What is the best equipment for an E9 Cyclops?

[moderation]

I'm toying around with a few configurations and I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for improving it:

Vine shield
Fire shield
Horned Helmet
Rainbow Armor
Behemoth Boots
Antimagic Amulet
Regeneration Ring or Reinvigoration Amulet

One of the shields can be swapped out for a Frost or Fire Brand as needed. I was thinking of adding Luck or Etherealness, but it doesn't seem as important as MR considering his huge protection.

[Jazzepi]

Luck is super important. I'd rather have a lucky coin than a vine shield any day.

Jazzepi

[moderation]

Even with 35 protection? Actually I think fear magical attacks more than any kind of physical damage. But maybe a high damage SC killer would change my mind.

[Jazzepi]

moderation said:
Even with 35 protection?

Yes. Fatigue reduces the effects of protection, and luck helps protect you against critical strikes as well as AP attacks from things like crossbows.

Jazzepi

[moderation]

Hmm, maybe swapping out the Rainbow Armor for Robe of Shadows would be worthwhile. Giving up +3 MR and reinvig is a tough choice though.

[Jazzepi]

I'd rather have the +3 MR and reinvigoration.

I don't see any reason for you to keep vine shield when you could have lucky coin. They serve the same purpose. Vine shield immobilizes people so that they can't attack the pretender, but the lucky coin provides a much better layer of defense by making 50% of all attacks miss. It also helps against some magic attacks.

Jazzepi

[moderation]

Which magic attacks does Luck protect you from? Is it only the mundane spells like Blade Wind or Gifts from Heaven?

[Omnirizon]

Shadow Brand
Lucky Coin (?Silver Coin? can't remember what's called, but you know what i'm talkin about)
Starshine Skullcap
Rainbow Armor
Boots of Flying
Antimagic Amulet
Ring of Regeneration

maximize MR, as it is really the weakest link with an E9 'clops

protection is so high don't need etherealness, although luck is good for everyone.

with a shadow brand and such good defensive capability, don't need trampling or quickness. I think the mobility of flying is better choice.

[Lingchih]

Yes, luck protects 50% against everything.

[Twan]

Without informations about your nation, I can't see how people can give those definitive opinions.

If you have astral mages the cyclop of course don't need luck or ethearalness on items, just one mage or two to buff him. If you also have water mages, and plan to use just mages + cyclop he don't need quickness too (if you use the thug in an army, quickness items may be usefull, as mage AI isn't reliable to buff SC with a range 15 spell).

Anyway...

Behemoth boot + vine shield offer an excellent synergy (for a trampler vine shield or eye shield is far better than lucky coin IMO). But if he don't have mages to cast quickness nor haste nor flying on him (+ luck to replace the item), I don't think making your cyclop a trampler is the best use of the chassis (and the only way to give him quickness + trampling with items would create encumbrance problems, with the jade armor). So I'd use behemoth boots only if I have the appropriate buffers.

Horned Helmet reduce your defense for a negligible attack, you won't kill a size 6 ennemy SC, nor even an elephant, with it, and smaller ennemies are supposed to be trampled, so in general (if you are not fighting mindless) it's better to use an Horror Helmet boosting the cyclop's fear. Horned Helmet is only good if you also carry a weapon and plan to fight thugs/sc, it's main interest is one more attack to reduce ennemy defense.

Finally , if your goal is to kill a big army of chaff, using the cyclop as a mage and casting iron bane + blade wind x 4 kill far more guys than trampling, with reduced risk. And if your goal is to kill creatures able to survive against this (high hp, magical armors etc...), the cyclop would be better fighting with a weapon.