Merfolk Skill Training

[Reptisaurus]

So my level 6 monk found the + 7 war axe of Ryegg (holy, RN++).

This is probably better than a + 0 spear of freezing.

Still, am I better off training polearms (+ 4) and crosstraining axes (-2)? Crosstraining gives you 40% xp in the crosstrained skill so, honestly, it seems like training polearms and cross training axes will increase my axe skill about as much as training axes, as well as leaving me with a great polearms skill for a potential bardiche.

[duvessa]

That is not how crosstraining works and you'll find a halberd/glaive that's better than that war axe pretty soon.

[MainiacJoe]

Since you'll eventually be training both Polearms and Fighting, why not train the Fighting now and let it help your axe a little, and then when the good polearm shows up you can switch to focused Polearms?

[ydeve]

Use the axe and keep training polearms. Don't train axes.

[Sprucery]

Note that the 40% of skill experience from polearms is still used to train axes at -2 apt. So it is always more efficient to train the skill you actually want (barring some cases with Ash and manuals I guess).
If you find a glaive and train it to mindelay (20), you will crosstrain axes to 9.4. If you train a bardiche to mindelay (26), you will crosstrain axes to 11.5.

But yeah, use the axe until you find a better polearm.