The Tavern

It's the eternal question, isn't it? This thread is for those times when you just can't decide between awesome weapons and seek advice. I'll start first for my Demonspawn Venom Mage:

a +8, +6 lajatang of speed

vs.

the +6, +5 spear of Evisceration {freeze, +Blink, +Lev rElec rF+ SInv}

My Staves skill is at 12, Polearms is at 4. Note that they crosstrain with each other. Lajatang is better at damage dealing for sure but I'm primarily a spellcaster and those extra resistances and ability to blink away from trouble is nice. I carry them both but which one should I stick with?

I'd actually use the spear until you find the resistances you need. Also you can train fighting easier with it since you won't kill monsters that fast.

I'd set the spear to "a" and walk around wielding it. Resistances, blink, and not getting ambushed by invisible monsters is worth it.

But there's no reason not to set the lajatang to "b" and use ' to toggle to it for pure mele situations (when you want the extra damage, and aren't concerned about resistances or escape). Then again, if you're using casting for your main damage dealing, this may not come up.

I've made this a sticky - it'll be a useful ongoing thread for exactly this discussion.

Keep both, wield the spear. Change it out for the lajatang before you start bashing.

Yeah I kept them both and changed to the spear whenever situation needed it. Doesn't matter because character is already dead though . Thanks everyone.

So I'm in an... interesting situation. Good old Troggie just gifted me a +0,+7 Executor's Axe of Distortion. Thankfully I ID'd it with a scroll, but I'm currently wielding a +2, +5 Vampiric War Axe with a tick of cold resistance. I am using a shield, but the thing is, I'm really, really uncertain of the damage a distortion exec axe would do. Sure, blinking enemies around won't be good, but still. On the other hand, the vampiric ego is amazing! I'd neglected it somewhat, but it keeps me fed and healthy in skirmishes I really should be neither

Oh, I'm a lvl 18 MDBe with a 14 skill in axes. Help

You'll get to a point where simply getting enemies out of the way is more important than the experience for killing them. Going for the silver rune in Vault:8 and the Zot run come to mind. At that point the distortion exec axe will beat the hell out of the vampiric war axe.

Well, I'm not really sure distortion is good for a melee character in Zot. I mean, I'm pretty certain the last thing I want in the world is to blink an ancient lich, or an orb of fire away from me But yeah, what you said does make sense and I might consider it for use then.

Fake edit : oh damn, I was going to say that I could always bless it when I switch over to TSO, but you can't really bless axes, can you Guess I'll wait for Trog to plop down something more appropriate.

You can bless axes just fine, they just don't get their base stats enhanced like long blades or demon weapons. A blessed executioner's axe is a fantastic extended-endgame weapon, regardless.

Alright, I've gotten an High Elf Arcane Marksman to a decent spot, thanks to a sweet randart Longbow (+9, +3, venom, +2 EV, +2 INT) but I have a question about melee weapon. I found on D:1 a quarterstaff of speed (+0, +3 now with enchant scrolls) but I'm about to delve into the Elven Halls, where I know I can pick up a long blade. Should I make the melee switch now to long blades for better damage in the end game, or keep with the staff of speed and just enchant the hell out of it?

I'd go with long blades. You'll have so much choice, and IMO speed is best on weapons with big base damage. You'll find a lot more randart blades than staves, and probably a long blade of speed at some point. I usually find several speed blades in a game.

Well that was a good strategy, but stupid Elven mage cast me into the Abyss. I know he's got no shot of surviving in there. Another promising start dashed.

Ok, so I wandered around in the Abyss and found an altar for Lugonu. If I worship him, can I get out of the Abyss, or should I keep looking?

Getting a bit off-topic here, but I think you need Piety *..... to be able to leave the abyss. Keep wandering diagonally and you will eventually find a portal.

Okay, here's a new weapon dilemna:

SpEn of Okawaru, Skill 10 in short blades, skill 4 in fighting, skill 1 in shields and have a +1 buckler of fire resistance.

I've cleared Orc and Hive.

My main weapon is either:
+7+0 dagger of venom
+3+3 short sword of electrocution

I use the dagger for stabbing, but which is better for regular melee? Of course, Oka will give me something else soon anyway.

However my real question is:
dagger of holy wrath, or
long sword of holy wrath?

HW is multiplicative, so it's better on the long sword, but I don't have the skill and I lose the buckler. Is there any point to a dagger of HW though?

Thanks.

I did just turn off short blades. The venom blade was good in the hive, where everything is susceptible to poison, but I'll stick to the electric blade now for melee.

I just got a +2+4 dwarven dagger of venom that I'll use instead of the +7+0 one - dwarven quality and a bit better for melee - daggers don't really need +7 to hit.

Oh - I also got a +0 dagger of chaos off Psyche. Is that any good? I used it for a bit, it was kind of fun - sometimes it paralyzes or confuses, which then gives me a free stab.

Oooo! I just read an unidentified scroll and my +3 electric blade became +4+5!

More base damage is better with speed, lower base damage and a faster weapon is better with electrocution, unless the enemy has rElec. Pain is generally considered the best all-around damage supporter on a fast weapon... if you get a ridiculously high necro skill in addition to it.

Holy wrath is good... but only against demons.

Freeze is good... unless the enemy has rCold.

Poison pretty much always sucks, though it's moderately useful in the early game as a hit-and-run tactic.

I don't think any brand stacks with stabbing, except maybe vampiric.


However, the end game inevitably becomes a clusterfuck of enemies who resist almost everything and situations you don't want to be in. Honestly, the game stops being fun right after you get to the 27th level of the dungeon. -_- For me, at least.

