Dungeons and Dragons Online Sands of Menechtarun Epic Items Guide

Dungeons and Dragons Online Sands of Menechtarun Epic Items Guide by sirgog

Notes on Quest Difficulty

Although for some of these quests players have developed easily-executed tactics that make them quite easy (cough cough, DQ2 ‘ball method’, or Halt Undead spam for all of Wiz-King except the boos fight), I’d argue that all five of the Desert epics are among the ten hardest Epics in the game. (In no order, and in my opinion only, these ten are Chains of Flame, Offering of Blood, ADQ1, Chamber of Raiyum (primarily for the Raiyum fight, especially post-Firewall nerf, it requires new approaches now), Spies in the House, Devil Assault, VON3, A Small Problem, Chronoscope and ADQ2; although many would rate VON4, VON5 or Into the Deep (just for the final fight) as tougher than Chamber of Raiyum and/or ADQ2).

The Desert is definitely the hardest overall pack on Epic. The easier quests – OOB, Wiz-King, ADQ2 – are (IMO) of comparable difficulty to tackling Elite Vision of Destruction with only six people. Chains of Flame and ADQ1 are of comparable difficulty to the hardest Amrath elites, and have a lot less shrines. Only a good group will beat those two without resources.

Due to the difficulty of the quests, it’s my opinion that the items from the Desert should be among the best in the game.

Notes on drop rates

These items vary wildly in difficulty to acquire, due to extraordinary differences in scroll and shard drop rates. Acquiring the shard (and to a lesser extent the seal) of Sands explorer area items such as the Bloodstone requires extraordinary luck. Looting the scroll (and to a lesser extent the seal) of the ADQ2 raid loot items requires similar extreme luck. In my opinion (and it’s an opinion a lot of endgame players share), drop rate issues are a significantly more pressing issue than item power level rebalancing for these two categories of items.

Even for the items that don’t have such wild drop rate imbalances, acquiring a full scroll/seal/shard/base item set for any specific Desert item is likely to take at least three to five times as many runs as acquiring, say, a Red Fens or Chronoscope item. It’s not uncommon for players to run Chains of Flame 20+ times to acquire a Cape of the Roc shard for their monk, or a Staff of Inner Sight shard for their wizard, and so on – and that is in guild groups where everyone agrees to pass the player the shard they desire.

Furthermore, for a player that acquires a scroll, shard and base item of either a raid item (such as Marilith Chain) or an explorer area item (such as Firestorm Greaves), the optimal way to acquire the seal for their item is to run dozens or hundreds of non-completion runs of ADQ1, looting the three non-epic chests, recalling, and then repeating until ransacked. I’ve personally looted those chests at least 150 times each; others have farmed them more.

Compare the number of people wearing epic red dragonscale armor (clearly intended by the Devs as a powerful, rare and prestigious item) and the number that own an Epic Bloodstone – the latter is far rarer, despite the parts dropping from a significantly harder quest than the cakewalk that is eVON6.

I’m not even going to talk about the Epic Ring of Spell Storing, except to state: In hundreds of Desert epic completions, including a lot of ADQ1s, I’ve never seen anyone pull this shard, or seal.

It’s my opinion that if a player sets a particular item as their goal (say Epic Xuum), they should be reasonably likely to acquire it within 25 completions of the relevant quest(s), and fewer if the party works together to get the items. In addition, they should be encouraged to run completion runs, not to farm chests.

Presently, any specific Desert item requires more completions than this, except maybe the Offering of Blood items (because there are only four of them).

Suggestion re: drop rates:
I’m going to suggest a significant overhaul here. A couple of changes based on feedback:

Proposed new drop rate system:
Summary:
Raid items require completing ADQ1 as well as ADQ2, rather than ADQ2 completions and ADQ1 non-completion farming. Scrolls are more common, but these items are still prestigious and difficult to acquire.
Explorer items no longer have scrolls, seals or shards but drop as already completed Epic items in the Epic chest of ADQ1 (and maybe also with a tiny drop rate in ADQ2).
Shard drop rates increase a moderate amount on WK/OOB/Chains. Being ‘skunked’ (no shards dropping for anyone in a 6-person run) should be the exception, not the rule, but getting the exact shard you want should take a fair number of runs unless you get very lucky.

Raid items (Chaosblade, etc):
Shards continue to drop in ADQ2 only, at their present rarity (0.9% chance per person to get a specific shard). Seals are removed from all chests that currently drop them. Instead, they drop only from the Epic chest of ADQ1, but with a fairly high drop rate – 3% per seal per player (so with 16 raid items, you have a 48% chance to see a seal drop). Plus, see notes on scrolls.
Obtaining a specific raid item would require a significant number of ADQ2 runs and a few completions of ADQ1.

Explorer area items (Bloodstone, etc):
Shards, seals and scrolls for these items no longer drop. Instead, the pre-made Epic items drop from the Epic chest of ADQ1, just as the Epic Red Dragon Helm drops pre-made in eVON6. This would remove an enormous amount of ‘guff’ from the loot tables. Players would have a 16.5% chance (0.5% per item) to have one of these drop under their name each time they run ADQ1 epic.
Edit – These items would drop as ‘binds to account on acquire; binds to character on equip’, which is similar to how they drop today – players can collect the pieces at present on any of their toons, but once they make the item, it’s locked to the character they make it on.
Existing scrolls, seals and shards of these items could still be used. For those who’ve put quite a bit of effort into acquiring the shard of an item but have no seal, they would be allowed to use 20 Epic Dungeon Tokens to fill in for the missing piece (so Thornlord + Shard of the Thornlord + Scroll of the Thornlord + 20 eDT’s = eThornlord). As the seals are much more common for these items than the shards, this would not work the other way.

Chains of Flame, OOB and Wiz-King quest items (Vambraces of Inner Light, etc):
These items drop as they currently do. However, drop rates are increased on the shards to 4% per item per player (so for Chains of Flame, each player has a 4% chance to have a Shard of the Unkor’s Cleaver fall under their name). In 25 runs, a player would have about a 70% chance of having (at least) one of the specific shard they want falling under their name.

Scrolls:
After removing 31 scrolls from the loot tables, scroll drop rates could be changed so that specific raid item scrolls are exactly twice as rare as specific other scrolls. This would mean that whenever a scroll drops, it has a 2% chance to be any specific raid scroll (e.g. Scroll of the Chaosblade) and a 4% chance to be any specific non-raid scroll (e.g. Scroll of Hruvayah’s Medallion, or Scroll of the Spectral Gloves). With 16 raid scrolls and 17 non-raid, that conveniently totals 100%.
Raid scrolls would continue to be rare and valuable, but not as ludicrous as they presently are (on my server, the Marilith Chain scroll will buy you thirty flawless red scales).
Also, DQ2 trash mobs should drop scrolls. If you are worried that the trash at the start will be too easily solo farmed, add some sort of ‘gatekeeper’ monster like Warlock S’Obrien.

