tested my IB after 2 years.

[Yyrd]

Since i been gone from game, i read they nerfed IB.
first my IB is 2handed, RR 75, gear at lvl, with very heavy defenses. so i have about 800 toughness and 850 str.(prebuffed) parry was like 50%+

I read the heavy blow damage out put was nerfed. Not sure why, because IB was never a heavy hitter. I'm sure a Rune priest can out damage me if speced for this. infect, i THINK IB was one of the lowest DPS classes in game. I get it, IB is meant to tank. BUT KOSB is A much better tank then the IB will ever be.

I test my new builds. and i get a 2k burst damage, and 1k damage over time killing a dummy. OK, i am not going to be killing anybody with heals. even a dps healer can out heal me now. but i can guard / assist a dps? that is my role.

I take my IB into rvr. use guard and i die in seconds. /repeat. still dead. I have a **** load into defenses. maxed disrupt, max parry, toughness goes to 900+ when buff is triggered. yet, i am killed if i guard somebody. so, i stop and look at combat data.

I don't parry! I did maxed parry, but i don't parry anymore. even my guard hits me. 500 - 1000 damage from guard! and i capped parry!

oh i have 24% parry now. ok, so parry has been nerfed. IB can no longer guard anybody. somebody told me parry is now a INIT based stat. GOOD for the WH and WE's, they have very high INIT. Im glad they are even more difficult to kill. Since i never been able to kill a WE. i am glad they are stronger in this new version.( yes i lied, nothing kills a WE but another WE)

so i tried S/B spec and im sorry NO damage at all.

Explain to me? what is the IB role in this game.

[gisborne]

People in game will say that IB makes one mdps into a superman, but that's just hyperbole. 2h IB and BG were hit hard by the WS change.

[fatelvis]

You have a skill to heavily increase parry and ini for you and your oath friend plus a bunch of talisman slots and renown points.
Pro tip: investing renown in ini grants parry and anti crit at the same time so you basically don't need FS anymore.

[Sinisterror]

I dont think anything works like it should, really. Everything is weird and or broken

[gisborne]

Pro tip: investing renown in ini grants parry and anti crit at the same time so you basically don't need FS anymore.

This is bad advice. You can buy the benefits of Initiative for cheaper than it costs to buy the stat points.

34 spent gives you 120 Initiative. That's 6% crit reduction, 3.6% parry and 3.6% dodge.

You could instead spend 15 points to get 8% crit reduction via FS, 4 points to get 7% dodge AND disrupt, and 4 points for 7% parry. That's just 23 points total. It's not even close.