***PEW-PEW!! A Comprehensive Analysis of Dexterity (Dex) Sets: AO3 to Humania***

[CrimsonTider]

INTRODUCTION

Since the introduction of my last guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?64334-***RAWR!!-A-Comprehensive-Analysis-of-Strength-Sets-AO3-to-Humania***&p=725954#post725954), I got many requests to do a similar guide for other classes. While I am not as knowledgeable in the other two classes, I have decided to make this guide regarding dex gear. I made my first bird midway through the Balefort Sewers campaign and immediately fell in love. I have experimented with both warbird and pure dex, and being a pure bird, IMO, is much more fun and challenging.

Through the next few sections, we will look at all of the "endgame" dex sets and the progression of each set from AO3 to Humania. I will focus on bows/guns as it is widely known these items provide the most "pop" and improvement to skill damage. This discussion will not be like the discussion on strength gear as it this thread will focus more on overall set strengths and weakness and not just one main issue.


A LOOK INTO DEXTERITY GEAR: AO3 TO HUMANIA

This section is to provide statistical data on dex gear to allow the reader to analyze the evolution of these sets. As stated before, the focus will be on bows/guns. Statistical data will be provided for each "endgame", or "best", set and then followed with screenshots to allow the reader to see visual representation of the information being provided.

NOTE: Talons/daggers/shanks are not being analyzed at this time. Upon request through discussion, this may be revisited.

AO3

Void Set - Lootable:

Wraith Armor of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 41 Armor [Part of a Set, From T'Paxx the Executioner]
Overlord's Helmet of the Void Req: Level 50, 154 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 21 Armor [Part of a Set, From Galactic Overlord]
Mega Blaster of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 120-165 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [Part of a Set, From Galactic Overlord]
Sunblessed Bow of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 135-180 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [Part of a Set, From King Mynas, Alien Minibosses]

Set Bonuses:

Void Set I Jacob's Helmet of the Void, Wraith Armor of the Void, Mega Blaster of the Void +5% Hit, +5% Crit, +2 H/s, +2 M/s, +10 Damage, +5 Armor
Void Set II - "Sunblessed Archer" Overlord's Helmet of the Void, Wraith Armor of the Void, Sunblessed Bow of the Void+3 h/s, +10 DMG, +7 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/void.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/voidblast.jpg

Cyber Set - Quests:

Cyber Armor of the Void Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 43 Armor [From 100 "Ok'tal Totems" Quest]
Cyber Skull of the Void Req: Level 50, 154 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 22 Armor [From 50 "Cyber Shards" Quest]
Cyber Blaster of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 126-171 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [From 25 "Captive Shadows" Quest]

Set Bonuses:

Cyber Void Set Cyber Skull of the Void, Cyber Armor of the Void, Cyber Blaster of the Void +2% Hit, +1% Dodge, +1 H/s, +9 Damage, +3 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/cyber.jpg

SHADOW CAVES

Death Set:

Sentinel's Armor of Death Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 4 Damage, 44 Armor [From Shadow Anubis & others, Cave V]
Sentinel's Helmet of Death Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 4 Damage, 23 Armor [From the Shadow Lord & others, Cave IV]
Sentinel's Shotgun of Death Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 130-175 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 7 Armor [From The Dark Archer, Cave I]

Set Bonuses:

Sentinel Gun Set Sentinel's Helmet of Death, Sentinel's Armor of Death, Sentinel's Shotgun of Death +2 Crit, +2 M/s, +8 Damage

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sent.jpg

BALEFORT SEWERS

Customized Sets:

Customized Gemstone Leather Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 46 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Cap Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 21 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Auto-Bow Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 137-182 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 10 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Recurve Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 146-191 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe

Set Bonuses:

Customized Auto-Bow Set Customized Gemstone Leather, Customized Gemstone Cap, Customized Gemstone Auto-Bow +2 Crit, +5 H/s, +4 M/s, +6 Damage
Customized Recurve Set Customized Gemstone Leather, Customized Gemstone Cap, Customized Gemstone Recurve +7 Crit, +2 Dodge, +5 H/s, +6 M/s, +13 Damage, +2 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/custauto.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/recurve.jpg

NURI'S HALLOWS

Demonic Set:

Demonic Glyph Armor Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 10 Damage, 59 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe
Demonic Glyph Helmet Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 10 Damage, 36 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe
Demonic Glyph Auto-Crossbow Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 158-170 Damage, 0.8 Speed, 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 4 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe

Set Bonuses:

Demonic DEX Set 2H Demonic Glyph Armor, Demonic Glyph Helmet, Demonic Glyph Auto-Crossbow+6 Hit, +4 Dodge, +6 H/s, +6 Damage, +6 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/demon.jpg

MT. FANG

Crafted Sanguine Sets:

L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Leather Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 13 Damage, 67 Armor
Vampiric Leather Fiber (3), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Hood Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 13 Damage, 43 Armor
Vampiric Leather Fiber (3), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Crossbow Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 178-212 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor
Glyph Crossbow Body Base (2), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting, Vampiric Weapon Wood
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Longbow Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 194-239 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor
Sanguine Bow Body Base (2), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting, Vampiric Weapon Wood

Set Bonuses:

L65 Crafted Sanguine Crossbow Set - 3 Dex, 4% Hit, 5% Crit, 6 H/s, 12 Damage, 1 Armor
L65 Crafted Sanguine Longbow Set - 3 Dex, 4% Hit, 5% Crit, 6 H/s, 12 Damage, 1 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sangxbow.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sanglong.jpg

HUMANIA

"Of Tiki" Set:

Beach Bum's Bow of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 209-249 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 10 Armor
Tiki Malo Wear of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 23 Damage, 75 Armor
Feather Headdress of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 23 Damage, 55 Armor

Set Bonuses:

8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s

Sand Skipper:
Tiki God's Sand Skipper Wear
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 16 Damage, 79 Armor
Tiki God's Sand Skipper Headdress
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 16 Damage, 59 Armor
Phantom Pirate's Crossbone
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 209-249 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 14 Armor

Set Bonuses:

+5 hit, +6 critical hit, +9 dodge, +3 health regeneration, +8 mana

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/tiki.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sandskip.jpg


ANALYSIS

Now that we can see the data, we need analyze the data to see what, if any, improvements have been made over time. (It should be noted from this point on that I am still level 70 and use the "Eagle" face. Stats can be skewed slightly based on level and face.) As with my bear guide, I will group the three main defensive (dodge, h/s, and armor) and offensive (hit, crit, damage) in each set, and then compare and contrast the stats to see if there truly is an "evolution."

