A Sword or An Axe - Guild Wars Forums

Molteor · Jun 06, 2005, 08:19 PM // 20:19

Sup
I need somebody to help me deside if i should fight with a sword or with an axe, i dunno what to choose it seems that both are good.
If someone have a warrior and understand those things, can u tell me the dis advntages and advntages of a sword and an axe?

Indolo · Jun 06, 2005, 09:19 PM // 21:19

From a basic damage standpoint, these are the max dmg stats for both weapons. Both weapons have the same attack speed.

Sword: 15-22
Axe: 6-28

You'll notice that axes can hit harder, but you should also notice the much lower minimum damage. Swords will provide more consistent damage across their hits. That's just basic damage though.

What you should think about more are the skills and their effects for each weapon type. If you're going through PvE and acquiring skills, you should look at the skills you have currently and try switching your attribute points around to see what works better for you.

I've used both sword and axe and have been using sword more recently because I got tired of the low hits on axe. However I've been considering switching back and trying axe out again now that I've picked up more skills. It's great to move your attribute points around and try different things. Just remember that you get 1 attribute refund point for each 250 exp, so while they're easy to get, you can plan ahead and make sure you're not stuck for any longer than necessary with an attribute layout you might not want.

The other argument in the axe vs. sword debate is how many people are out there using swords as they're very common. I'd rather have an axe or hammer wielding warrior in a group with my sword warrior, just to have more variety in the group. The different weapons (and skills) can compliment each other from a team perspective. This is another reason I'm considering hanging up my sword for a bit to try out a hammer or axe.

Edit: Oops, forgot to give one of the best reasons for choosing one or the other in the earlier game. If you come across a really great weapon, you might want to try moving your points and skills around to use it. Sometimes you'll find satisfaction and sometimes it won't work out so well. I switched to axe when a friend gave me a max dmg chaos axe around Yak's Bend. I switched to sword a while later when I got my hands on a max dmg zealous long sword (also cause I was annoyed with the low axe hits), which I hoped to use to build up energy to use lots of energy attacks. Ended up disappointed with the zealous, and I'm currently using an upgraded sword from a desert collector.

eA-Zaku · Jun 06, 2005, 09:25 PM // 21:25

I've heard someone say sword is "utility" while axe is just good old bashing and damage. Also, with axes you have a few more cool looking options and the Chaos Axe looks really cool.

Supposedly the damage output of axes are higher, as well. And most of the time you would prefer axes for PvP.

This is what I've heard as I don't have any late-game experience with either. My warrior used a bow

azunder · Jun 06, 2005, 09:41 PM // 21:41

Axes have higher crits because crits always deal max damage. And, as Indolo said, check both axe and sword skills and get the weapon with the skills which you prefer.

C-Tzar · Jun 06, 2005, 10:24 PM // 22:24

Skills and crits aside, swords do more average damage per second than axes, at least if the pages claiming they have the same swing rate are accurate. The difference between the maxes (6) is not balanced with the mins (9).

Average base damage for maxed swords = 18.5
Average base damage for maxed axes = 17.0

Of course, base damage isn't everything. Just pointing this out as it generally seems to get missed in these discussions.

wgregory87 · Jun 06, 2005, 10:48 PM // 22:48

More to consider.

Swords are generally a one target weapon. Most of their skills, at least as far as I've been with a warrior, deal damage to 1 opponent, while with an axe you can get area of effect type skills (cyclone axe) that deals damage to enemies all around you. The damage per second different is not very big and with critical hits they will probably balance out in the long run so you shouldn't worry too much about the damage differences.

Yukito Kunisaki · Jun 06, 2005, 10:51 PM // 22:51

Although things can be stated and mentioned objectively, I'm going to go ahead and be biased but this is just an opinion and is no means a stab at sword/hammer users as being stupid. I love the axe...

I say go with the axe.

Well, for cosmetic purposes, you'll be more prominent and different. Come late game, you'll see many axe/sword users and very few hammer users, but the axe isn't as common as sword.

Damage-wise, the axe wins out with 12 axe mastery or higher due to more common critical hits. If 2 warriors with majorly high weapon stats equipped their respective weapons, an axe's avg dmg should out bid the avg dmg of a sword if we assume both weapons are critical striking at the same rate. [say both have 90% crit rate, just for instance, example...]

Disruption > Damage. In PvP, though I know I'm going to get some people flaming me for this, I find a warrior's capability to do damage drops off quite readily. Being a W/N, I simply use Enfeeble and any warrior challenging me to a 1v1 duel [when both teams are dead] will lose to me. I can't be conditioned since I bring Plague Touch all the time and when it comes to disruption, the Axe is King. Disrupting Chop = 20s. skill lock. Not just spells mind you, it will lock up Power Attack, Power Shot, etc. It will lock any skill that has a cast/weapon-swing time. [the cast time can be 1/4 second and if you anticipate it, you WILL lock it out] Even Adrenal Skills!

