So I've been playing a little while now and was told from the beginning "OMG Wolver gear go go go!" So I followed that advice and have worked my way up to the following:
Leviathan blade
Ash Tail Cap
Ash Tail Coat
Dark Thorn Shield
Magnus (not important)
Using this I walked in to tier 3, promptly caught on fire, and died horribly. Most likely due to the fact I have no real elemental resist to speak of, being entirely in Ash Tail. Now I don't want to make it sound like I'm bashing the awesome guys in my New Player thread. Their advice got me this far and helped me to be a better player without a doubt. I'm just a little concerned at this point for a few reasons.
1.) I have to hope and pray I don't find anything to do with fire right now.
2.) While I'm aware I can build in to Vog and get elemental/fire resist, I'm confident that the future of this game will not revolve around those resistances forever.
3.) I see the wisdom in getting Vog gear to do t3, and am very aware that the game revolves around the philosophy of "dress for success." I just don't know if Vog is my thing. I shield and dodge as much as possible, however even my shield doesn't seem to be up to par at the moment and breaks if a monster looks at it the wrong way.
I suppose I'm basically asking if there is any decent alternative armors I can start using that offer a more broad range of defenses. I like the defense types on the platemail and drake set but can find very little feedback on either. If Vog really is just the way to go however, I can always save up for that set before I go back to tier 3 as well.
Thank you for any and all assistance. I hope I explained my dilemma well enough, but feel free to ask for clarification if it sounds murky.
As far as shields go... there are four damage types and most shields block only one or two of those. The other two damage types break your shield in a heartbeat. That's how shields work on Spiral Knights.