Gearing Up Your Toon

There is no single best weapon or item of armor in the game. What works best varies by toon race, class, level, and personal preference. (As well as how much gold you have to spend.) Having said that, here's some recommendations. (Keep in mind, enchants affect the wearer, perms affect the item.) Strength (Empower) and dexterity (Nimbility) should be enchanted on to every single item you can wear or equip (except for weapons, which are a special case I'll discuss later). The first str/dex item (natural or enchanted) adds 3 points to your base str/dex, the second adds 2, the third adds 1, and the fourth and beyond add 1/2 a point each. Regeneration doesn't stack in the same manner as str/dex, but for the maximum benefit, you need it on at least 5 items. Immolation and the 6 shields (poison, fire, cold, lightning, acid, and missile resistance) only need to be on 1 item each. Each chant or perm increases the repair costs of an item, so it's best to put shields and immo onto items that don't take melee damage and never need repair.

Backpacks - All toons need one, and a plain leather backpack is fine. Finvarra's Backpack is a nice fashion accessory for those who want it, and can afford it, but it offers no real benefit that a plain one doesn't. (It can hold more, but it doesn't lessen the weight of what's inside.) The color of your backpack determines the secondary color of your helm. That is, the color of the band or plume. The standard suite of chants for a backpack are str, dex, regen, immo, and a shield. (I prefer poison shield on backpacks, as it's the most important one, and you can't lose an equipped backpack even if you die in battle.) Backpacks can't be stolen from, so keep all your gold and your spare mana in it. Items you pick up will automatically go into an equipped backpack.

Skirts and Robes - There are no magical versions (that work), and they don't add anything to your armor rating, so cloth is the way to go for all toons. (Robes only come in cloth versions, while skirts are also sold in leather and troll leather.) Robes are for male toons, skirts are for females. Skirts come in both long and short, which style you pick is entirely a fashion choice. (Dedicated PvP'ers say that short skirts are preferable, because they're slightly lighter, but if you're hardcore enough to be concerned about that, you've been playing long enough not to need my advice on armor.) The standard set of enchants for a skirt/robe is str, dex, regen, and 2 shields of your choice. Robes and skirts are good for shields and for 5x'ing, because they're very cheap, and they take no melee damage. They say they have 10% AR, but they lie, they don't add anything to your overall armor rating, so don't waste a chant slot on Improve Armor.

Belts - There are 4 different magical belts in the game, Belt of Strength, Belt of Carrying, Finvarra's Belt, and Girdle of Might. (There are also cursed belts, the Belt of Weakness and Belt of Load, but obviously, you don't want those.) For a new toon you want at least a Belt of Carrying as soon as possible, as they reduce your overall encumbrance (which is how much you can carry before losing attacks or slowing down your movement rate and casting speed) by 150%. A Belt of Strength has a natural str chant, and it's better than nothing, but still, get yourself a BoC ASAP. Finvarra's Belt is a BoS and a BoC combined, and is the best choice for nearly every toon, no matter what level, however they're more expensive than BoCs, and even some toons that can afford them prefer nnot to wear them at very low levels when the risk of dying is highest. A Girdle of Might is a high-end item, that has a level 300 requirement, adds str, endurance, and regeneration, lessens encumbrance, adds Mysticism resistance and helps prevent your weapon from being fumbled. It can only be worn by warriors, and is quite expensive. The standard set of chants for any belt is str/dex, regen and/or a shield is optional.

Baldrics - Some baldrics are earned when you reach a certain level, some are purely fashion choices and drop from monsters (jade and aqua), some are purely fashion choices that are prizes given in event games (white, pink, purple, violet, and rarely teal) some can be bought in taverns to show your allegience to the Realm gods, some drop from monsters and have natural str (Sash of Finvarra and the tan Maze Master's baldric) and some no longer drop or are given out (the yellow Maze Master's baldric and the Thistlebark Sash). For hunting purposes most people prefer the easily available Fin Sash, as it has natural strength, but you can wear a different one if you just prefer the color. Baldrics take the same chants as belts, str/dex, regen, and 1 or 2 shields.

Bracers - Finvarra's Bracers are the first choice for every toon. They add a dodge, and a degree of protection from Death Wish and Death Touch. Bracers of Defense are the second choice, they add a dodge, but no death magic protection. Bracers of Battle are a high end item that drops only in Dragon Pit (like the Girdle of Might), and if you can get them, you probably don't need my fashion advice. Never wear Bracers of Density, they are too heavy and have relatively low AR. Bracers should be permed with Improve Armor, and chanted with str/dex. Regen is optional.

