GL 2 Paladin Armor Coatings

[drspendlove]

As far as I can tell, there are no non-relic GL 2 armor coatings (and only a single relic, which is probably fine.) Additionally, I always seem to only have access to a handful of GL 1 armor coatings if I don't get Hydras or Neptunes (probably because I'm using Berserkers) but do use Paladins. I propose either existing Paladin nodes be augmented to include some GL 2 armor coatings, or a new, early-ish (and thus moderate cost) stub node be creating that gives two armor coatings only.

To that end, I propose a couple of armor coatings for your enjoyment! (I'm not married to the names at all.)

Flex Plate

+3 Armor
+3 Parry
+2% Deflection
2 Gear Levels

This armor coating is geared pretty heavily toward Paladins' needs. The bonus armor is universally appreciated, but parry matter much more to someone that's going to be in melee, and countering via parry than someone at range with a gauntlet. Additionally, Paladins have lower deflection (in general) than Hydras and Neptunes so a little bonus there could go a long way.

Compare to: Blast Plate (+4 Armor, 1 Gear Level)

It has slightly worse armor, making it very believable that someone would stick with Blast Plate and use that 1 GL elsewhere but obviously offers other benefits.

Compare to: Tiberius' Plating [RELIC] (+26 HP, +2 Parry, +42 Radiation resist, 2 GL)

It has slightly better parry but lacks the massive HP bonus in return for some armor/deflection. However, if radiation damage is a concern, Tiberius Plating will always be the better choice. However, you only get one of those... I personally think Tiberius' Plating is slightly OP but that's a different concern.


My other proposed armor plating is a bit more dramatic:

Ironwall Plating

+11% Deflection
+10 Armor
-2 Dodge
-1 MP
2 Gear Levels

This armor supports Paladins specifically, via deflection. However it is a reasonable choice for trading MP for defenses at a low cost. It conflicts with a Dodge-honoring build, if that happens to be planned on.

Compare to Warded Plates (+8% Deflection, +8 Armor, 3 GL).

Ironwall Plating is a heavier version of this. You trade 1 MP and 2 Dodge for 2 extra armor and 3% Deflection. Of course, the 1 Gear Level difference is crucial here.



Thoughts?

[drspendlove]

Hmm, that latter one seems a little too strong still. I'm not sure what to do about it.

[drspendlove]

Maybe the second one could be +14% Deflection +5 Armor -2 Dodge -1 MP, 2 GL.

[fallen]

Thanks for the suggestions as always!

[drspendlove]

I appreciate the recognition.

However, the more I think about that second one, the less I like it. Nix the second one -- either way it is too powerful for an armor coating. The first one I stand by but that means it should probably co-exist with an existing node rather than move to a stub node.

[En1gma]

Try using the [] brackets, you'll get the bold you were trying for

[En1gma]

Really like the ideas though, I can't wait to use the new armors that just got added

[drspendlove]

Far better idea for a second armor coating (feel free to choose an unrelated name!)

Deflection Coating
+13% Deflection
-4 Armor
+4 Radiation Resist
2 Gear Levels

Trades potential damage mitigation for reliable damage mitigation. It is more useful against hard-hitters with low penetration. It is less useful against foes like Litches which have high enough penetration to make this advantage not necessarily matter, and don't deal radiation damage.

[Cory Trese]

I like it!~