Item by item review:

Starting with the Epic Offering of Blood items.

This is one of the few Epics I’d seriously consider a ‘gear check’. Very easy for well-equipped toons, very difficult for less equipped toons. When Epics were new, I wiped in here more times than any other Epic (more times than I did in Chains and ADQ1 combined); now it’s one of the quickest token runs in the game.

Epic Ancient Vulkoorim Dagger

Despite its poor critical profile and low base damage, this is best-in-slot for the narrow niche of fighting Giants. If a challenging Giant boss (Warlock S’Obrien does not count; neither does the Stormreaver) is ever added to endgame, this weapon will be amazing.
This weapon has a bug – the Epic Giant Bane is displayed in the tooltip without the word ‘Epic’. I have one, however, and can confirm the +8/+6d6 works correctly.

Suggested change:
Consider changing Adamantine to Mithril, as there are (IIRC) no Giants with DR/Adamantine, but at least one (the Stormreaver) with DR 20/mithril. If this is done, please preserve the high hardness of this dagger. Scrap this idea – several people have pointed out something I forgot – that several Giants cast Stoneskin at very high caster levels. Adamantine is the way to go, although adding Mithril would not hurt.

But more importantly, finish (and release) Epic Gianthold Tor, so we have three very powerful boss giants to test these daggers out on, as well as dozens of 3000+ hp giants along the way.

Epic Spectral Gloves

These are an amazing item that is in an item slot with a lot of competition. My much-loved set are mostly retired now (replaced by the Epic Claw gloves), but they are still worn in bardless groups for some ultra-high AC bosses (mostly Turigulon and Raiyum).
Most players consider them third best in the gloves slot overall for melees (behind Epic Charged Gauntlets at #2 and Epic Gloves of the Claw at #1).

Suggested change:
These are fine as-is. However, if you want to make them best-in-slot for some builds, consider adding ‘Exceptional Dex +2’, or changing the Dex +7 to Dex +8.


Epic Vulkoorim Fighting Leathers

These combine solid effects on an item slot that has a lot of competition. Undispellable, persisting-through-death Fire Resistance is useful, +4 to-hit is excellent, and Sneak Attack +3 is a borderline acceptable substitute if you can’t slot Tharne’s Goggles.
Still, most characters will prefer a ‘perfect’ Dragontouched armor (whatever that might be for them) to the eVFLs. I use these one on of my bards, but only because I had the pieces and couldn’t be bothered farming a Sovereign Rune of Destruction.

Suggested change:
These are borderline OK as is. However, if you desire them to be second-best-in-slot (behind red dragonscale) for light armor wearers that don’t care about AC, consider adding Seeker 6, or improving the Sneak Attack to +5.
Or for something completely different, maybe a chance (a very low chance, perhaps 0.5-1%) for your melee attacks to proc that same brutal DoT curse that the scorpions in epic OOB sometimes hit us with. (~60 damage per 2 seconds for 30 seconds).

Epic Ward of Undeath

With recent changes to the sword-and-board combat style, it’s too early to properly assess this shield (someone with a S&B; toon that’s used the new feats might like to comment on how much damage this shield adds when fighting undead). But even if it adds a lot of damage for a shield, there’s currently no undead at endgame I could imagine equipping a shield to fight except maybe some of the eSentinels trash mobs (many of whom frequently miss a ~86 AC), but even then, pulling out a two hander and healing through the damage is a superior strategy.

Suggested change:
Upgrade Greater Undead Bane to Epic Undead Bane. Add a new, brutal anti-undead guard (perhaps a 100% proc rate 6d6 retributive damage to undead, or a 5% proc for ~600 damage to undead only). Even if this is done, this item will likely not be used, as at present endgame, the only foes shields are used often against are evil outsiders.

Epic Chains of Flame items:

Generally considered one of the longest and toughest epics. Personally I rate it third hardest of all the epics in the game, many put it at #1.

Epic Cape of the Roc

Clear best-in-slot for enhancing the DPS of any unarmed monk build that does not require the Epic Envenomed Cloak to complete an Abashai set bonus, as +2 exceptional stats are very hard to slot on a monk. The clickie is a bad joke, unfortunately.

Suggested change:
As this drops from one of the three hardest epics, it wouldn’t be out of line, IMO, to improve the clicky to either a +8 enhancement bonus to Str, or to replace it with the Titan’s Strength clicky from the Titan’s Grip. However, it’s still fine and will be sought-after if no changes are made.

Epic Golden Greaves

The big selling point for this item at present is the DR 4/-, which is quite powerful on those classes without class-based DR. Striding 20% isn’t an Epic effect – level 20s are usually hasted 95% of the time (the other 5% of the time, they are either in antimagic, are quaffing a haste potion, or have run out of haste potions).
Without knowing the exact proc rate of Earthen Guard (a significant alternative source of DR), it’s hard to compare this to the Epic Ring of the Mire, which is probably the closest thing to a competitor to the DR on this item. If the proc rate on Earthen Guard is ~5-7%, DR 4/- is generally superior; if it is ~8-10% (as I personally suspect), Earthen Guard is probably superior, albeit less reliable.
Due to the need to replace your boots with Boots of Anchoring in Tower of Despair, the yellow augment slot is less valuable on this item than it would be in any other item slot – you don’t want to have your Greater False Life item be something you can’t wear against Horoth.

Suggested change:
For convenience sake, upgrade Striding 20% to at least 30%. (40% wouldn’t break the game). Consider upgrading the DR to 5/-, or even 6/- if you want this to become a highly sought after item.


Epic Hruvayah’s Medallion

This suffers from the same thing every other caster-oriented necklace in the game suffers from – it competes with the Torc of Raiyum, which is so good that it just outclasses all competition. If you are running content (such as Epic Snitch) where spell point conservation is absolutely no issue, or if Lailat has been stingy on the Torcs for you, you might use this. However, most players that want Spell Penetration 9 would rather use an Epic Shaman’s Band, which despite not having the excellent green augment slot, doesn’t occupy as valuable an item slot.

Suggested change:
The only thing that comes to mind is considering added Concordant Opposition to the item – it won’t be nearly as good at SP recovery as the Torc is, but it will at least soften the blow of losing Transform Kinetic Energy. Another option that’s been suggested below is to add Epic Necromancy Focus (+3 DC), which would be a very powerful effect and would certainly make this desirable.

