• Hail Guest!
    We're looking for Community Content Contribuitors to Stratics. If you would like to write articles, fan fiction, do guild or shard event recaps, it's simple. Find out how in this thread: Community Contributions
  • Greetings Guest, Having Login Issues? Check this thread!
  • Hail Guest!,
    Please take a moment to read this post reminding you all of the importance of Account Security.
  • Hail Guest!
    Please read the new announcement concerning the upcoming addition to Stratics. You can find the announcement Here!

So looking at these refinements - is ANYONE going to actually use them?

LetheGL

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I plan on using them on some pvm suits. Increase resist caps on templates that rarely get hit (thrower, luck suits for tamer, stealth mystic) and a necro spawner where you generally take more damage from ranged spells/fire breath etc. than melee. Max DCI on a couple stone form dexers. Will every temp benefit from refining? Probably not, but they are still useful.
 

weins201

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Rem this just adjusts the CAPS and has nothing - NOTHING at all to do with actual resist or DCI it is just the POSSIBLE caps for each :p
 

Vexxed

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I plan on using them on some pvm suits. Increase resist caps on templates that rarely get hit (thrower, luck suits for tamer, stealth mystic) and a necro spawner where you generally take more damage from ranged spells/fire breath etc. than melee. Max DCI on a couple stone form dexers. Will every temp benefit from refining? Probably not, but they are still useful.
Heck... I was thinking about having multiple pieces for a PvP Mage suit just so I could switch it up for Higher DCI if I happen to be fighting all Dexxers or Higher Resists probably just Fire Resist if I happen to be fighting all mages. What's a few extra pc's in your backpack for the right situation?
 

Vexxed

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Rem this just adjusts the CAPS and has nothing - NOTHING at all to do with actual resist or DCI it is just the POSSIBLE caps for each :p
Some of us don't find that HARD to remember..... the part I find amusing is that even if you couldn't remember which way it worked Id figure most people would assume they wouldn't give you anything for FREE heh.
 

weins201

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Heck... I was thinking about having multiple pieces for a PvP Mage suit just so I could switch it up for Higher DCI if I happen to be fighting all Dexxers or Higher Resists probably just Fire Resist if I happen to be fighting all mages. What's a few extra pc's in your backpack for the right situation?

CANNOT BE USED ON MEDABLE PIECES so if your mage doesn't use meditation ( I doubt) go for it.
 

Vexxed

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
CANNOT BE USED ON MEDABLE PIECES so if your mage doesn't use meditation ( I doubt) go for it.
Heh.. My "Mage" in question is a Myst Mage rocking Focus / Studded & 55% LMC.. but yea I agree a standard Med Mage cannot make use of them. The 55% LMC is roughly a 33% decrease in Mana expenditure so you can come fairly close to the same spell spamming as a Med Mage.
 

Frarc

Stratics Legend
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
??? Did they allow studded armor to break the LMC Cap of 40%? Did I miss that one?
Yes, Studded can go over the 40% Cap.


Armor Inherent Lower Mana Cost

Each piece of non medable armor will provide lower mana cost with the exception of woodland armor. Each piece of armor up to five pieces will provide a percentage which is not subject to the lower mana cost cap of 40. The armor pieces which provide the most lower mana cost will take priority.
  1. Platemail, ringmail, chainmail, and dragon armor provides 1% of lower mana cost per piece.
  2. Studded leather, hide armor, stone armor and bone armor provides 3% of lower mana cost per piece.
 

