Overrated/Underrated weapons

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Mauler's arm isn't that great. The 18 str even disappear if you use a ranged weapon. You can just cast the strength spell to get 18/50 strength for a very long time.

 

Buffs are never as good as having the straight up physical ability. While maulers arm isn't exactly having 18str, as long as you have it equipped it's 18str permanently. Viconia only really has 2 jobs anyway, melee stuff hitting her and healing the party.

This is why I will never pick a cleric over a fighter for combat. Clerics can get their spells cancelled unless you meta-game the entire time and buff before every single fight.

 

Underrated: Axes, the real man's/dwarf's weapon, though slower than longswords, you get both throwing and battle axes with the same profiency.

(Sorry if this sounds like: "But they have horrible pizza" "Yeah, but you get two!")

 

Strength bonuses are as follows:
18: +1 THAC0, +2damage, 200lb weight allowance and a bashing percentage of 20 (to smash down doors)
19: +3 THAC0, +7damage, 500lb weight allowance and a bashing percentage of 50
25: +7 THAC0, +14 damage, 1600lb weight allowance and a bashing percentage of 80.

I reckon it helps heaps, but yeah, the difference is greater for those who start with a very low strength.

 

A non issue when it's in your off hand. The extra attack is applied to the main hand. Coupled with haste or improved haste (both of which suppress most of your off-hand attacks), Belm is great.

 

Another type a weapon I've always felt gets little credit are darts.
These are great mage killers, especially the darts of wounding, as they have good speed factors and many attacks per round (they can wipeout stoneskins real fast)
Especially once you get the cape from the Umar Hills quests, taking just a point in darts is pretty neat.

 

So, you effectively lose the off-hand attack for an extra main hand attack. Why not just equip a weapon with useful properties which actually hit something as well? I mean, if I choose for an extra attack on my main hand in lieu of any other weapon bonusses on my off-hand, than my main hand weapon had better be really amazing. Otherwise, there're better choices, like Crom Faeyr (awesome strength bonus), The Equaliser (immunity to charm and confusion - yes please), Angurvadal (immunity to level drain/strength) or basically any other weapon that gives useful bonusses.

 

Referring to Carsomyr as overrated is a joke. The thing is a powerhouse, plain and simple. Claiming Soul Reaver +4 is comparable is also a joke unless you don't have a paladin in your party, in which case, the point is moot (you couldn't use Carsomyr anyway without UAI).

Referring to Blackrazor as underrated is an equally hilarious joke. That weapon is insanely overpowered. The only reason you don't hear more people talk about it here is because you have to make an evil choice to get it, and pretty much no one on this forum plays as evil characters. (To be fair, BG2 and TOB offer a far less fleshed-out and less-interesting experience for evil characters than it does for good/neutral ones.)

Halberds are indeed an underrated weapon class, and make perfect sense for paladins who are planning to get Carsomyr eventually, but have to dump two extra proficiency points somewhere. As I've said before, the Harmonium Halberd (+1 STR) is a fine alternate to carry until then, whenever you get sick of hearing Lilarcor's crap.

The Silver Sword and Crom Faeyr are both massively powerful weapons; the only significant knock you could make against either is how long they take to put together. To address one of the earlier points made, you could do a lot worse for a primary weapon than Crom Faeyr. Dualled berserker/clerics or Anomen both rock the house with it and both can be fantastic tanks for dishing it out and taking it, with a good shield and the right gear (dexterity gauntlets for Anomen are a must).

I'd say the main reason Stonefire doesn't get much press is because Korgan is CE.

I would say the Flail of Ages gets its due on this forum. A lot of people use it and speak highly of it.

Viconia isn't a tank. Mauler's Arm can be useful for making her a better pack mule, though.

Though I haven't heard much talk about it for quite some time, I'd still say the Gesen Shortbow is overrated just because of how long it takes to make the damn thing. TOB makes the Quiver of Plenty +1 available on the first floor of Watcher's Keep, and there are also several very good longbows that outclass Tuigan throughout BG2, especially for an archer PC. Strong Arm +2, which does +3 damage and is purchaseable from the Adventurer's Mart, is a great archer weapon throughout BG2 because archers have insanely good THAC0 to begin with, but the extra damage is welcome.

 

I agree with Killjoy; I don't see how one could possibly think the uber-weapons like Crom Faeyr don't live up the hype.

Misc + dual-wielding Crom Faeyr and Impr. Flail of the Ages = Destruction.

 

Underrated ? Definitely the Mace of Disruption +2. It's got a +5 enchantment and gives you permanent immunity to level drain which the pathetic preist spell barely lasts. Plus you can get this weapon before going to the underdark. Dual wield this weapon with The Equalizer which adds more damage to both weapons and you will have an vampire killing machine that is immune to charm, confusion and level drain.

If you lose your taste for the mace, then use it until you get Arguvadal +5, which is even better as it has fire damage so you can kill trolls as well.

 

Equalizer adds damage to the main hand as well when in offhand?

 

If hasted, you'll be attacking with your off hand once, even if you are getting 10 attacks per round. Extra attacks are very useful. Sure, someone in your party is going to want to use Crom-Faer and Angurvadal, but someone in your party is probably going to wear one of the many strength enhancing belts available in the game as well. Someone is going to want to wear a ring of free action, the amulet of power, etc. You have more than one party member. If you are soloing, you probably won't use Belm. On the other hand, in a party with 6 people, you'll probably be able to use it for quite a while (at least until the party bard gets UAI and switches over to Scarlet).

