Our list of contenders:

Windraider's Belt: Wt 0.50. +35 AC, +10 Str, +7 vsMg, +7 vsFire, +7 vsCold, +7 vsPos, +7 vsDis, LORE MAGIC NODROP Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [TOV-Zlexak]

Belt of Marvelous Visions: Wt 0.30. +30 AC, +10 Str, +20 Agi, +20 Dex, MAGIC Effect of Marvelous Visions. (+50 Sta, haste, 72 min. duration) All Classes. All Races. [The Deep-Thought Horror Overfiend]

Silver Girdle of Stability: Wt 15.00. +25 AC, +3 Str, +2 Wis, +2 Int, +2 vsMg, +2 vsFire, +2 vsCold, +2 vsPos, +2 vsDis, +50 HP, +50 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP All Classes. All Races. [TOV-Lendiniara the Keeper]

Belt of the Destroyer: Wt 0.50. +25 AC, +10 Str, +15 Wis, +15 Int, +15 vsFire, +75 HP, LORE MAGIC NODROP Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [TOV-Dagarn the Destroyer]

Belt of Virility: Wt 0.00. +22 AC, +20 Sta, +20 Agi, +20 Dex, +25 Int, +75 HP, +75 Mana. All/All [Grieg's End-Grieg]

Belt of Dwarf Slaying: Wt 0.00. +20 AC, +15 Str, +15 Wis, +15 Int, +5 vsMg, +5 vsFire, +5 vsCold, +5 vsPos, +5 vsDis, +100 HP, +100 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Effect of Aura of Battle. All Classes. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-Quest]

Girdle of Living Thorns Wt. +20 AC, +15 Dex, +15 Sta, +15 Agi, +15 vsFire, +15 vsDis, +15 vsPos, +100 HP, +100 Mana, Effect: Spikecoat (instant). All/All. [PoG-Tunare]

Walrus Fang Belt: Wt 0.00. +15 AC, +50 HP, MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Siren's Grotto-Behemoth]

Belt of Inconsistency: Wt 0.00. +15 AC, +1 Str, +1 Agi, +1 Dex, +1 Wis, +1 Int, +3 vsMg, +3 vsFire, +3 vsCold, +3 vsPos, +3 vsDis, +70 HP, +70 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP All Classes. All Races. [PoM-Quest]

Chitinous Belt: Wt 1.00. +13 AC, +5 Str, +5 Sta, +5 Wis, +10 vsDis, MAGIC Classes: Bl Ra Sm D C P Sk B Mk Ro Wr. All Races. [Fungus Grove-Shik'nar Royal Guard.]

Girdle of Reflection: Wt 2.30. +12 AC, +6 Wis, +35 HP, LORE MAGIC NODROP. Classes: Sm D C P Ra Bl. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-Quest]

Belt of Guardianship: Wt 1.00. +12 AC, +3 Str, +3 Wis, +3 Int, +3 vsMg, +3 vsFire, +3 vsCold, +3 vsPos, +3 vsDis, +20 HP, +20 Mana, LORE MAGIC. All Classes. All Races. [Twilight Sea-Hydro]

Bat Fur Belt: Wt 1.00. +12 AC, +12 vsDis, LORE MAGIC NODROP. All Classes. All Races. [Dragon Necropolis-Carrion Bat].

Belt of Oomgado: Wt 0.10. +11 AC, +6 Str, +8 Dex, +2 Wis, +2 Int, +2 vsMg, +10 HP, LORE MAGIC Classes: Wr Ro Mk B Sk P C D Sm Ra Bl. All Races. [Tenebrous Mts-Emissary Oomgado]

[b]White Dragon Scale Sash:[/b] Wt 0.10. +10 AC, +15 Wis, +15 vsMg, +10 vsFire, +15 vsCold, +15 vsPos, +10 vsDis, +90 HP, +90 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Classes: C D Sm Bl. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-King Tormax]

[b]Straw Spun Belt:[/b] Wt 6.00. +10 AC, All Classes. All Races. [Frontier Mts-A Forest Giant Arbor]

[b]Spiked Seahorse Hide Belt:[/b] Wt 0.00. +10 AC, +4 Str, +4 Sta, +4 Agi, +4 Dex, +4 Wis, +4 Int, +4 Cha, +1 vsMg, +1 vsFire, +1 vsCold, +1 vsPos, +1 vsDis, +25 HP, +25 Mana, LORE MAGIC Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [Siren's Grotto-Felspine]