Epic Ring of Baphomet

The two exceptional stats on one item are great for any character that melees, isn’t an unarmed build and doesn’t intend to use the Epic Claw set. There’s just not too many of those types of melees, and given that this ring prevents using a second Tower of Despair set, this is a great item that’s just not good enough any more.
Intimidate +15 is nice, but as Intimidate tends to be an ‘all or nothing’ skill, and this is effectively +14.5 Intimidate due to the Charisma penalty, this isn’t usually used for the Intimidate.

Suggested Change
This item needs just a small nudge in power to catch up to the competition. Leloric suggests changing the slot to a green slot – I think that would help this item find a home in some builds. Another option (given that this appears to be a tank-oriented item) would be to add any one of Incite 15%, Natural Armor +5, Protection +5, Heavy Fortification or Toughness.

Epic Staff of Inner Sight

Clear best-in-slot for most Wizards that aren’t wearing the Epic Robe/Docent of the Diabolist. Even for Diabolist wearers, this staff still offers a lot, although the Staff of the Petitioner will often be superior.

Suggested change:
No changes needed.

Epic Unkor’s Cleaver

This weapon combines mediocre DPS (mainly due to a bad crit profile, base damage is solid but that isn’t enough), medicore crowd control (5% chance to perma-hamstring non-bosses with over 1000hp) and Vorpal (5 damage per swing for mobs over 1000 hp, better on low-hp or badly wounded foes). It’s not enough to compete with the Brigand’s Cutlass.

Suggested change:
Option 1: Remove Bleed, and upgrade the crit profile to equal that of a Khopesh. This would still be behind the Epic Chaosblade, but it will be impressive.
Option 2: Improve the enhancement bonus to +8 or even +9, in keeping with the theme of a weapon so sharp that it can cut through anything, including armor.

Chamber of Raiyum items

The actual quest has been quite easy since the undocumented nerfs a while back halved most DRs in here, and since players discovered the power of Halt Undead scrolls in here. Raiyum himself, however, is up there with Turigulon and ADQ1 Lailat for the title of toughest Epic boss fight. (And that’s even after he lost about 10 AC, I remember the old days when his AC was 74). Still, while the quest will wipe any and all first-time groups, it’s quite easily beaten now.

Epic Adherent’s Pendant

Currently totally useless, this item appears designed for a paladin that wants to frequently use spells to heal. However, such a paladin doesn’t function without the Torc of Raiyum perma-equipped.

Suggested change:
Overhauled this following suggestions from others.
Remove the action boost effect. Add Healing Hands: Your Lay on Hands ability regenerates at one per 90 seconds. Consider adding Exceptional Charisma 2.
Paladins with Quicken and/or Maximize will stick with the Torc, but for more traditional paladin builds (both DPS-oriented and tank-oriented), this is a useful defensive item. It competes with the Shintao set’s +2 to-hit and damage – some will prefer Shintao’s DPS boost, others will prefer the added survivability of more Lay on Hands, as dead characters deal no DPS.

Epic Bejewelled Letter Opener

Although it provides a smaller healing boost than Superior Ardor 6/8 effects, Superior Devotion 7 is powerful because it persists through death, allowing Clerics, Favored Souls and Bards to put out a lot of burst healing precisely at the time it is most needed – immediately following a healer death. However, only a ‘healbot’ build can spare a weapon slot for an item that needs to stay permanently equipped to be useful.

Suggested change:
I’m going to suggest a partial redesign to make this a best-in-slot item for a ‘healbot’ cleric or favored soul. I wouldn’t play one of those builds myself, but they certainly have their fans, and this item is for them. (They’d need to keep it in the offhand).

Keep: +6, 2d4 base damage, Keen, Thundering, Efficient Metamagic: Empower Healing 2, Superior Devotion 7 (thanks to people that noted a typo here)
Remove: Healing Amp 20%, Improved Resonance 7, Red Slot
Add: Superior Healing Lore
Add: “Scroll Augmentation 9: You cast scrolls at +2 caster level.” (This means Heal/Reconstruct scrolls hit for a base 130 hp instead of 110, before enhancements and healing amplification).

Epic Bracers of Deftness

One of many AC 8 epic bracers, these offer only small improvements over random lootgen armored bracers. Generally, players that want armored bracers will prefer the Epic Scorched Bracers, which offer 30 undispellable, persists-through-death fire resistance and the possibility of a great set bonus, as well as a more useful augment slot. Or, they’ll use the eClaw bracers and epic red dragonrobes for the +8 AC.
The Tumble bonus and Uncanny Dodge bonuses are borderline irrelevant at current endgame.

Suggested change:
Add Dexterity +7. That gives these bracers something that stands out from the other AC 8 bracers out there.

Epic Mysterious Ring

Does not currently exist in Epic form. No real reason it needs to, IMO – it’s a somewhat silly item, and the loot table numbers work out better without it. Better stats on ones that drop on Epic could be an OK little easter egg, but few would notice, and fewer would care.

Epic Silken Mail

There’s quite a few light armors in the game that are all about AC (with no DPS increasing mutations at all), enough that someone recently posted a thread about it – http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=319730 . This is probably one of the worst of the lot, with worse AC than the Tier 1 Epic Duelist’s Leathers. Axeblock is good, but nothing special, and available on random lootgen items or crafted gear.

Suggested change:
Completely redesign all of the AC-only light armors except the Epic Duelist’s Leathers and the Epic Kundarak Delving Suit (those two items are enough of that very narrow niche).
Given the theme of this armor, I’ll suggest something Rogue-oriented for this one – add ‘Improved Opportunist: If you have the Opportunist feat, your attacks ignore 15% of enemy fortification instead of the usual 10%.’

Epic Sirroco

I’ve heard this has been improved recently (more accurately, debugged), and Epic Telekinetic is now knocking Epic mobs down frequently. I haven’t tested this personally, so I won’t suggest anything here yet.

Epic Spectacles of Spirit Sight

Excellent item. If you don’t have the Epic Staff of Inner Sight or Staff of the Petitioner, or if you prefer to use the Epic Staff of Arcane Power alongside the Epic Docent/Robe of the Diabolist, this is a clear best-in-slot for you. I particularly like the Diabolist/ArcanePower/SpiritSight gear setup.

Suggested change:
None. Already a great item, especially with the Update 9 changes making the Necromancy focus worthwhile.

Epic Vambraces of Inner Light

Edited because I’m an idiot – forgot this is heavy armor, not medium.
Best in slot for many Paladin builds, or second best for them to only the red dragonplate armor. Best in slot for many Clerics and FvS builds too (although melee FvS’s struggle to afford the heavy armor proficiency feat; non-melee FvS builds can use it non-proficient), and it provides them a buff to Divine Punishment that they may not otherwise be able to permanently equip (although clickies offering better can be crafted now). Radiance Guard is buggy, but despite that is still the best defensive guard.
This is what an Epic armor should look like.

Suggested change:
No changes.

