[GUIDE]European Weapons Analysis: All useful except Dual Axe
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:51 am
I have concluded that all European weapons have their own plus and minus, and hence useful in their own way, except for Dual Axe. Read on for the details.
Dual axe is almost non-existent in the whole server, for good causes. It is unique, but its defense passive is so small. It was like 22 extra phy def at lvl 40 or something like that, and that does not make any difference. Not to mention it is only def for phy not mag. So might as well go 2hs for more damage. 1hs is awesome defence, and it still deals pretty good damage.
I had long believed that DA deals more damage than 1hs, but after doing some math the result tells a different story. Let's take a look at all the European weapons.
1hs maxed skills: 153% (1 hit), 92%X2=184% (2 hits), 90%X4=360% (4 hits), 100%X4=400% (4 hits)
2hs maxed skills: 267% (1 hit), 208% (1 hit), 114%X3=342% (3 hits), 305%X2X0.65=396.5% (2 hits)
DA maxed skills: 192% (1 hit), 90%X3=270% (3 hits), 73%X4=292% (4 hits), 64%X5=320% (5 hits) [this skill is much less damage than its noob form, 92%X4=368% wth???]
Dagger maxed skills: 87%X2=174% (2 hits), 173% (1 hit), 375% (1 hit), 115%X3=345% (3 hits), 69%X5=345% (5 hits)
Xbow maxed skills: 87%X2=174% (2 hits), 51% (1 hit), 320% (1 hit), 130%X2=260% (2 hits)
So 1hs actually deals more damage than DA. Notice that each weapon, except dagger, have 4 attacks at the end. Let's do an analysis, assuming the first two dagger skills are one. (I am not going to talk about xbow 's damage here, since it is obvious that Xbow Extreme aside, xbow will deal less damage than melee weapons, with the benefit of range. )
1st skill winner: 2hs, loser 1hs
2nd skill winner: dagger, loser 1hs
3rd skill winner: 1hs, loser DA
4th skill winner 1hs, loser DA
So we have 1hs +0, 2hs +1, DA -2, and Dagger +1. So we have 2hs=Dagger>1hs>DA. If we consider 2hs swings slow, dagger skill recharge long, and 1hs high defence, they all breakeven. But what does dual axe have? Stun. It is the lowest damage European melee weapon, and all it got was stun in return. In this case, 1hs 's knockback does a much better job in disabling the enemy, and with a much higher chance of success.
Let's analysis this another way. Let's take the top 3 most damaging skills for each weapon, and do an average.
1hs=(184+360+400)/3=314.67% (strongest defense, knockback, damage comes after many hits, blockrate passive, shield def up passive)
2hs=(267+342+396.5)/3=335.17% (slowest attack but damage comes in less hits, knockdown, critical passive)
DA=(270+292+320)/3=294% (stun, many hits required to get the damage out, attack rating passive)
Dagger=(375+345+345)/3=355%(long skill recharge, poison, dagger desperate, stealth dagger)
Xbow=(174+320+260)/3=251% (ranged, knockback, knockdown, poison, xbow extreme, range passive)
As you can see, each weapon have their own strengths and weaknesses. Pick a weapon that fits you needs. 1hs for defence and decent damage, 2hs for highest overall damage over time, dagger for highest instant damage, and xbow for range.
But Dual Axe definitely stands out as the most useless European weapon of all. I have personally tried DA, all the way up to lvl 40, and I have decided to switch to 1hs.
From my experience, DA cannot solo b/c it kills too slow. Let's just say that I swinging my dual axe 3 times, although very nice looking, deals less total damage than a 2hs guys swinging his sword just once.
And in party play, DA cannot tank at all without a cleric. When I play without a cleric, I spend more time running around than hitting the mob. Yes Vital Increase + Iron Skin on whenever possible, but it doesn't help. Stunning the enemy 40% of the time, once every 5 seconds, rarely helps to keep me alive. When I use 1hs, on the other hand, I rarely need to run from mob. A Shield Trash here and there does the job much better than a stun that last for 1 second on mobs higher level than you, not to mention the chance of a successful stun also decreases.
