If PvE is your focus, then the +2 con will provide more reliable survivability; since mob damage is static, you'll have more health to spare and a larger sip (in terms of absolute value). SoA is still amazing, but since it's not dependable, it shouldn't really affect what you can and can't bash.
If you plan on focusing on PvP, SoA is an extremely nice effect that can easily save your life. PvP damage in general scales to maximum health, so having more health doesn't really translate to more damage survivability. It does mean your limbs take longer to prep in most situations, though, so that can be an advantage too.
Tl;dr: I would take SoA if you're doing both PvP and PvE and +2 con if PvE only (but SoA is still great there).
SoA proc chance isn't that low so it's pretty dependable, but it only works against physical damage. Your +2 con will work against everything, and there's a lot of denizens - especially in high level areas - that don't deal (purely) physical damage.
Also, this "PvP damage scales to maximum health" thing needs addressing (again). A portion of PvP damage scales to maximum health, but how much that portion accounts for out of the total damage depends on the attack. There is, against most attacks, a very real increase in ability to survive by increasing maximum health.
I was told just yesterday SOA works against radiance for a monk, is that true? Because it blocks the damage so the kill doesn't go through? Has that changed, or is it different the armour?
SoA 100% not going to help you against radiance, or any other channeled insta-kill. None of them deal damage to kill you in functionality, and even if they did, SoA won't block it. Should name and shame whoever told you that lol.
Ah thanks. I'm not a monk, but we were talking to someone who was going invest in artie armour and the different possibilities and they were told SOA/SOA effect is not for a monk to use/wear because they will lose radiance kills over it. Thank you for the clarification, at least if the person multi-classes it won't be an issue with monk if they go that route.
Ah thanks. I'm not a monk, but we were talking to someone who was going invest in artie armour and the different possibilities and they were told SOA/SOA effect is not for a monk to use/wear because they will lose radiance kills over it. Thank you for the clarification, at least if the person multi-classes it won't be an issue with monk if they go that route.
Maybe they meant deliverance kills? I don't know how that functions alongside SoA procs that prevent the damage.
Oh yes, deliverance. That's the one. My apologies. I tend to get those two mixed up. So SOA/SOA effect does block deliverance then if it absorbs the damage?
Farrah posted a log of deliverance not going off a dragon gut attack recently because the SoA ate the attack. I would say thats not a huge concern, a monk can remove the artie armour and just wear forged leather armour before a dbomb attempt.
Even if it does prevent deliverance kills, PRY/PRYALL are balanceless, as is putting a paragon into armour. Would be better off just removing the paragon when you're putting deliverance up, then adding it back in when it drops, than using that as a reason to never bother with SoA.
You literally posted a log of @Mycen gutting your ass in Eleusis when you were trying to kill her for mark. You proc'd Deliverance, HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS?!
I was the one talking to her about this. I did say deliverance and not radiance. Do not try to be tough and think you got a 15% chance to live when radiance comes kids. I was just talking about how if you don't pry/remove armour the SoA proc would prevent you from taking damage which in turn would prevent you from killing the attacker. I think I've seen logs of this a few time as is, but I did not know that prying was balanceless.
You literally posted a log of @Mycen gutting your ass in Eleusis when you were trying to kill her for mark. You proc'd Deliverance, HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS?!
Why would I remember it? That was ages ago - like when Iakimen was still Eleusian.
Don't you mean not proccing though? I'm pretty sure she dodged it when she hit my SoA. Which is exactly what I said is how I think in works in my last post.
SoA 100% not going to help you against radiance, or any other channeled insta-kill. None of them deal damage to kill you in functionality, and even if they did, SoA won't block it. Should name and shame whoever told you that lol.
Fun fact, behead (or maybe cleave, it's been like 18 years) used to just do massive damage instead of outright killing. This was discovered when Estach tanked one, and it was changed shortly after.
SoA 100% not going to help you against radiance, or any other channeled insta-kill. None of them deal damage to kill you in functionality, and even if they did, SoA won't block it. Should name and shame whoever told you that lol.
Fun fact, behead (or maybe cleave, it's been like 18 years) used to just do massive damage instead of outright killing. This was discovered when Estach tanked one, and it was changed shortly after.
fitting that Cooper would know about near headless Nick er I mean Estach
Out of curiosity, is it possible for a blademaster to have two swords at once?
You can't perform the blade quest to forge a new blade if you already have one as a Blademaster. However, I don't know if it's possible to transfer ownership using the artefact to somebody who already owns one.
A blademaster can use any unbanded blade they pick up, it doesn't matter whose mark is on the blade. You can't band it if it's not yours though (and can't wield someone else's banded blade, like any other artefact weapon), and you can't do the quest to get a new one if you already have one.
While it's not normally possible though, there have been special cases where the admin manually changed ownership of a blade so someone else can band it.
Edit: Forgot about the new artefact to transfer ownership. I'm sure you can't transfer a banded blade, since transferring artefacts isn't allowed, but bands can be detached at any time so you can unband and then transfer ownership.
Comments
If you plan on focusing on PvP, SoA is an extremely nice effect that can easily save your life. PvP damage in general scales to maximum health, so having more health doesn't really translate to more damage survivability. It does mean your limbs take longer to prep in most situations, though, so that can be an advantage too.
Tl;dr: I would take SoA if you're doing both PvP and PvE and +2 con if PvE only (but SoA is still great there).
Also, this "PvP damage scales to maximum health" thing needs addressing (again). A portion of PvP damage scales to maximum health, but how much that portion accounts for out of the total damage depends on the attack. There is, against most attacks, a very real increase in ability to survive by increasing maximum health.
Results of disembowel testing | Knight limb counter | GMCP AB files
Results of disembowel testing | Knight limb counter | GMCP AB files
Results of disembowel testing | Knight limb counter | GMCP AB files
Edit: Ohhh. Antonius got it. That's probably true actually. I don't think deliverance kills if SoA blocks the damage.
Results of disembowel testing | Knight limb counter | GMCP AB files
You literally posted a log of @Mycen gutting your ass in Eleusis when you were trying to kill her for mark. You proc'd Deliverance, HOW DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS?!
Don't you mean not proccing though? I'm pretty sure she dodged it when she hit my SoA. Which is exactly what I said is how I think in works in my last post.
And you won't understand the cause of your grief...
...But you'll always follow the voices beneath.
Results of disembowel testing | Knight limb counter | GMCP AB files
While it's not normally possible though, there have been special cases where the admin manually changed ownership of a blade so someone else can band it.
Edit: Forgot about the new artefact to transfer ownership. I'm sure you can't transfer a banded blade, since transferring artefacts isn't allowed, but bands can be detached at any time so you can unband and then transfer ownership.