How good is a vampiric weapon?

[nordetsa]

I keep coming back to MiFi. It's so easy and I feel really comfortable when playing this character.

Anyway, I see lots of people recommending to use vampiric brand should anyone come across it. But just how good is it? Does it have superiority over other egos (draining, flame, elec, etc.) I have a vampiric schimtar and a long sword of draining. Is the brand good enough to choose the former? I mean, if I get vampiric war axe and freezing executioner's axe does vampiric brand makes it worth to take the former?

[crate]

Well a scimitar is better than a long sword anyway, so yes you should use the scimitar.

Basically the way you should treat vampiric brand is like this: if you would use the weapon without a brand, then a vampiric weapon of that type is extremely good. If you would not use the weapon without a brand, then probably a vampiric one is not very good.

[nordetsa]

Just realized I might come across more hydras in the future (currently in lair now) Should I still use it? I don't know if I can get food abundantly in the early part of the game.

[SchwaWarrior]

Just realized I might come across more hydras in the future (currently in lair now) Should I still use it? I don't know if I can get food abundantly in the early part of the game.

Wands of Lighting work pretty well on Hydras if you can set them up to take 2 or 3 hits with a rebounding wall-shot, if you don't mind waking up other sleeping monsters with it. Wands of Disintegration, Fire, Cold (NOT Flame or Frost), or Draining if you don't mind the XP loss, all work pretty well too. And of course, Javelins (especially Steel) and good Throwing skill (people like to leave it at 2.0 to 4.0, I personally go a little excessive and raise it to 6.0 or even 8.0; Throwing skill mostly affects accuracy whereas STR affects damage output) can be an outright force of nature; in the Lair I've been able to kill nearly any wounded, running-away foe with one Javelin hit, and against Hydras I normally have summoned things to slow them down but I've seen some good damage done to them with Javelins. But see, I play a Tengu. Minotaurs are way more built for that sort of thing, so you'll likely have even better luck than mine.

Anyway, you have plenty of things that exist that can take on Hydras efficiently, but how available are they for your character right now? Look at your inventory and your stash, decide, and if you think Hydras will give you too much trouble, consider switching to a fire weapon or at least a bludgeoning weapon of some kind temporarily, or alternatively, prepare in advance to run the heck away when you spot a Hydra, and have tools to do that (potions/wands of Speed, scrolls of Teleport or Blink, wands of Digging, etc.).

Don't forget either: Hydras heal extremely quickly, and they move super fast in the water. If you get in a fight, kill it outright or run away, don't ever take your time or you'll risk letting it heal off the damage you're trying to do to it. And over a lake, fuhgeddaboudit! Land battles ONLY, pl0x.

[crate]

You can also, you know, just swap weapons for hydrae. It's not like there's a shortage of food in the game.

There's a good chance you don't have a flaming edged weapon to switch to anyway, and in that case it's a nonissue.

[nordetsa]

Alright, guess I'll use vampiric weapons and see how wonderful it is.

And I do have flame-branded sword.

[Psieye]

On a more technical note, non-vampires only get a fraction of damage dealt leeched into their HP. Vampires on the other hand... Having said that, that fraction is plenty enough. Oh and it doesn't work on undead or demons, so it becomes largely useless if you do extended.

[crate]

Vampiric weapons work exactly the same for vampires and non-vampires (other than the food cost working differently, obviously). The vampire's tooth artefact will heal you for the full damage when it triggers though.

[Psieye]

Vampiric weapons work exactly the same for vampires and non-vampires (other than the food cost working differently, obviously). The vampire's tooth artefact will heal you for the full damage when it triggers though.

Wait that means any race can stab for obscene HP with a vampiric dagger... *MIND = LRD'd*

I stand corrected.

[nordetsa]

So this vampiric weapon with shield was helpful, but I feel I want to go for doublesword for more dmg. When does vampiric brand on one-handed weapon's effect fall apart? Post lair? Post vault? I don't think I can do much dmg with this schimtar to monsters in V:5

[some12fat2move]

So this vampiric weapon with shield was helpful, but I feel I want to go for doublesword for more dmg. When does vampiric brand on one-handed weapon's effect fall apart? Post lair? Post vault? I don't think I can do much dmg with this schimtar to monsters in V:5

My advice is to listen to the blue-names' advice

Basically the way you should treat vampiric brand is like this: if you would use the weapon without a brand, then a vampiric weapon of that type is extremely good. If you would not use the weapon without a brand, then probably a vampiric one is not very good.