Paladin BiS Accessory Reddit Discussion

[Paikis]

I think the issue with the debate is that it is coming from two different bases.

Those endorsing str/dex are suggesting that you have already overgeared the content.

Before coil, your choices are Darklight <item> of Fending or Gryphonskin. The Gryphonskin is just plain better, in every way. No contest. So the first time you step into Coil, Gryphonskin are the best you have available.
Once you have cleared all of Coil, Gryphonskin are still the best available.

Vitality is probably going to be best due to helping in the worst case scenario, or fights such as turn 2 where you cannot block/parry any of the attacks.

Bad example. Turn 2 is a DPS race (a slow one, but still) where your tanks generate reduced threat due to a buff that ADS can get. Having Gryphonskin will help immensely here, especially if you're running with one or more Paladins, and if you're tank swapping correctly, you really shouldn't be getting killed.

[Leiron]

Before coil, your choices are Darklight <item> of Fending or Gryphonskin. The Gryphonskin is just plain better, in every way. No contest. So the first time you step into Coil, Gryphonskin are the best you have available.
Once you have cleared all of Coil, Gryphonskin are still the best available.

Naturally gryphon skin is better than Darklight.
It has the same vitality and dishes out DPS stats that help for enmity.


On the other hand when you are progressing, Allagan fending is going to be better, because your HP is not going to be very high until you've completely geared yourself out in ilvl90 gear, in which case you can go back to using gryphonskin because not only you are geared out, but the healers and DPS are geared out.
So fights are shorter, heals are more powerful, and you're not in as much danger.

Bad example. Turn 2 is a DPS race (a slow one, but still) where your tanks generate reduced threat due to a buff that ADS can get. Having Gryphonskin will help immensely here, especially if you're running with one or more Paladins, and if you're tank swapping correctly, you really shouldn't be getting killed.

It is a good example, because you are forgetting that while tanks are hitting for less, the DPS is going to be hitting for less as well.
ADS receives a defense buffs against all types of damage.
He receives a defensive buff against slashing, magic, piercing and blunt.
So if you are losing enmity on that fight, then you must have made an error somewhere.

The group I run with clears t2 regularly using PAL/PAL and PAL/WAR.
We all use fending rings and we've never had any issue on enmity.
It becomes even LESS of an issue with PAL/WAR due to the slash debuff being applied.

Death for a tank is typically going to occur right before the OT has his stacks fall off.
Having more vitality is going to help you in your survivability to tank, and the gryphon skin is not going to increase your damage capability very much with the slash buff up.

Perhaps you are forgetting that on a progression run for turn 2, you're not going to be clearing out all the nodes as you would after you've geared up.
In which case, you'll typically have defensive buffs beyond the slash one, and your DPS won't be as high either.