The Spirit Realm

I don't know the game past level 70, but pre-70 I would hesistate to go further past 66 without having all your defensive AAs. Unless you are seriously twinked (COA+ geared) then not having those defensive AAs will tear you up in MPG+ and it will be difficult to have a decent group.

If you leveled up but were forced to stay in WoS then xp would come slower (although not atm since it is a hotzone) than if you had just got the defensive AA first.

That's my opinion. I currently am 66 with pop defensives done with about 1900AC and a few shielding points and I cannot tank effectively in MPG yet. So I'm doing OoW defensives at each level and then will do shield block 3 at 67 when it opens. I hope that will allow me to move to MPG when I start to hit 68-69.

With the aa exp rates post 70, and the lack of meaningful gains post 70, that is really not true. Someone that doesn't intend to raid or whatever, would be MUCH better served at getting to 70 with ward of tunare and grinding aa in WoS murks or arcstone undead than leveling to 75 to grind aa. If you can't get good enough gear to solo those, you damn sure don't have the gear to tank at 75.

He said he already has 240 AAs. While I can't look at a magelo, I'm guessing he bought the right AAs to be tanking at least some things. Afterall, he's level 71. He got there somehow. 240 is a good jump start on what's needed to tank. It sounds like his problems are more gear related than they are AA related.

We also don't know if he solos or groups. He doesn't say. If he solos then his gear is still a problem and there are plenty of places to solo at level 75 and his chances at a group in a good XP zone go up exponentially. The gear possibilities with groups are better too at 75. If he bought his Slay Undead levels somewhere in that 240 AAs he can go to Frostcrypt as DPS in a group and not as the tank at all although I wouldn't have recommended buying them in the first 240 before the last couple of expansions, but now they pay off nicely.

Either way, level 75 is better off than level 70. If he had zero AAs and just inherited this character from his friend and had no clue how to play a Paladin, I'd say take the easiest route and learn the character and his abilities by messing around in WoS or other easier zones. But it seems he leveled this character up and therefore probably has some skill, be it group or solo.

You simply can't discount that level is the most important stat in the game. And I would NEVER recommend dropping a level just to gain some AAs. Level > all and that's a fact.

i agree with knee at 240 aa's its more important to get to 75 asap so the chances of even being asked to group go way up , most groups wont even consider a knight not 75 unless its a guild group or no other tanks remain lfg and who wants to grind 200 aa's in the murk caves when they can go out and group....