Please add STR to Fending accessories

[TruebladeNuke]

If I had a dollar for every single time this debate popped up...

I'm almost inclined to agree with the OP on this. Add like 50% of the strength bonus stat from slaying accessories to the fending accessories. That way, while you won't get as much of a STR increase as you would from slaying accessories, you're STILL getting a STR increase. But even if SE did that, I imagine these threads around "VIT vs STR" would still be cropping up like mad.

Personally, I keep both sets on me so that I can adjust accordingly, going with mostly fending by default since I'm often in PUGs and don't know how good that random healer is until I've checked both their gear and how they operate. And even then, crap can happen on a whims notice.

... but that's just me. You guys go ahead and keep arguing about this. I'll just go get my popcorn over here...

[Giantbane]

In my opinion, the crafted accs are too OP and should be toned down.

The crafted accessories are what tanks *like* to wear. It's always useful in all content and when you upgrade, it's a noticeable upgrade in all aspects.

The fending stuff has a real limited usefulness. A lot of times, you get it, break it out for a few high end fights and then swap to something else for a lot of the easier content (whether that's a few pieces or all of it). When you get the upgrades, it's like /shrug I have a few more hp.

The fending stuff is good for more HP, but that extra HP is mostly wasted outside of anything that's not top tier content. For the majority of things you might be doing (daily runs, hunts, helping guildies on lower tier content, etc) you're probably going to swap out to more STR.

Right now, a WAR can outdps most DPS if in full strength and dps stance. We were at BisEX and cleared it with a WAR who was in all vit. Afterward, they challenged our lowest DPS to a DPS off at Bismark EX for like 200k gil I think. They swapped to STR accs and beat out all DPS. However, we weren't able to clear due to both the WAR not wearing Vit + using DPS stance and the healers unable to compensate. If he was wearing vit/str pentameld, it would have been way too OP. (Granted this particular WAR is an amazing player).

If a tank job can wear all STR gear and beat DPS jobs, that's problem with job balance, not gear balance.

Of course, that's assuming the DPS all had equal quality gear, played their job optimally, still got beat by the WAR AND that the parser was correctly picking up everybody's DPS. The parsers have had issues in the past, and with all the new Heavensward skills, I'm a little reluctant to trust them just yet.

I mean, it would be different if there was an official parser you could use for yourself only that would give you an accurate idea of how much DPS *you* were doing, but that's another thread

Of course you'll note that this *problem* WAR was wearing neither crafted nor fending accessories, but full STR accessories. Crafted does not provide that much STR and if you added 50% STR on fending, it would provide even less.

[Giantbane]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe your not that good and that is why you cannot fathom what other tanks are doing on a day to day basis?

My DPS do 900-1000 consistently.

The various tank rotations are super difficult. If you're barely using any enmity skills, then the only way you can mathematically hold threat vs. a DPS class is if you're doing more damage than them or they're not attacking the same thing you are.

[Dererk]

Tanks are there to tank. I don't see the need for strength other than to power your way through content quickly which isn't really necessary if you have good DPS.

I think most people forget the better a tanks dos is the better their hate gain. So yes they should put str on right side gear for fending stuff or just put back in enmity boosts on tank gear.


And I will not spend Gil on crafted junk that will be useless in 2 patches.

[Cinicus]

You say that but the tanks that stack strength instead of vitality say otherwise. Having both would end the debate between the two but at the same time would take away build creativity.

Not that other jobs really have much build creativity though anyway so I don't see why adding a little bit of strength would be a problem.

And here is the real issue ladies and gentlemen....there is NO class creativity /sadface. its just a game of clones....but its still pretty fun...but oh man if you could have some creative control over more than just glamour....

[lawlHT]

And here is the real issue ladies and gentlemen....there is NO class creativity /sadface. its just a game of clones....but its still pretty fun...but oh man if you could have some creative control over more than just glamour....

You'd still end up with people finding the very best possible load out and then everyone would copy that. Creativity in builds is just an illusion of choice, there's still a best setup and everything else is suboptimal

[Tyrial]

Tanks are there to tank. I don't see the need for strength other than to power your way through content quickly which isn't really necessary if you have good DPS.

Tanks that stack nothing but VIT are far less effective at their job than those who opt for more ideal stats. You only need as much VIT as is required to hit the safe number for HP for any given encounter, every point after that number is wasted and would be better spent on STR to not only increase your threat output but also help kill things faster. The higher your threat, the more a DPS can push their damage without fear of ripping a mob or boss off you.

[Fynlar]

Except that a tank that can tank while wearing strength gear and not die is still better.

Even then, not necessarily true. A tank foregoing HP and other defensive measures tends to require more careful maintenance from the healers, lessening their own opportunity to deal damage. And trust me, as a WHM myself, I can see the difference between a VIT-geared tank playing defensively and a STR-geared tank who isn't (prime example: WARs who never use Storm's Path on single/boss encounters, citing DPS loss as their reason why)

Tanks would do well to consider their situations carefully rather than just going balls to the wall DPS on everything.

[Ibi]

The crafted accessories are what tanks *like* to wear. It's always useful in all content and when you upgrade, it's a noticeable upgrade in all aspects.

Speaking only for myself, the Slaying stuff is what I like to wear, but occasionally I have to compromise for my healers.

That aside, of course the crafted accessories are what tanks "like to wear". I'd like to wear any item that had almost double the stats of the instance drops at its level, and significantly more stats than items 40+ ilvl higher.

[Tyrial]

Snip.

If it's a good WAR that knows what they're doing Storm's Path goes up for big hits, otherwise it's Butcher's Block and Storm's Eye combos to maintain DPS and threat. BB and SE are the two highest potency combos. I can go into just about any Alex floor at present and pull higher DPS than the majority of the DPS in the run while still tanking just fine and not giving healers a heart attack. This is while dancing between Defiance and Deliverance as the situation dictates.