[b]Spider Fur Belt: [/b] Wt 0.00. +10 AC, +5 Agi, +5 Dex, +40 HP, MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Velketor's Labyrinth-Icepaw Kobold]

[b]Silvery Belt of Contention: [/b] Wt 0.00. +10 AC, +4 Sta, +5 Wis, +5 Int, LORE MAGIC Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-Veterans]

[b]Nightmarish Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.10. +10 AC, +10 Str, +10 Sta, +8 Dex, +4 Wis, +4 Int, +25 HP, +25 Mana, LORE MAGIC Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [The Deep-Thought Horror Corrupter]

[b]Brell's Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.10. +10 AC, +10 Str, +10 Sta, -5 Agi, -5 Dex, +50 Mana, LORE MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Hole-Yael]

[b]Sarnak Hide Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.10. +9 AC, +4 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Wis, LORE MAGIC All Classes. All Races [Howling Stones-The Crypt Excavator]

[b]Thick Banded Belt: [/b] Wt 0.50. +8 AC, +15 Str, All Classes. All Races. [Lower Guk-Ghoul Supplier]

[b]Grotesque Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.00. +8 AC, +10 Wis, +10 Int, +100 HP, +100 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Classes: C D Sm Wz Mg E N Bl. All Races. [Fear-Dracoliche]

[b]Girdle of Wurmslaying: [/b] Wt 0.20. +8 AC, +4 Str, +4 Wis, +4 Int, LORE All Classes. All Races. [Velketor's Labyrinth-Velk's Experiment]

[b]Girdle of the Blood Fiend: [/b] Wt 0.80. +8 AC, +4 Str, +6 Wis, +6 Int, -4 vsFire, +4 vsDis, +10 HP, +30 Mana, LORE MAGIC. All Classes. All Races. [Tenebrous Mts-Gorelaz Verilak].

[b]Cobalt Drake Belt: [/b] Wt 1.00. +8 AC, +5 Sta, +8 Wis, +4 vsCold, +5 Mana, MAGIC Classes: Wr Ro B Sk P C D Sm Ra Bl. All Races. [Crafted]

[b]Dweamorvine Garland: [/b] Wt 0.50. +8 AC, +7 Agi, +5 Wis, LORE MAGIC NODROP Classes: D Bl. All Races. [Fear-Tentacle Tormentor]

[b]Earth Blessed Belt: [/b] Wt 1.00. +8 AC, +3 Sta, +1 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 vsPos, +1 vsDis, +2 HP, +5 Mana, LORE MAGIC Classes: D. All Races. [Twilight Sea Quest]

[b]Belt of Growth: [/b] Wt 1.00. +8 AC, +2 Str, +2 Wis, +2 Int, +2 vsMg, +2 vsFire, +2 vsCold, +2 vsPos, +2 vsDis, +10 HP, +10 Mana, LORE MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Twilight Sea-Hydro]

[b]Silverleaf Belt: [/b] Wt 2.00. +7 AC, +10 Wis, +20 vsMg, +60 HP, +60 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Classes: D Bl. All Races. [Hate-Inno's Chosen]

[b]Runebranded Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.10. +7 AC, +8 Str, +8 Sta, +8 Dex, +25 HP, +25 Mana, LORE MAGIC Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [Seb-Froglok Krup Knight]

[b]Mucilagenous Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.80. +7 AC, +6 Wis, +10 HP, MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Howling Stone-Bile Sentinel].

[b]Woven Cord of Mistletoe: [/b] Wt 0.10. +6 AC, +10 Wis, +15 Cha, +7 vsPos, +7 vsDis, LORE MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [PoG-Prince Thirneg].

[b]Reed Belt: [/b] Wt 0.00. +6 AC, +5 Wis, +10 HP, MAGIC All Classes. All Races. [Dagnor's Cauldron-Bilge Farfathom].

[b]Honeycomb Belt: [/b] Wt 2.00. +6 AC, +8 Wis, +2 Cha, +75 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Effect of Haste. Classes: D Bl. All Races. [PoA Quest].