DJAd

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Heh.. My "Mage" in question is a Myst Mage rocking Focus / Studded & 55% LMC.. but yea I agree a standard Med Mage cannot make use of them. The 55% LMC is roughly a 33% decrease in Mana expenditure so you can come fairly close to the same spell spamming as a Med Mage.
I'm thinking about trying this out. My Mystic mage has focus but no med so the studded with 3% LMC per part is tempting to try.
 

swroberts

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
To make this really viable, they either need....
1. Give inherent DCI onrefined suits(like the lmc)
OR
2. Allow suit pieces to be imbued with up to the 5 or so DCI
 

DJAd

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
or maybe enhancing a suit with Blackrock could give +5 DCI
This is kinda what I was hoping they might do with dragon scales. Say for example you craft a leather tunic. You then reforge or imbue the mods you want, then you can enhance with dragon scales. They could add similar mods like there is with some of the different types of wood. Like you say, 5 DCI and stuff like that.
 

swroberts

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I believe the DCI is capped at 65%...so that is 4 pieces at 5 refinements(maybe) or 5 pieces at 4 refinements, leaving 1 or 2 spots for fey leggings or glasses.

Where I see the most beneft (since I am the kind of guy to have a specific weapon for every named monster in the game) is to build a specific suit for a Boss.

For me, since I like to spend my time soloing Medusa, I would build a suit lowering cold/poison damage on 5 pieces, raising DCI by 10 points. I would then use the steel reading glasses or night eyes to bump up my DCI. Now I have a suit that has 70's where needed and 55% DCI.

I would then build suits for each peerless/champion under the same model.

There sre some bosses like the Dark Father, Slasher, Harrower that have 20% damage across the boards, but you cannot win them all.

I am really hoping that exodus only hits damage in 3 of the elements, because he is where I have the most trouble.
 

Lynk

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I use the refinements. I would use them more if you could apply to medable armor. I think it was thought out well.

Example: All of my elf pvp dexers are now 70/75/70/70/70 with 45 dci. I think that is prett sweet.
 

Obsidian

Crazed Zealot
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
To make this really viable, they either need....
1. Give inherent DCI onrefined suits(like the lmc)
OR
2. Allow suit pieces to be imbued with up to the 5 or so DCI
You can reforge 5% DCI on armor. But I agree, I was hoping a material would have added 5% DCI like Heartwood can add 5% HCI.
 

Orkster

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Okay i have a simple question and sure I wont get a simple answer. I play UO for fun not math calculations, spreadsheets and number crunching. My question is what is better 5% Physical Resist or 5% DCI in PVM?
 

cazador

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Okay i have a simple question and sure I wont get a simple answer. I play UO for fun not math calculations, spreadsheets and number crunching. My question is what is better 5% Physical Resist or 5% DCI in PVM?
You need both..
 

swroberts

Journeyman
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
You can reforge 5% DCI on armor. But I agree, I was hoping a material would have added 5% DCI like Heartwood can add 5% HCI.
What is the selection for 5% DCI on Armor....

Hoping it is better than the random Heartwood enhancement
 

Orkster

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
You need both..
Ummmm okay thank you for that?! :rolleyes: Now back to the original question regarding Physical Resist vs DCI. I know I need both and I do. Im wondering when fighting a monster that does Physical damage attacks if 75% Physical Resist and 40 DCI is better then 65% Physical Resist vs 50% DCI.
 

cazador

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Ummmm okay thank you for that?! :rolleyes: Now back to the original question regarding Physical Resist vs DCI. I know I need both and I do. Im wondering when fighting a monster that does Physical damage attacks if 75% Physical Resist and 40 DCI is better then 65% Physical Resist vs 50% DCI.
That isn't what you asked I'm sorry for the misunderstanding I thought you were just asking in general to get 5% additional DCI or 5% physical..my bad I misunderstood..
75 physical is nice but when you think about It in retrospect you'd probably be better off going 70/65/65/65/65 with 20 extra DCI and going parry and HLA..if its a physical MOB your going up against..and vice versa the opposite
 

Zeke

Certifiable
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
What is the selection for 5% DCI on Armor....

