Most Useful Items

[Vicious Love]

jeffr said:
What if the conceptual balance mod is in place? Then the Wraith Sword and Blood Sword are no longer no brainers. Jade Armor and Boots of Flying are also a little more expensive.

What would you use then?

Ugh. The one thing I dislike about Zen's mod is how it handles lifedrain weapons. I agree both items could use a nerf, but removing strength from the equation is just plain conceptually dissonant.

That nonwithstanding, I imagine I'd typically use a Sword of Quickness(or even a Wave Breaker), particularly on an SC with astral magic or easy access to Weapons of Sharpness. This is much less of a no-brainer than a lifedrain weapon, though, and there are countless situations that might call for a different loadout. Herald Lances(as well as Flambeaus) obviously have their uses, as do Duskdaggers, Fire Brands(fire resistance and armor piercing, not half bad), Faithfuls(for freeing up a misc or shield slot) and Elf Banes. Not that I have any idea what changes Zen's mod makes to any of these weapons. On the bright side, if Zen's actually managed to strike a balance, this whole question of "the most useful items" is moot, innit?

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'm disinclined to use Jade Armor in the first place. When I do opt for it, it's usually on a bona fide SC, so I doubt a bit of a price hike would change much. Flight isn't all that essential to me, either; tactically, I'm often more concerned about being rushed by enemy flyers than I am about blocking off a retreat. Strategically, I prefer to bring my Scs to bear using a mix of stealth, teleportation and ordinary troop movements. Thattaway I can boost their MR/reinvigoration or grant them regeneration without wasting a miscellaneous slot.