[b]Bone Clasped Girdle: [/b] Wt 0.10. +4 AC, +7 Str, +7 Sta, +7 Dex, +75 HP, +75 Mana, MAGIC Classes: N E Mg Wz Sm D C B Bl. All Races. [Fear-Golems].

[b]Girdle of Flayed Iksar:[/b] Wt 3.0. +6 AC, +8 Sta, +8 wis, +30 Mana. All Classes. All Races [ ]

****

Discussion: Lots of nice belts with high AC, but in my opinion the Haste effect on many of the highest AC belts is wasted on druids. For the best combination of overall AC, Wis, Mana, resists, and HP, the Belt of Dwarf Slaying takes top honors. 15 to wis, 100 mana, 100 hp, 5 vs all, and 20 AC to boot.

The Windraider's Belt has 15 more base AC, and an additional +2 vs all, but at the cost of no wisdom, no mana, and no hp. Sure it has haste, but so what? Not a good tradeoff for a druid.

The Belt of Marvelous Visions has similar problems. The effect does give a nice Stamina (and thus, HP) boost, but it has no resists and no wisdom or mana.

The Silver Girdle of Stability is better than either the Windraider's or BMV, with 50 mana and hp. However, the low stat pluses to wis and resists are a joke. With only 5 more AC than the BDS, it clearly is inferior.

The Belt of the Destroyer is the belt that probably takes third place. 5 more AC than the BDS, same +15 to wis, a nice 15 to FR (but none to the others), and 75 hp, but no mana. The haste effect, however, means that druids are unlikely to ever see it.

What was second place? The White Dragon Scale Sash. 90 to hp and mana, 15 to wis, 10-15 vs all, but only 10 AC. I think the BDS is better, but the better resists on this belt make it a very close second.




After this grouping, there is a myriad of choices. Most have wisdom in the 5 to 8 range, and several have decent HP and Mana stats as well. The Belt of Inconsistency would be a good choice; while it has low wisdom, it has 75 HP and Mana (and that 75 mana is the equivalent of over +12 to wisdom).

Similarly, the Belt of Guardianship, while it only has +3 to wisdom, has 20 mana, which makes it in effect a +6 wis belt. With 12 AC, 20 hp, and +3 vs all, a +6 wis equivalent belt is very nice.

The Spiked Seahorse Hide Belt is very similar, with the 25 mana translating to another +4 in wis (so +8 in effect). And so on....:)

When you finally retire from EQ are you going to write memoirs?

:)

Nice "articles" on these items.. very useful... I definately mean the above comment in fun...

"Secrets of the Ancient Druid Masters" is now in its third printing. Only $19.95 in hardback (plus shipping and handling)! And if you order now, you'll receive a free set of ginzu knives.







P.S. The last time I mentioned the above publication, someone thought I was serious and took me to task for it on the boards here. Suffice it to say I had a good laugh....:)

Send me a copy at me@duffus.com in exchange for adding this one:

Girdle of Flayed Iksar
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM
Slot: WAIST
AC: 6 WT: 3.0
STA+8 WIS+8 MANA+30
Class: ALL
Race: ALL

Some of these belts would NEVER go to a druid...so why include them?? Pretty much any belt with haste you can immediately wipe off the list...unless every other tank type in the guild has better. Not sure what the haste %s are on these but I'm going to assume that they are pretty damn high.

On that note I'd have to say Dains belt. Good AC, good wis, 100 hp/100 mana plus 5 to all saves would make Peyoten a very happy druid.

Some of these belts would NEVER go to a druid...so why include them??


Because they still may be the best belt for a druid. Moreover, some guilds do have point systems where a druid that builds up enough points could potentially be awarded a haste belt. I have a lower level haste belt myself.

Moreover, the argument about some items not being attainable could apply to many of the top items, which 95% of the druids in the game probably never have a chance of seeing. That's really beyond the scope of what I am doing. I just put them out there, and pretty much leave considerations of attainability up to each individual to assess.

In alot of the highend guilds that use points, if you have the points you can get it, no restriction just because it has haste does not exclude any class. One of the main reasons no restriction is that all melees already have at least 36% haste with the majority at 40%. And quite a few of them have multple haste items so they can choose where they want it.

Before I got the cloak of the sky I was using Shroud of the Dar brood(35% haste). When I bid on this no melees were even interested in it. I see most melees in our guild shying away from the haste belt so they can get the Dain belt.

