Imbuing or Runic? Huh?

[FetchChessepeake]

I haven't played in years, just getting back into the game. Ive got my Tailoring and Smithing up to 120, and as soon as the Account Center is back up, I'll be upgrading my account to SA to train Imbuing. I'm a little confused on things, though.

How is top-end armor typically made now? Do people just make a regular suit of armor and Imbue what they want? Do they use a Runic kit until they get a good base, then Imbue over it? How does that work? I understand there is a point cap that you cannot go over for Imbuing... do properties from being Runic crafted count against this cap? Same for weapons... do you typically burn a runic charge, then Imbue? Or just craft a sword and Imbue right away to tailor it to your needs?

Also, I don't think I've seen a single suit of metal armor since Ive been back... does nobody bother with it anymore?

 

[RawHeadRex]

one or the other. once you runic, you can pof it i believe but you can't imbue it. that would be epic if you could runic and then build off of the results although something tells me the 500 imbuing cap would work against you considering some resist slots would be 22+ when a runic is used. since 19 resist in fire is what ... 100 or 110 imbuing weight i forget, but if you get a resist from runic that is lets say 26, God only knows how much that would cost in imbuing weight.

 

[Basara]

The only crafted metal armor in regular use is Samurai Empire plate types made with runics (they get mage armor automatically, and since Valorite runics are minimum 85% intensity now, that can lead to some insane armor), and the ML circlet headgear (which is medable right out of the box, no mage armor needed - and it looks a hell of a lot better than a leather cap or jingasa).

Once you factor in weighted intensity, high-end Runics can make items with higher total intensity than imbuing (and those runics are a lot more common now due to BOD changes) - the problem is that the properties are random.

Weapons are often built using low end runics to get 1 or 2 properties you don't want to spend relic fragments to imbue, then imbue the rest.

If you want 140 luck, you either got to make it with a runic with the proper material, or imbue 100 luck then enhance (with a high break chance).

Similarly, one tactic for high resists is to craft in normal leather trying to get most of the Exceptional/Arms Lore bonus in 3 resists, imbue the other 2 resists and 3 other properties, then enhance (preferably using that tool from uogamecodes that makes the chance 100%).

Leather armor is base 2/4/3/3/3. The only realistic way to get any of these 20 or higher (other than using spined which is just +5 physical and 40 luck, to the detriment of everything else) is to use a runic, then imbue the other resists around it.

If you don't need medable armor (many PvM Sampire builds don't). one option is to craft runic Dragonscale and try for something that has obscene numbers (getting one resist at 27 or higher) - but you don't want to imbue it.

Imbuing can get you 95% of the way to a perfect suit (especially when factoring in non-crafted stuff aka artifacts), and that 95% is good enough for 99% of play. It's trying to get that last bit towards the ultimate suit that requires straight up runics with no imbuing involved, that you can do at your own pace while using the suit as-is.

 

[FetchChessepeake]

Thanks for the info, very helpful.

 

[Aragoni]

Samurai Empire Plate Exeptional Meditable

Can you enhance it after crafted white valorite runic ore what make this so great ??

White Verite ignots you have the same resie as barbed exeptional (47) and only 1 point more white valorite ignots (48).
Thats can t make it to use the valorite runic hammer only if you see the risk to get 5 from 5 propertis right placed at 100% intensity all.

 

[Basara]

Valorite Samurai Plate made with a valorite runic has the following:

Five Properties at 85-100% Intensity
Mage Armor as a SIXTH property
Base of 48 resists (not counting resists that result from properties).

It's more of a style thing, than anything. Many persons playing warriors thing that the idea of a Knight or Samurai wearing the same leather armor as common thieves and peasant fighters is totally out of character - and they're right. Historically, many of those types would have fought NAKED before they'd wear the armor of commoners.

There's also the fact that 5 properties at 85% (if you rolled minimum on all 5) would, in most cases, STILL be greater than the 500% weighted intensity limit you'd run into imbuing a piece of leather armor (as most of the non-resist properties are weighted at 1.1 or higher - some as high as 1.4).

Other benefits include that since it's not imbued armor, you can repair it (and powder it, if the maximum durability runs low) FOREVER.

 

[semmerset]

If the suit as thinking it is made, it is imbuing.
There is a possibility to exceed total property weight when runic is used.

When only one piece, it is felt that runic is better.
There is often what for runic's cannot be used because often doing the balance is necessary for suits, too.
If you have the very good one, supplementing with imbuing based on it might be good.


weapon
Valorite runic hammer use weapon have 6 property(5 property and damage).
Whether the good one can be done is depending on the fate.
Usually I make many relic.....
I think that imbuing is good if it is things except valorite runic hammer's leafbrade of ease.
elemental weapon with imblung is very strong.

 

[Basara]

The best balance for armor is to make one or two pieces that are better than Imbuing can make, possibly adding in an artifact or two, then Imbue the remaining pieces to fit around it.

For example, my fisher/mage uses

1 SA artifact drop (tunic)
1 Fishing rare (legs)
1 Treasures of Tokuno major (Kasa/hat)
1 Runic crafted item (gloves with 82 resist and high LRC)
1 Imbued armor item (sleeves)
1 Recipe item (Pendant of the Magi - and my resists are still nearly all 70s)
1 Doom Artifact (Ornament of the Magi)
1 Imbued ring (that, since most of the mage-related stuff hit cap on the armor, actually has 15% Physical on it to compensate for when I have to use protection at spawns)
1 SA paragon drop (Tangle)
1 ML paragon drop (Totem of the Void)
Snakeskin boots (to get my one resist below 70 up to the high 60s)
Nocturne Earrings (because I REFUSE to make the character an elf, for RP reasons) - otherwise I could get earrings to get to all-70.
Event Robe (gypsy version halloween robe)
either one of the ranger event cloaks or a quiver of Infinity (for when I want to supplement my summons with arrow damage, or have to deal with having to mana dump even at 145 mana and 40% LMC)

It's a near-perfect mage suit that is only short of perfection because I refuse to compromise on my race choice.