Question about staves - Guild Wars Forums

Sagittario · Sep 27, 2011, 12:14 PM // 12:14

Heya,
I've always wondered why are less Q BDS so much more expensive than high req and PROT so much more expensive than other reqs.
The only thing req affects is how much damage you can deal with auto-attack.
Which is very little for casters anyway.

So there's no difference between Q9 PROT and Q13 FC.
But there's 350e contrast between those staves, so I must be wrong and there's one more thing that depends on req on staves. But what?

Could someone answer me pls?

*Darcy* · Sep 27, 2011, 12:17 PM // 12:17

The less points you need to use for a weapon, the more points you can put in other requirements. This is important as you might be using skills from several lines.

Mouse at Large · Sep 27, 2011, 12:21 PM // 12:21

It's a) the market and b) the triumph of form over function. Any max Q9 staff with another skin will do exactly the same job as a BDS with the same stats.

You might suffer from a bit of epeen envy though............D)

BrettM · Sep 27, 2011, 12:33 PM // 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagittario

So there's no difference between Q9 PROT and Q13 FC.

There is if you add an Adept staff head or an Aptitude inscription. Since those decrease the casting time of spells of the staff's attribute, a 40/20 Fast Casting staff would not be very helpful to a Protection monk.

Dzjudz · Sep 27, 2011, 12:43 PM // 12:43

Like BrettM said, req not only affects damage, but also attribute modifiers.

Sagittario · Sep 27, 2011, 12:51 PM // 12:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz

Like BrettM said, req not only affects damage, but also attribute modifiers.

Rituals and Signets are not spells, so pointless for me, since I'd like to use it for my SoS.

Quaker · Sep 27, 2011, 01:44 PM // 13:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagittario

So there's no difference between Q9 PROT and Q13 FC.
But there's 350e contrast between those staves, so I must be wrong and there's one more thing that depends on req on staves.

Yes, the 'one more thing' is the rarity. You are correct that functionally, there is little difference between a q13 BDS and a q9 BDS, and depending upon the mods, a q13 FC. But, a q9 BDS is much rarer than any higher req BDS, so it's 'value' is much higher. It has nothing to do with the functionality - you can get the same stats with a q9 crafter weapon.

aspi · Sep 27, 2011, 02:33 PM // 14:33

I never understood why I should pay more for a lower attribute. I could buy a Q9 BDS but why would I since my attribute is atleast 13 or higher :/

RedDog91 · Sep 27, 2011, 02:43 PM // 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagittario

Rituals and Signets are not spells, so pointless for me, since I'd like to use it for my SoS.

...you do realize that you're not the only person playing the game, right?

Sagittario · Sep 27, 2011, 04:13 PM // 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedDog91

...you do realize that you're not the only person playing the game, right?

1. Yes, I do. I don't need any spell recharging %, but it doesn't mean I don't realize that other ppl do.
2. Froggy+CC 40^40 would be better for that purpose. Set of both is much cheaper, but still cool.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aspi

I never understood why I should pay more for a lower attribute. I could buy a Q9 BDS but why would I since my attribute is atleast 13 or higher :/

I fully agree with you.

Lithril Ashwalker · Sep 27, 2011, 04:19 PM // 16:19

so if the person has 12 in fire and the req is q9 fire the staff wouldn't do anything else tbh. the HCT and HSR of fire magic only results from the 20% probability. the damage is the only thing that is required to have at least 9...IMO if u get a staff with the same attributes but req 12...still the same benefit. dmg only requires certain points in fire magic. so in other words...pointless.

adept staff heads are a plus if u have a HCT of spells and a FIRE ele...add on to the fire staff and u have a 20/40 like the nice people have said.

in pvp- epeen is seen often, and dmg IS VERY IMPORTANT. if autoattacking it can get rid of reversal of fotrune(example) and not give as much health back or can be vital for the last hit kill of an enemy player.

turbo234 · Sep 27, 2011, 09:45 PM // 21:45

prot staves in general are more sought after bc a lot of hybrids don't spec high in prots, but the staff is still better for casting the prots.
i'm personally happy don't even like the bds, and i'm happy with my tengu staff.

cataphract · Sep 28, 2011, 06:31 AM // 06:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrettM

There is if you add an Adept staff head or an Aptitude inscription. Since those decrease the casting time of spells of the staff's attribute, a 40/20 Fast Casting staff would not be very helpful to a Protection monk.

