Greatsword vs. Axe
Anyone on the fractals at least?
Not trying to be flame inducing, but I’m really confused about the damage totem pole that seems to be out there.
I like being able to run around while hacking with the axe, but I’m genuinely confused how some people have decided its straight up damage is the highest. Auto attack damage, sure, but that’s not exactly the whole picture.
GS on the other hand, I think has a lot more nuance, (this also confuses me, there’s a lot of prejudice out there against GS gameplay) and how you use your abilities and position yourself has a lot more impact.
That said though, I’m still scared that if I for example get an expensive GS skin, I’ll end up not using it, because busting out 100 blades on cool down is just not practical in high-end content.
Some input from more experienced players would be appreciated!
“Am I missing anything?”
Yep. If it moves at all, greatsword loses somewhere around the 2/3 mark of its damage (100b). Axe on the other hand, doesn’t really care.
“Is there something I’m not seeing about maximizing axe damage?” Did you remember to get Strength 5, and the other axe crit trait in strength? Did you remember to get 33% vuln chance in precision line? If you didn’t get those, that’ll be why.
“And should I try not to get too used to running GS?” That’s up to you. Some players love heavy burst, followed by not a whole lot, followed by heavy burst again. Others like sustained damage. It’s your call.
“Does it lose a lot of its viability in fractals and whatnot?” Can’t really say. I can tell you from pvp after 100b, I have trouble finishing people off.
“When they change critical damage, I know that axe is going to suffer more than GS as well, so that’s out there too.” I would venture to say greatsword will suffer more as it’s much more crit reliant (remember mace/shield +100b in s/tPvP before sigil patch anyone?)
I’ve been messing around a lot, and in exotic gear at least, I find that GS does significantly more damage than Axe/offhand, assuming that you’re using all your abilities in an offensive capacity. However I’m terrified of the movement limitations associated with 100 blades.
I’m a little confused, because there seems to be a general attitude that overall axe does the highest damage. At least in berserker exotic gear, it doesn’t seem to for me. This is in a standard 30/25/0/0/15 build.
So, what I’d like to know is… A: Is there something I’m missing with axes? The overall damage is definitely lower, I’ve been experimenting a lot and I am certain of it at this point. This isn’t a kitten y 100 blades rulez! evaluation, I’ve been messing around a lot and utilizing all of the GS skills, it does more damage, which brings me to B…
I’m a newish player, does GS become very difficult to use in fractals in whatnot? I know GS is borderline useless in PvP, but PvP tends to want different gearing anyway. So…
GS burst (hundred blades) is at the least better dps than axe. However main reason to have axe/x on 2nd set to swap to is its AA which is better dps than auto with GS. So the way it works is, use up your skills on GS (2 and 5, also 3 sometimes) then when they are on CD swap to your axe, apply vuln and auto for 1-2 chains, then swap back. Its also very important you don’t interrupt your axe auto chain if possible, as on every 6th hit or so you deal 2x more dmg. So if you interrupt axe auto chain with another skill then you will deal lower dps. Basically your axe set is for sustained dps.
If you’re comparing GS and axe overall damage though, I think they’re roughly the same. Yes, GS is very good for burst but there is still a few secs when your skills are on CD and you are using auto. The trait Forceful Greatsword could help for this, though. If you are using pure axe and don’t interrupt the AA chain then you would reach close to GS dps. So not a huge deal but I always take GS anyway, just for the added mobility and evade.
In most dungeons I rarely switch out to any ranged weapon, theres usually no need. For new content I am unsure about, I will start out with ranged weapon and then usually melee once I understand the fight. Also for some higher lvl fractals I pug, I still use ranged weapons quite often (can’t be helped).
Arun Kar
(edited by nagr.1593)
Anyone on the fractals at least?
Not trying to be flame inducing, but I’m really confused about the damage totem pole that seems to be out there.
I like being able to run around while hacking with the axe, but I’m genuinely confused how some people have decided its straight up damage is the highest. Auto attack damage, sure, but that’s not exactly the whole picture.
GS on the other hand, I think has a lot more nuance, (this also confuses me, there’s a lot of prejudice out there against GS gameplay) and how you use your abilities and position yourself has a lot more impact.
That said though, I’m still scared that if I for example get an expensive GS skin, I’ll end up not using it, because busting out 100 blades on cool down is just not practical in high-end content.
Some input from more experienced players would be appreciated!
GS sucks for higher level fractals for the most part. It’s good for bosses that don’t move around much and a few champs. For trash you will want to axe/mace to tremor and axe/warhorn for weakness since trash hits so hard that mitigating the damage for your group is better than doing a little more personal DPS. For bosses that move around a lot pure axe would be better their too with sword for blocks or mace for more DPS and warhorn for swiftness, weakness, and vigor to help your group max melee and dodge more often. This might be some help http://youtu.be/mJRA1STUkN4
You don’t need any ranged weapon in fractals, GS+axe/x combo works very well. I use GS+axe/mace all the time except for cliffside archdiviner, swamps mossman, dredge final boss I use axe/x – LB with pugs for anything else you don’t need ranged, not even with pugs.
Just learn to time your dodges and use axe instead of GS when ranged is needed. Better sustained damage, no root and you can also kite.