Elixirs and potions help as well. Adept's elixirs are pretty fantastic for casters, and rage potions are great for tanks (especially off tanks). There's potions that give you 2000 or 2500 armor for a short time. Potions that increase your shadow damage, your healing, or your critical strike. 

Google search &quot;Alchemy recipes&quot; or &quot;Alchemy guide&quot; and you can find a website that'll have all the stuff you can get. 

Dreadwind's an alchemist, and eager to make all sorts of elixirs and potions in order to learn some new stuff. (You learn random new formulas every now and then, and I've yet to learn anything because I'm a big stupid apparrently).