And the point of best of the best is to find the best.

The only belts that a druid has very few chances to ever get are mostly those with haste. :)

After having killed over 50+ Dains, BoDS started going to druids hehe :) After 20 Tormax, I've only seen like 5-6 White Dragon Scale Belts :( and I'm still drooling on this one /cry

A really good belt you missed is the Belt of Virility, which drops off Grieg...

Belt of Virility
AC: +22 Sta: +20 Agi: +20 Dex: +20 Int: +25 HP: +75 Mana: +75
All/All


Maybe to some druid's this is arguably better than the Dain belt (more HP's and slightly better AC). Its major flaws are no resists and no WIS, although a druid that can grab one of these probably has 255wis or is not too far off. I'd still roll with the Dain belt, personally.

Girdle of Living Thorns (Tunare drop)
20ac dex15/sta15/agi15 100hp/mana svf15/svd15/svp15
effect: Spikecoat (instant)
all/all

Is my pick for best belt, gives 145hp total because of the stamina and 100 mana. I prefer it to dain belt.

Belt of Dwarf Slaying is my ultimate goal.

However, SilverLeaf belt (I have one) Are REALLY nice boost on the MR, with a GREAT mana boost. Personally, I love it for raids, my MR is always lacking while my FR/CR (ToV resists) are in the 120s. This belt has great mana, good HP, and a nice wis. Very nice for raids, imo. I give it honourable mention to say the least. ;)

I would go with the White Dragon Scale Sash with the Belt of Dwarf Slaying being a REAL close second. I'm a real saves freak, but the AC on the Belt of Dwarf Slaying is tasty heh heh.

Idawen
55th Level Druid
The Forgotten Order
Fennin Ro

I like the extra saves from the WDSS, since I've hit my goal of a self buffed 1k+ AC, its my belt of choice.

~Sog
~Hierophant, Warlord and part time Sorcerer
~Legions of Darkness

Unless the belt has wisdom, won't go to a druid. Even then, we have to compete with shaman and clerics. Because they are considered more valued (since the new improved heals for everyone but us), we usually do not get anything that includes clerics and shamans with the wisdom stats. Just the way it is in uber guilds, which is when you would make this type of kill.

Girdle of the Holy Wanderer
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 6 WT: 0.0
STA+5 WIS+5 SV MAGIC+5
Class: CLR DRU SHM
Race: ALL
Halloween GM event.

looks like a straw spun belt, not too shabby of a belt.
It replaced my Crysalline belt when I was lvl 35..:)

S. Iceblood, 56 War-Tunare
Krizlin Bsizzlin, 45 Dru-Tunare

Nice belt, but I have been excluding GM handouts from these lists.

Personally, I wear the Girdle of the Holy Wanderer...although there are nicer belts out there, this is by far one of the better no drop belts for druids (speaking from a RZ pespective). As Scirocco pointed out tho, it's GM even loot (given out at the Halloween event) so hard to quantify in such a comparision.

Unless the belt has wisdom, won't go to a druid. Even then, we have to compete with shaman and clerics. Because they are considered more valued (since the new improved heals for everyone but us), we usually do not get anything that includes clerics and shamans with the wisdom stats. Just the way it is in uber guilds, which is when you would make this type of kill.

That is not how it is in uber guilds. I wear a girdle of living thorns, no wisdom. I'll sort of agree with clerics/shamans being more valued, but that doesnt mean they get better gear automaticially (at least not in Triton).

Runebranded Girdle: Wt 0.10. +7 AC, +8 Str, +8 Sta, +8 Dex, +25 HP, +25 Mana, LORE MAGIC Effect of Haste. All Classes. All Races. [Lower Guk-Froglok Krup Knight]


-> drops in seb not guk. =)

That is not how it is in uber guilds. I wear a girdle of living thorns, no wisdom. I'll sort of agree with clerics/shamans being more valued, but that doesnt mean they get better gear automaticially (at least not in Triton)

It depends on the guilds :) I don't know how Triton works, but I know AL and BotS work with a point system where guildmember buy their loot with attendance points. Fair system.
Other guilds work with rolls (yes, it still exists :))
Other guilds have a core of members (be it 15, 20 or 30) that will get important loot and secondary members will get the rest.
Other guilds have the guildleader doing loot and assigning loot as it drops to the members of his guild.

