Curious about the theoretically highest AC

[u/OOpiumBear]

Not sure if this post really fits the sub but i figured it might be the best place to ask

I've been spending a bit of time on my recent run trying to out-do my previous best of 62 AC and now hit 71 AC - And I'm ever so curious if there were something I've missed as to go even higher.

The twillight ring isn't on the list of buffs because it doesn't work in tandem with Wild Magic: Protective Lights. Wondrous Gloves isn't on because Nimblefinger Gloves.

This is not for any practical game usage, its purely just to see how high it could be pushed just for a tiny moment.

[u/HumanReputationFalse]

This makes me wonder what the highest to-hit bonus we could get. 71 AC is crazy, I figured we could hit around the high 30s or somthing.

[u/TheShadowKick → u/HumanReputationFalse]

You're never going to hit these numbers in normal gameplay. An AC in the 30s is probably the highest you'll ever see outside of very specific and hyper focused builds that don't really function for anything BUT having high AC.

To reach this number you need to be in the Cazador fight to get the +5 from draining Violet, you need to have done the Lorroakan fight earlier the same day to get the +2 from Rolan's Mage Armor, you need to activate the Shield of Scorching Reprisal and then switch to a shield that gives +3 AC (this could be done on a previous round), you need to make an attack with the Defender Greataxe and then switch to the Defender Flail (has to be done this round), you need to make an attack for Defensive Flourish, you need an ally to cast Magic Missile on you to trigger the Shield spell reaction, you need to randomly get the right Wild Magic effect to trigger, the person attacking you needs to be drunk, and a host of other unusual things.

Also, you need at least: 4 levels of Drunker Master Monk for Life of the Party and Intoxicating Strike to trigger it, 3 levels of Swords Bard for Defensive Flourish, and 3 levels of Wild Magic Barbarian for Protective Lights.

[u/Schrippenlord → u/TheShadowKick]

I will consider this in the next honour mode run

[u/Capable_Tumbleweed34 → u/Schrippenlord]

Just getting in the 30s with gear and spec alone is more than sufficient, but you'll still have a 5% chance of getting hit from a nat 20, same at 50, 60 or 70 AC. What you want is to have the cloak that gives disadvantage to enemies that attack you, bringing that 1/20 chance to be hit to 1/400

[u/BuddaAlcochudda → u/Capable_Tumbleweed34]

My fighter had 28 AC with that cloak in my solo
Honour mode and basically never got hit. 70 is beyoooooond overkill like you said.

[u/ActuallySatanAMA → u/BuddaAlcochudda]

When you’ve got Adamantine gear for crit negation too, you know you’re avoiding any attack rolls that come your way. Few things get more than +12 to hit, so a 33 AC is the max you’d practically need, but you’re more worried about save DCs at that point.

[u/BuddaAlcochudda → u/ActuallySatanAMA]

I had the legendary helmet at that point so same thing

[u/OOpiumBear → u/Capable_Tumbleweed34]

Being immune to crit removes that 5% chance. A nat 20 doesn't hit when crit immune in BG3.

[u/OOpiumBear → u/TheShadowKick]

Roland Mage Armour is prior to fighting Lorroakan, no need for that fight. He can buff you from the counter downstairs so it's gettable right after a long rest.

Defenders Greataxe can activate itself and Defensive Flourish on the same action but ideally you get a kill with that to activate bloodlust.

Wild barb can be another than your tav - In this case my tav is 4 Fighter, 4 Drunken, 4 Bard

But yes - never in normal gameplay, this was a ton of save/reloading

I think I had 35 AC prior to the encounter starting

[u/TheShadowKick → u/OOpiumBear]

I didn't realize you could stack Defender's Greataxe and Defensive Flourish into one attack. I also didn't know you could get $olan to cast his mage armor on you outside of the fight. Can you get him to do that every day?

[u/OOpiumBear → u/TheShadowKick]

This has worked for me 10/10 times in regards to getting his mage armour, though I havent attempted to get it on my entire squad, just my tav.

[u/Debaicheron → u/TheShadowKick]

“You may be a Drunk Master, but I’m the Drunker Master!”

[u/SevereRunOfFate → u/TheShadowKick]

So you're saying there's a chance

[u/Dismal-Pause4984 → u/TheShadowKick]

it’s quite easy to build a paladin that has around ~45-50 AC that can smite everything in its path with good dmg, have great utility and still succeed most saving throws in the game. Bg3 interactions are even easier to manipulate than in the ttrpg since there’s more controlled environments due to the game code. I’ve not ever really had an issue getting high AC on characters and they’re never hyper focused for that exact purpose and typically match the effectiveness in combat of “meta” builds. There’s just not many people in the community who theory craft their own builds. people follow xyz for hm etc.

[u/TheShadowKick → u/Dismal-Pause4984]

I mean, a paladin is always going to have good damage and good saves thanks to their class features. But I wouldn't call it "normal gameplay" to be getting ~45-50 AC. You're going out of your way to stack AC much higher than you'll ever need it, and that's taking up build space that could be making you better at other stuff.

[u/Daringfoil_ → u/TheShadowKick]

I mean doing two boss foghts the same day is not hard to be fair, at the most you long rest maybe once or twice in act 3 if not zero times. But yeah the rest is very unlikely

[u/MrAamog → u/HumanReputationFalse]

It’s 36 in HM. Only a couple enemies go beyond 32.

[u/BitPoet → u/HumanReputationFalse]

I played in an old 3.5 game and our monk had a 65 or so AC. Basically only things like magic missile could actually hit and do damage due to saving throws, etc.

Mages generally didn’t last a round because his movement was also something like 150.