Would it be worth using a Maelstrom Staff that isn't sharpened?

FrostFallFox

Compared to a generic sharpened one with a weapon damage glyph? So I've got a Nirn Flame and Precise Ice staff, and I've also got just seducer staffs that aren't making any set bonuses but they're sharpened


I'm so indecisive that I probably need another decisive staff

Tyrion87

I've got almost the same staves from vMA so far: nirn inferno and precise lighting. And I tested my dps on the first one, and compared the results with craftable non-set inferno staff with sharpened trait (both in the same quality - gold). And it turned out that when using nirn inferno staff, the damage on hit was significantly lower than when using the sharpened non-set inferno staff. But when you use elemental blockade a lot and light/heavy attacks at the same time (so you take advantage of the maelstrom staff enchant in full), the damage can be quite comparable.

FrostFallFox

@Tyrion87

Thank you! I may just keeping using the basic staff. And maybe the precise ice VMA one because it looks so "cool" lol too punny for me.

s7732425ub17_ESO

The sharpened trait alone on a weapon provides 10.32% more damage. (5160 penetration / 500 armor per 1% mitigation).

Let's look at a non-sharpened Maelstrom. First, you get 189 spell damage, which is 2.94% more damage (64 SD = 1% damage). Second, you get 1341 damage added to your light/heavy attacks, so that's a free 1341 DPS (if this adds to crits, it's ~1907). If it's Nirn trait, it adds 2.3% more damage from the additional damage of the weapon.

So comparing 5.23% damage and 1341 (or 1907) DPS against a flat 10.32% damage bonus shows how the non-Maelstrom sharpened weapon will usually be better. For single target, the difference probably isn't much because the bonus from elemental wall is a nice damage boost. But for AOE fights, you usually aren't light attacking every mob, so that's a lot of DPS lost compared to the sharpened.

Ghost-Shot

@FrostFallFox Use it on your back bar then run a sharpened staff on your front bar with a spell damage glyph, IMO you should do this even if you have a sharpened vma staff just for that glyph, its OP. You could even run 4 infalible aether on the front bar if you have a sharpened infal staff, otherwise any crafted staff will do.

idk

@FrostFallFox

Best thing to do is test it. Get a couple friends and solo dps bloodspawn a couple times with each.

Beyond that, I don't use bare bone staffs, even without MA. It was suggested to me via multiple sources to use 3 willpower jewelry, 3 aether or moondancer armor and the rest including weapon the crafted set of choice. Even if this means a bare bones second sword on your back bar.

Eleusian

Like others have said just use it on your buff bar (cast blockade &a bar swap to spam bar) and run sharpened on your front. VMA staffs are not nearly as strong for magic as the 1h or bow are for Stam. Unless it's the sword or mace. Udder garbage those 2 VMA weapons.

Solariken

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

The sharpened trait alone on a weapon provides 10.32% more damage. (5160 penetration / 500 armor per 1% mitigation).

Errr for some reason I thought that 660 armor = 1% mitigation at CP160. Can anyone confirm? @Asayre ?

s7732425ub17_ESO

Solariken wrote: »

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

The sharpened trait alone on a weapon provides 10.32% more damage. (5160 penetration / 500 armor per 1% mitigation).

Errr for some reason I thought that 660 armor = 1% mitigation at CP160. Can anyone confirm? @Asayre ?

For players, yes. Mobs are 500.

Asayre

Yea, 660 armour for 1% mitigationf or players and 500 armour for 1% for mobs. It is not as straightforward as 5160/500 to determine the actual damage increase though. You should consider something along the lines of

Mitigation_Sharpened / ( 1 - Mitigation_Base)

You'll get something above 10.32%. I have an example calculation here.

Bobby_V_Rockit

But Nirnhoned adds 11% extra damage, wouldnt that make nirnhobed better than sharpened (at 10.32%)?

AtraisMachina

Sharpened is op dont cruch ur self itll get nerfed eventually

SublimeSparo

Bobby_V_Rockit wrote: »

But Nirnhoned adds 11% extra damage, wouldnt that make nirnhobed better than sharpened (at 10.32%)?

No to put it simply.
Nirnhoned increases the weapons damage by 11%
Sharpened increases your total overall damage by 10%

andreasranasen

So vma drops nirn?

FrostFallFox

andreasranasen wrote: »

So vma drops nirn?

Yes @andreasranasen