The Strongarm Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers You get two things from The Strongarm. Fantastic damage and, more importantly, tokens to spend elsewhere from something that should rightfully cost at least one or two minor tokens. With the introduction of new items from the EttSC expansion, we are experiencing a glut of good major token items the likes of which has never been seen. Finding good tokenless items is especially important for warriors because the power level of their weapons ramps up significantly as token costs increase. Being able to maintain a critical mass of high damage attacks while still being able to equip those newfangled armors is just too good to pass up. Highly recommend purchasing. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers The Strongarm is the best weapon for low level modules but it doesn't make for a great purchase. Simply put, there are relatively few lower levels where warriors are the best class for farming. When you do need to do higher damage to fewer targets, Blazing Shortsword is a much more defensible purchase. It has very respectable damage for only a fifth of the cost. Funnily enough, both The Strongarm and Blazing Shortsword lose to the Piercing and Slashing Immunities of Only Bones and Tough Bark. Also, neither damage types are buffable with traits so even that isn't a consideration for choosing one over the other. Would not purchase. Substitutes Blazing Shortsword (E), Unbalanced Doloire (E) The Daily Deal Did Peon Buy It? Yes, but not today. I have 3 and I doubt I'll ever need more than 1 per warrior for multiplayer. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the full set for low level singleplayer but I'm not going to throw gold at a farming party that will only be used for a couple modules, especially when Firestorm will get the job done almost as quickly. Epics Novice Evasion- Absolutely playable and quite possibly the best minor token Slippery skill due to consistency but undeniably bland. Elves already get Dashes so Dangerous Maneuver is nothing special. I would be perfectly willing to play either Advanced Evasion or Escapist instead. Shieldpopper- Unless Lifesaving Block usage skyrockets, Shieldpopper will forever remain a novelty item for builds that are adept at getting in back attacks. Useful with cards like Disorienting Block, Slippery, and Surestrike Blessing. Sparkling Shield- You need a good reason to run a shield with a crappy attack that replaces a block. Double Defender's Block is a good reason. Dodge plus Icy Block is not. Notable Rares Enormous Mattock (N) Spoiler: Previously Reviewed With Enormous Mattock you need a way to deal with Large Weapon. Even if you think a map is wide open enough that you can just swing your oversized beat stick around willy nilly, guess again. You are going to find yourself next to blocking terrain more often than not. That means you're going to have to run stuff like Arrogant Armor or Genetic Engineering but if you do the payoffs are big beefy attacks with a side order of cycling traits. Spoiler: Rare Rating Code (B)est of the Best Who need legendaries and epics when you have rares like these? This item is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes. (N)iche This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights. (P)layable Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any item that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself. (U)nique There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards or combination of cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere. (V)alue There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank. Starting to get a lot of repeats for rares now so I'm going to start putting old reviews in spoilers.
Suvv's Boots Of Escape Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers Suvv's Boots of Escape are the only boots that can draw you 3 cards. Paring down your effective deck size is one of the most powerful things you can do. The less cards you have to draw the more often you're going to see your most powerful cards. However, unlike trait cards, Escaping Run requires you to give up initiative to reap the benefits. If you are using it to draw cards on a melee character you either have to move away and give your opponent the opportunity to retreat or stand your ground and let your opponent get an extra hit in. If you're playing a wizard, you need to maneuver close enough to let your opponent get next to you, which is not ideal. If you're using it on a support priest you need to again move close to the enemy or keep hanging on to Escaping Run turn after turn until you have the chance to use it. Requiring a major token is another big factor that you need to weigh in. Overall, I believe Suvv's Boots of Escape won't draw you the full 3 cards often enough to justify both the tempo loss and the token cost. Would not purchase. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers If using minor token boots is a faux pas then using major token boots is a felony punishable by harsh ridicule from your peers. I'm talking mean stuff. Someone might even call you a ruffian. If you're using the token on boots just to conditionally cycle cards there are probably some other slots that could be upgraded for greater effect. Would not purchase. Substitutes Lum's Moccasins (E) : Escaping Run Ballet Shoes (C) , Sticky Slippers (R) : Deck size reduction The Daily Deal Did Peon Buy It? Nope, though oddly enough it's one of the few legendary boots that I have a full set of without purchasing. Epics Charring Staff- Not quite up to snuff as burning staves go but it is the only staff with Wall Of Fire if you're going the damaging terrain wizard route. Cudgel Of Healing Light- Decent attacks and heals for its token cost making it decent filler for mid level modules but not much else. Noral's Cleansing Relic- Good option for Cleansing effects but those are narrow enough that it's not worth investing in for most people. There are also plenty of cheaper substitutes. Notable Rares Tough Leather Cap (P)- Both All Out Attack and Dash, Team! can be extremely powerful given the right circumstances which makes Tough Leather Cap one of the few minor token helmets worth investing a token in. All Out Attack gets much worse when you run a lot of low damage utility attacks like Nimble Strike and is extremely weak to blocks and Toughness so I would hesitate before throwing Tough Leather Cap on any warrior. Your other option for All Out Attack is Necalli Cap, which is much less impressive once you no longer need the speed boost. On the command front, you can upgrade to Sprint, Team! using various helmets, with the legendary Forrtesque's Feathered Cap and Wenham's Leather Coif topping the list. And if you're just looking for the best all around minor token helmet, my pick would be Angry Jack's Helmet with it's solid mix of armor, team movement, and melee buffing. Spoiler: Rare Rating Code (B)est of the Best Who need legendaries and epics when you have rares like these? This item is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes. (N)iche This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights. (P)layable Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any item that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself. (U)nique There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards or combination of cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere. (V)alue There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.
