Weapon Prefixes ( What do you prefer and why)

1st Official Post

    After a 9 year hiatus, I'm wondering what mod prefixes people use?

    Ive mostly used Furious on axe and sword , now I'm leaning to Sundering for the armor penetration.

    I realize most of this is build dependent, to make chosen skills. For the most part I'm still running the same builds I ran a decade ago.Hell i still run Sabway on my necro heroes.

    I'm beginning to wonder if a condition prefix might be a better choice, i.e, fiery, shocking poisonous or what have you?

    Curious as to what people prefer and as to why.

    Thanks :cookie:

    IGN Rogue Monks Bane

    • Official Post

    Your default option should be vampiric. It produces more damage than sundering in more or less every situation. Ironically, sundering gets worse as the armor level of the enemy increases.

    A zealous weapon should also be considered mandatory. Some builds are dependant on it to function, while others will still find it useful to switch to when facing strong energy denial, when death penalty becomes problematic, etc.

    Elemental weapons are used to trigger certain skills, eg conjures, provided you aren't using some other means to convert your damage type. They can also be useful to switch to against warriors or other enemies with notable differences in armor levels, but nobody really bothers doing that.

    The condition extending ones are generally useless. Conditions last long enough that the enemy will be dead before they expire and/or are easily enough reapplied. Silencing is the only exception, but daze nowadays really just comes from casters running Technobabble or Fevered Dreams.

    Furious doesn't do enough to warrant running. In 10 hits vamp will produce 30 or 50 damage, so what can you do with one extra strike of adrenaline that is comparable? Using adrenaline boosters (eg, For Great Justice) does affect the gain from furious, but it's still not consistent enough to have any appreciable impact.

    Quote from Marty Silverblade

    Your default option should be vampiric. It produces more damage than sundering in more or less every situation. Ironically, sundering gets worse as the armor level of the enemy increases.

    A zealous weapon should also be considered mandatory. Some builds are dependant on it to function, while others will still find it useful to switch to when facing strong energy denial, when death penalty becomes problematic, etc.

    Elemental weapons are used to trigger certain skills, eg conjures, provided you aren't using some other means to convert your damage type. They can also be useful to switch to against warriors or other enemies with notable differences in armor levels, but nobody really bothers doing that.

    The condition extending ones are generally useless. Conditions last long enough that the enemy will be dead before they expire and/or are easily enough reapplied. Silencing is the only exception, but daze nowadays really just comes from casters running Technobabble or Fevered Dreams.

    Furious doesn't do enough to warrant running. In 10 hits vamp will produce 30 or 50 damage, so what can you do with one extra strike of adrenaline that is comparable? Using adrenaline boosters (eg, For Great Justice) does affect the gain from furious, but it's still not consistent enough to have any appreciable impact.

    Well put. I do artistically switch between physical and elemental depending on what I am hitting.

    Currently obsessed with: q4 Martial Weapons & Strength Shields. (Highly interested in q3)

    WTB Thread

    Basically all what Marty said, but instead of thinking about it all the time, just craft one weapon of each type and switch them when you need it. Combinations are unlimited. Regarding using always the same builds from time ago, I do the same and there is nothing wrong with it, when you get used to a build that works well and you are comfortable using it, stick with it (I still using the Toucher for example).

    Same with Wand+Focus set, in my case I have a full storage panel with this:

    Wands HCT 20% / HSR 20% (x4)

    Wands Energy +5 / HSR 20% (x4)

    Focus HSR 20% / HCT 20% (x4)

    Focus HSR 20% / +45HP wE (x4)

    Focus Attribute +1 20% / +45HP wE (x4)

    Focus Attribute +1 20% / HCT 20% (x4)

    I also have some 10/10 and E5/10 sets, but those are taking dust because I never use them.

    Same with staves, at least 5 combinations of each one for Elementalist/Mesmer attributes (I don't play Monk or Necromancer, but I guess it's the same for them). For Ritualists is a bit different due their rituals and weapons, it's the exception.

    Edited once, last by Ostona (February 23, 2021 at 9:52 AM).