Hi
with that standard earth tank build you can go anywhere where there is no unavoidable enchant removal/armour ignoring damage.
By unavoidable, i mean anything bu twell of the profane, as if you run away from any dead bodies you should be fine, i managed to solo all the scarabs surrounding the queen with it (used mantra of resolve as my last skill), but couldnt do enough dmaage to the queen

. (althoguh i did get 3 golds in that one run....)
Also against hydras i would say balanced stance is a must, as it lets you take on more hydras at once, (try taking on about 15 without it, and timing your spells so they arent disrupted), and also allow a bit more of lay back and farm mentality (i.e. its not so mentally demanding).
Obvious examples of other places to take this build are:
with mantra of resolve:
scarabs outside augury9they wont use vampiric ouch uneless theyre on low health, the key here is taking them out 1 by 1 so its not really worth it timewise, but is fun for a challge)
trolls in the troll cave: (can normally take 10-11 of them at once, but that was before mantra of resolve was nerfed, havent tried it since then)
with any 8th skill:
minotuars outside elona or the minotaurs outsire heroes audience(very easy, but not very many decent drops)
with balanced stance:
sand elementals outside heroes audience
sand wurms whereever they ar (normally switch out restoration for obsidian flame for this, and rely on renewal for healing)
Now, to the pros and cons of ether renewal vs balthazars spirit (and ill add stormchaser on as well, as that can be VERY useful):
ether renewal:
can have any secondary prof
heals as well (and a very major heal it is as well)
allows you to fight small groups, as you dont have to take damage for it to work
is elite
balthazars spirit:
doesnt need to be recasted so is easy to use
are limited to monk secondary
must be taking lots of damage for it to work-you cant take small groups very effectively
storm chaser
needs elemntal damage, making it only useful for specific farming places.
adds 5 energy per hit, which will fill your energy bar in a crazily small amount of time (if facing lots of opponants)
is less effective against small groups (but not ineffective due to the large amount per hit)
And another quick comparison: galigords staff vs ffs of enchanting+-2 while enchanted +30 hp sheild
staff:
cheap (relatively)
20% fast-casting with earth spells
20% fast recharge, (only with earth spells)
ffs+shield
+~5 armour
10% fast recharge on ALL spells (so can benefit ether renewal, which would be very useful)
-2 damage per hit (note this really does add up, allowing you to rely on heling much less, or even not have to heal)
both
20% longer enchantments
+30 hp
so if you can get one, the axe+shield combo greatly overpowers teh staff in terms of tanking ability, for a slight decrease in damage dealing ability, and more chance of having your spells interrupted (but not majorly), however getting a shield like that will be rpicey, so maybe switching out the +30 health mod for a less popular +1 to earth magice might be wise.
oljomo