Why do martial weapons have better caster mods than caster weapons?

My main concern with this one is the +5e mod that can be found on spears, axes, and swords... Why is it that on a melee weapon, intended for non-energy intensive classes they get a better energy mod than casters can get on a wand. The best energy mod on a wand with NF now is the +5e^50 and before that in the time of factions the best was +3e^50. There is nearly no incentive to wield a wand.

Does this bug anyone else? or am I the only one?

Wands can get +15e -1 regen. Thats about the only reason to use a wand.

How narrowminded... 40/40 sets maybe? Just one of the possibility's I love.

I too find this a bit weird. I think wands should be able to be "enchanting" since the only way to get a 20% enchant mod for a caster is a real weapon or a staff. Which kind of ruins the point for casters to use a wand and focus.

If you decide to use a martial weapon, you lose the ability to wand things. Usually doesn't matter, but that's the tradeoff for better mods.

The mods should be reversed - martial weapons should have +5en^50, caster weapons have +5en. However, dual recharge sets are very nice on casters.

i personally think the that the +5 unconditional energy and +20% enchanting mods are available on martial weapons as intention to bolster the lack of magic of the martial classes and provide alternatives to wands.

Perhaps its also to not overpower some weapons as choices over others for the casters.

Pros and cons to everything.

Yeah, if you actually care about recharge times, it's pretty easy to just switch on the 20% enchants weapon whenever you need it.

That being said, dual recharges isn't quite as nice as it used to be, now that you can get 10% HSR on martial weapons.

What game where you playing? +5^50 was always around, in Factions and in Prophecies.

I personally I enjoy a 20/20 wand for my ele with a switch to 20/+5^50 when I need a tad more energy. I also keep a couple of martials in my bag for that extra +30 health or 20% enchants. Each weapon is used as needed. But it would be prety uber to have a +5 allways/20% enchants wand

I sort of like having to use martial weapons. Seeing monks with swords is always cool

spears are more fun for monks though ^^

ANet Supports Whammos, mystery solved.

Spear of Enchanting ftw! Well ok, it's shortbow range, but better than melee.

I remember a long time ago when there were only +3^50 mods for wands. Yes they existed. Here's a link into the history of Gordac's Needle, when it was +3^50

Yeah, this has always bugged me too. Given that melee classes don't even have enchantments (well, ranger and warrior), aside from secondaries, I don't see why they even have 20% enchants available. But it's one of those quirks that I've learned to live with. And I have to admit it is fun using an axe as a monk, even if you never get to actually slash stuff.

One thing I've always wished was availabe was the option to boost energy rather than damage on spellcasting weapons when customizing. There are no (or very few) people who really depend on wanding monsters to death, and I would guess there are very few customized wands and staffs out there. But add in a +5 energy option to the customize guy and wands and staves would be customized in droves. Give us a few choices! ;p (4/5 of my regularly used chars are spellcasters and I rarely get the chance to face the customize dilema).

55 farmers wanted something that could automatically bring them in range for sliver and ae? main use for the +5e 20% enchant melee weapons is 55 farming, of course, not wammos....

For 55ing I use a katana +5e 20% enchant. End of questions. That's what they're there for. And for all the damn wammos, but other than that, that's what they're there for.

Yeah, I agree. My Wammo (who is actually quite a Sophisticated Wammo) grimaces when I try to put a 20% enchants +5 Energy weapon in her hands. I would go out on a limb and say that only spellcasters use these things, almost without expecption. But oh well. It's not really a big deal at this point. However I do think that Loki is right and they should be reversed, 5^50 and +5e unconditional. Seems to make more sense.

You could always get 10% HSR on martials (FFS), and there are very few cases where it is better than dual recharges.

True but at that time the only +5 energy martial weapon was the Henge of Denravi sword - which had been removed from the trader but was selling for ridiculous prices.

+5 martial weapons are designed to be used with a shield in the other hand not a focus.

Just to state the obvious if you want to use one as 1/2 of a caster set, choose a spear and then you can still hit things from range.

The spear and focus combo nets you +2 Energy over staff with similar stats but the staff will allow 20% recharge on all spells not just the one branch of magic the focus does.

According to whom? There are builds where recharge is irrelevant (zzz MoR) where you can go martial/focus for +60hp and energy.

Why does this matter? 2 dps, trapper interrupts...?

You can weaponswap to get the ideal recharge for whatever spells you want, alongside whatever other benefits (enchants, health, etc). There is no single superior weapon set.