Epic Explorer Area Items

All are attached to ADQ1, and that dungeon is pretty universally considered one of the toughest epics. The second Lailat is arguably the toughest boss fight in the game other than Elite Judge/Jailer, and the quest leading up to it is a major SP endurance battle. One of the few epics where every PUG group and most guild groups will use resources.
At present, obtaining some of the more obscure base items can be a real pain too, even now that they drop in eDQ2.

Epic Bloodstone

Bloodstone was best-in-slot for a wide variety of builds, so a 33% better Bloodstone is, predictably, best-in-slot for a wide variety of builds. However, it is a very small upgrade over the minimum level 9 base item.
As always with Seeker effects, this item is massively more powerful in conjunction with weapons with great crit profiles like Khopeshes, or the Sword of Shadow (classic version or epic version).

Suggested change:
Consider upgrading this to Seeker 10. This comes from one of the three hardest epic quests, after all. However, the item will remain sought-after regardless.
Others have suggested far larger upgrades – I’d be really hesitant to do this. For an eSOS/eXuum/classic SOS wielder with Improved Critical, that twitch fights (~120 swings per minute), and that has no other class effects that boost crits or attack speed (Kensai 3, Fighter Haste Boost, etc), Seeker 10 is 18 damage per second on 0% fort foes – a lot for one equipment slot to provide – and much, much more against the higher AC bosses if you can’t confirm a critical hit on a 1 without the Seeker effect. Without twitching (100 attacks per minute), it’s 15 DPS.
By comparison, if to-hit is no factor, +4 stacking strength would add only 3 damage per hit, 9 damage per crit – 9.1 DPS twitching (potentially more than that non-twitch depending upon THF feats chosen). Think how expensive getting a +3 profane Strength bonus is in terms of item slots (although that set does boost combat tactics DCs as well as provide DPS, To-Hit and the individual effects of the items)


Epic Bow of the Elements: Air

This bow doesn’t output the DPS of the closest Greensteel equivalent (Lit 2, Holy/Shocking Burst/Shocking Blast). In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bow of Sinew outdoes it. +7 Dexterity is nice, but not good enough to use this bow over its Greensteel competition (much less over the eThornlord which comes from the same quest).

Suggested change:
Rather than trying to boost the DPS of this bow to something around the range of the eThornlord, I’m going to suggest a major utility effect. Archer types are often a small distance from the party, and as such often miss Haste. What could be more in-theme with an epic Air bow than…
Add “Supreme Alacrity: The wielder is under the effect of a permanent Haste effect.”
Simple, useful, unique, and very ‘epic’.
An alternate suggestion made below was to boost its Electric damage to make it like my eFlint variant below – lowish physical damage, extreme lightning damage. Epic Shocking Burst (four times the normal Shocking Burst effect) would be a starting point to achieve that goal.

Epic Bracers of the Hunter

A viable alternative to Tharne’s Goggles for any melee that values their bracers slot more than they value their goggles slot, or that desparately needs a yellow slot. Such a melee is very rare, as the Epic Bracers of the Claw are best-in-slot for probably 80% of melee builds, and Epic Jidz-Tetka are best in slot for probably half the rest.
Stealth Strike is great for arcane archers, but again only if they can spare the bracers slot.
I can see this item having been designed around the concept of a Deepwood Sniper (stealth/archery hybrid PrE that isn’t viable at the moment in game).

Suggested change:
Upgrade the Sneak Attack bonus from +5/+8 to +6/+9 so this can better compete with the min level 13 Tharne’s Goggles. Or, leave it as-is, but when Deepwood Sniper is finished, revisit the item then to make it an uber DWS item. Someone suggested below increasing the range for ranged sneak attacks and increasing the threat reduction. Maybe a chance for ranged sneak attacks to proc a damage-over-time effect on mobs?

Epic Chainmail Coif

Two slots, the best persists-through-death healing throughput enhancement mutations on any single item, and a useless turning effect. Best-in-slot if you play a Cleric or Favored Soul and want to be prepared in case you die (if you are certain you are bulletproof, you’ll prefer using Amrath belts).
If the Epic Mask of Comedy is upgraded as discussed in the Carnival thread (to Sup Dev 7, Major Healing Lore), the two items will compete – some will prefer the healing crits of the mask, others will prefer the Mass Heal boost on the Coif.

Suggested change:
None needed – this is an item that fills a particular niche and fills it well. If you want it to become unquestioned best-in-slot, add a high tier of Healing Lore, but I’ll continue using this item without any changes.


Epic Collapseable Shortbow

Before I make any comments on this item – one source (that everyone else has copied) indicates this has Augmented Critical: 19-20/x3, but I can’t confirm that. That source also says the weapon is ‘bound to account on acquire’, which makes me nervous that the crit information could be wrong. I’m going to assume this bow does have the Khopesh/eThornlord/Silverbow crit profile. The DPS of this bow is solid, but a fair bit behind the eThornlord against everything except DR/slashing foes.

Suggested change:
Really not sure what to suggest here. Maybe add Seeker +8, which would bring it up to eThornlord level for people that do not equip a Bloodstone/eMarilithChain. The eThornlord would still be better, but that’s going to happen when there’s so many epic bows in one quest.

Epic Coronation Shield

Another anti-Undead shield… And just as bad as the other one.

Suggested change:
Add some sort of defensive anti-Undead ability – perhaps a 3-use (recovers 1/rest) Greater Restoration clicky; or alternately ‘Greater Undead Ward: Undead that attack you suffer 3d6 damage and -4 to-hit’ as a reverse Greater Bane.


Epic Dusk Heart

Superior False Life is great, but this is a slot with a lot of competition, and it’s not quite up with the rest of the options.

Suggested change:
Upgrade Dusk to Blurry. This will make this item into something melees and divines that solo will have a use for. Or as an alternative, add Healing Amp 10%, which is useful and very hard to slot.

Epic Dynastic Falcata

Note that this weapon is currently Charisma based for attack and damage. It’s the best option for an extreme Charisma character to use against Demons, but this is an ultra-narrow niche, and most Cha-based characters (mainly Spellsingers) won’t be proficient with the Khopesh and will struggle with the -4 To-Hit. In addition, even if you find a build with the Cha to use this weapon well, its main damage mutation (Axiomatic Burst) works only on the minority of foes that are Chaotic.

Suggested change:
Change To-Hit and Damage modifier to be the higher of Cha and Str.
Change Adamantine to Cold Iron (as Adamantine DR isn’t found on any important foe that Axiomatic Burst works on, but Cold Iron DR is). Upgrade base damage to 3d10.
With a good augment (or a +7 augment in the hands of a capstone Paladin), this will be a significant upgrade over a Mineral 2 Khopesh against DR Demons such as Lailat (and other chaotic foes), and with that base damage, it will be acceptable against non-chaotic, non-lawful foes.

