Question re: Weapon choice, Large races vs. non-large races

[Gamkek]

I've got a low level Troll SK and a low level Iksar SK (both still below lvl 10). I'm thinking about which one to move forward with and had a question I was hoping someone here could answer.

As we know, Pallys and SKs can't dual wield, so it's either sword and board or a 2-hander. For Trolls and Ogres it's pretty much a no-brainer. 2H weapons + Slam FTW.

I was wondering, though. as an Iksar is it better to go with a sword and board setup, or to go with 2H weapon even though you lose Bash and don't get the Slam ability?

Beyond Iksar (since they have the whole khukri weapon quest-line that seems to encourage sword and board configuration), what do other races do? Human, Erudite, Half/High Elf Pallies/SKs? How do you guys roll?

Obviously there are situations where what you do is going to depend on the weapon(s) you have available or the situation (tanking or soloing), but for now let's operate on the understanding that you have 1-hand and 2-hand weapon of about equal power.

Thoughts?

[Slave]

The toughest, most powerful SK of them all is easily the Ogre, which even carries with it less of an experience penalty. Without directly answering your question, I would say, switch races immediately if you are worried about min/maxing in this way.

[Gamkek]

The toughest, most powerful SK of them all is easily the Ogre, which even carries with it less of an experience penalty. Without directly answering your question, I would say, switch races immediately if you are worried about min/maxing in this way.

Relevance of your response? I'm not worried about min/maxing. This was intended to be a beginning of a discussion about what people's preferences were for 1H + shield or 2H weapons depending on whether they're playing large or non-large races.

I'm not anxiously awaiting an answer so I can immediately go roll whatever is suggested. I'm more interested in what peoples personal preferences are and the rationale behind those preferences. It's a curiosity brought on by a question I was asking myself.

[citizen1080]

The answer you seek is 47

[Vondra]

Your agro is generated mainly by your spells so you needn't worry as far as that goes.

There's also some nice 1h options available such as the 19/24 ebon mace.

Supposedly if the AC soft caps are in place as I understand them then the AC in your shield slot is much more valuable than AC in your other slots. Given that, and bash, using a shield is certainly a sensible thing...particularly if you're poorly geared when people are used to having twinked tanks take a beating for them.

In the end of course it just depends on what you have available to equip yourself with. Even if you don't use a 1h weapon ALL the time, I think bash/slam is a tool every tank should have available at least in their backpack if applicable.

When an SK joins my low/midleveled group and is average geared I prefer seeing them holding a shield. High level, well that just depends on their budget.

[Grizzl]

Relevance of your response? I'm not worried about min/maxing. This was intended to be a beginning of a discussion about what people's preferences were for 1H + shield or 2H weapons depending on whether they're playing large or non-large races.

I'm not anxiously awaiting an answer so I can immediately go roll whatever is suggested. I'm more interested in what peoples personal preferences are and the rationale behind those preferences. It's a curiosity brought on by a question I was asking myself.


Are you Commander Data??

[Estu]

I don't understand why you'd wanna go 2H over shield ever as a knight. You don't need the extra DPS for aggro since you have spells; your priority should always be on defense rather than offense as a tank. You should have other people in your group to provide DPS.

[Ektar]

Uh...

have you ever SEEN me?

[Gamkek]

These forums are absolutely toxic :(

[xshayla701]

my SK slashes in the 60s with my 2h and it makes me feel happy on the inside

plus i'm too lazy to get/look for a shield

edit-my babygirl is a DE qt

[Dunes]

Not stating anything but the obvious below, but worth thinking through atleast!

Honestly, the snap aggro as as SK is rediculous and works just about every time - Darkness Line + Disease Line. In fact these two spells, available to all SK's regardless of gear, etc, pretty much negates the whole aggro conversation up to the mid levels (I cant speak for the high end).

So that leaves the following factors: DPS versus Damage Mitigation.

Under 20, without a "knight 1 hander" (such as what started with Ghoulbane for pallys, and now weapons such as noct and ebon mace), your better off using a fast 2 hander with around 15 damage (because your going to be capped at ~ 28 dmg till 20+). Shields and mitigation are not particuarly important at this stage of the game, and a "normal" 1 hander just isnt going to reach the damage cap pre 20.

20+, the dps possibilities expand greatly, and 2 handers take on a whole new meaning. If you still have no knight sword, go for a good ratio 2 hander, and speed isnt quite as important as packing a punch (obviously stay away from things like weighted axe though!). Ditching the damage cap means all of a sudden your capable of dealing 2x as much damage at 20 as you were at 19 using 2handers.

If you DO have a knightsword, I honestly believe a sword and board to be the best combo. Our role is to tank (usually), and anything we can do to mitigate damage benefits the entire group. Warriors, of course, need to worry more about aggro than SKs, hence the reason you see proc weapons dual wielded more often than not. As a SK, dont worry about procs, worry more about making the most of that shield. I parsed a fight with two sabretooths (same level) in OT - one with 2hander (Granite Face Grinder) and 1 with sword and board (Noct + Atramentous). Damage taken was almost 15% less with Shield, not to mention stats offered on the shield.

To boil it down, my personal preference is:
Pre 20 - fast 2 hander
Post 20 - Knight Sword + Good Shield

[Gamkek]

Not stating anything but the obvious below, but worth thinking through atleast!

Honestly, the snap aggro as as SK is rediculous and works just about every time - Darkness Line + Disease Line. In fact these two spells, available to all SK's regardless of gear, etc, pretty much negates the whole aggro conversation up to the mid levels (I cant speak for the high end).

So that leaves the following factors: DPS versus Damage Mitigation.

Under 20, without a "knight 1 hander" (such as what started with Ghoulbane for pallys, and now weapons such as noct and ebon mace), your better off using a fast 2 hander with around 15 damage (because your going to be capped at ~ 28 dmg till 20+). Shields and mitigation are not particuarly important at this stage of the game, and a "normal" 1 hander just isnt going to reach the damage cap pre 20.

20+, the dps possibilities expand greatly, and 2 handers take on a whole new meaning. If you still have no knight sword, go for a good ratio 2 hander, and speed isnt quite as important as packing a punch (obviously stay away from things like weighted axe though!). Ditching the damage cap means all of a sudden your capable of dealing 2x as much damage at 20 as you were at 19 using 2handers.

If you DO have a knightsword, I honestly believe a sword and board to be the best combo. Our role is to tank (usually), and anything we can do to mitigate damage benefits the entire group. Warriors, of course, need to worry more about aggro than SKs, hence the reason you see proc weapons dual wielded more often than not. As a SK, dont worry about procs, worry more about making the most of that shield. I parsed a fight with two sabretooths (same level) in OT - one with 2hander (Granite Face Grinder) and 1 with sword and board (Noct + Atramentous). Damage taken was almost 15% less with Shield, not to mention stats offered on the shield.

To boil it down, my personal preference is:
Pre 20 - fast 2 hander
Post 20 - Knight Sword + Good Shield

This was an excellent post, thanks for replying. :D

I think I tend favor play style and visual appeal with my weapon choices. For instance, on my troll characters I prefer 2-handers because I think it suits the race better visually and in what I imagine a troll attitude to be like. Plus I feel like I have that Slam racial ability and I should take advantage of it. However, on say a Human or Erudite I tend to favor a 1-hander + shield because a) I get to hit the Bash button, which is a BLAST, let me tell you and b) I feel like it's more in line with the styles/attitudes of those races.

I guess if you ask the majority of players, I have silly reasons for the way I play and equipment choices. But I'm not totally against min/maxing, and I will definitely keep your experience in mind as I play my SK!