Hoping it is better than the random Heartwood enhancement
5 DCI can be added to armor via Reforging. Craft an Exceptional Iron/Normal Leather/Reg Wood armor piece. Reforge with a low end Runic (DC/Shad Iron or Oak or Spined kit) using 4 charges (set Powerful Re-Forging, Grand Artifice, Inspired Artifice) and click on Choose Name 1 - on the Name page choose Towering /of Aegis. You will either get 4 or 5 DCI or Casting Focus (not something you want). I usually make 4 or 5 of the Armor Piece then reforge all of them. Once you have the property you want, you then Enhance it with special materials (Val, Ag, Barbed, etc). Watch it Poof when you fail and try another. Once you get the enhanced one you want, powder it and then imbue the rest of the properties you want. I can easily go thru 2 or 3 Runic hammers making 1 suit.
Link to reforging
 
Last edited:

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Ummmm okay thank you for that?! :rolleyes: Now back to the original question regarding Physical Resist vs DCI. I know I need both and I do. Im wondering when fighting a monster that does Physical damage attacks if 75% Physical Resist and 40 DCI is better then 65% Physical Resist vs 50% DCI.
It's not that important. Just pick one, see how it works. If you play to have fun not "use spreadsheets" it doesn't really matter.
 

Gorbs

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
5 DCI can be added to armor via Reforging. Craft an Exceptional Iron/Normal Leather/Reg Wood armor piece. Reforge with a low end Runic (DC/Shad Iron or Oak or Spined kit) using 4 charges (set Powerful Re-Forging, Grand Artifice, Inspired Artifice) and click on Choose Name 1 - on the Name page choose Towering /of Aegis. You will either get 4 or 5 DCI or Casting Focus (not something you want). I usually make 4 or 5 of the Armor Piece then reforge all of them...
This is important advice. Sometimes the RNG will decide to just kick you in the teeth. On the suit I was building last weekend I managed to waste 10 consecutive pieces where the RNG decided I should get casting focus instead of DCI. I was using shadow runics. I know I was unlucky...but it adds to the fun of spreadsheets online.
 

Orkster

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
That isn't what you asked I'm sorry for the misunderstanding I thought you were just asking in general to get 5% additional DCI or 5% physical..my bad I misunderstood..
75 physical is nice but when you think about It in retrospect you'd probably be better off going 70/65/65/65/65 with 20 extra DCI and going parry and HLA..if its a physical MOB your going up against..and vice versa the opposite
I think that is good idea if i do get into refinement. For how i play the loss of 5 points in each resist would be worth the extra 20 points in DCI. Im currently at 50 DCI with a 45 DCI cap and know i could squeak another 15 points in but 20 would be tough. Anyways thanks for the info!
 

Orkster

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
It's not that important. Just pick one, see how it works. If you play to have fun not "use spreadsheets" it doesn't really matter.
What part is not important 75 Resist vs 40 DCI or 65 Resist vs 50 DCI or a 5% swing either way wont be noticeable? "Just picking one,see how it works" seems like a very uneducated suggestion seeing whats involved in trying one over the other. My current suit has a 45 DCI cap but 50 DCI points and don't want to waste time trying to refine my suit if not needed. Just looking for an educated comment if its something to pursue.
 

cdavbar

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
5 DCI can be added to armor via Reforging. Craft an Exceptional Iron/Normal Leather/Reg Wood armor piece. Reforge with a low end Runic (DC/Shad Iron or Oak or Spined kit) using 4 charges (set Powerful Re-Forging, Grand Artifice, Inspired Artifice) and click on Choose Name 1 - on the Name page choose Towering /of Aegis. You will either get 4 or 5 DCI or Casting Focus (not something you want). I usually make 4 or 5 of the Armor Piece then reforge all of them. Once you have the property you want, you then Enhance it with special materials (Val, Ag, Barbed, etc). Watch it Poof when you fail and try another. Once you get the enhanced one you want, powder it and then imbue the rest of the properties you want. I can easily go thru 2 or 3 Runic hammers making 1 suit.
Link to reforging
Depending on what your doing you actually want to do this: Craft Piece, Reforge to the mods you want, powder, imbue, then enhance (and watch it poof unless you use forge tool). Certain this can sometimes give you an extra mod or mods, or over-cap certain mods especially on woodland armor. You can then use refinements last depending on what you are wanting to do with your armor.
 
Last edited:

popps

Always Present
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Perhaps it would be helpfull to many players if someone knowledged with all of the new updates and modifications to armor and weaponry crafting could write a new Essay on Stratics (or update the existing ones modifying/updating the pertaining sections...) to guide players through all of the new changes ?

