Bandits, Traps, Survival and more things that tick me off.

[spraggeth]

I am a 96 halfling ranger who hunts as a pure. I have 2x perc, 2x PF, and about 1.5 CMAN. A shit ton of dodge. DS is ridiculous high. However, those traps...they still get me quite a bit.

Question #1
Has anyone quantitatively found an answer to whether or not survival actually helps to avoid traps and to what significance? Deciding on if training in survival is worth the points or not pre-cap.

Question #2
Same as question #1, except in regards to a more offensive stance? Deciding if it is worth running around in neutral as opposed to defensive would be worth it. I have tried this, however, I still get hit by traps fairly frequently.

Search the forums for answers to this but didn't find anything to answer this question. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[cwolff]

I'm curious about something that I've been experimenting with. How fast do you run from room to room? I'm having good results by going at a slow ponderous pace. About the same pace as walking through the ice on IMT.

[Ososis]

I'm curious about something that I've been experimenting with. How fast do you run from room to room? I'm having good results by going at a slow ponderous pace. About the same pace as walking through the ice on IMT.

Iv had this thought too. On escorts I dodge the traps most of my the time, when I do bandit sprints I tend to catch a lot more. Or maybe it just feels that way because the greater amounts of bandits. I'll have to pay more attention.

[gilchristr]

Where are you getting the idea that a stance other than stance defensive might be better for avoiding traps?

There was an incorrect idea that stance offensive was better for maneuvers. Its been debunked by a GM post though. So unless you have a good source, I would stick to stance defensive in an escort, until you attack someone of course.

[Orthin]

Where are you getting the idea that a stance other than stance defensive might be better for avoiding traps?

There was an incorrect idea that stance offensive was better for maneuvers. Its been debunked by a GM post though. So unless you have a good source, I would stick to stance defensive in an escort, until you attack someone of course.

Don't pooka and basilisk maneuvers take stance into account? Well I guess these are RT based but still a check

[zingzang]

Concur with gilchistr that it's been GM answered that defensive stance is better, and I'd agree based on experience from my semis, who might be in offense if I forget, vs pures who are usually in defense.

Are you encumbered? Trained away the maneuver penalty for armor? As a halfling ranger I'd think you'd be skating past those traps too.


As an aside not directly to your questions -- I've noticed that 404/402 seems to help quite a bit. Those are easy imbeds to have on you, or scrolls... so something to consider for an extra boost?

[spraggeth]

Where are you getting the idea that a stance other than stance defensive might be better for avoiding traps?

There was an incorrect idea that stance offensive was better for maneuvers. Its been debunked by a GM post though. So unless you have a good source, I would stick to stance defensive in an escort, until you attack someone of course.

From the net. We were talking about me getting wrecked by traps. A pretty reputable player said to try it. That is all I got. I will say that going to neutral felt like I got hit by far less traps. Still get hit, just didn't seem as often. It was almost every group of bandits for several bounties in a row.

[spraggeth]

I'm curious about something that I've been experimenting with. How fast do you run from room to room? I'm having good results by going at a slow ponderous pace. About the same pace as walking through the ice on IMT.

I guess I go just quick enough so that ;roomcreature doesn't pop up "bandit entered the room." After that, I pretty much move on. So probably 1-2 seconds a room. Not 5 or whatever for ice. I feel like I get hit by more traps on escorts though. To the point that I stopped doing them even.

I just can't figure out what it is about my char that I get wrecked so hard.

[gilchristr]

"I will say that going to neutral felt like I got hit by far less traps"

My problem with this is that for years people said that they felt like in stance offensive, they got hit by less maneuvers. Probably for decades it was said. And it was debunked by GM post.

To me its up there with I feel like tapping a silver coin gets better spawn rates.

[Gelston]

My warrior hardly ever gets any traps, I never leave offense, have more than 2x PF (like 2.5) 2x in CM, 2x in dodge, singled in perception, single in survival and am never encumbered. Take it for what you will.

[Roblar]

Offensive stance held true as best for certain maneuvers before unique creature AI/scripts were put on the SMR 1.0 I think.

Definitely some like pookas, pyrothags, Confluence elementals, and maybe basiliks are designed to hit turtled characters with effects like spell stripping, the club shrapnel etc.

Also, roa'ters I feel were best avoided in offensive stance. Definitely rift crawlers and new creatures and standard maneuvers 1 and 2 seem to defend better in a defensive stance. I remember GMs mentioning creatures slowly being moved to SMR. But I'm sure there are still some few exceptions out there.

[cwolff]

I guess I go just quick enough so that ;roomcreature doesn't pop up "bandit entered the room." After that, I pretty much move on. So probably 1-2 seconds a room. Not 5 or whatever for ice. I feel like I get hit by more traps on escorts though. To the point that I stopped doing them even.

I just can't figure out what it is about my char that I get wrecked so hard.

Btw: I've quit bandit and escort bounties for my lvl 63 ranger also because of this. I went through a period of getting rt'ed to death so much I was frustrated as hell. Then I got faster at blasting Mass Calm as soon as possible but still do end up with a cutthroat or head injuries that require healing before finishing.

With my Paladin and Rogue I go slow. The rogue is hard to hit and Paladin is a tank anyway.

[spraggeth]

"I will say that going to neutral felt like I got hit by far less traps"

My problem with this is that for years people said that they felt like in stance offensive, they got hit by less maneuvers. Probably for decades it was said. And it was debunked by GM post.

To me its up there with I feel like tapping a silver coin gets better spawn rates.

Do you still have the post? I'd be curious to read it.

[spraggeth]

Well, if anyone is curious, I went from 0 survival to 1x and it seems to have dropped the trap devastation by quite a bit. I was hitting a trap about every other group of bandits, to now I have gone entire hunts without hitting any.