Epic Firestorm Greaves

Like the Bloodstone, these are a great base item that gets almost no upgrade. Given how rare the base item is, most players prefer to keep an unbound set to switch between multiple toons – those players consider the Epic version a ‘downgrade’ as it is bound. (Slots are nearly worthless, as these boots won’t be worn full-time).

Suggested change:
Remove Greater Fire Resistance. Add Inherent Fire Resist 5 and Inherent Fire Resist 10 (as the Shroud effects).

This would make the item into a clear upgrade from the base item, possibly saving its owner from feeling the need to craft a 45 Fire Resist Shroud item. It would also synergize well with the Superior Fire Resist on the various Epic Red Dragonscale armors, allowing a player that wears both to take only 130 damage on a failed save against Horoth’s 250 damage DBFs. (Note that the wise choose to wear other footwear around Horoth, however – perhaps Arraetrikos is a better example of a foe with 250 damage Max-Empped DBFs).

Epic Flint

This weapon is clearly intended to deal little physical damage and a lot of lightning damage. However, in practice it just can’t compete with Supreme Tyrant Lightning weapons, nor does it really come close. As a dagger, it deals awful physical damage, and gets less out of the Shocking Burst mutation than a Lit 2 khopesh.

Suggested change:
This pushes up the electric damage output significantly, albeit at the expense of the awful Magnetism 9 and the potent Lightning Storm Guard.

New Epic Flint
+6 dagger
Base damage: 2d4 – Strength OR Dex
Epic Shocking Burst: This weapon deals 4d6 bonus electric damage on a hit, and a further 4d10 on a critical.
Lightning Strike
Red slot
Violet slot
“Electric Surge: On a vorpal strike, this weapon casts Eladar’s Electric Surge upon the foe struck, at caster level 25 (no metamagics).” In practice, a player that dual-wields eFlints will have an almost 100% uptime of a 3-stack (adding ~42 DPS) after a few seconds. A player using one eFlint will have significantly worse results (getting less than half that amount of DPS as they will not be able to sustain a 3-stack often). And oddball Air Savant builds might even try to use this to get to three stacks more quickly than the 10 second cooldown on the spell would normally allow.

Overall, this version does more damage than a Lit 2 khopesh when wielded by a character with low base damage. However, it scales poorly with high Strength, making it a weapon more aimed at lower-Strength bards and particularly Finesse builds – builds that currently have fairly poor endgame items. Geared strength-based TWF toons (like Blitz builds) will find these inferior to Lit 2 khopeshes.
The two red slots allow this weapon to break boss DRs for anyone that falls in love with it and has 60 epic tokens to invest into it.

Epic Gloves of the Falcon

Solid two-slot item that competes with the three better sets of Epic gloves.

Suggested change:
Upgrade Heightened Awareness 2 to 4. This would give Monk AC tank builds a way to avoid being pushed into using kamas, shortswords or longswords (all awful weapons).

Epic Hyena Claw Necklace

There’s a lot to be said for Con 7, Toughness and a yellow slot all in one item (as well as Intimidate 15), but this competes with Torc, ToD sets, and offers similar effects to the Epic Envenomed Cloak, which is generally a superior item.

Suggested change:
Add Healing Amp 10%. This is very hard to slot for any type of tank, and would make this necklace probably best-in-slot for Barbarians to wear while tanking high DPS foes like Horoth, Turigulon or the Demon of the Frenzied Deep.
Consider adding Repair Amplification 10% as well, so the poor Warforged get some love.

Epic Mirage

This weapon has one of the best crit profiles in the game (a smidgen ahead of Khopeshes due to scaling better with Seeker). However, it’s still quite a long way behind Greensteel Khopeshes in DPS output.

Suggested change:
Word association time: Mirage – Oasis. Oasis – Fire, Water, Earth and Air all in one place (fire being the midday sun). Fire, Water, Earth and Air – Elemental Mastery (that awful Shroud proc).
For that reason, I suggest adding “Epic Elemental Mastery: On-hit proc, 3% proc rate, deals 50d6 Fire + 50d6 Cold + 50d6 Acid + 50d6 Electric damage. (Average 700 damage per proc, 21 damage per hit, but this is hammered by resistances/immunities, and will occasionally be reduced by being ‘overkill’)

Against foes without elemental resistances, this would put eMirage level with a Lit2 Khopesh in DPS output, however, the eMirage would also provide better to-hit, Sneak Attack 4 (possibly freeing up an item), and Deception and Improved Cursespewing for utility effects, making it a better general purpose weapon (albeit not better in all circumstances).

Epic Mummy Wrappings

Fearsome is useful if and only if you are soloing, and even then it is annoying.

Suggested change:
In the spirit of bad things happening to foes that attack you, replace Fearsome with any two of the negative-energy aligned Shroud guards, perhaps Corrosive Salt Guard and Disintegration Guard, or for two that have a nasty synergy, Enervation Guard and Trap the Soul Guard. Even the better half of Fearsome (the 95% chance for mobs that hit you to become shaken, which is effectively almost a negative level) would be an idea, although that steps on the Lion Headed Belt Buckle’s design space.

Edit: Other people have suggested other things – a Despair Guard, Slay Living guard, and/or redesigning the entire armor as a Pale Master item (changing Negative Energy Absorb 20% to Negative Energy Amplification 20% among other things). PMs would need to deal with the arcane spell failure chance (via enhancements or via using the blue slot on it), some might find this worthwhile, others might not.

Epic Ring of Spell Storing

This item is an urban legend, right? If it exists, it’s one of the most powerful epic items, probably #3 to only the eSOS and the Torc (epic version or classic version). And yes, I’m being facetious, I know it does exist, I think someone on my server might even have one.

Suggestions:
Keep this item as it is. It will sell the Demon Sands adventure pack.


Epic Robe of Fire

This is just worse than an unsuppressed Phoenix Regalia, which is a lot easier to get. Edit to note that it does have its fans specifically for Evoker FvS builds for the blue slot and Greater Evoc Focus, IMO it could still do with an upgrade.

Suggested change:
Replace Superior Combustion 6 with Epic Combustion 7, and replace Greater Evocation Focus with Epic Evocation Focus (+3 DC). This will make the item at least have some unique and useful effects. It will still be outclassed for fire nukers by the combination of Phoenix Regalia (for the clicky) and Red Dragonscale (for the Superior Lore), but hey, Red Scale is meant to be a premier item, and these changes will give it a boost for non-fire nukers.

Epic Shard of Vollun

Note: This item has a ‘hidden’ Radiance Guard effect.
If you want both Radiance Guard and Archmagi on one character, this is a pretty solid item, albeit in a slot that faces stiff competition. In contention for best-in-slot for a ‘healbot’ build, as they love Radiance Guard (as it stops things attacking them). Improved Radiance 9 is unimpressive; there’s no good high-level spells for it to boost.

