Seeking Inexpensive Armor

[denendir]

I have started to find out that fighting without armor is almost pointless. Simply because you get hit, you die. There is a reason Armor is allowed and I am seeking some if I am to continue to play that and I have finance problems .

If you have any ideas or such. Email me: Rowanfighter@yahoo.com

I am not on here but like once a week. So get ahold of me and lemme know.

[Black Cat]

There's no such thing as inexpensive passing Belegarth armor. Even 'cheap' armor costs >$100 for decent coverage, and that is if you're willing to make the stuff yourself.

It sounds like you're having the exact same problem on the field I'm having. If you really can't get a shot in before you get hit no matter what you try to do, then armor isn't going to help much and isn't worth the money and time investment. You just have to practice a lot and get better at blocking, parrying, and dodging. Make sure you get help with techniques from experienced fighters when you practice. If you can't get better no matter how much you practice or how many veterans you spar, then this game might not be for you.

I guess you could also try archery, which is a great way to get at least one hit in before you get ganked as long as you have good eyesight. Only problem with that is, guess what. KA-CHING! Archery gear is as expensive to get and maintain as armor is. Sad, but true. That's why I didn't get to arch at Yestare this year.

[denendir]

I do have archery gear, cost me 120 bucks total for 12 arrows and also a 35 lb longbow. Wasnt bad at all.

But the armor I am mainly looking to get is a helm and grieves. Any ideas or anyone got prices? This is just a start. Cause I have bracers and am working on a chestpiece myself as well as pauldrons.

[Black Cat]

Your budget must be a lot higher than what I thought it was. What price range of armor are you looking for?

As a sidenote: If you aren't already, you should still try fighting without armor at practices. If you wear armor too much, you will tend to rely on it too much and it will become a crutch in your fighting style.

[denendir]

between 1 and 2 hundred is the middle range. Though Im looking to pay in installments. I may get paid every week for the work i do, but everyong has bills. Though this is my budget range im looking to getting into .

[Black Cat]

In that case, Enderonimus could probably make you something. He specializes in Bel-legal leather helms. I don't see any contact info, but if you send him a PM, he should see it and get back to you.

Edit: (how did I forget about this?) Forkbeard knows how to make both greaves and helms, as well as full suits of armor. He does a great job with armoring. Go to this thread to see the kind of work he does and for contact info.

[Arrakis]

Most people don't wear armor and do alright. Try working with local vets to improve your game, watching the excellent vids in the Fighter Skill Development Forum, and doing slow/pell work at home.

[Sir Anastasia]

Also remember that you won't be better than the people on the field who have been fighting for 10 years during your first month of fighting. Be patient, it takes time to get better. Some of us will be working on it for the rest of our lives. However, I do feel for you with this armor thing. If your vets have 10 years on you AND armor, it will feel pretty one-sided for a while. On the bright side, if they are wearing it all the time, obviously they think they need it. If you can be the person who learns to fight without it, after you save up for your own armor, the rewards of patience and training will be yours. Spar the best people in your realm every time you can get a hold of them. Develop good HONOR now, don't raise the bar for sufficient force when you get discouraged by losing. This way, when you are beating everyone else, you will be doing it with finesse and class. Only the best fighters with great HONOR are remembered. Good fighters with lousy honor are remembered as *.

Good Luck,
AoC

[Claymore]

I'm with the others on this one. Armor does not make a bad fighter good. In fact, armor will slow your movements and exaust you quicker. And non-restricting armor such brig and chain will not dampen the blows.

[Kharn]

Many of the best fighters in the sport wear no armor at all, and as people have hinted at, armor can make a fighter worse. On multiple occasions I've spoken with fighters who stopped fighting with their armor because they felt their skills were becoming atrophied as they became increasingly reliant on their armor.


There's nothing wrong with armor, but it tends to be highly overrated. While I've given thought to various pieces of armor, the only thing I really want is a helm for national events.

[Thomas MacFinn]

... and remember, against a double-handed red or double-handed green weapon, armor doesn't even give you that extra hit.

[Cib]

An option for grieves: http://www.foamsmiths.com/Leather-Greav ... on_details
An option for bracers: http://www.foamsmiths.com/UFinish-12oz- ... on_details

[Claymore]

... and remember, against a double-handed red or double-handed green weapon, armor doesn't even give you that extra hit.

This may not sound like a big thing, but it is. There are definetly different types of fighting. Mostly, its sword and board, redsword, or polearm.(Sword and board being any one handed weapon) On the field, you might have a small advantage againts a person using sword and bord, but you are at a disadvantage to the guy with the glaive behind him. Also, in larger battles, archers seem to love picking on polearms and armored units.