More or less, in any system, the most important players in a guild get the most interesting pieces of loot first.

you forgot 1: Alpha Looting =P

Anyway, Girdle of Living Thorns beats BoDS by far. Druids don't need Aura of Battle anyway.

The GLT is inferior. The BoDS gives 90 more mana and better resistances (for the ones that matter most), at a cost of about 37 HP. And since we now know that wisdom affects fizzle rates on the broken spells, the 15 wisdom alone makes it a better belt (not considering the mana).

The effects are negligible for either.

GLT is 100mana, BoDS is 100mana. Anyone in a position to get either probably has 255 wis anyway, so I don't think the wisdom matters much at all (thus mana from wisdom doesn't matter).

I play on a blue server, so I'm rarely in needs of resists. So imo 45hps > 5svc & 5svm. With the agility on it the GLT is also more ac.

I agree the effects on either don't matter much (effect on GLT sucks for druids, since it's overwritten by bladecoat or dain hammer effect).

if you're counting 15 wis as 90 more mana then sure, but when you get to choose between these two belts, you'll very most likely have 255 wis without even wearing a belt. And you forgot the 15 sta on the Girdle, and how often do you see a druid with 255 sta? Aand, the resists on those two, i'd go for the GLT personally.

edit: Laf, Nuvian beat me by 20 seconds

Girdle of the Holy Wanderer ( 1 WT, 6 AC, +5 STA, +5 WIS, +5 SV MAGIC)

I picked this up like so many other players during the Halloween GM events in NK. On par with a Reed belt.

Lotharun

Anyone in a position to get either probably has 255 wis anyway


One of the assumptions I make in these lists is that the wisdom will go to use. That means (1) mana, and (2) lower fizzle rates for the broken spells.

Of course, each individual druid differs greatly. The 15 wisdom may not be useful to you (in fact, none of the stats may be particularly useful to you). On the other hand, even for druids at 255+, there is the "bigger picture" option of swapping out another slot with some wisdom in it for some item with better resists, HPs, mana, or AC, but lower wisdom.

I see where you are coming from Scirocco, but I have to kind of agree with the others here.

If we are talking Best of the Best, I assume (and maybe I'm wrong), that we are looking for the best items overall, which, although they shouldn't directly take into effect any other possible items that you might be wearing... you should at least consider the level of gear such a druid would be wearing.

If you go to Magelo, and put on one of the top 5 items in each of our slots, you'll end up with a wis of 300+, and saves of 200+. In other words, while wisdom is not meaningless, at the upper levels, "most" of our dream items have a large wisdom on them in the first place, and this will easily get us over the 255 cap.

On raids I don't wear a wisdom item on one ear, my head, both rings, my gauntlets, my arms, my belt, and my boots... yet my wis is above 255.

And I certainly am not wearing my "dream gear" by far. I still have a jeweler made earring, an enshrouded veil, head pieces that only have ac and saves, arms that are not very druidy, and an oakleaf girdle, only good because my wis is usually maxed, so the extra 40 mana is nice.

So, for me, to consider wisdom as being of high importance on these items doesn't make sense to me.

Having said all this... I see advantages to BoDS, White dragonscale sash, and the Tunare belt. I think these are hands down the best 3.

Personally, I can't choose which I would prefer. If you need/want more saves, WDSS has the edge, but at the cost of some AC (which doesn't bother me), 10 mana, and 10-55 hps. If you want raw hps, GoLT has the edge, along with better saves than the BoDS. However, the BoDS has aura of battle, which I believe includes 2 regen per tick, with is 20hps a minute, which brings it closer to the GoLT. So, unless resists are important to you, I think GoLT and BoDS are close, but GoLT is ever so slightly better with WDSS being a not too distant 3rd. If you highly value resists, then I think BoDS drops to third, and GoLT is 1st with WDSS being second.

Your analysis is exactly the sort of thing I hope to get with these threads. I don't attempt to assign points or rankings for this reason...for most slots, there is no one single choice that is "the" best for all druids.

