What a month it's been already for gear, and we're only 2 days in!!!!
Let's recap. If we include last month, a few new Shuffle pieces have entered the arena, as well as a new Sidekick given in raids and as a special award for Trick or Treat Hosts that gave generously. Let's take a look at those 1st, starting with the new SK.
Pumpkin Lord
I'll be honest. Competitively, it isn't an uber piece of gear. It's ok but certainly not a must have. Only a few players got it from the raids. Most that did acquire it got it as a reward for treat gifting during the Trick or Treat event. Let's be real. Most of those guys have better Sidekicks, or at least can afford them. Now, despite not being a Sidekick I would use during serious competitive play, I still had to have it because I'm probably HR's biggest Halloween fan, and it's a pumpkin. One of my Halloween personas is a Jack-o-lantern Lich. But for those who are short on Sidekicks, it's not a bad one either. It's better than most of the SKs one gets from the 50 day login, with Orcus possibly being the one exception. It is also superior to most of the other Sidekicks acquired through AMA or Raids, with Fides and Crimson edging him out only because of their Poison effects. The only other 2 SKs that I can say are better would be E.B. and Werewolf, both of which could be argued to the contrary. Which brings us to our next piece.
Werewolf
I have to say this is definitely one of the best Sidekicks to hit the game. And it is easily accessible to everyone. With a hefty amount of Plus damage, and a healthy dose of Stun and Block Redux, this SK is the gift that keeps on giving. I wouldn't be opposed to filling every SK slot with just multiples of this guy.
OB-1
Another SK to hit the game last month was OB-1. This guy will find more value in limited deck events like Duels, thanks to his +1000 Att. But even outside of short deck events, this SK packs a punch with 20 damage, and keeps your toon healthy longer with his Regeneration abilities. This SK will serve lower levels better than higher level players, but is still great in any toon's arsenal, especially in multiples.
Tribal Goblin
One last SK to hit the arena this past month was Tribal Goblin. With only 5 stun really going for him, he won't be that useful in unlimited deck fights. However, his 3500 Def will help out very low level toons and provide hard to come by Def stats to any toon for limited deck events. Honestly, unless you just don't have anything else to go for, or are building specifically for Duels, I would avoid this 50 Day reward in favor of others. If you need a SK, take a look at Orcus. In my opinion, Orcus is the best SK from the 50 Day Login rewards.
Grimdark Walkers
These boots are found in the Shuffle. I will do a separate article on the Shuffle, but for now wanted to draw special attention to this piece of gear. With a drop rate of 0.5%, this will not be a common piece, nor will it be easy to get. But if you can, I suggest you do. This is truly an epic piece of gear. It is one of two pieces of gear that should have everyone excited, with the other being the new Raid core we'll be discussing a little later. It provides 4 stats, 2 of which are in phenomenal quantities. With 18% Move and 12 Poison, that alone is enough for me to want it on my toon. But on top of that, it also has Block Steal and a little bit of Life. Honestly, if this were a LWs prize, I would be tripping the Mayor in front of Grizzly Bears to get it.
Frozen Gauntlets
Found alongside Jack's Icy Gaze, the Frozen Gauntlets are found in the Abominable Yetti Raid. These arms offer Move Redux. That means every time that effect goes off, it gets easier to hit your opponent next time. With a healthy dose of Plus Damage and Aura Damage, this arm is always hitting hard, even when it isn't hitting.
Bone Claws
Found in the Skelanimal Raid, these are great for the free or budget player, and even some niche builds. It certainly isn't a bad piece. It gives a nice bit of Plus Damage and 2x Damage, as well as adds % Def, which scales up as your stats do. So this piece is good at any level.
Bone Bound Chest
We don't get a lot of choices when it comes to cores, so we usually take what we can get. But this is no mere filler piece. Found in the Skelanimal Raid, this is, without a doubt in my mind, THE best core in the game. It breaks away from traditional resistance, only resisting Physical, and only for 20, but holy cow are its other stats are sick. At 18% Block Steal, this can quickly turn a fight around by flipping the script on your opponent when it comes to stats. Furthermore, the 12 Poison is HUGE. Coupled with the Grimdark Walkers mentioned earlier, and now you're running 1 in 4 odds of poisoning your opponent, each hit. And once they're poisoned, unless they have the proper counter measures, they have 10 steps to figure out how to beat you or they're dead. Even alcoholics get 12 steps.
