Bard with the following defenses:
Parry 283, Evasion 268, Shield 265, Defending 267
Chain 271, Brig 252, Plate 185, Light 184
I've been using a mix of armor so I don't have to juggle greaves, but it leaves my hindrance at rather (8/14) hindered.

Weapons range from 220 to 250, but melee mastery is 334 and missile mastery is 293

Str/Stam 44, Ref/Agi 37.

I usually have NAME, Resonance, Harmony, RAGE, DRUM, MAF, and LW up, plus DALU for my cyclic.

Orc bandits have started teaching noticeably less, and I can kill them fast enough that I frequently have to wait on more to spawn. Cave trolls, genies, and red gremlins all beat me up pretty badly.

Any suggestions for what to hunt, or other changes I might need to make, would be appreciated.

Another alternative might be rock guardians. My thief is sitting in there with about 240s in defenses, 200-220 in weapons. So considerably less ranks than you. It's close to Crossings at least.

You could also prolly squeeze some ranks out of night-time barghests out the west gate of Haven.

Or if yer up fer fun, you could head to Basilisk's under the Zalfung swamp, I recall surviving there around them ranks.

Rehlyn

A Maelshyvean shadow beast slows long enough to deeply inhale some of the swirling shadows surrounding it. After a moment, it sighs with great releif and blackness oozes from its ears and nostrils.