Defensive Categories

Dodge:

Void: 15, 15
Cyber: 15
Death: 15
Custom: 6, 8
Demonic: 6
Crafted Sanguine: 6, 6
Of Tiki: 7
Sand Skipper: 19

H/S:

Void: 10, 9
Cyber: 8
Death: 10
Custom: 26, 26
Demonic: 32
Crafted Sanguine: 26, 26
Of Tiki: 17
Sand Skipper: 20

Armor:

Void: 86, 84
Cyber: 86
Death: 86
Custom: 89, 85
Demonic: 111
Crafted Sanguine: 131, 131
Of Tiki: 153
Sand Skipper: 165

Though dex gear is not desired for it's defensive abilities, there are a few observations to be made. Dodge since AO3 has stayed relatively low until the bump to 19 with the Sand Skipper set. Looking at H/S, there has been a steady decline since the Demonic set, yet armor sees a steady increase.

Offensive Categories

Hit%:

Void: 151, 156
Cyber: 151
Death: 143
Custom: 165, 165
Demonic: 148
Crafted Sanguine: 155, 155
Of Tiki: 161
Sand Skipper: 165

Crit:

Void: 19, 24
Cyber: 19
Death: 28
Custom: 46, 51
Demonic: 37
Crafted Sanguine: 40, 40
Of Tiki: 50
Sand Skipper: 51

Damage:

Void: 211-256, 196-241
Cyber: 199-244
Death: 213-258
Custom: 210-255, 227-272
Demonic: 259-271
Crafted Sanguine: 286-321, 302-347
Of Tiki: 337-377
Sand Skipper: 331-371

When looking at the offensive categories, a lot of inconsistency can be seen. Hit percentage and critical hit seems to cycle up and down. Damage, though steadily rises as it should, has seen changes in efficiency (or damage range between low and high base damage.)

Blast Shot

Below is a look at Blast Shot at L70.

"Of Tiki"

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/tikiblast.jpg

Sand Skipper

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/crossblast.jpg

Considering both sets have similar crit, the uncrafted "Of Tiki" set has higher skill damage.

CONCLUSION

We see a gradual increase in stats "overall" for the dex sets. However, for the first time since set bonuses were implemented, an argument can be made that the L70 Crafted Sand Skipper set is inferior to the uncrafted "Of Tiki". This can also lead to confusion as to the cost comparison. Is there a misconception on "best" just because of the "look" of the crafted set over the uncrafted?

This is where the community comes in. I want to hear constructive feedback on the matter. Should the set bonuses have been different? Should we revisit AO3 where we had two different looks to the sets? (looks like the L70 def/off sets are a throwback of this time)

Please remember to keep it clean and constructive.

SPECIAL THANKS AND RECOGNITION

I again want to give recognition to Yanis, Drewcapu, Whirlz, and JaytB for the statistical information.

I also want to thank JaytB and Riccits for allowing me to borrow the two sets I did not have to take screenshots with.

I sincerely hope this helps, especially new players, in deciding gear and looking at what the future may hold. Thank you all and enjoy!!

[SuperGotenks]

nicely done! +1

[bramer]

Great guide! What noise are you going to do for your into guide? Fwoosh? Lol

This is Bramer - signing out

[JaytB]

Nice work!

For the Lv.70 crafted bow set, I think it should have more dmg. It's supposed to be the attack set as compared to shanks being the defense set. It's a bit like the crafted staff vs the Hula staff set, were the crafted set only adds a bit to defensive stats. That said, the stats do make kind of sense when you're running unpotted. The extra armor and dodge definitely help to keep your bird alive (As mage you'll just die a lot lol).

Edit: and mana regen sucks on crafted bow set too. 12m/s isn't enough to spam skills non stop, and very annoying during fast consecutive farming sessions.

[CrimsonTider]

Nice work!

For the Lv.70 crafted bow set, I think it should have more dmg. It's supposed to be the attack set as compared to shanks being the defense set. It's a bit like the crafted staff vs the Hula staff set, were the crafted set only adds a bit to defensive stats. That said, the stats do make kind of sense when you're running unpotted. The extra armor and dodge definitely help to keep your bird alive (As mage you'll just die a lot lol).

Edit: and mana regen sucks on crafted bow set too. 12m/s isn't enough to spam skills non stop, and very annoying during fast consecutive farming sessions.

I didn't think of looking at m/s. This is the first update in a while this has been an issue for birds.

[Dynastu]

Awesome, thanks!!!

I think the crafted set should still, perhaps, have lower skill damage than uncrafted, but I think the crafted set should have a lot more H/s. As much as 10 more.

[Phoenixking]

Great guide! What noise are you going to do for your into guide? Fwoosh? Lol

This is Bramer - signing out
No, boom

[Twinklaser]

Demo still>Crafted Sanguine IMO

[Jcyee]

Im loving these guides

Well done! :)

[Chopper]

Your analysis is right. People are wasting millions on the Sand Skipper sets while the of Tiki offensive sets are better for most birds.

If only there was a crafted one handed weapon option so we could use shields, which would make a huge difference.

[Suentous PO]

Excellent work, Ty. Yeah I would have liked a little more damage on the sand skipper set. I thought it odd that in humania we basically have 2 two handed options, and neither is a good defensive option (discounting angel).
Personally I would like to see you put up the stats for shanks and even angel as is it such a contrast to others.
Cheers

[CrimsonTider]

Excellent work, Ty. Yeah I would have liked a little more damage on the sand skipper set. I thought it odd that in humania we basically have 2 two handed options, and neither is a good defensive option (discounting angel).
Personally I would like to see you put up the stats for shanks and even angel as is it such a contrast to others.
Cheers

I can arrange that. Might be tomorrow but I will add it all in. Thanks for the support guys. Anything else you would like to see?

[WhoIsThis]

Interesting. Thoughts:

As expected
- Weapons and skill damage would increase generation to generation
- Hit% seems to be going up

Other
- There does not seem a trend with mana and health regeneration.
- Survivability-wise, armor seems to be going up, but dodge is not
- Crit does not have a trend between levels


For the most part, this is fairly consistent with what a bird should be lore-wise. I do however think that the 65 and 70 sets could probably use a buff in damage.

[CrimsonTider]

Interesting. Thoughts:

As expected
- Weapons and skill damage would increase generation to generation
- Hit% seems to be going up

Other
- There does not seem a trend with mana and health regeneration.
- Survivability-wise, armor seems to be going up, but dodge is not
- Crit does not have a trend between levels


For the most part, this is fairly consistent with what a bird should be lore-wise. I do however think that the 65 and 70 sets could probably use a buff in damage.

A lot of what I have seen in forums and heard in game as far as your list of "other" go seem to be the biggest issues currently. Most birds do not complain about lack of armor or dodge, but would like to see a bump in damage considering that IS their primary role. Also, as pointed out in the initial post, many attributes do appear to be very erratic and not a lot of consistency (such as mana, h/s, dodge).