AMA Scrapyard
Another big addition this past month was the switching out of AMA gear with a fresh new set. I have to say, I'm really impressed with this batch of AMA options. Aside from gear and a new card, Raid Tokens can also be found there. Now, before we move on, AMA gear will rarely make it into a pay player's arsenal. So my value for them diminishes greatly from other sources of gear. Still, there are some nice pieces in there, and for some of you, they may be your best options. That said, you might find more value in these than I do. Let's take a look, shall we? Just remember, I am measuring all gear against all other gear. So MP gear will usually always get a better critique, while "free" gear will ofen get a worse one.
Lives Counter
Poison has long been considered OP, especially against toons that put a lot of skill points and gear into Life. For a long time, there has been little in the way of countermeasures. The Lives Counter fills this role on a budget by providing an MP free option to resist Poison. It is further made valuable for high life toons, those most prone to have poison used against them, by adding 4% Life, a stat that only continues to improve as a toon's base Life stat improves.
Obsidian Ring
The Obsidian Ring brings a new option to Stun Resist. Previously only found in 3 head gear, 1 crystal core, and 1 Mission/Patrol leg, having one in the very versatile position of a ring slot brings more versatility to your builds. The resist is only 8, but you have 10 ring slots to work with at current max limits. Add in the +4 Regeneration and this isn't a bad ring to fill out one's Stun Resist needs. This ring also plays well in limited deck events thanks to the 1000 Def it provides.
Keradon
This Sidekick is 1 of 3 in the AMA store right now. It does provide constant residual damage in the form of 7 Tech Aura. To be completely honest, this is a budget player's SK. I would get it only because I had extra AMA and needed to fill a Sidekick slot. The 2X Dam is nice, but imo, if one wishes to include X Damage, they should focus on 3X. 2X Damage should only play a part as extra insurance that some kind of damage multiplier will go off if the 3X fails. It still might make for good use among lower level players that can more easily accumulate useful quantities of 2X damage than they can 3X, but imo I would go after the 50 Day Login Orcus before I went after this one.
Red Ant
The only thing that maes me turn my eye to this SK at all is that it is Mental, and as far as today goes, the Mental SKs are few and far between. The initiative is negligible. It does decent damage, but unless you just need a Mental SK, there are plenty of better options.
Shocklite
While I am a fan of 3X Damage, at a mere 2% proc rate, it doesn't do much to move the likelihood of your 3X going off. Even if you put 5 of them on, that's still only 10%. That's a lot of space for 10% 3X Damage. It does add an additional, but minor Plus Damage of 6, but even that doesn't help make this much better.
Chainmail Kilt
For a non MP piece of gear, this really isn't that bad. It does have some good use, just not in lieu of other options. The combined Initiative and Disrupt Aura do give it value, despite the Move modifier being fairly low. Being a blanket Aura resist, it has broad value, usable against more opponents than specific Aura type resists. I think this piece can find use in any player's arsenal.
Coil Helm
For a "free" gear, this one certainly is nice. It packs a solid amount of Plus Damage for a "free" piece. Add in some decent Def Redux and this piece is really effective for the cost. Alot of MP monsters will pass this one up, but if you're not one of those, I suggest adding this to your arsenal. Not a premier piece, but definitely has value in niche uses.
Silver Hook
ARRRRRRR!!!! You know a former Pirate King is going to love anything to do with Pirates. But even if it was the Wristwatch of Mr. Magoo, I'd still like this arm. This arm provides a healthy dose of Def Redux AND a healthy dose of 3X Damage. That alone has me looking at Justin and crew with the thought they had me and my build style in mind when they created it. Add in a little Plus Damage and this gear is over the top. I can definitely see it being a staple in many player's builds, mine included.
Steal Greaves
This piece is missing a staple in legs, Movement. But what it's lacking, it makes up for in a very high Def modifier, and phenomenal Mental resist for a "free" piece. I won't say I would put it in regular use, but against specific opponents, that high a Mental resist could come in handy in a leg slot. I will likely add a few of them to my arsenal, just in case an opponent with heavy Mental Damage gets a little too hard to beat. I do think this one should be in everyone's arsenal if they can afford it, but only as an option and only after they have acquired those gear pieces they will be using regularly. This is a niche piece, but a good one.
Well, I hope this Gear Talk has been useful to you. I will discuss the Shuffle further next week. Till then, keep grinding!
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