A warrior that cannot solo, and cannot party without a cleric is pretty lime. So I suggest everyone to stay away from Dual Axes, at least until the lvl 90 cap, which will hopefully give it one or two useful skills.
Dual axe is almost non-existent in the whole server, for good causes. It is unique, but its defense passive is so small. It was like 22 extra phy def at lvl 40 or something like that, and that does not make any difference. Not to mention it is only def for phy not mag. So might as well go 2hs for more damage. 1hs is awesome defence, and it still deals pretty good damage.
I had long believed that DA deals more damage than 1hs, but after doing some math the result tells a different story. Let's take a look at all the European weapons.
1hs maxed skills: 153% (1 hit), 92%X2=184% (2 hits), 90%X4=360% (4 hits), 100%X4=400% (4 hits)
2hs maxed skills: 267% (1 hit), 208% (1 hit), 114%X3=342% (3 hits), 305%X2X0.65=396.5% (2 hits)
DA maxed skills: 192% (1 hit), 90%X3=270% (3 hits), 73%X4=292% (4 hits), 64%X5=320% (5 hits) [this skill is much less damage than its noob form, 92%X4=368% wth???]
Dagger maxed skills: 87%X2=174% (2 hits), 173% (1 hit), 375% (1 hit), 115%X3=345% (3 hits), 69%X5=345% (5 hits)
Xbow maxed skills: 87%X2=174% (2 hits), 51% (1 hit), 320% (1 hit), 130%X2=260% (2 hits)
So 1hs actually deals more damage than DA. Notice that each weapon, except dagger, have 4 attacks at the end. Let's do an analysis, assuming the first two dagger skills are one. (I am not going to talk about xbow 's damage here, since it is obvious that Xbow Extreme aside, xbow will deal less damage than melee weapons, with the benefit of range. )
1st skill winner: 2hs, loser 1hs
2nd skill winner: dagger, loser 1hs
3rd skill winner: 1hs, loser DA
4th skill winner 1hs, loser DA
So we have 1hs +0, 2hs +1, DA -2, and Dagger +1. So we have 2hs=Dagger>1hs>DA. If we consider 2hs swings slow, dagger skill recharge long, and 1hs high defence, they all breakeven. But what does dual axe have? Stun. It is the lowest damage European melee weapon, and all it got was stun in return. In this case, 1hs 's knockback does a much better job in disabling the enemy, and with a much higher chance of success.
Let's analysis this another way. Let's take the top 3 most damaging skills for each weapon, and do an average.
1hs=(184+360+400)/3=314.67% (strongest defense, knockback, damage comes after many hits, blockrate passive, shield def up passive)
2hs=(267+342+396.5)/3=335.17% (slowest attack but damage comes in less hits, knockdown, critical passive)
DA=(270+292+320)/3=294% (stun, many hits required to get the damage out, attack rating passive)
Dagger=(375+345+345)/3=355%(long skill recharge, poison, dagger desperate, stealth dagger)
Xbow=(174+320+260)/3=251% (ranged, knockback, knockdown, poison, xbow extreme, range passive)
As you can see, each weapon have their own strengths and weaknesses. Pick a weapon that fits you needs. 1hs for defence and decent damage, 2hs for highest overall damage over time, dagger for highest instant damage, and xbow for range.
But Dual Axe definitely stands out as the most useless European weapon of all. I have personally tried DA, all the way up to lvl 40, and I have decided to switch to 1hs.
From my experience, DA cannot solo b/c it kills too slow. Let's just say that I swinging my dual axe 3 times, although very nice looking, deals less total damage than a 2hs guys swinging his sword just once.
And in party play, DA cannot tank at all without a cleric. When I play without a cleric, I spend more time running around than hitting the mob. Yes Vital Increase + Iron Skin on whenever possible, but it doesn't help. Stunning the enemy 40% of the time, once every 5 seconds, rarely helps to keep me alive. When I use 1hs, on the other hand, I rarely need to run from mob. A Shield Trash here and there does the job much better than a stun that last for 1 second on mobs higher level than you, not to mention the chance of a successful stun also decreases.
A warrior that cannot solo, and cannot party without a cleric is pretty lime. So I suggest everyone to stay away from Dual Axes, at least until the lvl 90 cap, which will hopefully give it one or two useful skills.