Cowl - There are 4 magical cowls in the game. Finvarra's Cowl and the Thuriasz Cowl are essentially the same, except for color (fin black vs. red with a glowie gold edge). The T-Cowl has 5% more AR and can't be dyed. The Cowl of Density is junk, you don't want one. Dragon Pit offers the Cowl of Immortaility, which has wondrous stats, but by the time you can afford one, again, you won't need armor advice. Before you can acquire a Fin or T-Cowl, the best choice for Elf Wizards, Thieves, and Adventurers is Troll Leather. For all other toons the starter cowl of choice is Obsidianate, because it has the same armor rating as Admantium, with a lower weight. Cowls are normally permed with Improve Armor, and chanted with str/dex, and optionally regen.

Body Armor - There are quite a few magical chestplates in the game, of which only one is usually worn, and that is the Plate of Invulnerability. It provides a very high armor rating, but it's quite heavy, and is best suited for giants. It is also notoriously expensive to repair, so many hitter toons wear Mythril Plate instead, and save the PoI for hunting monsters that hit extremely hard, like dragons. (Later on hitters might invest in a Breastplate of Battle, which has a natural strength chant, but like all items found only in Dragon Pit, is rather spendy.) Elf Wizards and Thieves are better off starting with a Troll Leather doublet or tunic. At higher levels they may switch to chanted cloth, or they might upgrade to an Arch Mage's Shirt, which adds to intelligence, endurance, and casting power, and gives some magic resists, however the AMS is very, very spendy. Humans and Orcs of any class can wear Mythril, as they have more strength. Chest armor should be permed with Improve Armor, and chanted with str/dex, and optional regen.

Leg Armor - The only magical leg armor in the game comes from Dragon Pit, except for those icky Greaves of Density . All hitter toons and Humans, Giants, and Orcs of any class should wear Mythril Greaves. (The DP upgrade is Greaves of Fortitude, which add endurance.) Elf Wizards and Thieves start with Troll Leather and may choose to switch to cloth later, same as chest armor. (Their DP upgrade is Arch Mage's Pants, which have the same attributes and price tag as the shirt.) Pants get the same chants as chest armor.

Boots - The least expensive and easiest to obtain starter footwear are either Boots of Nimbleness or Finvarra's Shoes. Both have natural dexterity, and Fin Shoes also have a natural fire and cold shield. A step up from these are Finvarra's Boots, which have the same attributes as the shoes, with a higher armor rating. (Also, most people seem to prefer the appearance of boots over low shoes.) There is a DP upgrade, Boots of Evasion, that give an extra dodge per combat round as well as the natural dexterity chant, but they are the least popular of the DP items, because they are shoes, and not boots. (Despite the name) Footwear takes the same chants as chest and leg armor.

Jewelry - Most warriors and adventurers of any race will want an Amulet of Combat, which gives an extra attack per round, and 2 Rings of Endurance, although some adventurers and Elf warriors may prefer 1 RoE and 1 Ring of Intelligence, to increase their Mysticism spell durations. Wizards generally carry 2 sets of jewelry, an Amulet of Endurance and 2 RoEs for hunting, especially at lower levels, and an Amulet of Intelligence and 2 RoIs for enchanting and for hunting in areas where the extra spell oomph is more vaulable than the extra hit points. Thieves often wear an AoC and the split RoE/RoI combo, but this varies according to personal preference. Some may go with 2 RoEs instead. The DP upgrades for jewelry are the Ring of Destruction (adds strength, endurance, and some magic resistance) for hitters and sometimes Thieves, the Ring of Power (adds intelligence, boosts spell power, and gives some magic resistance) for casters (and sometimes Thieves) and the Amulet of Adventure, which is for adventurers only, adds strength, endurance, and intelligence, gives some magic resistance and an extra attack per round, has natural regeneration, and you don't even have to eat while wearing one. Wow. (Need I mention that it is very expensive to buy?) Jewelry should have str/dex and regen chanted on it, and is an excellent place for any shields that you haven't put on your skirt, robe, or baldric.

Shields - Shield skill was only recently implemented. Most toons who wield a one-handed weapon are going for either a Mythril Round Shield or a Mythril Tower Shield. The jury is still out on which is really best. The DP upgrade is the Shield of Infinite Thought, which adds intelligence, spell power, and magic resistance for Wizards, but beware if you use one - shields have been known to suddenly shatter in combat. Shields should be permed with Improve Armor, and chanted with str/dex and regen.

I'll go into helm and weapon recommendations in seperate posts.
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