Thanks for the input bud!

[NotYoCookiez]

I know you are doing the "best" sets for each level but what's the difference stats wise between raid and custom? Also glyph and demonic? I think it would be cool if you added it so people don't spend like 3m + on demonic when glyph is almost the same if this in fact is the case .

[JaytB]

I know you are doing the "best" sets for each level but what's the difference stats wise between raid and custom? Also glyph and demonic? I think it would be cool if you added it so people don't spend like 3m + on demonic when glyph is almost the same if this in fact is the case .

Things like set bonusses and stats have already been posted on these forums. But yeah, it could be cool to have that all together.

For demonic vs glyph, I made a thread for that a long time ago. You can find it in the link below...

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?t=37954

Crim, if you want to use any info from the thread above, feel free to do so.

[NotYoCookiez]

Things like set bonusses and stats have already been posted on these forums. But yeah, it could be cool to have that all together.

For demonic vs glyph, I made a thread for that a long time ago. You can find it in the link below...

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?t=37954

Crim, if you want to use any info from the thread above, feel free to do so.

Sweet just what I was looking for! I guess it's worth the price difference then haha

Thanks and yeah It would be cool to have everything on one thread :)

[CrimsonTider]

I appreciate the suggestion, but the purpose of the thread is to compare what many consider the "best" gear and see how it has changed over time. To compare ALL endgame gear from AO3 til now... good grief. This just ONLY took me 3 hours. I think the threads by Yanis and Drew give a sufficient amount of info for sets in each campaign for people looking to compare stats before making transactions.

[CrimsonTider]

Hmmm... Not sure why this was moved. Not a true "guide" as it was made for discussion and for recommended future changes to dex gear. Oh well. LOL

[WhoIsThis]

A lot of what I have seen in forums and heard in game as far as your list of "other" go seem to be the biggest issues currently. Most birds do not complain about lack of armor or dodge, but would like to see a bump in damage considering that IS their primary role. Also, as pointed out in the initial post, many attributes do appear to be very erratic and not a lot of consistency (such as mana, h/s, dodge).

Thanks for the input bud!

So would I - I'd actually support reducing dodge in favor of more armor and dodge. I don't support stacking dodge or crit and would support a consistent amount of it between the gear.

Ideally:
- Birds have a fairly consistent damage, even when unbuffed (+5% crit per focus point) versus say mage (+10% crit and +5 damage per point in blessings); which means that they are not as buff dependent (mages more or less double their damage buffed)
- Low dodge means that player skill will play an important part, but the high damage will allow truly good players to shine (in other words, a dex bird will be a build that will require a lot of skill to play to it's potential, especially in PvE); I imagine that the newer generation of players won't like this one, although on the upside, with my suggested reform, damage will be relatively consistent (important for potion usage in PvE and restoration timing in PvP)
- The Physiologic style will be optimal for play
- Potion usage will remain fairly high absent of a bear, especially for hp; with a bear, it should be low to moderate; mana potions will be a must in PvE; again see Physiologic's old videos from the sewers era
- Birds have a total excess of hit %; there does not appear to be a benefit in PvE, except in the few cases where debuffs go out; in PvP though it is much more essential; I don't think this needs to be changed
- Birds will have a moderate degree of health regeneration as well; which should be useful in PvP and could ease potion usage in long walks in PvE, but in tight dungeons will still need health potion usage

The other is that crafting sets should be clearly superior to the uncrafted, but not so much that they trump all skill. The differences shouldn't be too big.

All of this would make what is pretty consistent with bird lore. It won't be a build for everyone though - newer players in high end dungeons will find that a dex - str mix will probably be best until they adapt. I doubt that given the direction that STS has turned that they will listen, but if they did, I imagine that many players would complain or respec to warbird for PvE. Many mages became pallys when Nuri first came out (before the nerfs) and many have stayed that way (although I would argue that overall in terms of survivability and damage, the 70 str set is overall vastly superior to the 70 int set).

A final problem consideration is that there should be easy to get sets that are almost as good as the pinks (consider Bagmans vs Raid Roach for PvE and for PvP, Drainers vs Raid Roach/Custom) that are common drops and should sell for no more than 1,000 gold. Player skill not gear should be the deciding factor in performance. Merchants who game the auction house might be able to get the best pinks and craft them, but if they don't have skill, they will be VASTLY outperformed by people in cheap blues who spent their time farming and maximizing their skills rather than playing the AH.

Expected results? To begin with, the majority of bird players will probably spec warbird. Dex bird would not a forgiving build, but one that if learned properly allows for much faster, smoother runs. PvP wise, there needs to be a general nerf in the dodge of all classes.



Admittedly perhaps all of this is moot. I haven't been on much in 6 months. The times I logged on, I was just shocked at how much people are using elixirs. There are people who have spent in excess of $5,000 USD on plat. Elixir usage - not gear these days decides performance.

[Kraze]

Well done once again... The thing that is biggest disappointment with birds is that tbh talons have been worthless since shadow. We got the custom that was basically only good for living through the murderbear days in sewer. The daggers and to a much lesser degree shanks can be fun but a bird really needs range. Would be nice to see the return of the talon. And please don't count the angel set...

[CrimsonTider]

So would I - I'd actually support reducing dodge in favor of more armor and dodge. I don't support stacking dodge or crit and would support a consistent amount of it between the gear.

Ideally:
- Birds have a fairly consistent damage, even when unbuffed (+5% crit per focus point) versus say mage (+10% crit and +5 damage per point in blessings); which means that they are not as buff dependent (mages more or less double their damage buffed)
- Low dodge means that player skill will play an important part, but the high damage will allow truly good players to shine (in other words, a dex bird will be a build that will require a lot of skill to play to it's potential, especially in PvE); I imagine that the newer generation of players won't like this one, although on the upside, with my suggested reform, damage will be relatively consistent (important for potion usage in PvE and restoration timing in PvP)
- The Physiologic style will be optimal for play
- Potion usage will remain fairly high absent of a bear, especially for hp; with a bear, it should be low to moderate; mana potions will be a must in PvE; again see Physiologic's old videos from the sewers era
- Birds have a total excess of hit %; there does not appear to be a benefit in PvE, except in the few cases where debuffs go out; in PvP though it is much more essential; I don't think this needs to be changed
- Birds will have a moderate degree of health regeneration as well; which should be useful in PvP and could ease potion usage in long walks in PvE, but in tight dungeons will still need health potion usage

The other is that crafting sets should be clearly superior to the uncrafted, but not so much that they trump all skill. The differences shouldn't be too big.