Suggested change:
Upgrade Archmagi to Wizardry 10 (250 SP). Archmagi has been around since the cap was 14 and is found on several high-quality items with low minimum levels (Skiver, Bracers of the Glacier). Epic items can and should go beyond Archmagi.

Epic Shield of the Scorpion

If you are going to equip a shield, this is one of the less bad ones – decent AC, and a decent DR effect.

Suggested change:
Adjust Epic monster To-Hit so that sustainable player ACs become more effective against them.
Adjust (at least some) Epic monster damage so that healing through the damage 0 AC melees take is less of an option.
Adjust player behaviour so that To-Hit debuffs (such as Waves of Exhaustion and Ray of Enfeeblement) are applied to Epic mobs.
These changes are certainly beyond the scope of this post. This item doesn’t need changes, the AC system needs changes.

Epic Spiked Turban

This was once a solid item on AC builds – two slots, the necessary Protection 5 and the useful Resistance 5. However, the combination of an Epic Envenomed Cloak and a Mineral 2 accessory, simply offers a lot more to most builds (45 hp, Good Luck or Toughness on the blue slot, +7 Con and more).
An arcane caster might use this as a Con 6, Greater False Life, Resistance 5 item, but that isn’t anything special compared to other alternatives.

Suggested change:
Consider upgrading one or both of the +5 bonuses to +6.

Epic Sting

High base damage +6 Wounding of Puncturing weapons would have been many a player’s wet dream when the level cap was 16 (I remember +1 WoP shortswords trading for 6 large scales, and 3-4 times that for a +1 rapier). However, the Con damage nerf on one hand, and the 90% immunity to stat damage on Epic trash just prevents these finding a home at the moment.

Suggested change:
Reduce the Epic stat damage resistance from 90% to 75% (Eladrin posted a while back that it is presently 90%, previously players had believed it to be 95%). An average of one point of Con damage per 6 swings isn’t enough to warrant using these weapons – an average of two Con damage per 5 swings would be more appealing.
The Large Scorpion Poison should probably deal hit point damage rather than Con damage, as this will help finish off any foes with significant Con damage.
Also, if these changes are made, some players will work together to debuff mob Fort saves before a Wail – this isn’t really any different to the currently viable (but seldom-used) Cursespewer-melee-then-Wail approach.

Epic Stinkpelt’s Hide

The light armor of choice for non-AC tanks, due to the Con and CK clickie. Nothing special, however – this feels of a power level that you’d expect out of the easier Epics like the Carnival. Edit: Oops, why did I think this was light armor? It’s medium, not light. /facepalm. That leaves what, Barbarians and Kensais as the main builds that might like this – both builds that usually favor +DPS armor over survivability enhancing armor.

Suggested change:
Replace Con +7 with Con +8. Replace Exceptional Con +2 with Superior False Life.
That makes up for the lack of synergy with the eClaw set (which anyone wearing this armor already has, or aspires to getting).
I’d also give some thought to making this light armor, which would let squishier melees such as rogues consider it.

Epic Thornlord

Best in slot. Finally, one of the rare Epic weapons that convincingly out-DPS’s Greensteel alternatives (in this case, Lit 2, triple positive or Steam bows). And such a simple design too.
Suggested change:
Leave this exactly as it is.

Epic Tinder

So far behind the alternatives (Sup Combustion 7 from random lootgen in one hand, something useful like Skiver, or Major Fire Lore, in the other) that it isn’t funny. As the only Combustion 9 clicky for WF, it needs something more.
So many fire-themed items here… I’d feel sorry for the other Savants, but well, Fire ones need the most help anyway.

Suggested change:
Upgrade to Superior Inferno 9 for the benefit of Warforged. At least it will be best in slot for the clicky.

Epic Tourney Armor

Outclassed by other epic armors (note the low AC, only the same as +5 mithril fullplate). This is just flat-out-worse than the Epic Deneith Heavy Chain, which has already been slated to be upgraded.

Suggested change:
Really not sure where this should go – perhaps the DR could be improved to 8/adamantine, which would make this armor the best at something. Alternately it could get an AC boost (and really it should at least mirror +6 mith FP), but that only benefits the 2% of characters that build for an 80+ AC.
Edit: Someone else suggested making it an effective anti-caster armor – perhaps Resistance 6 and “Arcane Absorb 10% – This reduces all incoming spell damage by 10%, except from positive energy effects” would cover that niche, maybe even adding ‘Armored Evasion: This armor counts as light armor for purposes of the Evasion feat’.
I’m curious as to who would consider wearing it if it had one of those effects.

Epic Vulkoorim Dervish Robe

Quite an unfocused item – four effects, of which not many characters will benefit from more than two. Barbarians like Greater Fire Resistance and Disintegration Guard but don’t care about the armor bonus or the cheaper Maximize. Casters don’t care about the armor, seldom see Disintegration Guard go off, and like the cheaper Maximize. And so on.

Suggested change:
I’m really unsure what to suggest here. Maybe leave it as an item for the niche Leloric identified in his thread (melees with Maximized self-healing) and add Healing Amp 10% to benefit them.

Epic Vulkoorim Pendant

Back when the cap was 12, Devotion and Nullification effects were both used by a large number of Clerics (as Harm was then considered an excellent DPS spell for Wisdom-based Divines).
Now, however, Divines aren’t the ones that cast negative energy spells, and Nullification is now a Pale Master oriented mutation.
As such, this really is an item without a home.

Suggested change:
Replace the Nullification effects with Epic Nullification 7 (60%). Add Concordant Opposition (as this is an item that deals with both positive and negative energy). It will be mostly a Pale Master item (and less appealing in general than the Torc), but may have some appeal to the odd divine caster that wants to spam Harm for old times’ sake.


Epic Weathered Targe

An epic shield without epic AC potential. I had all of the pieces for this item and made it on a level 12 I seldom play just to get the pieces out of my ingredients bags.

Suggested change:
Again, this is more an issue with the weakness of shields (particularly small shields) rather than the actual stats on the item. This wouldn’t be a bad spot to add a non-ring source of Lightning Absorb 33%.

Epic Whirlwind

I believe this recently had its base damage upped to 4d6 and the Epic Telekinetic ability unbugged so that it functions. If this is correct, this weapon is borderline OK – DPS that is low but not derisory, and enough knockdowns to take one foe out of a fight.
Still, devoting a two-handed weapon to crowd control is more of a DPS loss than devoting one weapon on a TWF to crowd control.

Suggested change:
Consider making changes to increase the DPS output – perhaps upgrading the enhancement bonus to +8, and/or upgrading the base damage further to 4d8 or 3d12. Screaming and Thundering add very little damage, especially on a Greatsword.


