Should I use the weapon I just found?

[XuaXua]

Thread for asking if you should take the weapon you just found (specific to weapon usage).
Don't really need to compare weapon to weapon, as that's what the DCSS Weapon Spreadsheet is for, but if you had a goal in mind, and you just found a +9/+9 Longsword of Speed, should you get sidetracked?

- - -

ELECTRIC BRAND
So you found an electric brand early... does it ruin your plans?

I am constantly falling into early electric branded weapons, mostly a whip from Pikel. It sort of ruins my desire to go unarmed or staff because hey ELECTRIC BRAND.

And it really discourages me from going Okawaru or Trog because hey TRAIN SKILL IN RELEVANT WEAPON FOR ELECTRIC BRAND = GIFTS DAMMIT.

Today I was trying to build my early draconian transmuter of Okawaru and lo-and-behold, +2/+2 electric hand axe.

. . .

Electric is regarded as probably the best brand next to speed, as it packs a punch that few can defend against.

So what's the course of action you take?

EDIT: changed thread to general question because this comes up so much.

[cerebovssquire]

On D:1-D:3 it's probably worth switching to on most fighter-types. However, Spider Form would have been much better on your Draconian Transmuter anyway, because poison kiting at over 10 speed is even better early on, without barring your progress to Blade Hands.
"best brand" yes, but only for the early game. Later, on many high-damage weapons, multiplicative brands (freezing/flaming), vamp and speed are usually better.

[XuaXua]

POLEARMS

Given the same sort of transmuter, now I found a +4/+5 Trident of Freezing (Reaching inherient). I've already won a game with tridents... but this is too much now (it was originally +3,=2, but I id'd my scrolls while wielding it and when I saw a jelly, I threw another EW II onto it to prevent corrosion).

My plan was for a longbow-wielding draconian transmuter of Okawaru.

I'm with Okawaru and I have 0 Polearms skill and 2 Bows skill and have 1 shield to negate the buckler-no-armour spellcasting penalty.
Right now, I don't use the bow (I just train it till I hit Bows:7.9); if they get in range, I use the trident (and a buckler) and then transmute to spider (going to blade hands) when they get super-close.
Droppng the buckler is a pain in the butt, but I figure I won't need it going forward when I start using longbows of velocity.

[Southpaw]

Using the trident and spider form is redundant. And training one delays the other, so there is little point in training polearms while trying to get blade hands up and running. Once you have blade hands, the trident will be moot anyways.

[Rast]

I've maxed out bow skill and have an amazing longbow, but only 200 +7 arrows. So I'm using a regular weapon against most monsters to save ammo. Which is better:

R - the +3,+5 scythe "Finisher" (weapon) {speed, Str+3}
b - the +5,+8 glaive of the Guard {elec, +Rage AC+5 SInv}

I have 8.8 polearms skill but will probably advance it higher (armour, fighting, dodging also maxed).

SInv on the second polearm is irrelevant (TSO).

[cerebovssquire]

The glaive of the Guard is a lot better. However, at 8 skill, you probably still want to scythe of speed because glaive delay will get you killed at 8 skill. Switch to the glaive once you are at "below average" or "average" speed. Also, continue using the bow against dangerous enemies.

[Moanerette]

Currently using a +6, +3 hand axe of electrocution; just found a +3, +1 battleaxe of freezing. With 10 skill in Axes I figure the hand axe is best for now, but at minimum delay might the battleaxe beat it? I tried using the spreadsheet but it seems to be broken for battleaxes and executioner's axes.

[rchandra]

I'd switch to the battleaxe at 14 skill, when it's normal speed. not sure when you should change, but definitely sometime.

[Jabberwocky]

I think the battleaxe is the better weapon in that circumstance.

[Moanerette]

Thanks both - as so often, I died not long after posting the query

At the same time as the battleaxe I picked up a war axe of freezing and was intrigued to find that, according to the spreadsheet, this would still have been inferior to the hand axe even at min delay and with the same bonuses. Indeed, an equivalent war axe of electrocution would need Axes skill of 18 before average damage per turn bettered the hand axe. I'm guessing that this can be generalised to say that the smaller, faster weapons are more effective except at very high skill levels.