I never saw the point in 40/20 prot staves. Apart from Aegis, all prot spells cast for 1 second and less. My preference would be to have a higher recharge chance but since they're all enchantments I stick to my HoD and 20/20 icon. My question about BDS would not be the requirement but why would anyone pay that much for such an ugly item. It looks especially horrible when wielded by tiny monkettes.

LifeInfusion · Sep 28, 2011, 03:00 PM // 15:00

Economics 101: Supply and demand.

Lower req is more money simply because there's (much) less of it. Also, there's less demand for staves that are Fast casting because people want the 11-22 damage (x1.2 if you customize) for their casters...dumb I know.

If you don't believe in supply and demand, look at Sundering. It's crappier than Vamp and people pay more for it.

Personally, I don't even use staves so the only ones I have are lying around in storage (Droknar's healing staff+Yakslapper+Chaelse's Staff). My monk uses spear+ shield 90% of the time unless casting things where recharge matters (then I use wand+focus). 20% recharge of staves isn't going to help much and using Adept staff heads for protection prayers is generally useless unless you're using Aegis in PvE (i.e. not useful because it doesn't matter what you use in PvE because 20% longer enchanting is ~1 or 2 more seconds of Aegis).

Probably the only time staves are better than wands+focii or spear+focii are when A. enchantment duration matters B. you run >2 attributes and use them equally and often (you can have 20/20 wand for attribute 1 and 20/20 focus for attribute 2) C. you don't meet req for focus to get +12 energy (as in well below req8, see dervishes and assassins).

Dzjudz · Sep 28, 2011, 08:31 PM // 20:31

Even if all q's drop with the same frequency (which I doubt), then q10-q13 is still 4x q9.

Quaker · Sep 28, 2011, 08:57 PM // 20:57

Yes, you are more apt to get a higher req item.

Chthon · Sep 29, 2011, 02:25 AM // 02:25

1. The popularity of BDS in general (except perhaps for necromancers who fit with the whole "bone" thing) can only be explained by irrational preference for rare items.
2. Stat-wise, staves in are preferable to dual 20/20 in a couple of circumstances: You need "20% HRT all" instead of 2x "20% HRT <skill line>," or you need 20% enchanting, or both. Most prot builds benefit pretty significantly from 20% enchanting. It's probably the most staff-friendly skill line there is.
3. While it is usually the case that weapon req doesn't matter because you're certain to meet it no matter what, some caster lines are never run as a main line (Soul Reaping, Fast Casting, Inspiration, Spawning Power, etc.) and monks in particular tend to go for a 3-attribute split. That means req can matter. (Of course, since all it affects is your wand damage, it doesn't matter very much. But if you're spending a bazillion ecto on the thing anyway, you might as well get the one that does some damage if/when you try to do damage with it.)

Sep 27, 2011, 12:14 PM // 12:14	#1
Sagittario Krytan Explorer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Czech Republic Guild: The Dragonfly Effect [Phi] Profession: Rt/	Question about staves Heya, I've always wondered why are less Q BDS so much more expensive than high req and PROT so much more expensive than other reqs. The only thing req affects is how much damage you can deal with auto-attack. Which is very little for casters anyway. So there's no difference between Q9 PROT and Q13 FC. But there's 350e contrast between those staves, so I must be wrong and there's one more thing that depends on req on staves. But what? Could someone answer me pls? Last edited by Sagittario; Sep 27, 2011 at 12:27 PM // 12:27..

Sep 27, 2011, 12:17 PM // 12:17	#2
Darcy Never Too Old Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rhode Island where there are no GW contests Guild: Order of First Profession: W/R	The less points you need to use for a weapon, the more points you can put in other requirements. This is important as you might be using skills from several lines. __________________ That's me, the old stick-in-the-mud non-fun moderator. (and non-understanding, also)

Sep 27, 2011, 12:21 PM // 12:21	#3
Mouse at Large Jungle Guide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Scotland Guild: Fuzzy Physics Institute Profession: E/	It's a) the market and b) the triumph of form over function. Any max Q9 staff with another skin will do exactly the same job as a BDS with the same stats. You might suffer from a bit of epeen envy though............D) Last edited by Mouse at Large; Sep 27, 2011 at 01:20 PM // 13:20..