An interesting exercise after all slots are looked at is to see what combination is the "best," assuming a 110 or 115 base wisdom druid. A handful of items will get us to 255, and the rest can go to optimize HP, mana, AC, and resists. The question, of course, is which items to choose.

hehe, I'm obviously a hp > mana > ac > resists kind of person ><

Girdle of Magnificence
ac25 int15 str15 wis15 hp50 mana25 - 7 to all resists
0.1lb if I recall,
and recommended defense skill >50

When wisdom isn't an issue, I believe I would like to go with this belt....

Tainted Scale Belt
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 15 WT: 1.0
HP+80 MANA+80 SV POISON+15 SV DISEASE+15 SV COLD+15 SV FIRE+15 SV MAGIC+15
Class: CLR DRU SHM NEC WIZ MAG ENC
Race: ALL

Found in Ssraeshza Temple.

I like the combination of AC/HP/MANA/RESISTS since my wisdom is way over 255 already.

Ravynne Soulwindz
59 Druidess of Tunare
Quellious Server

Nice, easy to get quested belt:

<a href=http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=11443>Belt of the Khala Dun</a>
LORE ITEM MAGIC ITEM
AC: +6 Str: +3 Wis: +4 Poison Resist: +2 Disease Resist: +2
Weight: 3.0

-Gruffydd

Bloody Cord of Ssra... off the Emperors Guards beats any belt hands down (cept maybe something from VT which I have not researched). Infact this mob drops one of the best druid belt/bracer/mask around imho :)

Malkyr - if you are talking about the Ssraeshzaen Blood Cord, it comes off the Blood of Ssraeshza himself. When you mention Emp's guards, I think of his 8 snake buddies.

Tunarean Soldier Belt (tunare tailored belt):

AC 10, WIS 10, HP 40, mana 40

buyable, and not too shabby...

Thank you for clarification Nimphe. That is the mob I am talking about. I hope to own his sorry @#%$ in a month or 2 hehe :)

don't remember exact stats atm, but Circle of Smoke makes a very nice belt

I wonder why there are listed 43956259 different belts here when the Topic says "Best of the Best". Wouldnt there be the 5 best enough? It is way to intricate.

From the Blood - meaning, your entire raid needs to be outfitted with Rings of the Shissar to even get there.

Ssraeshzaen Blood Cord
+35 AC
+20 Sta +20 Wis +20 Int +10 Cha
+12 vsMg +12 vsFire +12 vsCold +12 vsPos +12 vsDis
+100 HP +100 Mana
+0.10 Wt

Using Belt of Dark Thought atm.

25 ac.
1% Meditate skill mod
8 wis/int, 125 hp/mana, 15 sv all
ft 4

Because the top 5 (well, my opinion of the top 5) may not match yours.

And it would defeat one of the purposes of this exercise, which is to look at a wide range of good items for a particular slot, so the majority of druids who can only dream of one of the top 5 slots can see which other ones are out there that they might be able to upgrade to.

BTW, do you really think that analyzing a list of 20 to 30 items is too "intricate"? *shakes head*

And don't forget that some belts like the Reed Belt (Extended Affliction II) now have focus or FT effects. This change the value of a item.

And the value of a item vary even more now, depending of your level, because of the min level requirment, the focus level and the focus type effects.

Eridalafar

All Best of the Best were done from the perspective of a level 60 druid given the current state of equipment at the time. One of the reasons I have held off on adding more slot analyses recently has been because of the recent focus changes and recently discovered high end items (especially in VT). I had been waiting for new focus items to be made, but apparently we're stuck with what we got.

But yes, the update to the WAIST Best of the Best will include focus effects.

BTW, do you really think that analyzing a list of 20 to 30 items is too "intricate"? *shakes head*

Well 10 would still be ok, but I counted about 40 (!!!) belts listed here.

I dont want to downgrade your work (no, I appreciate it that someone wants to list up the best stuff), but listing 40 belts without any ranking (yes hard to do because everyone has a different meaning what would be the best belt for himself and the same counts for the other slots too) has the same effect as if I would go to Allakhazam or EQmaps and feed the search engine with "druid" and "belt".

