I think there is already a similar thread to this, but would like to ask if anything above 100-150x your attack rating helps you noticeably hit more or if you crit more often. Though it had not been explicity written on any of the guides I figured crit chance would increase if your attack rating was a certain level compared to the mob's defense rating.

In any case i've been adding stats to end/agi at the ratio of 3:2 and figured my gear would make up for strength. Is this a good plan? I've been thinking i should respec with more strength for added defense and harder hits aside from using agility. The point distribution I am using currently has worked out great, but at lvl 26 I am finding things to be a bit sluggish and though I have a good amount of hp; large grps of normal and fodder still seem to be a problem.

Should I respec or should I just carry around a shield instead dual wielding when up against these large mobs?

My main fighter (the Laker Girl in my sig) has a stat distribution of 3:2 in STR-AGI, very inconsistently added. Sometimes STR gets 3, sometimes AGI, depending on my mood that day and then all my END comes from gear bonuses. I've been doing that from day one, and at lvl 80 it's still working out just fine.

Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is to have your attack rating be from 100 - 125X your level if you're dual-wielding, 125 - 150X for 2h or sword+board. Regardless, once you hit about 150x your level, you won't see any significant increase in the percent of hits to misses. So, add as much agility as you need, through attribute points or gear, in conjunction with skills like Mad Melee Mastery and Way of Roo to reach the range you feel is appropriate. Once you do, you can be reasonable assured that you'll hit consistently and can concentrate on other attributes like STR (damage and defense rating) and END (HP).