Tough Leather Cap is also fun because you can say you gave your warrior a little TLC!........*crickets chirp* .....I'll go home now.
St. Xarol's Mace Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers The cards on St. Xarol's Mace are all over the place, both in function and power level. It's sort of healy but you really only want the Greater Heal. It's decent armor removal but really crappy damage beyond the two Sundering Strikes. As it stands, St. Xarol's Mace is an ugly duckling that no one wants aside from armor removal seekers. Even then, it's often better to ignore it altogether by running Frenzy buffs. You will do a similar amount of damage as an unbuffed attack when up against armor with bonus points if you catch a naked opponent. Sundering Strike is also not reliable enough as an answer to immunity armors like Resistant Hide. Would not purchase. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers Armor removal is important for modules like Cliffs of the Wyvern but Sundering Strike is again, not a reliable solution. It's really only good for shredding through Toughness but very few mobs carry it and a Boiling Armor removes them just as well. When there's armor involved bring a wizard. Would not purchase. Substitutes Ripping Mace (E) , Sahagun's Sword (E) , Blackhammer (E) The Daily Deal Did Peon Buy It? Nope. Ripping Mace is the way to go for Sundering Strikes on priests. Epics Clever Mobility- If you want Elven Maneuvers the only way to go is the way undercosted tokenless Cautious Mobility. The only reason to get Clever Mobility is if you want Flanking Moves without the legendary price tags of Evasion, Perilous Agility, and Trained Evasion. Novice Stoutness- Duck is more of a gimmicky card so it isn't worth playing when it's paired with a pair of weak armors. If you really want to play with Duck, I'd either go all out and get one of the major token double Duck skills or the infinitely more playable but legendary Bloody Stoutness. Or, you know, you could just get something with Toughness instead. Tauri's Watery Maze- Maze has all of the randomness of Whirlwind with none of the benefits. If you want Flash Flood look for The Soulstone instead. Notable Rares Automatic Shield (N) Spoiler: Previously Reviewed You need to be in a module where the mobs use Burst, Cone, or Linear attacks (or whatever the attacks those annoying chess pieces have are) and you also need to be using a melee party. If those two things fit whatever you're doing say hello to your new best friend. Why not just spam Impenetrable Nimbus and be done with it you ask? Well, you don't need to remain glued to your priest and you're not always going to draw a Nimbus every turn. This is a very situational item but it is definitely one you should keep in mind as future modules come along. Mail Of Absorption (NV)- Mail of Absorption doesn't have good enough armor to play on any warrior but it does have one thing going for it. You get the electricity immunity of Grounding Plates without the Encumbering Heavy Armor on Stormward Pauldrons. This is especially important because electricity using mobs are all ranged so you will need to chase them down. There are legendary options such as Aranak's Chain Web and Ozone Plates but they are a lot more expensive and not much better. You could also go for the major token epic Spaceproof Carapace which is much more suitable for general use with its inclusion of Force Field. Smoke Pin (N) Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Smoke Bomb is the premier wizard hoser and Smoke Pin is the best item to get it with. While Smoke Bomb is situationally useful for clearing out terrain attachments and overlaying difficult terrain, you generally won't want it unless you are expecting to face an abundance of ranged attacks. It is also fairly difficult to get a good offense going with your wizard within the cover of Smoke Bomb, with cone spells and Firestorm being your best options, so you need to be fully committed to having a relatively impotent wizard before running Smoke Pin. Spoiler: Rare Rating Code (B)est of the Best Who need legendaries and epics when you have rares like these? This item is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes. (N)iche This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights. (P)layable Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any item that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself. (U)nique There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards or combination of cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere. (V)alue There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.