As for smaller battles, your biggest enemy is the * sword. Two handed and fast as hell, your armor will just slow you down. Almost eveyone in my group has one of these making armor relativly worthless.

if you want to experiment, I suggest you borrow a suit for a few battles, maybe buy a set of bracers or spaulders to see how often it actually saves you.

[denendir]

For the Grieves is that 45.00 for the whole thing? Or is it the 70.00???

[Arrakis]

Make a note (journal in your belt, on the sidelines, whatever) of each place you get hit with a blue or green shot when it happens. Figure out what armor pieces will be most useful for you.

[Thomas MacFinn]

The first time I met Ender (who makes armor), I was surprised how little gear he wears when he practices.

[raverbenny]

i only find it useful to have a single bracer for the off hand do to my fighting style. i use sword and bord with a red on my back. when i loose my sheild i will block once with my bracer to try and finish him and then bring out my red. as every one here said, armor is over rated, it only helps me get one kill, and thats with the minimum amount of armor. and about the commants, arrows are easy and cheap to make. i made 10 arrows for $30 and they are 100% legal. and when using a bow i would suggest getting somthing to keep the string from hitting youre are (it sucks)

[Poo]

i only find it useful to have a single bracer for the off hand do to my fighting style. i use sword and bord with a red on my back. when i loose my sheild i will block once with my bracer to try and finish him and then bring out my red. as every one here said, armor is over rated, it only helps me get one kill, and thats with the minimum amount of armor. and about the commants, arrows are easy and cheap to make. i made 10 arrows for $30 and they are 100% legal. and when using a bow i would suggest getting somthing to keep the string from hitting youre are (it sucks)

Get a buckler.

[raverbenny]

planning on making one >.> but im keeping the bracer, its still a little bit usfull

[Theros the Large]

Also remember that you won't be better than the people on the field who have been fighting for 10 years during your first month of fighting. Be patient, it takes time to get better. Some of us will be working on it for the rest of our lives. However, I do feel for you with this armor thing. If your vets have 10 years on you AND armor, it will feel pretty one-sided for a while. On the bright side, if they are wearing it all the time, obviously they think they need it. If you can be the person who learns to fight without it, after you save up for your own armor, the rewards of patience and training will be yours. Spar the best people in your realm every time you can get a hold of them. Develop good HONOR now, don't raise the bar for sufficient force when you get discouraged by losing. This way, when you are beating everyone else, you will be doing it with finesse and class. Only the best fighters with great HONOR are remembered. Good fighters with lousy honor are remembered as *.

Good Luck,
AoC

Wow...

That was very well said. I agree completely with the sentiments expressed in Anastasia's post. There is an incredibly steep learning curve involved with this game. It takes a lot of patience and practice to achieve a high level of competence in your fighting.

Find the best fighters to spar with as often as you can. When a vet beats you into the ground find them after the fight and ask them how they beat you. Most of the higher caliber fighters will be more than happy to give you a few moments of their time to show you a trick or two.

Here are a few things that will greatly improve your fighting.

Work on your footwork. Seriously...
Having good footwork is worth at least a full suit of armor on the field. I reccomend looking up how to do something called "Spot Drills". They are an excercise where you have a number (usually 9) dots placed on the floor in a three by three pattern. You place your feet on the dots and rapidly switch them from dot to dot. It did wonders for my footwork back when I played football years ago.

Do everything you can to improve your wrist and forearm strength.
The ability to do quick snap shots and tightly control your shot placement will give you an edge. Several of our vets have some great forearm excercises that they do to help with this.

Find a fighting style that is comfortable for you and stick to it.
This is not to say that you can never learn how to fight with different weapons. This is a suggestion to fully learn one fighting style FIRST. Concentrating on one particular style will give you a chance to focus on the nuances of that style, thus giving your training a parameter and achievable scope.

Set goals.
Keep track of your fights. Make a list of good fighters that you want to learn from and get to know them at an event. For example...Make yourself fight at least 10 good veterans every day at an event. Ask them for advice and to spar with you. Like I said earlier, most of the vets will be more than happy to show you some things while they slap you around a bit. It really is the best way to learn.

I honestly wouldn't bother with getting a full set of armor yet. If you do want to wear a bit of armor for events and such don't call armor when your sparring people. Pretend that your not even wearing it. The best way to track your improvement is to see how well you survive when your not wearing any armor.

One final point...

Don't get discouraged. It sometimes takes a while for a person to get in the groove of this stick swinging thing. Make sure to be honorable in your hit taking. Be very aware of where shots are actually hitting you and take them appropriately. A reputation for good hit taking is one of the most prized things you can have in Belegarth while a reputation for cheating is incredibly difficult to live down.

Good luck in your pursuit of fighting excellence.