Yep. Any weapon that does +"X" damage vs "X" applies that effect to all attacks made by the character wielding the weapon....so this effect also works with weapons like the Sunblade and the Purifier.

 

The effect of the Equalizer did suprise me but it is true. Try dual wielding crom faeyr and the equalizer against some "evil" creature - fire giants are good for this- and you will notice damage jumping up to 30's with crom faeyr compared to just having blackrazor in the off hand say where the damage is typically around the 20's. So the equalizer is quite powerful and supports your main weapon. just a pity it's only +3. Similiar thoughts for Daystar which is a great sword but only +2 enchanted.

 

Looking at it from a real perspective, of who comes with the proficiencies, instead of assuming your parties will involve 12 weapon proficiencies they can use all at the exact same time, the weapons you want the party to use won't include carsomyr unless you have a paladin. There's about a 1/10 chance of you having a paladin in your group due to there being so many NPC options and only 2 pally options (player and Keldorn).

That's the point...

The weapon is overrated because you can't always use it without losing an NPC slot for Keldorn because you want his dispel and Casomyr. (Two really bad reasons for picking an NPC imo). On the other hand a very good weapon that's almost the same, but better - Staff of the Magi, just requires a mage. I've had this weapon on PC's that never used staffs, just for the ability to go invisible and spell trap. And it is NOT on the otherhand a rare choice to bring a mage along in a party...

 

Those are actually two very good reasons, plus he's a lawful warrior with pretty good stats.

+4 vs evil creatures and double damage against undead. Meaning it can hit liches unlike any other longsword in SoA (except, and I'm not sure about this, Flame Tongue), Daystar's a helluva weapon.

 

Not in the unmodded game, it can't. (In the unmodded game, daystar is considered a +2 weapon and the Flame Tongue is considered +1.) There are several mods out there that fix this, though.

 

Carsomyr doesn't fall very easily partly because A Paladin in the party is very useful. There is a really good one in the form of one of the best NPC's in the core game being able to wield it AND more than a few of us are willing to make Paladin PC's for various things. yes the Staff of Magi is good but it's not as good as Carsomyr for a primary reason. It needs a mage to wield it and most mages are just not of a kind that you want to stick into close combat to really get the benefit of the STaff of Magi's dispelling ability.

However I am not denying that the Staff of the Magi is a powerful weapon. Easily ranking up there in the top two or three when it comes to staves. i'm still at times tempted to consider it a little over rated considering that certain things just see right through invisibility and the dispelling does require up close battle with a mage only weapon.

I'd say that many of the warhammers are a little under rated. There are some low level ones that are really easy to get and can make some interesting weapons until Crom Faeyr can be made. Two in fact that deal lightning damage on top of normal damage that can be gotten very early on. One out of the area of the unseeing eye quest. The other as litterally as early on but I can't remember just where at the moment. These are both +2 Weapons as I recall but can make an interesting start dual wielded.

As for Crom Faeyr being over rated. It can be used basically through the end of the game. Not only as an off hand boost to a primary character but it or certain strength boosting items(not even the best) can make even whimpy Viconia as good a Tank as Anomen. Trading a little skill from Anomen's warrior levels with a high Magic Resistance that can be pushed to almost rediculous levels with her. Viconia can quickly become a plate mail wearing wielder of several of the maces and hammers that can be devestating to different kinds of enemies for different reasons.

And while they are not exactly weapons... I think something that gets a little short changed and ignored are the shields. Now I know that the AC bonuses don't really help against the strongest foes in ToB or certain magic wielding foes in SoA... But they give a lot against most everything else in the game outside of those key fights and having less that you have to do to reach the bosses can better set you up for the boss fights where they don't really help particularly if you are not of the type to set yourself up for every approaching battle. On top of this there are a few of them that give very real and useful affects whether it is the shield of cheese or the charm, confusion, and hold immunities gained from the Shield of Harmony that is given in the druid grove stuff.

I know that many of us tend to work under the pretense that "The Best Defense is a Good Offense" but Having that extra bit of Defense can be very useful on party members that don't give a lot to the offense normally even when pumped to the max towards doing damage.

 

Even true-sight doesn't work amazingly well against staff of the magi, since you can just click on the staff and you're invisible again.

The fact that a mage uses it just means that you'll always have the staff of magi, since you'll always have a mage. The dispelling ability isn't as good as carsomyr's since yes, the mage would have to melee, but carsomyr's is never that useful in the first place. The only creatures the dispel will ever effect is a mage, and I'm pretty sure if the mage has spell reflect, you'll dispel yourself.

I could be wrong about that, but when it comes to the dispel, you're better off with the spell to remove negative debuffs on your party or a mage to breach/etc. another caster.

EDIT: On a more personal note, I tend not to take Keldorn because I really hate his lifes drama. It always leaves me feeling bad and stuff .

[ August 27, 2007, 07:23: Message edited by: omnigodly ]

 

you can finish his family issues without the whole deal of destroying your family. If you do it right then he actually makes amends with his family. Spends a day or so with them and then joins you for the rest of your adventure with the promise to his family that he's retiring entirely once he is done with his promise to help you reach your goal. it's actually a kind of sweet end to his drama.

And I don't recall Carsomyr ever bouncing back to dispell my own people ever to my knowledge.

 

Yeah, but keeping him after that makes a lot of players, especially players who have kids in real life, feel rather guilty, too.