My reviews are starting to look like a hot mess. If anyone has suggestions for formatting I'm all ears.
I'll daily check your reviews even if you start writing ǝpısdn uʍop. That said the notable rares aren't exaclty a friendly read. I'll either eliminate the section or reserve it to the very best of the best, without bothering with rating codes and niche items. After all 100 gold isn't a hefty sum, you could trust the costumers with that. Or maybe "Peon's handpicked rare" or something, one rare per day and that's it. Please don't ever change the Legendary Reviews format, it's great!
How about a line break after every items name, that's been reviewed? Also underlining might help. Like this: Epics Clever Mobility If you want Elven Maneuvers the only way to go is the way undercosted tokenless Cautious Mobility. The only reason to get Clever Mobility is if you want Flanking Moves without the legendary price tags of Evasion, Perilous Agility, and Trained Evasion. Novice Stoutness Duck is more of a gimmicky card so it isn't worth playing when it's paired with a pair of weak armors. If you really want to play with Duck, I'd either go all out and get one of the major token double Duck skills or the infinitely more playable but legendary Bloody Stoutness. Or, you know, you could just get something with Toughness instead. Tauri's Watery Maze Maze has all of the randomness of Whirlwind with none of the benefits. If you want Flash Flood look for The Soulstone instead.
Jaguar Spirit Staff Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers The most obvious thing to do when evaluating items is compare them to items you have experience with. Jaguar Spirit Staff is pretty darn close to Staff Of Chask. It's a little better against wizards (not wearing Resistant Hide of course) due to the longer range attacks and it doesn't have a handicap card to worry about. What it does worse with is the blocks themselves. Pushback Parry is way better than Subtle Parry because you know you can get a free attack in with the high percentage block safety net and randomly catching a step attack is virtual card advantage. There simply aren't that many weak melee attacks that trigger the card draw on Subtle Parry and buffs will often push the ones that do out of range. The attacks on Staff of Chask are also easier to pair with wizard traits, though that's a pretty small consideration. I think the benefits of having better blocks puts Staff of Chask on top. You're using both staves to get blocks so go with the one with better blocks. Would not purchase. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers Removing attacks for blocks is a big no no. Attacks win. Blocks help you not lose. Winning is much better than not losing, just ask Charlie Sheen. Add the fact that the AI attacks into Impenetrable Nimbus and purposefully adding more blocks to a character just becomes downright silly. Would not purchase. Substitutes Heavy Oak Staff (R), Staff Of Chask (E) , Oaken Staff Of The Magus (R) , Voltstaff (E) The Daily Deal Did Peon Buy It? Nope. I'm a fan of going big or going home. If I'm making my wizard weak to other wizards, I'm getting the most out of my melee matchup with Staff Of Chask. Epics Fingerbone Of St. Ob Greater Heal is one of the best heal spells but a pair of weak vamp attacks isn't ideal for a heal priest. You will need to invest some tokens for the more playable healing items. I would just throw in an off theme tokenless divine item that's more powerful as filler like Shuddering Relic. Old Saint's Armor Untouchable Plate is usually going to be better. Healing Pulse is very weak and the usual priest trait synergies that go with it are a nonbo with Arrogant Armor. Perfect Flexibility Advanced Battlefield Training is, let's just say an acquired taste. If you like big flashy turns that have a chance of leaving you vulnerable, Perfect Flexibility is the way to go. Warriors also have the option of General Gideon's Helm. Notable Rares Displacing Staff (NV) One hp quests can be very tricky. For lower levels where tokens are scarce, you need a high damage ranged attack that allows you to stay away from melee mobs/kill ranged mobs before they can get a shot off. Punishing Bolt is that attack. Mobs groups have shared hands which makes Punishing Bolt all the more punishing. Displacing Staff is widely unplayable and less efficient compared to the best minor token Punishing Bolt staff, the epic Staff Of Chask, but it's a good deal cheaper if you're not planning on using either staff outside of quests. Enormous Mattock (N) Spoiler: Previously Reviewed With Enormous Mattock you need a way to deal with Large Weapon. Even if you think a map is wide open enough that you can just swing your oversized beat stick around willy nilly, guess again. You are going to find yourself next to blocking terrain more often than not. That means you're going to have to run stuff like Arrogant Armor or Genetic Engineering but if you do the payoffs are big beefy attacks with a side order of cycling traits. Spoiler: Rare Rating Code (B)est of the Best Who need legendaries and epics when you have rares like these? This item is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes. (N)iche This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights. (P)layable Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any item that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself. (U)nique There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards or combination of cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere. (V)alue There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.
