Something I've never noticed before

[kuafu]

I know it's crazy to max block with Spirit shield, but let's just say we're going to do it:smiley:. Now we all think that Spirit should only be made in Monarch, because the str requirements of the other two possible 4os shields are too high. Actually I just realized that Ward has str requirement 185, but with 44% blocking. As a comparison, Monarch has str requirement 156 with 40% blocking. For max blocking at lvl99, we need 387 dex for Monarch and 353 dex for Ward. So as you can see, even though you need 29 more points in str to use Ward, you actually save 34 points in dex! The break-even point is around lvl85; above that, max-blocking with Ward actually requires less points than Monarch.
Maxing block with Spirit isn't very realistic after all, a better case might be some melee build using Dream/Dragon/Phoenix shield and targeting for 65% block, the break-even point is just at lvl99. So basically the higher block you target for, the lower the break-even level, and vice versa. But consider how cool it is for a sorc to use Ward, it might be worth some extra points:wink3:.
P.S.: for the rich, eth Ward can be used, which should be cheap as dirt.

[melianor]

I don't think i would ever try going for max-block with a Spirit Shield, no matter in which shield, unless i would build a melee sorc with blocking. Either way the investement is pretty high and the only bonus you would get would be coolness or "what the hell is that sorc" factor. So its already worth a try, even without blocking. Those extra str points for spirit ward are easy achieved with most gear anyway. And missing points in vitality are easy countered by life scs.

[FrostBurn]

An interesting observation. A Ward is heavier though, so if I had to max block with Spirit, I'd still go with the light Monarch.

Recently I had to do some sums for working out how much dex was needed for max block with a 53 str round shield Moser's vs. a 100 str luna Moser's. It works out as, unless you are going to get your str to above 53 for other gear, it is better to max block with a non-upped Moser's, since the str you spend when you upp a Moser's is more than the dex you save.

[helvete]

Get a good safety craft amu. Wet dream below:

"1337 Craft"
Amulet
req lvl 89
+2 sorc skills
10%FCR
10%Increased Chance of Blocking
All Resistances +20%
+60life OR +30 strength (which is the same thing, if you need high str)
2dr
2mdr

Magic Amulet + Perfect Emerald + Thul Rune + Any Jewel

[MageChick]

how many 2os COA's would I have to sell for this? I have a hard enough time paying for a low griffons. Nice idea though - even a few of those mods would be nice.

Maybe I'll roll a 45 life Paly combat with my next 3 pgems.....

[kuafu]

That uber amulet will break my tal set though. I'm thinking about this stuff because I'm actually going to do it, if I can get someone to trade me a pair of rare gloves with +15 dex, +15 str and +25 MF.
I started my meteorb as my first char on this ladder and I didn't expect to find many decent items, so I put a lot of extra points in dex for maxing block. Now I've solo'ed her to lvl97, and I've found all the nice items like 20-stat storch and 20-stat anni, which give me 149 in str and 333 in dex at the moment. Since I haven't died once in the past 2k solo baal runs, I'm pretty sure I've got enough life (1400+), so I'm thinking about where to spend the rest 25 stat points.
I'm currently using a Sanctuary troll nest (which gives 20 dex), so the first thing that comes to my mind is to add 7 more points in str and get a Spirit. This will drop my blocking to 61%, which is not bad actually. But since I don't need to pump vitality any more, I might as well bump the already-freaking-high dex a little further:smiley:. So I started all the calculations in my original post. It turned out that with a Spirit in Ward, I'll only need to replace my chancies with the rare gloves I'm looking for to reach max block; but with Monarch Spirit, I'll need to sacrifice one more item for +dex (most likely Raven instead of SoJ). As a result, I'm on my way to be the first sorc on ladder that maxes blocking with a Ward Spirit now:thumbsup:.

[helvete]

No one craft safety amulets either, it's just me... Maybe I should start, emeralds and thuls are probably just as cheap as amethysts and rals...

[kuafu]

Hmm... now that I'm facinated with the Ward shield, I just realized that the unique one Spirit Ward is a pretty good shield for max-blocking build. Assuming a perfect blocing one with 74% blocking, you only need 198 dex to get 75% blocking at lvl90. Comparing this to Troll Nest Sanctuary, which needs 240 dex at lvl90 but also gives +20 dex, you can save 22 points. Of course you'll need 79 more points in str, so it's not really a saving:tongue:. But then you can socket the Spirit Ward with a 15res/-15req jewel to reduce the str requirement to 158, so the net difference is 30 points. For the 30 points though, you can get +95-105 resist all (80-90 if you use Hel or plain -15req jewel), 8% dmg reduction, 71% curse length reduction, and you'll look ethereal:thumbsup:. Considering that +str is usually easier to achieve than +dex, it's not a bad deal at all, isn't it?:smiley:
P.S.: it's funny that the unique Ward is named Spirit Ward, while I'm trying to make a Spirit in Ward:wink3:.