All of this would make what is pretty consistent with bird lore. It won't be a build for everyone though - newer players in high end dungeons will find that a dex - str mix will probably be best until they adapt. I doubt that given the direction that STS has turned that they will listen, but if they did, I imagine that many players would complain or respec to warbird for PvE. Many mages became pallys when Nuri first came out (before the nerfs) and many have stayed that way (although I would argue that overall in terms of survivability and damage, the 70 str set is overall vastly superior to the 70 int set).

A final problem consideration is that there should be easy to get sets that are almost as good as the pinks (consider Bagmans vs Raid Roach for PvE and for PvP, Drainers vs Raid Roach/Custom) that are common drops and should sell for no more than 1,000 gold. Player skill not gear should be the deciding factor in performance. Merchants who game the auction house might be able to get the best pinks and craft them, but if they don't have skill, they will be VASTLY outperformed by people in cheap blues who spent their time farming and maximizing their skills rather than playing the AH.

Expected results? To begin with, the majority of bird players will probably spec warbird. Dex bird would not a forgiving build, but one that if learned properly allows for much faster, smoother runs. PvP wise, there needs to be a general nerf in the dodge of all classes.



Admittedly perhaps all of this is moot. I haven't been on much in 6 months. The times I logged on, I was just shocked at how much people are using elixirs. There are people who have spent in excess of $5,000 USD on plat. Elixir usage - not gear these days decides performance.

I agree on all points, especially bring back the Physioglogic game play. I learned on this style and it is rarely seen anymore. But as you said, and Kraze ^^ will agree, elixirs have ruined many playstyles and mechanics. Much more warbirds and pallies because people are afraid to die and are so use to elixirs, can't play as a pure bird/mage.

And I think the most important point is that crafted sets should easily outweigh all other gear at the specified level. I remember in Nuri's pvping a demonic warbird while I had a glyph xbow set. I got beat but was a lot closer than it should have been and he was not a "noob" at bird.

[Kraze]

Elixir=evil nuff said

[WhoIsThis]

I agree on all points, especially bring back the Physioglogic game play. I learned on this style and it is rarely seen anymore. But as you said, and Kraze ^^ will agree, elixirs have ruined many playstyles and mechanics. Much more warbirds and pallies because people are afraid to die and are so use to elixirs, can't play as a pure bird/mage.

And I think the most important point is that crafted sets should easily outweigh all other gear at the specified level. I remember in Nuri's pvping a demonic warbird while I had a glyph xbow set. I got beat but was a lot closer than it should have been and he was not a "noob" at bird.

Actually I've come to a far more radical conclusion. PvE balance because of elixir usage no longer matters that much. All gear should be balanced around PvP because there is no elixir usage. Fortunately everything said above would make for an effective PvP bird ... at least in skilled hands anyways.

[TANKKAAR]

As always it was a great read and very informative bro! looking forward to the Int version :)

[CrimsonTider]

As always it was a great read and very informative bro! looking forward to the Int version :)

I don't know of I can handle the INT version. Mages can be.... vicious. lol

Thanks bro!

[WhoIsThis]

I agree on all points, especially bring back the Physioglogic game play. I learned on this style and it is rarely seen anymore. But as you said, and Kraze ^^ will agree, elixirs have ruined many playstyles and mechanics. Much more warbirds and pallies because people are afraid to die and are so use to elixirs, can't play as a pure bird/mage.

And I think the most important point is that crafted sets should easily outweigh all other gear at the specified level. I remember in Nuri's pvping a demonic warbird while I had a glyph xbow set. I got beat but was a lot closer than it should have been and he was not a "noob" at bird.

Ironically elixirs are most effective with dps builds. Pure dex bird/bear, or pure int mage. The reason is because you have 3x armor. That means you can more or less ignore most mechanics. You may suffer the occasional death, but in terms of how fast you can kill - sustained damage trumps all.

That said, I have seen players who have played so poorly that I have outperformed them with the 4x combo elixir dps-wise.

[bramer]

Wow...hope I'm not THAT bad, lol

This is Bramer - signing out

[bobfredd]

Good guide but I am the only ones who notices there's no talon dagger wing sets on here? That's what I prefer to use on my bird. You forgot the void talon set, death talon set,custom talon set,glyph dagger, sanguine dagger. Aren't talon and wing sets better then a bow? The void talon set has higher dps,dodge,and armor than the void blaster or bow set.

[CrimsonTider]

Good guide but I am the only ones who notices there's no talon dagger wing sets on here? That's what I prefer to use on my bird. You forgot the void talon set, death talon set,custom talon set,glyph dagger, sanguine dagger. Aren't talon and wing sets better then a bow? The void talon set has higher dps,dodge,and armor than the void blaster or bow set.

If you read the entire OP, you would know why I did not include talons/daggers. Yes, they exist to help with survivability, but they do not do as much damage as bows. Bows do way more base damage (more important than dps) and have vastly greater skill damage.

[Rauekat]

First name greatest last name....ever ;)

[Darkterror]

Pvp = Sand set
Pve = Tiki

A bunch of tiki sets its much faster to kill elite boss with than using sand. Much faster than what u all THINK!! :D

[bobfredd]

If you read the entire OP, you would know why I did not include talons/daggers. Yes, they exist to help with survivability, but they do not do as much damage as bows. Bows do way more base damage (more important than dps) and have vastly greater skill damage.

Ok thanks Ima start using bows now
Oh and do u think u can add the sewer king set and glyph set?

[gibol1412]

Hi. I decided to use only angel set. If I got and it's good so why not use? For yeti in pve is the best. I've seen many archers dying using bows. And yes, many people started using elixirs for that reason.

[JaytB]

Hi. I decided to use only angel set. If I got and it's good so why not use? For yeti in pve is the best. I've seen many archers dying using bows. And yes, many people started using elixirs for that reason.

I think it's more like this... It's because of elixers that people forgot how to play their classes right.

Bow birds were always fairly squishy, but can definitely finish all humania maps without dying once, and without any elix.

I did unpotted group runs on my bird recently, and have to admit it took me a while before I got used to it again. Elix makes you forget how to play your class right because you can simply button mash and spearhead through the maps without any strategy whatsoever.

Sigh... I miss the pre-elix days.

[gibol1412]

I think it's more like this... It's because of elixers that people forgot how to play their classes right.

Bow birds were always fairly squishy, but can definitely finish all humania maps without dying once, and without any elix.

I did unpotted group runs on my bird recently, and have to admit it took me a while before I got used to it again. Elix makes you forget how to play your class right because you can simply button mash and spearhead through the maps without any strategy whatsoever.

Sigh... I miss the pre-elix days.
I agree with all. "Technique makes master" :)

[Chopper]

I think it's more like this... It's because of elixers that people forgot how to play their classes right.

Bow birds were always fairly squishy, but can definitely finish all humania maps without dying once, and without any elix.