PvE usefulness. Come mid-late game like in the Ring of Fire area, almost NO ENEMY will bleed. So the famed Sever+Gash combo drops off the sword's damage capability down the toilet. An axe's special strikes starting with Dismember and working down the tree is VERY useful and can be used on any enemy in the game. Bleeding/fleshy, or not.

Armor Penetration. There isn't a single sword/hammer skill that allows you extra armor penetration, though the axe has one. I imagine they gave the axe this skill due to not only the really cool pic but due to the axe's VERY low min. base damage. I'm fine with it though cause I've struck massive criticals with Penetrating Blow for 100+ dmg and at only 5a, it's soo worth it if you want to deliver some massive hurt.

I think the only real weakness [which isn't that bad when compared to the other weapons] is the Axe's lack of energy/low adrenaline skills. It has no non-elite skill that's less than 5a so you need to land a clean 5 swings to start using axe adrenaline. It has very little energy skills outside Swift Chop. For my build, all my axe skills are adrenaline based and my necro skills use energy and my Victory/Sprint use it too. But since most enemies I fight don't usually try to hinder my axe's hit/swing rate, I don't see it as too much of a problem.

Eclair · Jun 06, 2005, 11:04 PM // 23:04

Disrupting chop takes 4 adrenaline doesn't it? That means you have to get in 4 clean hits before you can attemp to interrupt someone =/ Wouldn't a 5 mana Savage slash work better for disruption?

Katrina Wolfsbane · Jun 09, 2005, 03:56 AM // 03:56

Personally, I prefer sword. It just seems more effective to me. I've tried axe out on a few occasions (I've got like 5 different axes and never can seem to consider them better than my sword because of the minimum damage being so low).

Savage Slash is very useful, especially against spellcasters. In my opinion, Pure Strike beats Power Attack since it does about the same damage and can't be blocked or evaded. Galrath Slash does nice damage and so does Thrill of Victory if you have more health than your opponent.I haven't had a chance to check out the +Damage on axe skills with axe skill at the same level as my sword yet, though.

If you really want to disrupt, though, you can have both Savage Slash and Distracting Blow.

Sever Artery can be useful in PvP (though I found it more useful early on than it is at lv20). I've never really liked Gash much.

I'll prolly try axe again when I can find one that compares with my current sword (Fiery Dragon Sword of Shelter a friend is letting me borrow).

hydenone · Jul 12, 2005, 06:24 PM // 18:24

I have been thinking about the axe vs sword situation for my W/E. I have eliminated adrenaline from my primary attacks. I use adrenaline for bonetti's defense and final blow, all others use energy. I have 38 energy and quite often bonettis defense can recharge it rather fast (if I have aggro). Oddly i am ever so slowly using less and less Elementalist skills...right now only Armor of Mist...

Basically, what skills and weapons you have access to will dictate what setup you pursue, but until i have access to "whatever I want", I wont be able to figure out what is best overall...and i am using best loosely....

hidden_agenda · Jul 12, 2005, 08:58 PM // 20:58

i have been evaluating the axe vs. sword for sometime as well. i am a smiting w/mo, which means that i use the monk smiting skills to enhance my weapon damage output.

i prefer sword over axe due to the following reasons:

1. in pve, i rarely find that the monsters go after me -- they tend to go after the "softer" targets. since the monsters then get spread out, cyclone axe is less useful.

2. the monsters tend to use their best / most annoying spells as soon as they can, so it makes sense to have your interrupt ready early on. (interrupting the giant's stomp is usually a good idea).

3. one major problem with sword is that the good skills (Gilrash Slash, Final Thrust) takes too long to charge up -- this is greatly reduced with the appropriate adrenal pumps.

Of course, this is just my set-up. I have seen highly useful axe setups -- in particular, if i am taking a hench fighter, i always try to pick the axeman first, since i use sword.

As with other things in GW, one tends to find that things are well balanced, and one approach is not necessarily superior to the other, but the one you are comfortable with will yield the best results.

Wings of Illusion · Jul 12, 2005, 10:30 PM // 22:30

Yes. Basically it all comes down to what skills you think are most useful. The minimum on the sword makes up for the maximum difference between the axe.

Jun 06, 2005, 08:19 PM // 20:19	#1
Molteor Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005 Guild: Aggresslion Legends[AL] Profession: W/Mo	A Sword or An Axe Sup I need somebody to help me deside if i should fight with a sword or with an axe, i dunno what to choose it seems that both are good. If someone have a warrior and understand those things, can u tell me the dis advntages and advntages of a sword and an axe?