This would be my Ranking for the top 8 Belts:

HP > FT > Mana > Stamina > Resists > Wisdom
(might sound strange to someone outside a Raidguild, but thats how it is)

Rank 1 and 2 could change if you have either FT maxed or stamina maxed

Nr. 1

Belt of Dark Thought
Properties MAGIC ITEM NO DROP
Type: Slots Armor: Waist
Armor Class 20
Skill Mod Channeling +1%
Boosts HP: +125 MANA: +125 SV FIRE: +7 SV DISEASE: +7 SV COLD: +7 SV MAGIC: +7 SV POISON: +7
Effect Flowing Thought IV (Worn)
Weight & Size WT: 1.0 Size: TINY
Class CLR, DRU, SHM, NEC, WIZ, MAG, ENC
Race ALL
Obtained From Diabo Xi Xin Thall (L65)

Nr. 2

Ssraeshzaen Blood Cord
Properties MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Type: Slots Armor: Waist
Armor Class 35
Skill Mod None
Boosts STA: +20 CHA: +10 WIS: +20 INT: +20 HP: +100 MANA: +100 SV FIRE: +12 SV DISEASE: +12 SV COLD: +12 SV MAGIC: +12 SV POISON: +12
Effect None
Weight & Size WT: 0.1 Size: TINY
Class ALL
Race ALL
Obtained From Blood of Ssraeshzaen (L63)

Nr. 3

Belt of Dwarf Slaying:
+20 AC, +15 Str, +15 Wis, +15 Int, +5 vsMg, +5 vsFire, +5 vsCold, +5 vsPos, +5 vsDis, +100 HP, +100 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Effect of Aura of Battle. All Classes. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-Quest]

Nr. 4

Girdle of Living Thorns
+20 AC, +15 Dex, +15 Sta, +15 Agi, +15 vsFire, +15 vsDis, +15 vsPos, +100 HP, +100 Mana, Effect: Spikecoat (instant). All/All. [PoG-Tunare]

Nr. 5

White Dragon Scale Sash:
+10 AC, +15 Wis, +15 vsMg, +10 vsFire, +15 vsCold, +15 vsPos, +10 vsDis, +90 HP, +90 Mana, LORE MAGIC NODROP Classes: C D Sm Bl. All Races. [Kael Drakkel-King Tormax]

Nr. 6

Belt of Virility
Properties MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Type: Slots Armor: Waist
Armor Class 22
Skill Mod None
Boosts DEX: +20 STA: +20 INT: +25 AGI: +20 HP: +75 MANA: +75
Effect Haste (37%) (Worn)
Weight & Size WT: 0.1 Size: TINY
Class ALL
Race ALL
Obtained From Grieg Veneficus (L65)

Nr. 7

Tainted Scale Belt
Properties MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Type: Slots Armor: Waist
Armor Class 15
Skill Mod None
Boosts HP: +80 MANA: +80 SV FIRE: +15 SV DISEASE: +15 SV COLD: +15 SV MAGIC: +15 SV POISON: +15
Effect None
Weight & Size WT: 1.0 Size: SMALL
Class CLR, DRU, SHM, NEC, WIZ, MAG, ENC
Race ALL
Obtained From A Glyphed Covered Serpent (L65)

Nr. 8

Girdle of Magnificence
Properties MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Type: Slots Armor: Waist
Armor Class 25
Skill Mod None
Boosts STR: +15 WIS: +15 INT: +15 HP: +50 MANA: +25 SV FIRE: +7 SV DISEASE: +7 SV COLD: +7 SV MAGIC: +7 SV POISON: +7
Effect Affliction Haste III
Weight & Size WT: 3.0 Size: MEDIUM
Class ALL
Race ALL
Obtained From Lcea Katta (L62)

There's some insanely good belts but I'd settle for a BCG for Extended Affliction III.

There's another easy to get item with this effect: Coldain Military Wristguard, but its other stats are not great.

Much much harder to get is the Bracelet of the Deep Sea and we Druids would not be a high priority to be awarded them, because they are all/all and have INT and not WIS.

Just won a White Dragon Scale Sash on raid, and I'm ONE DARN HAPPY DRUID. Other than Burrower Tunic, this has been my dream piece for a while.

I have to admit I'm kind of taken with the new Stormreaper's Boned Armor (high-end Karana armor), and am looking to upgrade a couple of my pieces with that.

I have the Bone-clasped Girdle and even with the superior stats on other belts I dont know that I would upgrade as much as I solo indoors.

Inconsitency > magnificence IMO :)

Have the belt of dark thought ..hard to imagine a better belt than that one.