Epic Wolf Whistle

I need to test the post-U9 Thrakk Hound AI more before I can comment on this item.

Epic Xuum

Ah, here we go – a weapon that’s a DPS machine, surpassing any Greensteel two-hander when immunities and resistances are not an issue. Were it not for the existance of the eSOS, this would be a highly desired item. However, even against foes that take 200% fire damage, this is barely on-par with the eSOS, and in the real world, most monsters take between 0 and 125% fire damage (0 being more common), not 200%.

Suggested change:
This weapon is good as-is, and borderline OK even against fire-immune foes. However, if you want to push the envelope a little and have it be a serious alternative to the eSOS, upping the base damage to 4d8 would be the way to go. The eSOS would be the better all-around weapon as it would perform better on fire-resistant, fire-immune and ultra-high AC targets, but eXuum would be (slightly) better against anything without fire resistance that isn’t hard for that character to hit.
Another option would be to upgrade Flaming Burst (1d6/2d10) to Epic Flaming Burst (4d6/8d10), although if this is done, it would need to be at the cost of Incineration.

Epic Zephyr

Awful damage output and no ability to break two-component DR (except with unsustainable Devil Assault augments) make this is a very weak weapon. Extreme Dex characters built around this weapon’s ‘Dex to both attack and damage’ have no alternative weapons for DR bosses other than the Epic Staff of Nat Gann.
For users with medium Str and high Dex, the Epic Cuthroat’s Smallblade is leaps and bounds ahead of this weapon. At present, by my rough in-my-head calculations, this holds even if their Dex is 20 points higher than their Str.

Suggested change:
Note that this will look like I’m going overboard, however, I’ve run DPS calculations and can assure you, the results aren’t as ridiculous as they might look. (Edit: Not playing a finesse build, I ran these on the assumption that the offhand weapon would get 50% of Dex modifier to damage; people have told me this is wrong and it’s actually 100%. In this case, the weapon doesn’t need as much of a damage boost and could lose the Seeker bonus).

Add Metalline (so max-Dex characters can use this as their main DPS weapon on ‘almost everything’)
Increase enhancement bonus to +9
Upgrade base damage to 4d6
Add Heightened Awareness 4
Add Seeker 6
Even with all of those improvements to DPS, it’s still ~12% behind a Lit 2 khopesh wielded by a player with Strength equal to your Dexterity that uses no Seeker item (and close to the DPS of a Mineral 2 khopesh with Heightened Awareness 4). However, this gives high AC dual-wielding Finesse builds a viable DPS weapon for endgame and may help revitalise the ‘Dexploiter’ builds that players experimented with for a while after the level cap hit 20.

 
Epic ADQ2 Raid Loot

Note that while ADQ2 can be quite tough on Epic, players have discovered tactics that make it a cakewalk for moderately geared toons. It’s probably the easiest of the Desert epics.

Epic Bracers of the Demon’s Consort

Demonic Shield is very strong. The base item is quite good on many Pale Master builds – the epic version adding slots makes it even better. It’s also an OK item for Barbarian/Kensai tanks (for the de-facto stacking DR; some builds may even be able to put the Intimidate to good use), although they tend to be inseperable from their (easier to obtain) eClaw bracers.

Suggested change:
Add Heavy Fortification, so melees that wear the eClaw set fulltime but (situationally) want this for DR can swap to it if they are taking a lot of hits.
That said, this isn’t a needed change – this item is useful as-is.

Epic Bramble Casters

The guard is reliable damage for a melee that takes a lot of hits, but does less average damage than Disintegration Guard (and a lot less than Lightning Storm Guard does to non-immune foes). Greater Spearblock is useful, but unspectacular (and the Epic Ring of the Mire offers it in a much better overall package, albeit in a different slot). Solid item, but not good enough to compete in the highly competitive gloves slot.

Suggested change:
Upgrade the Guard to 3d6 damage (which at 10.5 average is more than the community-speculated 9.2 average damage of Disintegration guard – 2% for ~460). Upgrade Greater Spearblock to Epic Spearblock – 15. Most melees will prefer the 30% healing amp and +4 damage the eClaw gloves offer (if they are wearing the bracers), but this item will be good enough that it might find a home.

Epic Chaosblade

The best Vorpal in the game, the highest DPS one-hander against most Lawful foes (including, with a silver augment in the hands of a 31 UMD Paladin, against Horoth/Turigulon/Suulo/Harry), and the minor bonus of Vampirism. Best-in-slot for enough builds that it is currently a sought-after item.

Suggested change:
None, except for addressing scroll drop rate issues (and to a lesser extent, seals).

Epic Cloak of the Zephyr

Best-in-slot for Air Savants; probably also best-in-slot for those Cold Savants that spec into electricity as well. Superior Lightning Lore wasn’t all that impressive pre-U9, but Eladar’s Electric Surge single-handedly changed that.
Perma-Blur is nice in the rare places we are chain-dispelled (epic OOB), or for long quests where incoming melee damage between shrines isn’t enough to merit sustaining Displacement (eVON5).

Suggested change:
None needed – this is an item that fills a particular niche and fills it well.

Epic Demon Scale Armor

As far as defensive armors go for non-AC toons, this is the best there is. A player that wears this, hotswaps in ‘junk’ ToD rings with 20% absorbs and uses other effects like Fire Shield can survive things like eVelah’s breath, Cojoined Abashai Devastator’s cold and fire ‘ultimates’, and presumably other future effects. Ironically, because of the availability of 20% absorbs on ToD rings, if/when Epic Gianthold Tor is released, the dragon it will be weakest against will be the blue one.

Suggested change:
No changes needed to the item. Great item that is only ignored because of encounter design – incoming elemental damage hasn’t been a significant cause of player deaths since Enter the Kobold was endgame.

Epic Dustless Boots

Striding is useful if you run out of Haste potions or are being chain-dispelled, the Jump clicky is more convenient than Morah’s Belt (and you can carry both if you PUG often with people that don’t have Morah’s). Still, nothing about this item is special at all.

Suggested change:
This item is clearly intended to enhance mobility while stealthed – perhaps consider having it grant faster sneaking (similar to, but stacking with, the rogue enhancements).
Alternately, this would be a perfect item to add Striding 40% to. Still not as good as Haste (same movement increase but without the other aspects of Haste), but there’s the odd time you just can’t be bothered quaffing a potion.


Epic Greenblade

Lesser Potency 9 doesn’t add anything much at all. Basically this is a variant on Skiver – with Spell Pen 9 taking the place of Archmagi and the efficient metamagics. Spell Pen 9 is potent, but is available in other slots, and overall I feel the eGB vs. Skiver comparison is a draw.
Force Burst, of course, adds nothing to the item.