Truth. Playing without any elixir stacking, you have to watch your spacing, where the mobs are grouping, keep hitting your health pots at the right time and time your skills properly too. You also have to be aware of what your party is doing and where each of them are to maximize your effectiveness and minimize being left exposed to Yeti-fire. Much more interesting.

They have maps that prohibit use of pots, maybe make one that dont allow Elxiirs? I guess that wont make money for STS.

[Brave Sir Robin]

Again, a great topic for discussion. Well done.

I prepared a stats table as it is much easier to compare this way :)

http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t518/Sfaliaras/Bird_chart.png

I added a row "Damage Output including Critical". This takes into account the effect of critical hits on the total damage output (I was curious to know after reading this (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?64334-***RAWR!!-A-Comprehensive-Analysis-of-Strength-Sets-AO3-to-Humania***&p=731155&viewfull=1#post731155)).
Row "Skill Damage Output including Critical" is similar but with Skill damage.

If A the average damage, with A = (Damage Low + Damage High)/2, then if we hit 100 times we get:

total damage (100 hits) = 2 x A x Crit + A x (100 - Crit) = A x (100 + Crit)

If we then divide this number by 100, we obtain an average damage stat which includes the effect of crit. It is interesting to compare this stat against the base damage stats (Low/High). Some findings:


Sand Skipper's marginally better crit does not compensate for its inferrior damage stats, although the difference is minimal.
If Sand Skipper's Crit advantage over Tiki's was +2 instead of +1, Sand Skipper's set would give better Skill Damage Output incl. Crit (764), although its Damage Output incl. Crit would still be less than Tiki's (534).
If Sand Skipper's Crit advantage over Tiki's was +3 instead of +1, Sand Skipper's set would have the upper hand in terms of damage. In this case, Damage Output incl. Crit = 537 and Skill Damage Output incl. Crit = 769.


My personal view on the sets: I, too, am a fan of Physiologic's style of play. That's why I use Str Helm/Armor + Bow to obtain high dodge so that I can be more active during the run. The defensive bonus given by Sand Skipper's tempts me to respec to full dex as it encourages a more daring approach :)

Hope this is useful for the discussion and please correct me if there is a mistake/oversight somewhere.

[CrimsonTider]

This is great brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin! With your permission, I will add it to the OP.

[Brave Sir Robin]

Yeah man, do whatever you want with it :)

[1337]

paying 4.5 mil for very mediocre, instead of absolutely terrible dodge and armor bonuses along with lower dps. great job balancing humanian sets sts

[Brave Sir Robin]

OK, some more food for thought lol

DPS as given in the character stats page is calculated for 0 enemy armor. As this is not the case in practice ;) this value is merely theoretical (ofc it's true in low lvl dungeons).

I was always wondering how enemy amror could change the balance between weapons with similar stats. E.g. many people still prefer Demonic to Crafted Sang (as Twinklaser points out), is there a reason behind this? So I decided to prepare a chart that shows how enemy armor affects DPS. Again, thanks to Crim for making the effort to collect all sets and present their stats here (feel free to post it in the OP if you like it). I hope that this post will add to the discussion, although I agree that with all those elixirs game mechanics are becoming less important in PVE.

This work is organised in three parts:

I. Estimating true weapon speed
II. DPS as a function of enemy armor
III. Selecting sets

Please share your thoughts, and correct me if you see a mistake.
So... let's get it started ;)

I. Estimating true weapon speed

According to Physiologic's guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?16817-Guide-to-Advanced-Mechanics-in-PL-DPS-Crits-etc&highlight=calculation) (and common sense :)), DPS is calculated as follows:

DPS = 0.5 * (Low Damage + High Damage) / weapon speed (1)

If we apply this formula we get:


Demonic: DPS = (259 + 271) / 0.8 = 331. According to char. stats: 354
Sang X-Bow: DPS = (286 + 321) / 1.1 = 275. According to char. stats: 264
Sang L-Bow: DPS = (302 + 347) / 0.9 = 361. According to char. stats: 382
Of Tiki: DPS = (493 + 522) / 0.9 = 397. According to char. stats: 397
Sand Skipper: DPS = (488 + 517) / 0.9 = 390. According to char. stats: 390


We observe that there are some inconsistencies between the calculated values and the ones given in the character's stats page. Probably this is due to rounding of the speed values. The idea that the added DPS could be attributed to a DEX effect crossed my mind; if this was true, however, Of Tiki and Sand Skipper Sets would have higher char. stats DPS values too, as they offer the most DEX of all sets. Since this is not the case, I conclude that rounding is the cause of these incosistencies (until someone proves me wrong ofc ;)).

We can estimate the 'true weapon speed' for each weapon using the formula:

true speed = 0.5 * (Low Damage + High Damage) / char. stats DPS

and we get:


Demonic: true speed = 0.749
Sang X-Bow: true speed = 1.150
Sang L-Bow: true speed = 0.849


We observe that Demonic X-Bow and Sang L-Bow are actually a bit faster than what we see in their specs. On the other hand, Sang X-Bow is a bit slower.

II. DPS as a function of enemy armor

We can include enemy armor in the DPS calculation by modifying (1) as follows:

DPS(armor) = [0.5 * (Low Damage + High Damage) - amror] / true speed

I gave armor a range of values from 0 - 400 and got the following results:

http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t518/Sfaliaras/Bird_chart2.png

Which I then plotted:

http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t518/Sfaliaras/Bird_plot.png

III. Selecting sets

There is a debate as to whether Demonic is better than Sanguine sets or vice versa.


Although Sang L-Bow is constantly on top of Demonic, Demonic has the range advantage. To compensate, Sang L-Bow has the Blinding shot proc but how often does it fire? It is interesting that as armor increases, Sang L-Bow's damage advantage increases.

With Sang X-Bow and Demonic things are more complicated. Demonic has the upper hand in lower armor, but if armor > 200 (which is a typical 1h+shield Fang armor value) Sang X-Bow gets on top. It's difficult to say which is better; in a debuffed situation Demonic appears to win, but Sang X-Bow has increased Crit. Since I already made an effort to estimate a damage output value that takes Crit into account here (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?65131-***PEW-PEW!!-A-Comprehensive-Analysis-of-Dexterity-(Dex)-Sets-AO3-to-Humania***&p=739707&viewfull=1#post739707), I repeated the results with Damage Output incl. Crit. The picture was about the same so no need to include an extra plot here.

Therefore, Demonic is a valid option for Fang levels; with its higher H/s it might be better than Sangs for PVP, but this is something that experienced PVPers will tell us ;)

[WhoIsThis]

II. DPS as a function of enemy armor

We can include enemy armor in the DPS calculation by modifying (1) as follows:

DPS(armor) = [0.5 * (Low Damage + High Damage) - amror] / true speed


Generally for real dps, you want a "slow" weapon that does a very high damage per hit. Not to mention, such weapons usually add a lot of skill damage.

