gain from int. Using Molten Raptorhide Helm, Molten Whipcord Leather, Molten Trickster Wing, and Lvl75 Beastly Dragonscale Scythe, I have 66% critical (unbuffed), 361-381 damage, and 19% dodge (unbuffed). How's that for a "tank" class? I can easily slip back into a Str set whenever I feel threatened.

So, this means that rhinos will want as little int as possible; 37 int for the lower levels for the ring, and re-spec it back into str and dex in the endgame. I am now using an Acrobat's Fine Iron Band for dodge.
Thanks for clearing this up! I appreciate your well thought out and polite reply. Great job.