I play strictly lev12 PVP, and there speed is the most important, the next is damage. At higher level however, some life might be advantageous... aldhough I think that the bear that killed you had all his stat points in str (hence the huge damage).
I understand that in HC it is not that easy to say that "just hope your blow lands first" :) But with a bear, the key is to keep the enemy stunlocked. That means, SPEED. In high level duels druids usually use 5x40/15 + 1 shael-ed Berzerker axes (I think this will change with the new Griswald weapon thouh :)); and there the main goal is to attain a swing rate that makes paladins jealous. The same path should be followed in case of mid-or low level pvp: hit fast enough so that the opponent will not be able to move and it does not really matter if you don't hit that hard. In this case, a high vit build might survive... unless you encounter another bear, and have to face his ravens...
All in all, I'd vote speed. AND if I were you, I'd try it out in softcore first (if you play Europe, I'm more than willing to help you with your testing).
Happy hunting!
I understand that in HC it is not that easy to say that "just hope your blow lands first" :) But with a bear, the key is to keep the enemy stunlocked. That means, SPEED. In high level duels druids usually use 5x40/15 + 1 shael-ed Berzerker axes (I think this will change with the new Griswald weapon thouh :)); and there the main goal is to attain a swing rate that makes paladins jealous. The same path should be followed in case of mid-or low level pvp: hit fast enough so that the opponent will not be able to move and it does not really matter if you don't hit that hard. In this case, a high vit build might survive... unless you encounter another bear, and have to face his ravens...
All in all, I'd vote speed. AND if I were you, I'd try it out in softcore first (if you play Europe, I'm more than willing to help you with your testing).
Happy hunting!