In PvE, bosses in particular have lots of armor. In PvP, burst for dex birds is very important, so a slower weapon is still superior. Warbird suffers from similar flaws of course, but warbird at least has the survivability to stay in melee range, making them good for PvP. PvE-wise though, warbird is still inferior for farming dungeons than dex bird because damage is so important.

It's why you don't see daggers being widely used despite their "high" dps. They expose a bird to melee range, are very squishy, and don't do very good real dps.

[Brave Sir Robin]

Generally for real dps, you want a "slow" weapon that does a very high damage per hit. Not to mention, such weapons usually add a lot of skill damage.

In PvE, bosses in particular have lots of armor. In PvP, burst for dex birds is very important, so a slower weapon is still superior. Warbird suffers from similar flaws of course, but warbird at least has the survivability to stay in melee range, making them good for PvP. PvE-wise though, warbird is still inferior for farming dungeons than dex bird because damage is so important.

It's why you don't see daggers being widely used despite their "high" dps. They expose a bird to melee range, are very squishy, and don't do very good real dps.

If we could focus on dex bow sets if possible ;)

For PVE, it depends on the map.

I measured armor values for some typical enemies in Fang. To do this, I solo-ed against them unbuffed and measured the average damage I was inflicting on them (not including crits ofc). I then deducted this value from my weapon's average damage; the result is an approximation of enemy armor. I got (if someone could check these values please):

Knight: 125
Mage: 123
Orb : 197 (!)
Vampire: 221
Emma: 151

Let's take a look at the graph, comparing Demonic and Sang X-Bow where Demonic is faster and Sang X-Bow gives more base damage.

For Knight, Mage, Emma, the faster weapon (Demonic) wins.
For Orb, performance is about the same.
For Vamp, Sang X-bow wins.

Ofc this does not take into account skill damage which is very important (it hits multiple targets at once as well), will probably have to find a way to integrate it. But yeah, Sang X-Bow (slower, but better base damage) should be better overall as you said.

For PVP what you say is reasonable. My question is, in a bow-bird against bow-bird fight, who would win? Demonic or Sang X-Bow?

@CrimsonTider: What are the Blast Shot values for Demonic, Sang. X-Bow, Sang. L-Bow?

[WhoIsThis]

If we could focus on dex bow sets if possible ;)

For PVE, it depends on the map.

I measured armor values for some typical enemies in Fang. To do this, I solo-ed against them unbuffed and measured the average damage I was inflicting on them (not including crits ofc). I then deducted this value from my weapon's average damage; the result is an approximation of enemy armor. I got (if someone could check these values please):

Knight: 125
Mage: 123
Orb : 197 (!)
Vampire: 221
Emma: 151

Let's take a look at the graph, comparing Demonic and Sang X-Bow where Demonic is faster and Sang X-Bow gives more base damage.

For Knight, Mage, Emma, the faster weapon (Demonic) wins.
For Orb, performance is about the same.
For Vamp, Sang X-bow wins.

Ofc this does not take into account skill damage which is very important (it hits multiple targets at once as well), will probably have to find a way to integrate it. But yeah, Sang X-Bow (slower, but better base damage) should be better overall as you said.

For PVP what you say is reasonable. My question is, in a bow-bird against bow-bird fight, who would win? Demonic or Sang X-Bow?

@CrimsonTider: What are the Blast Shot values for Demonic, Sang. X-Bow, Sang. L-Bow?

Generally slower, but harder hitting weapons give better skill damage.

I want you to equip each weapon used. List the minimum, maximum, and calculate the average damage of a maximum rank blast shot. For most classes, mages especially, skill damage > weapons damage.

[Brave Sir Robin]

Generally slower, but harder hitting weapons give better skill damage.

I want you to equip each weapon used. List the minimum, maximum, and calculate the average damage of a maximum rank blast shot. For most classes, mages especially, skill damage > weapons damage.

This is obvious ofc :)

Skill damage for Tiki and Sand Skipper sets were already given by Crim, so you can actually see skill damage vs. damage here (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?65131-***PEW-PEW!!-A-Comprehensive-Analysis-of-Dexterity-(Dex)-Sets-AO3-to-Humania***&p=739707&viewfull=1#post739707).

Unfortunately my high level bird has different stats than Crim's (mine is STR oriented) so I cannot complete the missing values in this matrix myself. If someone sorts this out for me, I could then estimate total damage done in a fixed period of time to, say, 10 enemies, taking into account DPS, armor, skill damage and skill cool down time. I could possibly add debuffs, too.

[CrimsonTider]

Guys,

I apologize for lack of updates. School is back in full swing and I am getting everything up and running for my students. Hooefully I will get a few minutes this weekend and can gather that information.

I greatly appreciate the feedback and analysis. Really good stuff here.!

[Sus]

Everybody should take a look at this. ;)

[Cheenivie]

even tho its a necro?

[CrimsonTider]

even tho its a necro?

In my opinion, anytime you have a thread which is detailed/educational, it never gets old. The information is just as relevant now as it was when I wrote it.

[bramer]

Someone necro the other one?

This is bramer - signing out

[Cheenivie]

In my opinion, anytime you have a thread which is detailed/educational, it never gets old. The information is just as relevant now as it was when I wrote it.

hehe good point i did go thru it it was educational:P

[Sus]

This thread is a perfect example of what's happening and how birds became "overpowered" in PvP. The health points haven't increased within sets while the damage did. The armor got increased to little to compete with the damage, which leads to the imbalance we are struggling with this cap.

[CrimsonTider]

This thread is a perfect example of what's happening and how birds became "overpowered" in PvP. The health points haven't increased within sets while the damage did. The armor got increased to little to compete with the damage, which leads to the imbalance we are struggling with this cap.

Precisely. And now we have sets with 200% hit? Really? Take out the hit% and add armor and health (NOT dodge.)

[Sus]

Precisely. And now we have sets with 200% hit? Really? Take out the hit% and add armor and health (NOT dodge.)

The dodge shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as it doesn't exceed around 15 base dodge IMO, it's mostly the buffs which are ridicilous. Back in Sewers you could get such dodge with a full drainer's set, but that makes the person suffer from all the other stats. That is why all good pvpers used customized- it simply beat the crazy dodge drainer's had. Now everybody has that "customized set" with crazily boosted base and buffs stats. IF they took out the evasion buff or atleast make it boost maybe 10% dodge at maximum ability points then it could be balanced, along with NERFING all the other stats. But I see the problem- people would not use the new cap's sets and use those of older caps with same stats. That is why they should indeed add armor and health so people WILL use the new sets.

