Warrior: Best weapon - Sword? Axe? Hammer? - Guild Wars Forums

Razer Burn · May 18, 2005, 05:11 PM // 17:11

Hello. I currently have 3 characters, a level 20 ele/necro, a level 20 r/me, and now i am starting a warrior / monk. I have some very good items for my warrior already, as well as many runes. Although, i would like to know what i should specialize my warrior's attack on. Sword? Axe? Hammer? I don't want to waste any attribute points until i know what you guys like the most, and suggest. Right now i'm only a level 5 warrior/monk on this character because ive just been searchin for skills, but let me know cuz my attribute points are just sitting there

Thanks

Jana · May 18, 2005, 05:15 PM // 17:15

How can you waste attribute points on a system with free respecs on attributes? (every 250 xp)

Just try them all and see what YOU like and are comfortable with instead of others oinions (which are always biased).

Or are you just trying to brag about having lvl 20 chars? (Which is not very difficult to do).

*shrugs*

Jana

C-Tzar · May 18, 2005, 05:17 PM // 17:17

There is no best, only preference. And half of that post was pointless bragging that had nothing to do with the question.

Razer Burn · May 18, 2005, 05:20 PM // 17:20

No i was just trying to make the point that i have absolutely no experience with a monk or warrior because i spent all my time with the other professions. Sorry if it came across the way. Would it be better to have a one handed weapon? Because i have some really good hammers, im just scared to primary on it because of the 2 handedness of the weapon type

Razer Burn · May 18, 2005, 05:22 PM // 17:22

its free respecs? then what is the attribute refund thing about?

Master Gunner · May 18, 2005, 05:24 PM // 17:24

1 handed Swords give you the fastest attack rate and allow you to use a shield, but do the least damage. 2 handed swords attack slightly slower, do a bit more damage, but no shield. the Axe is sort of a middle ground between the sword and the hammer, with decent attack rate and damage (and of course the 2 handed don't allow you to use a shield). Then there's the hammer which does the most damage but has the slowest attack rate.

Razer Burn · May 18, 2005, 05:26 PM // 17:26

thanks thats exactly what i wanted to know, thanks alot

Maker · May 18, 2005, 05:28 PM // 17:28

I've played with all three and find the sword to be my favorite. The hammer knockdown skills were fun, but the thing was too slow. Since I'm a warrior/smiting monk I get extra damage each time I hit, so the faster the better. Plus I can use my 16 ac shield with fast weakness recovery. Using a hammer you can not use a secondary item. Axes, well they really weren't all that interesting.

Rellok · May 18, 2005, 05:47 PM // 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Gunner

1 handed Swords give you the fastest attack rate and allow you to use a shield, but do the least damage. 2 handed swords attack slightly slower, do a bit more damage, but no shield. the Axe is sort of a middle ground between the sword and the hammer, with decent attack rate and damage (and of course the 2 handed don't allow you to use a shield). Then there's the hammer which does the most damage but has the slowest attack rate.

You have got to be kidding me. It's posts like this that force me out of my intended cynical reply and into clearing it up.

Weapon speeds have been measured and posted. Weapon types have been posted. Preferences have been posted.

Swords and axes have the same base attack rate of 1.33s/swing. Hammers are 1.75s/swing.

Please view the articles on combat mechanics:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...nics-id674.php
And on skill effectiveness:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...ess-id1103.php
And on base item properties:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...ies-id1275.php

The short answer is that all 3 weapons (that's right, only 3 choices, not the mentioned 1 and 2-handed swords) balance in some way. There is no "best", there will be a weapon that fits better into your build and how you play, but that only makes it the best for you, not everyone else.

At least read a few of the articles that people have spent a long time putting together before accepting the word of someone who references two-handed swords.

Matt

Reite · May 18, 2005, 06:19 PM // 18:19

do there exist 2 handed swords?

Rellok · May 18, 2005, 06:30 PM // 18:30

no...

Jana · May 18, 2005, 07:02 PM // 19:02

The reason Swords and Axes have the same speed is the variable difference in damage range of each weapon. Taken together, they should produce the same DPI.

In other words, swords have a higher minimum than axes, but axes have a higher maximum than swords.

Jana

mr_boo · May 18, 2005, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razer Burn

its free respecs? then what is the attribute refund thing about?

What Jana meant was that for every 250 exp, you get 1 refund point, so essentially it is a free respec...in other words, don't worry about experimenting when you can always change things later.

Here's a quick rundown:

Sword:
1. Considered the fastest attack, tied with Ax
2. DoT (Damage over Time)
3. Weakest in terms of damage potential between all 3
4. Has a pretty moderate range for damage.
5. Get to hold a shield

Ax:
1. Considered the fastest attack, tied with Sword
2. A lot of nice status effects
3. In the middle in terms of damage potential between the 3
4. However, has large range of damage (can hit for hi or low damage)
5. Get to hold a shield.