Personally, what I find particularly confusing is the making of choices like deciding whether resists or DCI is more important and in what instances and for what amounts and so forth.....

Clearly, having more of both would ideally seem the best option but if one had to choose, is it better to have more resists or more DCI ? To what extent ? In what situations ?
 

Uvtha

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
What part is not important 75 Resist vs 40 DCI or 65 Resist vs 50 DCI or a 5% swing either way wont be noticeable? "Just picking one,see how it works" seems like a very uneducated suggestion seeing whats involved in trying one over the other. My current suit has a 45 DCI cap but 50 DCI points and don't want to waste time trying to refine my suit if not needed. Just looking for an educated comment if its something to pursue.
Well on one hand you are complaining about the complexities of the game, then on the other you are rejecting advice to just ignore them and do what you claim you want to do "have fun", because I assure you spreadsheets are not require to do anything other than max out your suit to the extreme. Something you in no way need to do to "have fun" and experience all content outside of maybe pvp or melee soloing bosses.

If you want advice on taking part in the complexities you don't even enjoy, be more specific. What exactly are you looking to build a suit to fight? If you are looking for a general suit tweak, one not tailored to a specific monster, it depends. Are you an elf? Why is the resist you want to drop physical? Are you doing melee or ranged? PVP or PVM?

The question physical resist or dci does not provide enough information with which to make a useful judgment. With that basic question neither is really better. PROBABLY resist, but its not clear cut.

In general:
If you are an elf, drop energy 5 and up DCI 5 for 50. If you want 55, drop cold to 65. If you want 60 drop cold and poison to 65. Or do something like 50DCI 65/75/65/65/75.
If you are a human, I would leave it how it is, or do something like above. Fire and Energy are the most common spell damage types, and physical is the most common physical. Go from there. Just requires that you think about it a bit, and if you can handle basic addition and subtraction in your head you should be fine.

OR if you were happy with the way the game was 2 weeks ago, just leave your character how it was and go about your business.

For a specific encounter tell us the monster, and we will be better able to help you more specifically.

And just to clarify I have never sniffed a spreadsheet or even a calculator to play this game, or figure out any of the above. It's NOT that complex...
 

MissEcho

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Yes, Studded can go over the 40% Cap.


Armor Inherent Lower Mana Cost

Each piece of non medable armor will provide lower mana cost with the exception of woodland armor. Each piece of armor up to five pieces will provide a percentage which is not subject to the lower mana cost cap of 40. The armor pieces which provide the most lower mana cost will take priority.
  1. Platemail, ringmail, chainmail, and dragon armor provides 1% of lower mana cost per piece.
  2. Studded leather, hide armor, stone armor and bone armor provides 3% of lower mana cost per piece.
So does this mean if I wear 5 pieces of 'studded armor' ( gorget, gloves, bustier, sleeves, leggings) I will gain 15 LMC towards my cap? Making the cap on that particular character 55 LMC?

Can I then make these bits mage armor?
 
Last edited:

Frarc

Stratics Legend
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
So does this mean if I wear 5 pieces of 'studded armor' ( gorget, gloves, bustier, sleeves, leggings) I will gain 15 LMC towards my cap? Making the cap on that particular character 55 LMC?

Can I then make these bits mage armor?
The 15% will go over the cap but only if it stays non medable armor

As soon you make it mage armor it looses the 3% LMC a piece.

The Extra LMC a piece is only for non medable armor.
 
Last edited:

Obsidian

Crazed Zealot
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
I use the refinements. I would use them more if you could apply to medable armor. I think it was thought out well.

Example: All of my elf pvp dexers are now 70/75/70/70/70 with 45 dci. I think that is prett sweet.
How do you add a resist and remove a resist from the same piece?
 

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Now that I've finally collected enough to work with, I'm running into this myself. Applying modifications resets all others that have been applied?
Yes. When I was messing around with this on TC, each time you applied plating, thread, or resin to a piece of nonmeddable armor, it completely replaced the modifications you got from the previous application.
 

