DEX stat on TLP in classic

This is provably false. Open your "stats" tab in your inventory. It has a "speed" display.

I will repeat it for the people who missed it: The only stat that matters in classic is STA and thats for more hp. Everything else is marginal at best.

On the subject... Shaman buffing in the early game is a PITA. I typically only give my melees STR buff. Is that beneficial at 40ish or a waste of mana?

Edit: To be clear, I give them STR buff for the extra damage. That's the part I'm inquiring about.

I could tell you, but you should buy and read my book instead, it's called "My life as a Paladin, with and without a Woven Frost Giant Beard." I think it helps, but I also think if it doesn't help, the placebo is soothing.

For carrying loot it is important. It does increase their ATK rating which helps, but youre likely talking 10% tops.

There is right and wrong information about every source of information about EQ. And then what was right in 1999 might be wrong now. What was wrong in 1999 might have been right in 2004 and wrong now. And so forth and so forth.

This is coupled by the facts that with stats in particular, there seems to be break over points where you don't see a decent increase in effectiveness.. until you do. And then after that its marginal.. until again.. its not and you hit another milestone.

And finally there's softcaps and hardcaps. All of which change based on which version of EQ you're playing, and which server in some cases.

At the end of the day, rely on the parses. Current parses. Though that involves us doing some of the work personally ourselves.

On the subject of strength... it does help. And understand the information I am about to give could very well be outdated. Combat in EQ has this weird rolling system. You might notice this when you're fighting a mob and notice it does similar damage with each hit. What STR does is it makes the damage roll a tad higher and while it won't increase damage alot (if at all) past what you are already doing. It will help with getting more max dmg swings. At certain breakover points, it does increase over all dmg per swing.

I'm not sure what those breakover points are. And again my information could be very outdated.

Str increase Atack, and wen you calculate damage, you check your Atack, vs AC.

AC and ATK are probable the key on min max.

This is the most truthful post I've read on these forums in a long time. Many of the design decisions in the early days were done with a mean-spiritedness about them. In MUDs the players referred to the admins as gods. So naturally a god complex worked its way into EQ as well.