I think the "spoiler: Previously reviewed" looks awkward, especially when it's used multiple times in the same post. If someone enters this thread, they probably actually want to read your reviews, so you don't need to spoil them. Spoiling the rare rating code system is good though.
I'm ok with a little awkwardness if it saves people the trouble of getting halfway through a long-winded review only to realize they've read it before. As someone who reads just about everything in the forums, it's something I know I'd appreciate. Of course maybe I'm trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. I can remove the spoilers if people want.
I have read your reviews for months, but I dont think I can remember everyone. I think it is fine to remove the spoiler for previous reviews. At least we can try it.
Beater Spoiler: Previously Reviewed Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers There are very few playable weapons for a minor token or less and Beater does the second most damage out of all of them. There are two reasons that make it a poor purchase though. The most obvious one is that it does nothing special besides saving a token for elsewhere. For a slight dip in damage output you could get someUnnerving Strikes from Maquah Of Ancient Blood or Dangerous Club. The other reason that holds Beater back is that you can get the same damage out of tokenless options. The Strongarm and Blazing Shortsword(if you count the burning damage) both do 42 damage as well. What you are paying for with Beater is consistency but at the cost of power from some other part of your deck. Would not purchase. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers As much as it pains me to admit, Firestorm is not the panacea that I've been making it out to be. There are a few modules that have fairly small amounts of enemies with high hp where farming is much faster with a Mass Frenzy melee party. Melvelous the Magnificent is a great example. He has high hp, constantly runs out of Firestorm range, has Shimmering Aura when you do get close enough, and has Hover for any Volcanos you're packing. It is a lot faster and way more satisfying to run up and smack the living daylights out of him. While Beater is one of the best options for the job I still can't recommend it when there are so many cheaper options. You can spend your hard earned gold on an item that helps for a few levels or save it for something that works better for just about everything else. Would not purchase. Substitutes Blazing Shortsword (E), Blackeye Hammer (R) , Maquah Of Ancient Blood (E) The Daily Deal Did Peon Buy It? Nope. The one thing Beater has over The Strongarm is Crusher synergy but that is hardly worth spending a token on. Epics Sliding Boots One of the best major token boots. Whenever I have a spare major token available this is one of the first items I consider equipping. Spacemartyr's Relic Though the major token cost is rough, Spacemartyr's Relic is the only non-legendary Inspiring Presence divine item that I'd be willing to run. Everything else is either too narrow or too weak. Spritastrophe Props to @Duke Tresnor for giving us this Acid Jet trip of a staff. I'm normally not a fan of these "kitchen sink" type items but I make exceptions when the cards are individually powerful. Fireball, Deadly Spark, and Acid Jet all have a proven pedigree and Ice Bolts is just a Cone Of Cold on steroids. Even the handicaps are a boon since cards of this quality would have otherwise slammed you with a double major token cost. While not top tier, Spritastrophe is definitely something that is worthy of seeing play. Notable Rares Inspired Command (P) Inspirational Thinking is the most powerful draw effect in the game so it gets paired with less than stellar cards. The difference with Inspired Command is that Shuffle, Team! and Subtle Parry, while weak, are moderately useful. If you like "going big or going home" strategies this may just be the skill for you. Rod Of Falling Cinders (V) For being able to hit everything for a good chunk of damage, Firestorm is a singleplayer farming staple. One of the biggest problems you'll encounter when using a Firestorm strategy is getting your wizard into position. Your wizard needs to get to the center of the action for maximum effect. This makes spells like Gusts Of War incredibly useful when running multiple wizards. Double Firestorm legendaries like Azgul's Orb are preferable to maximize your odds of drawing your signature card. Short of that, items with Slide spells are the next best thing if you have the tokens. In that regard, the epic Banik's Bubbling Bauble is an obvious upgrade. Shielding Token (BN) Shielding Token is not only one of the best sources of Impenetrable Nimbus but it is also the cheapest to equip tokenwise. An unanswered Impenetrable Nimbus is incredibly powerful and luckily for singleplayers, the vast majority of mobs don't have answers for it. The AI also does not play around Impenetrable Nimbus making Nimbus spamming one of the most effective strategies to employ in difficult modules. However, the same cannot be said for multiplayer. You can and will run into players who both run answers like Purge and have the experience to play around it, either by declining to engage you while Impenetrable Nimbus is active or going after your other characters. The only other good source of Impenetrable Nimbus on a divine item is Medallion Of St. Vigus which is only uncommon but requires a major token. Spoiler: Rare Rating Code (B)est of the Best Who need legendaries and epics when you have rares like these? This item is not only powerful but also fits in well established multiplayer or farming archetypes. (N)iche This is a great item but fits in a very specific build. You should only consider purchasing if you have that particular strategy in your sights. (P)layable Not the best. Not the worst. This item is simply solid all around and I believe could see play. If that isn't enough of a ringing endorsement then I don't know what is. Oh, and you can go ahead and assume that any item that falls into other categories is playable as well. I will not list things that I would not be willing to play myself. (U)nique There is nothing quite like this item. Its cards or combination of cards are not found on other items of the same slot or not on other items period. If this item catches your fancy you should take a second look because you won't find anything similar elsewhere. (V)alue There may be better options but this item won't bust your piggy bank.