Also I do not understand how dodge to hit% works, does it have a relation? Maybe they did add so much hit to counter the dodge buffs? I mean, the devs aren't that ridicilous, there should've been reasoning behind it.

[CrimsonTider]

The dodge shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as it doesn't exceed around 15 base dodge IMO, it's mostly the buffs which are ridicilous. Back in Sewers you could get such dodge with a full drainer's set, but that makes the person suffer from all the other stats. That is why all good pvpers used customized- it simply beat the crazy dodge drainer's had. Now everybody has that "customized set" with crazily boosted base and buffs stats. IF they took out the evasion buff or atleast make it boost maybe 10% dodge at maximum ability points then it could be balanced, along with NERFING all the other stats. But I see the problem- people would not use the new cap's sets and use those of older caps with same stats. That is why they should indeed add armor and health so people WILL use the new sets.

Also I do not understand how dodge to hit% works, does it have a relation? Maybe they did add so much hit to counter the dodge buffs? I mean, the devs aren't that ridicilous, there should've been reasoning behind it.

There is a LOT of debate over the hit% vs. dodge topic. There is Physiologic's guide on game mechanics and then there was another thread in which FluffNStuff, Apollo, and a few others began looking at how hit% may or may not be capped and how it pertains to dodge. Thing is, as each cap's stats continue to grow, it is hard to keep a true measure on these variables.

[Sus]

There is a LOT of debate over the hit% vs. dodge topic. There is Physiologic's guide on game mechanics and then there was another thread in which FluffNStuff, Apollo, and a few others began looking at how hit% may or may not be capped and how it pertains to dodge. Thing is, as each cap's stats continue to grow, it is hard to keep a true measure on these variables.

Then actually if we want to give the perfect feedback to these issues we must know how the mechanics really work, with facts. But I think only devs have access to these variables, us players can only make assumptions. So it means we will have to completely trust the devs for a rebalance, but so far they don't apparently know how to do it, after they've tried it several times...

[Moogerfooger]

Good luck with waiting for a rebalance. I will grab a large bucket of popcorn and watch you guys hold your breath waiting for one. Especially that Crimson guy, he is a goof.

:rolleyes:

[CrimsonTider]

Good luck with waiting for a rebalance. I will grab a large bucket of popcorn and watch you guys hold your breath waiting for one. Especially that Crimson guy, he is a goof.

:rolleyes:

Thanks for abandoning me, ding dong. I am beginning to think I am insane for being one of the only "vets" still holding out hope. lol

[Moogerfooger]

I abandoned no one, Pedro. STS did not fix a bug that caused many people still stuck with a certain version of an OS to not be able to play. Blame them, O Mighty Terdian of Alterra!

:D

[wenjia_niu]

INTRODUCTION

Since the introduction of my last guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?64334-***RAWR!!-A-Comprehensive-Analysis-of-Strength-Sets-AO3-to-Humania***&p=725954#post725954), I got many requests to do a similar guide for other classes. While I am not as knowledgeable in the other two classes, I have decided to make this guide regarding dex gear. I made my first bird midway through the Balefort Sewers campaign and immediately fell in love. I have experimented with both warbird and pure dex, and being a pure bird, IMO, is much more fun and challenging.

Through the next few sections, we will look at all of the "endgame" dex sets and the progression of each set from AO3 to Humania. I will focus on bows/guns as it is widely known these items provide the most "pop" and improvement to skill damage. This discussion will not be like the discussion on strength gear as it this thread will focus more on overall set strengths and weakness and not just one main issue.


A LOOK INTO DEXTERITY GEAR: AO3 TO HUMANIA

This section is to provide statistical data on dex gear to allow the reader to analyze the evolution of these sets. As stated before, the focus will be on bows/guns. Statistical data will be provided for each "endgame", or "best", set and then followed with screenshots to allow the reader to see visual representation of the information being provided.

NOTE: Talons/daggers/shanks are not being analyzed at this time. Upon request through discussion, this may be revisited.

AO3

Void Set - Lootable:

Wraith Armor of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 41 Armor [Part of a Set, From T'Paxx the Executioner]
Overlord's Helmet of the Void Req: Level 50, 154 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 21 Armor [Part of a Set, From Galactic Overlord]
Mega Blaster of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 120-165 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [Part of a Set, From Galactic Overlord]
Sunblessed Bow of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 135-180 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [Part of a Set, From King Mynas, Alien Minibosses]

Set Bonuses:

Void Set I Jacob's Helmet of the Void, Wraith Armor of the Void, Mega Blaster of the Void +5% Hit, +5% Crit, +2 H/s, +2 M/s, +10 Damage, +5 Armor
Void Set II - "Sunblessed Archer" Overlord's Helmet of the Void, Wraith Armor of the Void, Sunblessed Bow of the Void+3 h/s, +10 DMG, +7 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/void.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/voidblast.jpg

Cyber Set - Quests:

Cyber Armor of the Void Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 43 Armor [From 100 "Ok'tal Totems" Quest]
Cyber Skull of the Void Req: Level 50, 154 Dex 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 22 Armor [From 50 "Cyber Shards" Quest]
Cyber Blaster of the Void Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 126-171 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 11 Dex, 3% Dodge, 8% Hit, 2% Crit, 1 H/s, 2 M/s, 6 Armor [From 25 "Captive Shadows" Quest]

Set Bonuses:

Cyber Void Set Cyber Skull of the Void, Cyber Armor of the Void, Cyber Blaster of the Void +2% Hit, +1% Dodge, +1 H/s, +9 Damage, +3 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/cyber.jpg

SHADOW CAVES

Death Set:

Sentinel's Armor of Death Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 4 Damage, 44 Armor [From Shadow Anubis & others, Cave V]
Sentinel's Helmet of Death Req: Level 50, 157 Dex 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 4 Damage, 23 Armor [From the Shadow Lord & others, Cave IV]
Sentinel's Shotgun of Death Req: Level 50, 158 Dex 130-175 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 12 Dex, 3% Dodge, 5% Hit, 4% Crit, 3 M/s, 7 Armor [From The Dark Archer, Cave I]

Set Bonuses:

Sentinel Gun Set Sentinel's Helmet of Death, Sentinel's Armor of Death, Sentinel's Shotgun of Death +2 Crit, +2 M/s, +8 Damage

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sent.jpg

BALEFORT SEWERS

Customized Sets:

Customized Gemstone Leather Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 46 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Cap Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 21 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Auto-Bow Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 137-182 Damage, 1.0 Speed, 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 6 H/s, 10 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe
Customized Gemstone Recurve Req: Level 55, 173 Dex 146-191 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 14 Dex, 12% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 Armor Levels: 55 Recipe

