2Hand Sword Builds?

[Yangster]

Hey, I'm totally new and is interested in becoming a 2hand sword master... what builds are all u 2 handers using? Thanks in Advanced.

[rokaraged]

note to self...MAKE THAT GOD DAM FIGHTER GUIDE ALREADY.


Well technically there isn't really a 2hander specific build, just fighter builds.

What MOSTLY every fighter goes regardless of weapon is

full end or 25 spr and end.
5-10 points of dex is optional but helpful

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T TOUCH STR.

If you need skill builds lemme know..

[Valentines]

Hmm well any build can use anyway weapon really.

I don't see a true 2h only build tho, maybe str.

But then again the axe is stronger if I recall.

[rokaraged]

I know i've been a BIG supporter of axes..but i've found swords somewhat better in comparison to axes when it comes to grinding.

Faster attacks and accuracy= consistent damage while the axe is really inconsistent

IMO: 2handed for pve especially against red monsters. Axe for pvp and pve against yellow monsters.

[Symphoni]

Note to self. Renin is everywhere.

[rokaraged]

You just acknowledged i was god?? O_O where have YOU been?

[KY_Jelly]

I know i've been a BIG supporter of axes..but i've found swords somewhat better in comparison to axes when it comes to grinding.

Faster attacks and accuracy= consistent damage while the axe is really inconsistent

IMO: 2handed for pve especially against red monsters. Axe for pvp and pve against yellow monsters.

i've actually found switching between them to be incredibly useful.

i use 1h+shield for party tanking, axe for pvp, and then i use sword for soloing but i have axe and 2hsword on hotkey and i switch to axe for skills then switch back to sword.

It deals some pretty nasty damage too.

[Levathian]

Sounds troublesome...but i guess it makes use of the full potential of a fighter

[LFk]

As a fighter, i think its extremely necessary to keep all three types of weapons. I'm going to pull in a few numbers i ran on Outspark Forums a while ago to see if it helps you.



I ran the calcs again, trying to take into account strength as well in a very exaggerated fashion:At Level 36:
138 Base Str, which is straight from my level 36 warrior.

IF we assume this is a full STR warrior (not a smart move, but for the sake of calcs): +36 Str = 174 Str * 1.2dmg = 208.8


Bri. Sword 45-78 (61.5 avg) + 208.8STR = 270.3/1.1sec = 245.7 DPS
Crusader 108-154 (131 avg) + 208.8STR = 339.8/1.3sec = 261.4 DPS
Hide Axe 170-235 (202.5 avg) + 208.8 STR = 411.3/1.5sec = 274.2 DPS

The AIM disparity is still about 10-15, which is not big. I disregarded the crits, as i figured the 1% difference in base makes only a small change, making the axe look a tiny bit better and 1HS a bit worse. These numbers should generally hold true for the 30s range of levels.

Denns has a point: these numbers look much, much closer. With some reasonable damage buffs (vitality, + STR items), its possible for 2HS to outdamage the Axe in the 3x level range, though i would say its not common (keep in mind that fighters are rarely full STR). At 4x, if the ratios stay the same for damage, the 2HS will begin to overtake the axe in terms of raw swinging DPS.

However, there are several things to consider: Skills have 0 lagtime. Which means in terms of PvP, where most of the attacks are a burst of skills, Axes hold a much greater advantage. In addition, SPR warrior builds will better utilize the axe due to the higher base damage used in the critical multiplier. From this, i can try to draw several conclusions:

- the Sword/Shield fighter is the better tanker hands down, this discussion is mostly between 2HS vs. Axe. Note, though, that the power hit is slightly more powerful than Slice and Dice.
- the Axe seems to dish out more damage in the 20-40 range of levels.
- the 2HS will do more damage over time 40+ due to quicker attack speed, and increased influence of Str.
- Str builds favor faster attack speeds, because it diminishes the impact of a weapon's base damage.
- Axes are capable of dealing out far more damage in a short burst of time vs. the 2HS, due to the usage of skill bursts.


So my recommendations:
- If you want to primarily function as a tank, use a shield. Period.
- For a typical 1:1 STR:END fighter, switching to a 2HS in the 30s or 40s will deal out more damage.
- For a 1:1 END:SPR fighter, the axe will be better through the 30s and 40s due to less STR influence and greater crit utilization.
- For PvP, axes will be better period. Damage over time is less significant compared to how much damage you can deal in a very condensed amount of time.


These findings actually sort of change my mind on how to work things when i hit the 40 range. I may heavily consider changing to a 2HS, holding an axe for PvP.
Something important to keep in mind, though, is that this game only loosely holds you to one type of weapon. Masteries in themselves are actually relatively weak in effect, and you should feel free to switch weapons to suit your condition. I believe that even every DPS fighter should pack a sword/shield of the appropriate level range to tank should the situation call for it. Likewise, it would seem wise now to pack a decent axe for PvP, and utilize a 2HS for grinding. This is moot, of course, if your 2HS is +6 and your axe is +1, or vice versa.

[LFk]

Now the calculations are actually erroneous on a few accounts (these were made when i understood much less about the game), but still do not fail to show the general trend of damages.

What im just trying to show, is that the Axe is almost always hands down the better weapon from levels 20-early 30s. There are very, very few scenarios where the SteelSword/Crusader can outdamage a SteelAxe/HideAxe of equal quality, which would involve not using ANY skills, a full STR build, and other really bad ideas. In the calcs i noted it was up to about 40, but take that with a grain of salt. Your base damage does not seem to be a perfect function of STR*1.2+weapon(min,max), thus it starts to get a bit hazy around the late 30s.

However, the 2HS starts to shine 40+, where your base strength plays a larger role in your damage than your weapon does. If you're set on using a 2HS, i assume you are not really trying to tank too much.

I would recommend adding your SPR up to +25, and then moving full END. At the moment, STR's effect is too weak in the lategame to really matter for anything. 1.2 damage / point does almost nothing when your base damage flirts with 1000.

Your ideal build around level 60 (or 59 for now) would be 25 SPR, 35 END. Dex is a stat you might want to seek in your equipment, but not use your free points on. There IS a difference, as you should note that Equipment that adds +SPR does NOT raise your crit rate, while Free Stat SPR does. This also applies to equipment END and block rates. Thus, SPR is somewhat less desirable on equipment, but useful nonetheless.