Staff or Wand + Shield

I don't think shields work beyond off hand skills. My Jade Crook +1 heals for more than my old Jade Crook, and both staves heal for more than a wand and shield combination.

Yes, healing is a good way to check potency. A few shields give MAcc, which is worth quite a bit. Potency is a wash with Ele Brands/Crooks, for example, staves typically give more crit.

From testing constantly on my con, it depends on how you play in. For instance, for shield you do not get the stats nor hidden stats UNLESS your guard ability is up. Now during casts your shield is still counted as up. So if you constantly keep your shield up, then wand+shield is better as far as accuracy goes, as for M. pot I still find Staves to be better. Now if you never raise your shield, then no wand and shield is not better. Now it really comes down what ya want to do, on normal mobs it makes a difference, not a huge difference on NM unless one is HQ and the other is not. But if your like me and you general just heal as CON, then it really does not matter if you use wand and shield of a stave.

So in recap accuracy wise, keep guard up and cast spells and you have a higher accuracy, maybe lil less m.potency then stave. But if you do not want to bother with that, just stick with staves for DDing. For healers, it does not matter.

Staffs have much more magic acc!, I preffer using staffs =)

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Originally Posted by AngryNixon

I've gone through both CON and THM to cap with mixed results. I can say as advice from personal experience that practically speaking since it fluctuates a bit on both sides (and even if the wand damage had been slightly lower on average) that it makes good sense to simply leave a shield on until you cap Sentinel and after that you can do w/e you like in earnest.

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This. Only use a shield if you're soloing.

Logically speaking, wouldn't a staff be much more potent because if you have a shield on, you have more defense? So essentially you're trading offensive power for defensive power between the 2 options?

protect and shell is your shield, actually.

On a topic unrelated to Magical Potency or Accuracy...

Unlike gladiators, who can parry with their swords, conjurers can't parry with the wand (that would be a funny sight).

Wand + Shield : Can BLOCK, when guard is up
Staff : Can PARRY, at any time

Block and parry rates and amounts are based on different stats (STR for block, DEX for parry I believe?), so how your stats are set may also affect your decision.

This is all for solo play, or small enough parties where you may be attacked occasionally, of course.