Hammer:
1. Considered the slowest attack
2. Knockdown moves (nuff said)
3. Highest damage potential between the 3
4. Consistent Damage
5. No Shield

Romac · May 18, 2005, 07:35 PM // 19:35

from someone yet to create his warrior alt...

that sounds reasonably balanced so what's with that other thread i read this morning that seemed to pretty unanimously consider axes to be inferior to swords.

i assumed them to mean the sword skills were a lot better than the axe skills...someone referenced some sword attack that added 32 onto damage

so to boil my question down a bit...Between axes and swords, setting aside the actual weapon properties, which of the two's skills seem better or more useful overall?

Jana · May 18, 2005, 07:50 PM // 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

so to boil my question down a bit...Between axes and swords, setting aside the actual weapon properties, which of the two's skills seem better or more useful overall?

Hammers.

In terms of skills (especially in PvP, hammers have the best... including the all-powerful KD and interrupt).

Now, for swords and axes, sword skills have the better damage adds, yes, but axes have DoTs and even some PBAoEs. I STILL, overall, think it's a wash in terms of useful skills, unless like others, you consider something else more important (like damage).

Jana

asdar · May 18, 2005, 07:57 PM // 19:57

People are leaving out an important part.

Each weapon has it's own type of skills. I'm not a warrior but I know the hammer has a knockdown. Sword has a bleed, I'm not sure what Axe has.

I like the look of the axe, I hate to be knocked down by the hammer and I can't keep up the healing through a sword attack on a still ally.

jray14 · May 18, 2005, 08:00 PM // 20:00

Here are a few lessons from my experience with these 3 weapon types:

- Swords seem to lay out the most damage against fleshy creatures because of the nice bleed / deep wound combo that Sever Artery / Gash offers. But these skills are almost worthless against non-fleshy creatures.

- Axes beat swords for non-fleshy creatures because they have high-damage adrenaline-based skills that don't depend on the ability to cause bleeding. They are also nice when you can successfully get a crowd of enemies directly around you because its AOE skill (Cyclone Axe) is non-elite. However, I've found that it's difficult to hit very many enemies with Cyclone Axe because the radius is so small.

- For fleshy creatures, axes are still pretty good, but the adrenaline costs seem a little higher (compared to damage dealt) than for swords.

- Hammers are best when knocking down enemies is important. This often applies in PVP, and against enemies that use vicious spells on you with long casting times. Knockdown is a nice way to both interrupt an enemy's skill AND get in a couple free hits. Other than that though, hammers don't have much to offer, and they deprive you of extra defense and often drain your adrenaline. And the best hammer skills aren't available until late in the game, so I'd say hammers are almost always inferior for low and mid-end PVE.

Rellok · May 19, 2005, 03:21 PM // 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romac

so to boil my question down a bit...Between axes and swords, setting aside the actual weapon properties, which of the two's skills seem better or more useful overall?

Seriously, it completely depends on how you want your character to play, what skills you are going to use and what your role is.

All of the weapons are balanced to have ups and downs. Many people will claim that they have the best weapon, or whatever. A lot of the time experience with characters stems from parts of the game where not all of the skills are available yet, and that leads to a skew in the data. It is all dependent on which skills are available.

To answer your question, the weapon decision is one you have to make, and one you will likely change your mind on during the game, which is the beauty of the skill/attribute respec system.

Matt

Lord Palidore · May 19, 2005, 03:28 PM // 15:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Tzar

There is no best

Really?

So if im lvl 15 with a flaming dragon sword owning in pvp, if i switched to a 1-3 damage sword, would I still fight the same?

Tikig0d · May 19, 2005, 04:33 PM // 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Palidore

Really?

So if im lvl 15 with a flaming dragon sword owning in pvp, if i switched to a 1-3 damage sword, would I still fight the same?

C-Tzar was talking about the Skillset (Sword, Hammer, Axe)... not equipment. Think about your arguements before posting.

May 18, 2005, 05:11 PM // 17:11	#1
Razer Burn Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: May 2005 Profession: W/Mo	Warrior: Best weapon - Sword? Axe? Hammer? Hello. I currently have 3 characters, a level 20 ele/necro, a level 20 r/me, and now i am starting a warrior / monk. I have some very good items for my warrior already, as well as many runes. Although, i would like to know what i should specialize my warrior's attack on. Sword? Axe? Hammer? I don't want to waste any attribute points until i know what you guys like the most, and suggest. Right now i'm only a level 5 warrior/monk on this character because ive just been searchin for skills, but let me know cuz my attribute points are just sitting there Thanks

May 18, 2005, 05:15 PM // 17:15	#2
Jana Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: May 2005 Guild: Knights of the Silver Flame Profession: Mo/Me	How can you waste attribute points on a system with free respecs on attributes? (every 250 xp) Just try them all and see what YOU like and are comfortable with instead of others oinions (which are always biased). Or are you just trying to brag about having lvl 20 chars? (Which is not very difficult to do). shrugs Jana

May 18, 2005, 05:17 PM // 17:17	#3
C-Tzar Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005 Location: North AL, USA Profession: E/Mo	There is no best, only preference. And half of that post was pointless bragging that had nothing to do with the question.