Ok, I'll resume posting unspoilered rare reviews for now. Legendaries will remain the same since the old ones have wildly different formats.
Crusher seems to be generally undervalued imo. Taking dmg type into consideration when building deck, it provides a +2 boost to nearly 100% of your attacks, and an excellent cycling ability to reduce deck size. Fact is, no other warrior available damage type has this potential for an inherent boost, certain attacks (chop) and abilities (penetrating) can be boosted through martial skill but crusher broadens the range considerably. Its serious disadvantage is a lack of step attacks for said dmg type, and its only available through martial skill. If +1 to slashing dmg type was an available martial ability I would definitely consider adding to some decks. By the same token with crusher, its powerful enough for consideration, at the least. For singleplayer as well, its hard to top Crusher for its focus in creating some of the most consistent high dmg attacks possible +6 dmg(blind rage, crusher, mass frenzy, an easily obtainable combo.) turns every humble Strong Bludgeon into a Pulverizing Bludgeon and every Pulverizing Bludgeon into an Almighty Hack.
~some of the most consistent high dmg attacks possible Wasn't talking literally here.. just illustrating a point. You are correct, it does not literally transform an attack card into a different card. Let take a look at beater for a minor token potentially 4x Pulverizing Bludgeon and x2 Powerful Bludgeon raw dmg values. Higher dmg is possible of course, but requires further priest specialization and tradeoffs.
The good Crusher skills take at least a minor token so you're effectively paying 2 tokens, one for Beater and one for the skill. Me? I'll take the slightly less damage potential that doesn't shackle you to crushing attacks.
Pergop's Slippers Peon's Prescription for Prodigious Multiplayers Violent Spin is an extremely versatile card. It's an unblockable multitarget Push card that not only allows you to put distance between you and the enemy but also lets you take over occupied victory squares if need be. If you're wondering what the difference between Push and Slide are, Push allows you to choose facings. You guessed it, even an opponent chock full of blocks is one Violent Spin away from a back attack if they don't have a way to turn around. Position your troops correctly and Violent Spin can even be an pseudo Team Walk. So why isn't Violent Spin tearing up the metagame? It's partially due to item availability but mostly it's because of a high opportunity cost. Violent Spin is mostly a defensive card. Melee characters would rather have something that helps them chase down targets and wizards can get similar effects using minor tokens or less. Still, it's powerful enough to be a great asset in the right build so I would recommend giving it a spin if you haven't already. It should be noted that Zachary's Boots are a fine substitute so I'd only purchase Pergop's Slippers if you've got spare gold or have an unnatural love of Violent Spin. Peon's Perspective for Penny-Pinching Singleplayers Even if you wanted to spend a major token for Violent Spin boots, the difference between Toughened Hide Strips and Weakened Armor is way too small to splurge on the legendary. If you lose a game using Zachary's Boots in which Pergop's Slippers would have saved the day, I will eat my hat. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be looking for a mini fez. Would not purchase. Substitutes Zachary's Boots (E) Did Peon Buy It? Yes, but not today. I am a huge fan of Violent Spin so I already have the full set. Epics Armor Of Negation You're generally not going to want Cleansing effects and you're even less likely to want Arrogant Armor to go with it. In the rare cases that you do, there are better divine armors for both. Ettin's Club Eixocl's Hammer puts it to shame. Flaming Sword A waaaaay overcosted Blazing Shortsword. Notable Rares None