Sep 28, 2011, 03:00 PM // 15:00	#14
LifeInfusion Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: in the midline Profession: E/Mo	Economics 101: Supply and demand. Lower req is more money simply because there's (much) less of it. Also, there's less demand for staves that are Fast casting because people want the 11-22 damage (x1.2 if you customize) for their casters...dumb I know. If you don't believe in supply and demand, look at Sundering. It's crappier than Vamp and people pay more for it. Personally, I don't even use staves so the only ones I have are lying around in storage (Droknar's healing staff+Yakslapper+Chaelse's Staff). My monk uses spear+ shield 90% of the time unless casting things where recharge matters (then I use wand+focus). 20% recharge of staves isn't going to help much and using Adept staff heads for protection prayers is generally useless unless you're using Aegis in PvE (i.e. not useful because it doesn't matter what you use in PvE because 20% longer enchanting is ~1 or 2 more seconds of Aegis). Probably the only time staves are better than wands+focii or spear+focii are when A. enchantment duration matters B. you run >2 attributes and use them equally and often (you can have 20/20 wand for attribute 1 and 20/20 focus for attribute 2) C. you don't meet req for focus to get +12 energy (as in well below req8, see dervishes and assassins). Last edited by LifeInfusion; Sep 28, 2011 at 03:22 PM // 15:22..

Sep 27, 2011, 12:43 PM // 12:43	#5
Dzjudz Furnace Stoker Join Date: Jun 2005 Guild: gwpvx.com/user:dzjudz	Like BrettM said, req not only affects damage, but also attribute modifiers.

Sep 27, 2011, 02:33 PM // 14:33	#8
aspi Desert Nomad Join Date: Jan 2010 Guild: eeew Profession: N/Rt	I never understood why I should pay more for a lower attribute. I could buy a Q9 BDS but why would I since my attribute is atleast 13 or higher :/

Sep 27, 2011, 04:19 PM // 16:19	#11
Lithril Ashwalker Jungle Guide Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alabama Profession: A/	so if the person has 12 in fire and the req is q9 fire the staff wouldn't do anything else tbh. the HCT and HSR of fire magic only results from the 20% probability. the damage is the only thing that is required to have at least 9...IMO if u get a staff with the same attributes but req 12...still the same benefit. dmg only requires certain points in fire magic. so in other words...pointless. adept staff heads are a plus if u have a HCT of spells and a FIRE ele...add on to the fire staff and u have a 20/40 like the nice people have said. in pvp- epeen is seen often, and dmg IS VERY IMPORTANT. if autoattacking it can get rid of reversal of fotrune(example) and not give as much health back or can be vital for the last hit kill of an enemy player.

Sep 27, 2011, 09:45 PM // 21:45	#12
turbo234 Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WI Profession: Mo/	prot staves in general are more sought after bc a lot of hybrids don't spec high in prots, but the staff is still better for casting the prots. i'm personally happy don't even like the bds, and i'm happy with my tengu staff.

Sep 28, 2011, 08:31 PM // 20:31	#15
Dzjudz Furnace Stoker Join Date: Jun 2005 Guild: gwpvx.com/user:dzjudz	Even if all q's drop with the same frequency (which I doubt), then q10-q13 is still 4x q9.

Sep 28, 2011, 08:57 PM // 20:57	#16
Quaker Hell's Protector Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Guild: Brothers Disgruntled	Yes, you are more apt to get a higher req item.

Sep 29, 2011, 02:25 AM // 02:25	#17
Chthon Grotto Attendant Join Date: Apr 2007	1. The popularity of BDS in general (except perhaps for necromancers who fit with the whole "bone" thing) can only be explained by irrational preference for rare items. 2. Stat-wise, staves in are preferable to dual 20/20 in a couple of circumstances: You need "20% HRT all" instead of 2x "20% HRT <skill line>," or you need 20% enchanting, or both. Most prot builds benefit pretty significantly from 20% enchanting. It's probably the most staff-friendly skill line there is. 3. While it is usually the case that weapon req doesn't matter because you're certain to meet it no matter what, some caster lines are never run as a main line (Soul Reaping, Fast Casting, Inspiration, Spawning Power, etc.) and monks in particular tend to go for a 3-attribute split. That means req can matter. (Of course, since all it affects is your wand damage, it doesn't matter very much. But if you're spending a bazillion ecto on the thing anyway, you might as well get the one that does some damage if/when you try to do damage with it.)