Minion and gear advice needed. (in General)

question 1:
I'm currently trying to decide which boots to use on my front minion. EB's seem decent so far... but im wondering if cml's or db's might work better.

I assume db's and evasion don't exactly stack linearly... ie 50 evasion and +50 dbs doesn't = -100 opponents cth?


question 2:
on my third minion, I'm considering adding higher ac... however i have no idea as to if there is a generally agreed upon good balance between hp and PL. So far I've been keeping my PL at approx 1/3 my hp. is it worth nerfing my PL for larger mitigation?

question 3:
will adding VA to my 3rd minion be too large of an xp dilution that it will completely trash my PL batteries effectiveness?

currently all opponents with DM have wasted xp vs me... i don't like opening myself up to dispels, however as my net worth increases and my toe grows, i expect to see more melee action. the majority of my battles end in ranged as it is, but I'm focusing on increasing my melee weapons effectiveness with that in mind.

From what I know (which isn't much when it comes to evasion) you will always be better off with EB's. I can't testify to that myself, obviously, but there are plenty of discussions on the issue in other threads on the forum. As for CML's... it depends on whether you have a decent evasion or not, and what sort of teams you are targeting most often. In general, I think the EB's would still suit you best.

Secondly, the higher AC on your PL minion only helps if it is being attacked directly. The only AC roll done is against the minion being struck (if I recall correctly), and this damage is then absorbed by the PL minion. So, in general, I wouldn't sacrifice too much PL by adding wall armour. But, again, I've never used a PL minion really, so somebody should probably comment.

Finally, adding VA. Well, again... But in all seriousness, I think it's a bad idea. Your XP is already quite diluted (or so it looks). Instead of VA, I'd just invest in another HoC, so that both your archers get an extra shot, instead of just one. Finally, if you aren't doing enough damage in ranged with two archers, then I doubt you will fare any better during an extended Melee (although I may be wrong - I've never run a tank). If I were you, I would concentrate on getting my ranged-round damage as high as possible.

I realise I didn't give you any real information (since I've never used the skills/setup) but maybe it will give other people a starting point to help you out (even if just by refuting my arguments ;-)

Cheers,
muon.

EBs grant defensive DX and the extra levels are also boosted in ranged, but if you have DBs in the neighborhood of 1.5-2x your evasion, then they can end up helping more.

after some testing, i tend to agree that ebs seem to work best.... im not likely to bring dbs up to a huge level anyways.

what you say about the pl minion and ac seems to make sense, im not often attacked from the rear anymore so theoretically it would only help vs magic missle.

as for the hoc thing... most of my networth and dps is invested in my middle minion. the front one is mostly utility... ie damage spread, evasion, and str drains... i intend to bring evasion to a certain point then stop, allowing his other stats to then grow at an increased rate.


either way, thank you for the input even with your limited experience involving my setup... i do appreciate it. not decking out my pl wall will better allow me to concentrate net worth on minions 1 and 2.

question 1:

unless you're going to have DBs at the top of your encumbrance limit *and* your defensive DX is bigger than most of your opponents, go with EBs. DBs are converted to an evasion level, and added to your own to figure out the final -CTH, but they have no defensive DX, AC or ranged bonuses. Besides, with an evasion tank, EBs are definitely the way to go, as they'll boost your evasion, DX, encumbrance, AC, sexiness, and defensive DX.



question 2:

AC is definitely worth the PL nerf. due to thelow XP investment necessary for a PL. Hopefully your evasion dude can at least get through most of ranged, meaning your PL is really only absorbing FBs, and taking MM shots. FBs tend to be weak, due to your damage spread and ToE, so bulking up the AC against those MM shots can't do much but help.

question 3:

Nah... Your PL dude would still work fine with VA. Keep in mind, at a certain point, PL isn't even worth the effort to train, because if they're dealing enough damage to beat it, you're screwed against their massive damage anyway and PL is a losing battle as far as that particular team goes, so ya just need to find another way to beat them. Aside from the PL, the only thing you'll have on there is HP, and after a certain point, you either have more than enough, or not nearly what you need for it's purpose. In the event of the first, training some VA could only benefit you. In the event of the second, it's not you, it's the team you are fighting that has somehow managed to avoid your tanks and deal ooty-loads of damage...



Side note: I share your fear of DM, so I've never made a team ED reliant until this one I'm messing around with now. But Protection is always a good idea considering how small the XP investment is for a decent effect. Also, now that has a weakness to DM, I see it's a lot easier to avoid than I once thought


Hope this helps! ^_^