Jun 06, 2005, 09:19 PM // 21:19	#2
Indolo Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005	From a basic damage standpoint, these are the max dmg stats for both weapons. Both weapons have the same attack speed. Sword: 15-22 Axe: 6-28 You'll notice that axes can hit harder, but you should also notice the much lower minimum damage. Swords will provide more consistent damage across their hits. That's just basic damage though. What you should think about more are the skills and their effects for each weapon type. If you're going through PvE and acquiring skills, you should look at the skills you have currently and try switching your attribute points around to see what works better for you. I've used both sword and axe and have been using sword more recently because I got tired of the low hits on axe. However I've been considering switching back and trying axe out again now that I've picked up more skills. It's great to move your attribute points around and try different things. Just remember that you get 1 attribute refund point for each 250 exp, so while they're easy to get, you can plan ahead and make sure you're not stuck for any longer than necessary with an attribute layout you might not want. The other argument in the axe vs. sword debate is how many people are out there using swords as they're very common. I'd rather have an axe or hammer wielding warrior in a group with my sword warrior, just to have more variety in the group. The different weapons (and skills) can compliment each other from a team perspective. This is another reason I'm considering hanging up my sword for a bit to try out a hammer or axe. Edit: Oops, forgot to give one of the best reasons for choosing one or the other in the earlier game. If you come across a really great weapon, you might want to try moving your points and skills around to use it. Sometimes you'll find satisfaction and sometimes it won't work out so well. I switched to axe when a friend gave me a max dmg chaos axe around Yak's Bend. I switched to sword a while later when I got my hands on a max dmg zealous long sword (also cause I was annoyed with the low axe hits), which I hoped to use to build up energy to use lots of energy attacks. Ended up disappointed with the zealous, and I'm currently using an upgraded sword from a desert collector. Last edited by Indolo; Jun 06, 2005 at 09:24 PM // 21:24..

Jun 06, 2005, 09:25 PM // 21:25	#3
eA-Zaku Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005	I've heard someone say sword is "utility" while axe is just good old bashing and damage. Also, with axes you have a few more cool looking options and the Chaos Axe looks really cool. Supposedly the damage output of axes are higher, as well. And most of the time you would prefer axes for PvP. This is what I've heard as I don't have any late-game experience with either. My warrior used a bow

Jun 06, 2005, 09:41 PM // 21:41	#4
azunder Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Apr 2005	Axes have higher crits because crits always deal max damage. And, as Indolo said, check both axe and sword skills and get the weapon with the skills which you prefer.

Jun 06, 2005, 10:24 PM // 22:24	#5
C-Tzar Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005 Location: North AL, USA Profession: E/Mo	Skills and crits aside, swords do more average damage per second than axes, at least if the pages claiming they have the same swing rate are accurate. The difference between the maxes (6) is not balanced with the mins (9). Average base damage for maxed swords = 18.5 Average base damage for maxed axes = 17.0 Of course, base damage isn't everything. Just pointing this out as it generally seems to get missed in these discussions.

Jun 06, 2005, 10:48 PM // 22:48	#6
wgregory87 Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: May 2005 Location: North Vancouver Guild: TYSN Profession: Mo/W	More to consider. Swords are generally a one target weapon. Most of their skills, at least as far as I've been with a warrior, deal damage to 1 opponent, while with an axe you can get area of effect type skills (cyclone axe) that deals damage to enemies all around you. The damage per second different is not very big and with critical hits they will probably balance out in the long run so you shouldn't worry too much about the damage differences.