Set Bonuses:

Customized Auto-Bow Set Customized Gemstone Leather, Customized Gemstone Cap, Customized Gemstone Auto-Bow +2 Crit, +5 H/s, +4 M/s, +6 Damage
Customized Recurve Set Customized Gemstone Leather, Customized Gemstone Cap, Customized Gemstone Recurve +7 Crit, +2 Dodge, +5 H/s, +6 M/s, +13 Damage, +2 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/custauto.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/recurve.jpg

NURI'S HALLOWS

Demonic Set:

Demonic Glyph Armor Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 10 Damage, 59 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe
Demonic Glyph Helmet Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 10 Damage, 36 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe
Demonic Glyph Auto-Crossbow Req: Level 60, 140 Dex 158-170 Damage, 0.8 Speed, 23 Dex, 5% Hit, 6% Crit, 7 H/s, 5 M/s, 4 Armor Levels: 60 Recipe

Set Bonuses:

Demonic DEX Set 2H Demonic Glyph Armor, Demonic Glyph Helmet, Demonic Glyph Auto-Crossbow+6 Hit, +4 Dodge, +6 H/s, +6 Damage, +6 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/demon.jpg

MT. FANG

Crafted Sanguine Sets:

L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Leather Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 13 Damage, 67 Armor
Vampiric Leather Fiber (3), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Hood Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 13 Damage, 43 Armor
Vampiric Leather Fiber (3), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Crossbow Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 178-212 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor
Glyph Crossbow Body Base (2), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting, Vampiric Weapon Wood
L65 Crafted Sanguine Chiroptera Longbow Req: Level 65, 150 Dex 194-239 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 25 Dex, 7% Hit, 7% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor
Sanguine Bow Body Base (2), Vampiric Bloodstone Setting, Vampiric Weapon Wood

Set Bonuses:

L65 Crafted Sanguine Crossbow Set - 3 Dex, 4% Hit, 5% Crit, 6 H/s, 12 Damage, 1 Armor
L65 Crafted Sanguine Longbow Set - 3 Dex, 4% Hit, 5% Crit, 6 H/s, 12 Damage, 1 Armor

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sangxbow.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sanglong.jpg

HUMANIA

"Of Tiki" Set:

Beach Bum's Bow of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 209-249 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 10 Armor
Tiki Malo Wear of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 23 Damage, 75 Armor
Feather Headdress of Tiki - Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 31 Dex, 8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s, 23 Damage, 55 Armor

Set Bonuses:

8% Hit, 10% Crit, 4 H/s, 4 M/s

Sand Skipper:
Tiki God's Sand Skipper Wear
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 16 Damage, 79 Armor
Tiki God's Sand Skipper Headdress
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 16 Damage, 59 Armor
Phantom Pirate's Crossbone
Req: Level 70/160 Base DEX Stats: 209-249 Damage, 0.9 Speed, 33 Dex, 4% Dodge, 9% Hit, 10% Crit, 5 H/s, 4 M/s, 14 Armor

Set Bonuses:

+5 hit, +6 critical hit, +9 dodge, +3 health regeneration, +8 mana

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/tiki.jpghttp://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/sandskip.jpg


ANALYSIS

Now that we can see the data, we need analyze the data to see what, if any, improvements have been made over time. (It should be noted from this point on that I am still level 70 and use the "Eagle" face. Stats can be skewed slightly based on level and face.) As with my bear guide, I will group the three main defensive (dodge, h/s, and armor) and offensive (hit, crit, damage) in each set, and then compare and contrast the stats to see if there truly is an "evolution."

Defensive Categories

Dodge:

Void: 15, 15
Cyber: 15
Death: 15
Custom: 6, 8
Demonic: 6
Crafted Sanguine: 6, 6
Of Tiki: 7
Sand Skipper: 19

H/S:

Void: 10, 9
Cyber: 8
Death: 10
Custom: 26, 26
Demonic: 32
Crafted Sanguine: 26, 26
Of Tiki: 17
Sand Skipper: 20

Armor:

Void: 86, 84
Cyber: 86
Death: 86
Custom: 89, 85
Demonic: 111
Crafted Sanguine: 131, 131
Of Tiki: 153
Sand Skipper: 165

Though dex gear is not desired for it's defensive abilities, there are a few observations to be made. Dodge since AO3 has stayed relatively low until the bump to 19 with the Sand Skipper set. Looking at H/S, there has been a steady decline since the Demonic set, yet armor sees a steady increase.

Offensive Categories

Hit%:

Void: 151, 156
Cyber: 151
Death: 143
Custom: 165, 165
Demonic: 148
Crafted Sanguine: 155, 155
Of Tiki: 161
Sand Skipper: 165

Crit:

Void: 19, 24
Cyber: 19
Death: 28
Custom: 46, 51
Demonic: 37
Crafted Sanguine: 40, 40
Of Tiki: 50
Sand Skipper: 51

Damage:

Void: 211-256, 196-241
Cyber: 199-244
Death: 213-258
Custom: 210-255, 227-272
Demonic: 259-271
Crafted Sanguine: 286-321, 302-347
Of Tiki: 337-377
Sand Skipper: 331-371

When looking at the offensive categories, a lot of inconsistency can be seen. Hit percentage and critical hit seems to cycle up and down. Damage, though steadily rises as it should, has seen changes in efficiency (or damage range between low and high base damage.)

Blast Shot

Below is a look at Blast Shot at L70.

"Of Tiki"

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/tikiblast.jpg

Sand Skipper

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x332/bryanreese77/crossblast.jpg

Considering both sets have similar crit, the uncrafted "Of Tiki" set has higher skill damage.

CONCLUSION

We see a gradual increase in stats "overall" for the dex sets. However, for the first time since set bonuses were implemented, an argument can be made that the L70 Crafted Sand Skipper set is inferior to the uncrafted "Of Tiki". This can also lead to confusion as to the cost comparison. Is there a misconception on "best" just because of the "look" of the crafted set over the uncrafted?

This is where the community comes in. I want to hear constructive feedback on the matter. Should the set bonuses have been different? Should we revisit AO3 where we had two different looks to the sets? (looks like the L70 def/off sets are a throwback of this time)

Please remember to keep it clean and constructive.

SPECIAL THANKS AND RECOGNITION

I again want to give recognition to Yanis, Drewcapu, Whirlz, and JaytB for the statistical information.

I also want to thank JaytB and Riccits for allowing me to borrow the two sets I did not have to take screenshots with.

I sincerely hope this helps, especially new players, in deciding gear and looking at what the future may hold. Thank you all and enjoy!! @ at skipper . Skipper has nicer design or maybe very much nicer than the uncrafted one, thats the reason most people like to have skipper