MissEcho

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I use the refinements. I would use them more if you could apply to medable armor. I think it was thought out well.

Example: All of my elf pvp dexers are now 70/75/70/70/70 with 45 dci. I think that is prett sweet.
Could you explain how you have increased your resistance to fire to 75, plus retained 45 dci. My understanding is that if you increase the cap on one (ie resists) then the cap on the other is reduced (ie dci).

It appears that you have increased your resists without penalty to the DCI.
 

Obsidian

Crazed Zealot
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Campaign Supporter
Could you explain how you have increased your resistance to fire to 75, plus retained 45 dci. My understanding is that if you increase the cap on one (ie resists) then the cap on the other is reduced (ie dci).

It appears that you have increased your resists without penalty to the DCI.
Lynk implies it is possible to reduce an elf's base energy resist from 75 to 70 and at the same time increase fire base resist from 70 t0 75. Thus there is an even exchange in resists and any affect on DCI has a net change of 0.
 

cdavbar

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Lynk implies it is possible to reduce an elf's base energy resist from 75 to 70 and at the same time increase fire base resist from 70 t0 75. Thus there is an even exchange in resists and any affect on DCI has a net change of 0.
This
 

NuSair

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
nm... 2 days without sleep makes me stupid.
 
Last edited:

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I'm confused now too after having a little time to think about what Lynk said. I double checked on Test Center and it's still working such that when you apply a second or subsequent refinement to a piece, it wipes out what you did previously. So I'm confused on how you could get +1 fire resist cap and -1 energy resist cap and get offsetting Max DCI adjustments on one piece, unless the publish that hit production shards is different than what's on Test Center OR I'm just not being creative enough in thinking about how to do this.

I first applied Scoured Plating of Defense to raise the fire resist cap by 1% and drop the Max DCI by 1%.

chainmail refinement 1.jpg

Then I applied Polished Plating of Defense to the same piece to drop the energy resist cap by 1% and raise the Max DCI by 1%. But this application overwrote the first application, as I expected.

chainmail refinement 2.jpg

But again, this was on Test Center tonight and maybe things aren't working the same way on the other shards. I'm having trouble figuring out what he did. Hopefully he'll provide more details. I'm confused. I don't have any offsetting types of refinement components anywhere on a regular shard to mess with.
 

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Okay, I think I might be on to something, but holy cow you'd need 6 invulnerability-level refinement components to do it.

I forgot that the resist modifications are cut off at 5 in either direction, but the DCI adjustment isn't. So the resist modifications on the 6th piece wouldn't count, but the DCI adjustment would.

Edited to add: Still not sure that works. Grrr.
 
Last edited:

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
All right, if you used Defense-level components on 3 pieces and raise the fire resist cap only on each cap, you'll end up with a total of +3% to your fire resist cap and a total of -3% to Max DCI. Then do the other 3 pieces and drop the energy resist cap only, so you have -3% total to the energy resist cap and +3% Max DCI. The DCI adjustments cancel each other out and you get 73% fire resist cap and 72% energy resist cap (if an elf).

Maybe that's what Lynk meant, i.e., 70/73/70/70/72 for resist caps? You can't use the refinement components on jewelry. They only work on nonmeddable armor.
 

NuSair

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I figure if I am going to use it, it will be for making suits for specific encounters.

Going to spend some time getting up resources to take out some ships, doing tmaps, ect, build up a stock and then see what I have.
 

The Zog historian

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I use the refinements. I would use them more if you could apply to medable armor. I think it was thought out well.

Example: All of my elf pvp dexers are now 70/75/70/70/70 with 45 dci. I think that is prett sweet.
We're still waiting for your explanation as to how you accomplished that. What you claim you did does not appear to be possible.
 

Quickblade

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
I dont think Lynk actually made the change but wishes it would work, but apparently its not possible.
 

cazador

Grand Inquisitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Ya could be a mistake but I'm pretty sure DCI would have to be 40
 
Top