Holy wrath is also good vs. undead.

Brands indeed stack with stabbing, but apply after the stab, so they rarely appear, since stab damage is usually a oneshot on its own (great with multiplicative brands vs. high-hp enemies, e.g. holy wrath stabbing vs. panlords)

Yeah, chaos is pretty crap.

The one exception I've found to this: play an Orc Priest and give chaos branded stuff to your minions. Hilarity ensues.

I don't know, I used the chaos one a bit more and it never hasted or healed anything. It has however confused, paralyzed, blinked/banished, frozen, burned, and lightning bolted enemies.

Yeah but it only takes one wrong haste/heal against the wrong enemy in the wrong situation and you're completely screwed.

Oh well, I died. Rupert on Lair 2 with a +3 great mace of crushing. One more shot and I would have had him. I was using the electric blade. I bet the chaos dagger would've paralyzed him.

Does monster MR apply to chaos weapon effects?

I would use a chaos weapon if I didn't care about winning. It's a fun brand. I don't think MR applies, since it works on monsters with near-immunity to hostile enchantments.

Merfolk berserker, Trog gave some nice weapons and I really can't choose what to use as a main weapon. Also, i can't decide should I use my buckler or not

I'd turn off Polearms and use the demon trident with the buckler.

Which is sad to me. For some reason I want the scythe to be really good.

I'm kind of looking forward to the possibility of Scythe of Curses with the new god of curses!

Bardiches are the highest base damage weapon that you are actually guaranteed to find in a typical game (ex. axe and triple sword are better, but show up one out of 3 games or so). They require a ton of weapon skill to get the delay down, but that isn't a problem if you are playing a Merfolk with +4 Polearms. The other two handed polearms are pretty bad though.

Okay, just started a HEAE, and on D:1 I've found a +1 dagger of speed and a vampiric dagger (don't know the enchantment).

Now, this is not a melee build, typically the dagger will only come out to train fighting or to finish things once I'm out of MP. In this case, what's better - the healing effect of the vampiric dagger, or the doubled attacks of speed?

Definitely speed. You do not want vampiric on a sometimes weapon- especially not one you're toggling to. You're burning hunger.

HEAE is a nice start for hybrids, what with all the utility spells; I'd definitely hybridise. As for which weapon, I'd take speed; vampiric is only really good when you're doing a lot of damage per attack, and the only time daggers do that is when stabbing, at which point you're usually already at high hp, unless you're playing funkily or cannot regenerate.

Lvl 20 KoBe

- a +5,+0 dagger of speed (quivered) {god gift}
- the +0,+6 sabre "Unydi" {god gift, elec, rC++}
- the +1,+11 dagger of Geutej {god gift, stab, rPois rF-}
- a +0,+3 sabre of holy wrath {god gift}
- the -5,+2 short sword of Division {god gift, freeze, +Rage rElec Dex+1}
- a +4,+9 elven sabre of venom (weapon) {god gift}


So far I have mostly been using the venomed sabre, switching to the HW sabre for UD/Demons, and used Unydi in EH for the rC++. Soon the venomed sabre will be quite useless and I'm not sure what my main shall be. Probably Unydi. I have a couple of scrolls in my stash for some number improving. Just cleared Swamps; EH will be done as soon as I have an attack plan vs the lava moa; missing deepest lvl in Shoals.

@Wravburn

the +0,+6 sabre "Unydi" {god gift, elec, rC++}

Forgive me if this is the wrong place or is a totally dumbass question, but what exactly do the racial modifiers do for weapons? Tying it into the topic here, if I have a regular +1,+1 short sword and a +1,+1 short sword with any of the three racial qualities should I always use the racial one?

Racial modifiers give a small bonus if you're using a weapon forged by your own race. For the most part, it's insignificant.

Okay:

HaBe,
Short blades 9,
Long blades 8,
Shields 8.

Trog just gifted me the -1, +4 Katana "Jyocyepn" {holy, rF+, rN+, +Rage} (Question - why would Trog gift a +Rage weapon? Is he encouraging me to make it on my own?)

The big downside is that I have to give up my buckler to use it

I'm wanting to transition to long blades but so far my best LB is a +2,+1 long sword of slicing or a +0,+2 scimitar of flaming. EDIT: I just got a +4 long sword of Abomination {speed, rF+, Str -3}

My go-to short blades are:
+3,+8 elven quick blade (I'm hoping to vorpalize it)
+0,+3 sabre of electrocution

So: is the katana better than the quick blade (for demon fights, is it worth unstrapping my buckler to wield this katana? my only other holy blade is a +1 orc falchion.)

I would use the long sword of speed with a buckler. The strength penalty won't cripple you, since you started as a berserker. If you want to go for a 15 rune victory definitively use that katana.

As I understand it, part of the halfling's tankishness and general strength is that he can dodge and block almost anything. Taking away his buckler removes half that power, which I don't see as entirely worth it. Also that long sword is good if you can afford the strength penalty.

Which weapon should I bless? A demon blade or a demon whip? I'm leaning towards getting a sacred scourge.

Edit: Got the scourge.

If I have a weapon with a -CAST attribute, can I still get spellcasting 1 by reading scrolls?

Sure.

I'm a lvl 17 HaBE of Trog and i'm torn on what of his weapons gift to use i have never had so many strong weapons before so i dont really know what is best.

B - a +4,+8 anti-magic katana (weapon) {god gift}
P - a +4,+4 double sword of holy wrath {god gift}

I have never had a anti-magic weapon before how useful is that brand?

I also have some shields of reflection in my stash how good are they? is it worth it tp try to find a single handed weapon for the extra protection of shields?