What about a Belt of Braided Sinew?

MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 25
STR: +5 STA: +18 WIS: +15 MANA: +75
SV DISEASE: +10 SV MAGIC: +5 SV POISON: +10
WT: 1.2 Size: SMALL
Class: CLR DRU SHM
Race: ALL

Just for a point of discussion

isnt braided sinew from inner acrylia?
Sucks hard for where its from :(

Belt of Dark Thought is pretty nice but here's a couple for consideration...

Gleaming Mesh Girdle
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 28
DEX: +25 STA: +20 WIS: +25 AGI: +20 HP: +150 MANA: +150
SV DISEASE: +10 SV COLD: +35 SV MAGIC: +10 SV POISON: +10
Required level of 65.
Focus: Quickening of Mithaniel
WT: 1.5 Size: SMALL
Class: CLR DRU SHM
Race: ALL

~~~

Woven Steel Sash
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 15
STR: +20 STA: +20 WIS: +20 INT: +20 HP: +135
MANA: +135 SV DISEASE: +18 SV COLD: +18
SV POISON: +18
Recommended level of 65
Focus Effect: Patience of Eternity
WT: 0.5 Size: MEDIUM
Class: ALL
Race: ALL

Girdle of the Tactician
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 12
STR: +15 DEX: +10 CHA: +5 WIS: +15
INT: +15 HP: +100 MANA: +100 SV MAGIC: +30
Recommended level of 61.
Effect: Flowing Thought III (Worn)
WT: 0.5 Size: MEDIUM
Class: ALL
Race: ALL

I use Tactician...it owns.

Girdle of Rapidity is a decent belt.
int/cha/wis/mana/31% haste wis/int casters only

For a best of the best list it would make sense to remove some of the belts. Clearly a straw spun belt isnt going to be anyones dream belt.

Fennin Ro drops a rather nice belt for the dreamers out there :)

Gleaming Mesh Girdle
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 28
DEX: +25 STA: +20 WIS: +25 AGI: +20 HP: +150 MANA: +150
SV DISEASE: +10 SV COLD: +35 SV MAGIC: +10 SV POISON: +10
Required level of 65.
Focus: Quickening of Mithaniel
WT: 1.5 Size: SMALL
Class: CLR DRU SHM
Race: ALL except FRG

For druids who have something less, it certainly could be.

The original Best of the Best threads (this is round 3) essentially included EVERYTHING for a druid in the slot. It gave a good overall picture of what was available, and gave people reading some ideas as to possible immediate upgrades.

We've had several expansions since then, and the number of items for a slot has grown tremendously. I still want a fairly comprehensive list that a lower level druid can use as a reference, but I can't list everything. Hence, I somewhat arbitrarily cut off the list at somewhere below mid-range.

In other words, I don't want the list to function purely as an unachievable "dream list."

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I have a twink cleric and chanter, that I play casually...

It would be nice to see gear divided into these catagories or listed in this order

1. Buyable in Bazaar, Questable, One group or less camp
2. Mini Raid...18 or so for level 65
3. Bring 60 friends if you want this
4. Top of Game truly Best gear, Dream on.

Didn't see this listed. What I'm wearing. Not the best, but worthy of note.

Girdle of Mithaniel
MAGIC ITEM
AC: +8 Str: +12 Sta: +10 Wis: +10 Int: +10 HP: +55 Mana: +45
Weight: 3.0
Classes: Cleric Druid Shaman Wizard Magician Enchanter Necromancer
Races: All Races
Inventory Slot: Waist

Below are a couple new toys my guild is farming.

Flame Buckled Belt
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 12
STR: +15 STA: +10 WIS: +8 INT: +8
HP: +85 MANA: +85 SV COLD: +15
Recommended level of 62.
Effect: Flowing Thought III (Worn)
WT: 0.5 Size: MEDIUM
Class: ALL

Woven Steel Sash
MAGIC ITEM LORE ITEM NO DROP
Slot: WAIST
AC: 15
STR: +20 STA: +20 WIS: +20 INT: +20
HP: +135 MANA: +135 SV DISEASE: +18 SV COLD: +18
SV POISON: +18
Required level of 65.
Focus Effect: Patience of Eternity
WT: 0.5 Size: MEDIUM
Class: ALL