May 18, 2005, 05:20 PM // 17:20	#4
Razer Burn Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: May 2005 Profession: W/Mo	No i was just trying to make the point that i have absolutely no experience with a monk or warrior because i spent all my time with the other professions. Sorry if it came across the way. Would it be better to have a one handed weapon? Because i have some really good hammers, im just scared to primary on it because of the 2 handedness of the weapon type

May 18, 2005, 05:22 PM // 17:22	#5
Razer Burn Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: May 2005 Profession: W/Mo	its free respecs? then what is the attribute refund thing about?

May 18, 2005, 05:24 PM // 17:24	#6
Master Gunner Academy Page Join Date: May 2005	1 handed Swords give you the fastest attack rate and allow you to use a shield, but do the least damage. 2 handed swords attack slightly slower, do a bit more damage, but no shield. the Axe is sort of a middle ground between the sword and the hammer, with decent attack rate and damage (and of course the 2 handed don't allow you to use a shield). Then there's the hammer which does the most damage but has the slowest attack rate.

May 18, 2005, 05:26 PM // 17:26	#7
Razer Burn Pre-Searing Cadet Join Date: May 2005 Profession: W/Mo	thanks thats exactly what i wanted to know, thanks alot

May 18, 2005, 05:28 PM // 17:28	#8
Maker Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005	I've played with all three and find the sword to be my favorite. The hammer knockdown skills were fun, but the thing was too slow. Since I'm a warrior/smiting monk I get extra damage each time I hit, so the faster the better. Plus I can use my 16 ac shield with fast weakness recovery. Using a hammer you can not use a secondary item. Axes, well they really weren't all that interesting.

May 18, 2005, 06:19 PM // 18:19	#10
Reite Ascalonian Squire Join Date: May 2005	do there exist 2 handed swords?

May 18, 2005, 06:30 PM // 18:30	#11
Rellok Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Madison, WI Profession: W/Mo	no...

May 18, 2005, 07:02 PM // 19:02	#12
Jana Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: May 2005 Guild: Knights of the Silver Flame Profession: Mo/Me	The reason Swords and Axes have the same speed is the variable difference in damage range of each weapon. Taken together, they should produce the same DPI. In other words, swords have a higher minimum than axes, but axes have a higher maximum than swords. Jana

May 18, 2005, 07:35 PM // 19:35	#14
Romac Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Apr 2005	from someone yet to create his warrior alt... that sounds reasonably balanced so what's with that other thread i read this morning that seemed to pretty unanimously consider axes to be inferior to swords. i assumed them to mean the sword skills were a lot better than the axe skills...someone referenced some sword attack that added 32 onto damage so to boil my question down a bit...Between axes and swords, setting aside the actual weapon properties, which of the two's skills seem better or more useful overall?

May 18, 2005, 07:57 PM // 19:57	#16
asdar Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005	People are leaving out an important part. Each weapon has it's own type of skills. I'm not a warrior but I know the hammer has a knockdown. Sword has a bleed, I'm not sure what Axe has. I like the look of the axe, I hate to be knocked down by the hammer and I can't keep up the healing through a sword attack on a still ally.

May 18, 2005, 08:00 PM // 20:00	#17
jray14 Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005 Location: NC, USA Guild: Ohm Mahnee Pedmay [Hoom]	Here are a few lessons from my experience with these 3 weapon types: - Swords seem to lay out the most damage against fleshy creatures because of the nice bleed / deep wound combo that Sever Artery / Gash offers. But these skills are almost worthless against non-fleshy creatures. - Axes beat swords for non-fleshy creatures because they have high-damage adrenaline-based skills that don't depend on the ability to cause bleeding. They are also nice when you can successfully get a crowd of enemies directly around you because its AOE skill (Cyclone Axe) is non-elite. However, I've found that it's difficult to hit very many enemies with Cyclone Axe because the radius is so small. - For fleshy creatures, axes are still pretty good, but the adrenaline costs seem a little higher (compared to damage dealt) than for swords. - Hammers are best when knocking down enemies is important. This often applies in PVP, and against enemies that use vicious spells on you with long casting times. Knockdown is a nice way to both interrupt an enemy's skill AND get in a couple free hits. Other than that though, hammers don't have much to offer, and they deprive you of extra defense and often drain your adrenaline. And the best hammer skills aren't available until late in the game, so I'd say hammers are almost always inferior for low and mid-end PVE.