Jun 06, 2005, 10:51 PM // 22:51	#7
Yukito Kunisaki Forge Runner Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago, IL Profession: W/N	Although things can be stated and mentioned objectively, I'm going to go ahead and be biased but this is just an opinion and is no means a stab at sword/hammer users as being stupid. I love the axe... I say go with the axe. Well, for cosmetic purposes, you'll be more prominent and different. Come late game, you'll see many axe/sword users and very few hammer users, but the axe isn't as common as sword. Damage-wise, the axe wins out with 12 axe mastery or higher due to more common critical hits. If 2 warriors with majorly high weapon stats equipped their respective weapons, an axe's avg dmg should out bid the avg dmg of a sword if we assume both weapons are critical striking at the same rate. [say both have 90% crit rate, just for instance, example...] Disruption > Damage. In PvP, though I know I'm going to get some people flaming me for this, I find a warrior's capability to do damage drops off quite readily. Being a W/N, I simply use Enfeeble and any warrior challenging me to a 1v1 duel [when both teams are dead] will lose to me. I can't be conditioned since I bring Plague Touch all the time and when it comes to disruption, the Axe is King. Disrupting Chop = 20s. skill lock. Not just spells mind you, it will lock up Power Attack, Power Shot, etc. It will lock any skill that has a cast/weapon-swing time. [the cast time can be 1/4 second and if you anticipate it, you WILL lock it out] Even Adrenal Skills! PvE usefulness. Come mid-late game like in the Ring of Fire area, almost NO ENEMY will bleed. So the famed Sever+Gash combo drops off the sword's damage capability down the toilet. An axe's special strikes starting with Dismember and working down the tree is VERY useful and can be used on any enemy in the game. Bleeding/fleshy, or not. Armor Penetration. There isn't a single sword/hammer skill that allows you extra armor penetration, though the axe has one. I imagine they gave the axe this skill due to not only the really cool pic but due to the axe's VERY low min. base damage. I'm fine with it though cause I've struck massive criticals with Penetrating Blow for 100+ dmg and at only 5a, it's soo worth it if you want to deliver some massive hurt. I think the only real weakness [which isn't that bad when compared to the other weapons] is the Axe's lack of energy/low adrenaline skills. It has no non-elite skill that's less than 5a so you need to land a clean 5 swings to start using axe adrenaline. It has very little energy skills outside Swift Chop. For my build, all my axe skills are adrenaline based and my necro skills use energy and my Victory/Sprint use it too. But since most enemies I fight don't usually try to hinder my axe's hit/swing rate, I don't see it as too much of a problem.

Jun 06, 2005, 11:04 PM // 23:04	#8
Eclair Desert Nomad Join Date: Apr 2005	Disrupting chop takes 4 adrenaline doesn't it? That means you have to get in 4 clean hits before you can attemp to interrupt someone =/ Wouldn't a 5 mana Savage slash work better for disruption?

Jun 09, 2005, 03:56 AM // 03:56	#9
Katrina Wolfsbane Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: May 2005 Location: Texas Guild: The Order of Bast Profession: W/Mo	Personally, I prefer sword. It just seems more effective to me. I've tried axe out on a few occasions (I've got like 5 different axes and never can seem to consider them better than my sword because of the minimum damage being so low). Savage Slash is very useful, especially against spellcasters. In my opinion, Pure Strike beats Power Attack since it does about the same damage and can't be blocked or evaded. Galrath Slash does nice damage and so does Thrill of Victory if you have more health than your opponent.I haven't had a chance to check out the +Damage on axe skills with axe skill at the same level as my sword yet, though. If you really want to disrupt, though, you can have both Savage Slash and Distracting Blow. Sever Artery can be useful in PvP (though I found it more useful early on than it is at lv20). I've never really liked Gash much. I'll prolly try axe again when I can find one that compares with my current sword (Fiery Dragon Sword of Shelter a friend is letting me borrow).

Jul 12, 2005, 06:24 PM // 18:24	#10
hydenone Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005 Location: Buffalo, NY	I have been thinking about the axe vs sword situation for my W/E. I have eliminated adrenaline from my primary attacks. I use adrenaline for bonetti's defense and final blow, all others use energy. I have 38 energy and quite often bonettis defense can recharge it rather fast (if I have aggro). Oddly i am ever so slowly using less and less Elementalist skills...right now only Armor of Mist... Basically, what skills and weapons you have access to will dictate what setup you pursue, but until i have access to "whatever I want", I wont be able to figure out what is best overall...and i am using best loosely....

Jul 12, 2005, 08:58 PM // 20:58	#11
hidden_agenda Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Jun 2005	i have been evaluating the axe vs. sword for sometime as well. i am a smiting w/mo, which means that i use the monk smiting skills to enhance my weapon damage output. i prefer sword over axe due to the following reasons: 1. in pve, i rarely find that the monsters go after me -- they tend to go after the "softer" targets. since the monsters then get spread out, cyclone axe is less useful. 2. the monsters tend to use their best / most annoying spells as soon as they can, so it makes sense to have your interrupt ready early on. (interrupting the giant's stomp is usually a good idea). 3. one major problem with sword is that the good skills (Gilrash Slash, Final Thrust) takes too long to charge up -- this is greatly reduced with the appropriate adrenal pumps. Of course, this is just my set-up. I have seen highly useful axe setups -- in particular, if i am taking a hench fighter, i always try to pick the axeman first, since i use sword. As with other things in GW, one tends to find that things are well balanced, and one approach is not necessarily superior to the other, but the one you are comfortable with will yield the best results.

Jul 12, 2005, 10:30 PM // 22:30	#12
Wings of Illusion Academy Page Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Wings Guild: Illusion	Yes. Basically it all comes down to what skills you think are most useful. The minimum on the sword makes up for the maximum difference between the axe.