Why is pumping Dex a bad way to improve AR?

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

OK, I get the fact that one point into dexterity only gives you a return on your base attack rating of 4, which is pretty much squat. In terms of any non-melee character, a 4 point boost isn't doing anything on the higher difficulties, but those type of characters don't use regular attacks that much anyway.

However, it seems to me that characters that use skills that give huge % boosts to attack rating, that you'd actually get a decent return. Three examples spring immediately to mind - a barbarian with a maxed mastery and a maxed combat skill (any one of them), a paladin with a maxed combat skill like zeal and a maxed offensive aura like fanaticism, and a druid with maxed WW and a maxed combat skill like fury with a HoW spirit pet.

Those type of characters get such high bonuses to their attack rating that a point in dexterity is worth FAR more than a measly 4 points. It would appear to me that even a modest investment in dexterity would end up netting you several hundred in attack rating bonuses, and if you actually go ahead and sink about 100 into dexterity, now we're talking thousands in attack rating.

I'll be the first to admit that the only time I actually concentrate on pumping dexterity is when I have a character using a shield or a missile character. However I have found that a small dexterity investment (about 1 point per level) even for non-shield users does pay off big in the long term if we're talking a character that gets these bonuses. Now if I'm playing a shieldless necro or sorc, I agree that pumping dex is stupid.

I guess the logical follow on question is how do you attain AR in the thousands if you don't invest something in dexterity? Are your characters choking on AR charms? Please enlighten this idiot.

[thegiantturtle]

5 points in dex is 20 AR. 5 points in vitality is 10-20 life. You can get 132 attack rating from 3 inventory slots, but only 60 life from that space.

Also, there are many +AR bonuses you get get from gear. It's easier to get +100 AR, then to get +25 vitality (+50-100 life). For PvP specifically, you can get 1000 AR from the Angelic combo. What would it take to get 1000 life?

[Ax2Grind]

It's a matter of resource allocation: name the different ways you can get attack rating/defense/damage/blocking/gear equipping (strength and dexterity), mana/mana regeneration (energy), and ways you can get life/stamina (vitality), and remember you have a limited number attribute points to spend. Limited resources should be spent in what you cannot attain from other means, and since life dropping to zero spells 'the end' you'll do the math sooner or later yourself.

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

OK, so the way most people say it is poor wording then. The way I always heard it made it sound like you didn't get a good return AR-wise. That you always only got 4 points, which I thought overlooked all the bonus AR you may get from gear and skills. Would it be more appropriate to say: While it is possible to invest in dexterity to improve your attack rating, it would be wiser to allocate your stat points towards getting more life, and use other means of making up for attack rating?

[Ax2Grind]

Dexterity is an attribute, and attributes enhance your base statistics, something that percentages take into account. For that reason, the base amount of dex you'll have for gear (if you're ranged or a dagger-weilder) or blocking (usually major melee or hardcore) will be more than enough to raise your base attack rating high enough for item AR to be sufficient thereafter. The rest of your limited resource should be allocated in life to keep you from dying. Put simply, you're going to put certain points into dex and certain points in vitality, and - while it's a nice benefit to put the extra points into dex - that benefit can easily be replaced by gear, whereas the vit cannot be and you'll soon see the value of extra life be well worth it.

[thegiantturtle]

Would it be more appropriate to say: While it is possible to invest in dexterity to improve your attack rating, it would be wiser to allocate your stat points towards getting more life, and use other means of making up for attack rating?Exactly .