(Yes, I've just noticed the spreadsheet!)

[Southpaw]

Thanks both - as so often, I died not long after posting the query

At the same time as the battleaxe I picked up a war axe of freezing and was intrigued to find that, according to the spreadsheet, this would still have been inferior to the hand axe even at min delay and with the same bonuses. Indeed, an equivalent war axe of electrocution would need Axes skill of 18 before average damage per turn bettered the hand axe. I'm guessing that this can be generalised to say that the smaller, faster weapons are more effective except at very high skill levels.

(Yes, I've just noticed the spreadsheet!)

Your generalization is inaccurate.

Electrocution adds a flat amount of damage to a weapon's attack, so the faster you swing the more often you get to utilize the bonus. Most other brands (like freezing) do a percentage of weapon damage as a bonus, so the harder you hit with the weapon (generally, the slower swinging two handed weapons) the more benefit you get from those brands.

Your handaxe is a rather fast weapon, so it gets a lot of good use out of the electrocution brand, whereas the waraxe is only a mediocre weapon to begin with so it doesn't get too good of a bonus from freezing, which is why to took so long for it to surpass the handaxe in damage per turn

[rchandra]

venom, elec, pain, and distortion like fast weapons.
draining, flaming, freezing, holy wrath, orc/drac slaying, vampiric, and generic vorpal (stabbing/chopping/crushing/etc) like big weapons.
I'm not sure which side antimagic is on as it has benefits for both, but I think the big weapons are more useful.

[A spy]

Speed is also very potent on big weapons, especially early on when you don't yet have the necessary skill for min delay (seeing as it halves weapon delay)

[Patashu]

Antimagic has a longer duration the more damage you inflict with it, so you probably want it on a big weapon

[ddubois]

Glad I found this thread before I made one.

I'm playing a SpWi who dumped a lot of points into Polearms because I became irrationally in love with the Conjure Flame / reaching combo, and because, as a Spriggan, I figured I could reach-kite when I run out of mana. It turns out neither has really been that big of a part of my game plan; it's just easier to IMB everything, run back, and hit 5 for mana.

Then I found the +6, +6 falchion "Dragon's Tongue" {freeze, rPois, rN+ MR}, which just seems absurd. Three resists, no downsides, in one slot is amazing for a guy who can't hardly wear armor. And it's the only small size long blade, so it even let's a Spriggan still use a buckler. I ended up switching and now I'm 6 points deep in Long Blades, and 10 points in Polearms.

Now I've found a +3/+2 demon trident of electrocution, and I don't know what the heck to do! (FWIW, I have access to about 4 each ?enchant I/II from shops and stash.)

I'm also facing the ugly truth that I probably would have been better off putting ~1 point in each, just wearing the falchion for the resists, and diverted all that wasted XP into spellcasting/conjuration.

[cerebovssquire]

The demon trident is a much better weapon, especially if you have more Polearm skill (reaching, faster, more base damage, more future enchantment) to attack people, not having a buckler will allow a spriggan to swap to an enhancer staff (conjuration, for instance), and you can always swap to the falchion. Freeze is not an amazing brand, +6 is decent but not enough to compensate the base type to make it great or anything. "Falchion" is a downside.
You only need 4 points of polearms till you have the trident at minimum delay, too.

[ddubois]

I thought perhaps there would be the argument made that I should never me meleeing anything anyway, therefore the comparison to be made really was (rPois, rN+ MR, shield) versus (nothing).

PS: You meant 14, not 4, right?

[cerebovssquire]

I thought perhaps there would be the argument made that I should never me meleeing anything anyway, therefore the comparison to be made really was (rPois, rN+ MR, shield) versus (nothing).

You have a lot of EV, you don't have the hunger clock for channeling mana all the time. I don't see how you shouldn't be meleeing things. rPois, rN+ and MR are all not very helpful for you (MR is still sort of useful, but you are also a spriggan so you have a lot). Still, you are supposed to wield an enhancer staff or the falchion and then swap in the dtrident for melee...

[One-Eyed Jack]

If you have a demon trident of elec at min delay you probably should be meleeing at least some things. In any case it's a great weapon for killing specters etc

Also, rpois and rn are not very useful.