Suggested change:
Add the Staff of the Petitioner’s 10% SP cost reduction, or upgrade to Major Arcane Lore. Either one would give this item a boost to make it clearly superior to the level 14 competitor.


Epic Lion-Headed Belt Buckle

Solid item, especially for getting lots of stat boosts in one item. Like all other belts, however, it competes with ToD sets. For almost every class and build, those are better (especially now that Savants and Archmages have potent set bonuses). Incidentally, this is also the same reason that few use the Epic Belt of the Mroranon, which is also a good item in a vacuum. Edit to note that it has its fans for the ‘better half of fearsome’ effect of Roar, which is great on casters (particularly Pale Masters) that can handle a few hits.

Suggested change:
I assume this was originally intended as a melee item. Adding something that mimics a ToD set effect (perhaps adding the +2 damage the Frenzied Berserker set gives to a non-Barbarian, or maybe even just +1) would make this a sought-after item. Alternately, upgrading (both) +6 stats to +7 would make the item unique.


Epic Marilith Chain

The base item is a viable item to wear at level 20. The Epic version is best-in-slot for eSOS, rapier, scimitar and Khopesh DPS against most targets (assuming the wearer doesn’t use a Bloodstone). The DR and retributive damage are gravy on an item that would be excellent without them, although many raid bosses deal Lawful damage and thus break the DR.

Suggested change:
No changes to the item, just to scroll availability (and to a lesser extent the seal).

Epic Pouch of Jerky

Great item, usually covering Toughness and Superior False Life (or SFL and +4 saves). Useful clicky. However, there’s lots of competition for this slot, and this item doesn’t match up to the alternatives for most builds.

Suggested change:
Adding 10% healing amplification (which is very hard to fit into a gearset) would make this situationally best in slot for tanks that expect to take a lot of damage (Barbarians, Kensais and the like). I made a similar suggestion for Epic Dusk Heart – I’m not opposed to both items getting the same effect, players that want one of them can just use whichever they obtain first.
An alternative would be to add an effect that recovers HP whenever you make a melee strike (basically granting your weapon(s) some level of the Vampirism effect), although that would heavily favor TWF toons, unless the effect only applied to your mainhand weapon.

Epic Sandstorm Glasses

Probably the worst epic item in existance at the moment, especially as it competes with Tharne’s Goggles, which offer basically all of the same utility, plus arguably the best melee DPS effect you can get on an accessory (+8 damage and +5 to-hit whenever you don’t have aggro).

Suggested redesign:
This item was a melee item when the cap was 12 (both True Seeing and Blindness Immunity benefit melees at all levels). However, with basically all divines carrying the True Seeing spell, Displacement isn’t an issue, and with Heal and Mass Heal being both widely used, Blindness isn’t much of an issue even if you aren’t wearing an immunity item, even against bosses like Malicia or Horoth that like to throw the odd Sunburst.
The name conjures thoughts of dust. Conveniently, many melees occasionally use Supreme Tyrant Goggles of Dust (Exceptional 10/15/20hp, Disintegration Guard) as a tanking swap-in.
I’m going to suggest making the item a straight-out upgrade of those goggles.

Actually ‘epic’ Sandstorm Glasses
Exceptional +10 hp (as Shroud effect)
Exceptional +15 hp
Exceptional +20 hp
Disintegration Guard
True Seeing
Blindness Immunity
Empty Green Augment Slot

That’s a pretty clear upgrade over one of the more frequently crafted Shroud items, and might save some characters from having to bother with a cleanser.

Epic Seal of the Earth

For a period, this had Superior Acid Lore, and at present, the ‘grandfathered’ versions of this item are the only source of that effect. Reinstating that lore would make this item appealing to Earth Savants – at present, as an AC item it’s weaker than the alternatives (Chattering Ring, Epic Ring of the Silver Concord, possibly ToD sets), and as a clicky, it’s solid but unspectacular.

Suggested change:
Add Superior Acid Lore. This ring will then be best-in-slot for Acid Savants, and will still be a marginal but viable option for AC builds (particularly with the new Chattering Ring alternative in the Carnival possibly freeing up a slot for it).
Consider adding Unarmed Acid Burst so that the rare Monk that cares about AC and fights unarmed can use this as a replacement for a ToD ring.
The result would be a ring that would seem a mishmash of effects, but that’s exactly what the Red Dragonscale Armors are – I can’t think of any one build that can put all the effects on Red Scale to good use, yet the (worthless for my Red Scale wearer) Superior Fire Lore doesn’t make the item any weaker.

Epic Shining Crest of St Markus


I quite like Superior Devotion effects (even ones that Superior Ardor suppresses) as they add quite a bit of healing throughput and persist through death. Improved Devotion, however, just isn’t enough to bother with unless it is Improved Devotion 9. Deathblock and your choice of Toughness, Good Luck or Heavy Fortification on one item aren’t bad, but nothing to write home about either.

Suggested change:
Upgrade the Healing Lore to Superior Healing Lore. As this item is quite popular with Paladins, add Epic Devotion 4 – this is of little benefit to Clerics and Favored Souls, but will be a useful boost for Paladins and maybe even the odd Bard.

Epic Staff of Arcane Power

This staff is excellent, and a real competitor to the Epic Staff of Inner Sight and the Staff of the Petitioner. Especially in combination with the epic Robe/Docent of the Diabolist and the Epic Spectacles of Spirit Sight.

Suggested change:
Nothing at all.


Epic Storm

This item doesn’t need fixing, crossbows do.

Suggestions:
Keep this item as it is. Revisit after the ranged combat pass, if that ever occurs.

Epic Torc

The non-epic version of this item is considerably better than the Epic Spellstoring Ring, and is best-in-slot for basically anyone with a blue bar that doesn’t use Madstone Boots. The epic item adds Wizardry 6 (probably letting you go without an Archmagi item), and covers Spell Penetration for most of your spells.
The only question is – is it worth losing access to your Torc from 11-19 on future lives?

Suggested change:
None. The ‘Transform Kinetic Energy’ effect should have been toned down well before it ever got onto the live servers, but it’s far, far, far too late to touch it now. This item basically trivialises most content unless mobs hit for more than 50 damage per swing.

Tomes

Everyone loves tomes. The presence, however, of +3 BtC, +3 BtA and +4 BtC tomes all in one raid is a little odd, IMO.

Suggested change:
Consider unbinding the +3 tomes. It strikes me as odd that +3 and even +4 unbound tomes are considered fine as ultra-rare rewards for Waterworks (Festivult gold coins 8-in-a-million chance), but aren’t fair game in endgame raids. The +3 tomes are sold often anyway (via in-chest trades that have none of the anti-scam protections built into the trade window)
Leave the +4 tomes bound.

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