I see a lot of builds here have their characters using the greatsword as a 2handed weapon instead of the greataxe. Is there a reason for this? Is the greatsword just a better weapon than the greataxe? I heard that the greatsword is better for fighters while a greataxe is better for barbarians, but I am not sure if that is true at all. Also, is the scimitar/shield always the best combination regardless? I'm not sure if scimitar is only better than longsword if Dev Crit is taken as a feat but it kind of seems that builds with Dev Crit tend to use the scimitar over the longsword. Thanks.
Edited By OMGZERGRUSHWTF on 09/26/05 03:05
the difference is that greatsword has a better crit range but greataxe has a better crit midifier. So its a question of wether you prefer doing crit more often or doing more damage when you get a crit.
And for the scimitar/longsword thing I prefer scimitar. Better crit range and only a difference of 2 points of damage. _________________ K.M. aka Chillychill
"Y'a pire que ne pas pouvoir, y'a savoir qu'on peut et ne jamais tenter"
So basically Greataxes do more DMG on crit but Greatswords crit slightly more often? Hmm... Think I will go with the Greataxe then.
Still, though, I can't help but wonder why it seems everyone likes to pick the Greatsword over the axe.
Also I have an unrelated question: Is blindfight worth taking on a server that has changed improved invisibility to +25 hide and no concealment? Maybe I should go ahead and taking exotic proficiency and get a scythe or bastard sword/shield, as I have an extra feat. Not sure whether either of these would be better than a greataxe though. Or I could just take improved power attack, as my build gets around 50 strength (a modified version of the Musclehead build).
Many people prefer 2d6 to 1d12. 2d6 has an average damage of 7. 1d12 has an average damage of 6 1/2. 2d6 also means more rolls in the mid range around 7. 1d12 is less reliable with equal chances of all rolls from 1 to 12.
A high crit multiplier is better when you fight creatures with a high AC, so you can make more damage on the few crits you're able to land. Against lower AC a larger threat range pays off making more critical hits and more total damage. With Dev crit, the damage is of less importance. But more crit threats improve your chances of a killing blow.
You can use this damage calculator http://www.afterlifeguild.org/Thott/nwn/ to see for yourself what damage output to expect with the two weapons in different circumstances. _________________ I generally avoid temptation, unless I can't resist it...
Edited By Mick Dagger on 09/27/05 07:21
So is the Greatsword probably the better weapon overall? Even when considering things like keen weapon and improved critical and stuff? I know I heard somewhere that the Greataxe was better for barbarians but they didn't explain why.
Edited By OMGZERGRUSHWTF on 09/27/05 23:06
As a general rule, I go with crit range for fighters/pallys/general melee and use high mod weapons (greataxe, warhammer, battleaxe) for a WM build (because of WM crit bonus), or a build where I know I'll have keen edge or a keen weapon available to me relatively early on. Another thing to consider is that many creatures and some players will be immune to critical hits. In these instances I find that having a bastard sword instead of a scimmy makes a world of difference. Also, keep in mind that at face value a 19-20 weapon crits twice as often as a 20 weapon. This difference obviously gets smaller the more you increase the crit range via keen/keen edge and improved critical.
The greatsword does both piercing and slashing damage which I believe is better than just slashing damage as of patch 1.65 since it's not affected by slashing resistance.
Quote: Also, keep in mind that at face value a 19-20 weapon crits twice as often as a 20 weapon. This difference obviously gets smaller the more you increase the crit range via keen/keen edge and improved critical.
Actually the difference seems to stay the same because keen/imp critical double the crit threat rather than adding +1. According to thottbot w/ keen/imp critical the Greataxe threat is 18-20 and the Greatsword threat is 15-20.
Quote: Also, keep in mind that at face value a 19-20 weapon crits twice as often as a 20 weapon. This difference obviously gets smaller the more you increase the crit range via keen/keen edge and improved critical.
Actually the difference seems to stay the same because keen/imp critical double the crit threat rather than adding +1. According to thottbot w/ keen/imp critical the Greataxe threat is 18-20 and the Greatsword threat is 15-20.
Actually the difference does indeed get smaller depending on your AB and the ACs you're seeing, if you take into account how high a roll you need to hit. A crit range of 15-20 isn't any better than 18-20 if you need an 18 to hit anyway. Your character's AB and the ACs you'll likely see are a serious consideration when figuring out which weapon will work best in your situation.
The greatsword does both piercing and slashing damage which I believe is better than just slashing damage as of patch 1.65 since it's not affected by slashing resistance.
Are you sure? Because I though, if a weapon had two types of damage both resistances applied and in case of a target with both resistances, the higher resistance was accounted.
On the other hand, I am not sure neither that the GS type of damage is still slashing and piercing but only slashing.
