Best weapon choice for vMA

Bobby_V_Rockit · September 2016

Heya, I'm trying to get some input on the best dual wield weapon combo to complete vMA for the first time. I currently have one sharpened sword and one precise axe, both legendary. I also have an epic precise sword. My question is, am I better off making the epic sword legendary and using both swords for the 2.5% flat damage bonus, or keep the axe for the bleed DoT effect? I wont be using daggers, this question is only about using two swords, or one sword one axe.

Cheers!

Wrecking_Blow_Spam · September 2016

2 Daggers both Sharpened.

Why not use daggers? Unless you're using the MSA weapons and daggers haven't dropped for you yet.

Edit: just realised you said for the first time so no Vma weapons.

I highly reccomend 2 daggers both sharpened if you really dislike daggers then it's upto you but again go 2x sharpened for best dps

Wrecking_Blow_Spam · September 2016

Axes will be good on long health boss fights, but on small mobs - most of Vma axe bleed won't see out it's full potential.

Swords is a little increase of 5%.

I personally prefer daggers the most, then maces, sword/axes I don't mind for duel wield but I'd rather use the other 2.

Bobby_V_Rockit · September 2016

Cheers! Will work towards daggers then.

code65536 · September 2016

Each dagger added 5% crit chance. Each sword added 2.5% damage. That means you need a CHD of 0.5 for daggers to match swords in damage. It also happens that 0.5 is the base CHD that you get, and a typical build will be running with higher CHDs. So in the absolute worst case, where you are running with zero crit damage bonuses, daggers will still equal the damage output of swords.

Each axe adds the chance of procing a bleed DoT. Most of vMA is burst. There are bosses, but they don't really last that long and most of your fight is with trash. Trash that die before one of your DoTs can run its course. DoTs are necessary for sustained boss fights that last several minutes. But vMA is all about short, bursty fights.

So... use 2x sharpened daggers.

Also, if you are a stamblade or stamplar, you shouldn't use vMA weapons in vMA (which is very ironic, I know), because they're all about empowering DoTs. It's the same reason why you wouldn't use axes. What's the point of empowering or even using a DoT if the enemy is dead after just one or maybe two ticks of that DoT? It's good for vMA bosses, but, again, most of your time in vMA is fighting the trash, not the bosses. So if you're a stamblade or stamplar, you're better off in a setup like 5xVO, 5xHunding, 2xVeli, even if you do have vMA weapons, because there's no point in using Flurry instead of Surprise Attack or Jabs.

(Just to be clear, this is only for the arena; in a vet trial where you have boss fights that go on for several minutes, you do want to use DoTs, and vMA weapons will shine.)

Bobby_V_Rockit · September 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Each dagger added 5% crit chance. Each sword added 2.5% damage. That means you need a CHD of 0.5 for daggers to match swords in damage. It also happens that 0.5 is the base CHD that you get, and a typical build will be running with higher CHDs. So in the absolute worst case, where you are running with zero crit damage bonuses, daggers will still equal the damage output of swords.

Each axe adds the chance of procing a bleed DoT. Most of vMA is burst. There are bosses, but they don't really last that long and most of your fight is with trash. Trash that die before one of your DoTs can run its course. DoTs are necessary for sustained boss fights that last several minutes. But vMA is all about short, bursty fights.

So... use 2x sharpened daggers.

Also, if you are a stamblade or stamplar, you shouldn't use vMA weapons in vMA (which is very ironic, I know), because they're all about empowering DoTs. It's the same reason why you wouldn't use axes. What's the point of empowering or even using a DoT if the enemy is dead after just one or maybe two ticks of that DoT? It's good for vMA bosses, but, again, most of your time in vMA is fighting the trash, not the bosses. So if you're a stamblade or stamplar, you're better off in a setup like 5xVO, 5xHunding, 2xVeli, even if you do have vMA weapons, because there's no point in using Flurry instead of Surprise Attack or Jabs.

(Just to be clear, this is only for the arena; in a vet trial where you have boss fights that go on for several minutes, you do want to use DoTs, and vMA weapons will shine.)

So what I'm reading is, swords and daggers will do equal damage if there no CHD bonuses? Which I have none. I have 50.4% crit chance. And axes are useless. So should be using two swords instead of one sword one axe? I've done most other content successfully (not vWGT and vICP) and normal mode was a walk in the park (one hit ice breaker trolls with bow) etc.

code65536 · September 2016

Bobby_V_Rockit wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Each dagger added 5% crit chance. Each sword added 2.5% damage. That means you need a CHD of 0.5 for daggers to match swords in damage. It also happens that 0.5 is the base CHD that you get, and a typical build will be running with higher CHDs. So in the absolute worst case, where you are running with zero crit damage bonuses, daggers will still equal the damage output of swords.

Each axe adds the chance of procing a bleed DoT. Most of vMA is burst. There are bosses, but they don't really last that long and most of your fight is with trash. Trash that die before one of your DoTs can run its course. DoTs are necessary for sustained boss fights that last several minutes. But vMA is all about short, bursty fights.

So... use 2x sharpened daggers.

Also, if you are a stamblade or stamplar, you shouldn't use vMA weapons in vMA (which is very ironic, I know), because they're all about empowering DoTs. It's the same reason why you wouldn't use axes. What's the point of empowering or even using a DoT if the enemy is dead after just one or maybe two ticks of that DoT? It's good for vMA bosses, but, again, most of your time in vMA is fighting the trash, not the bosses. So if you're a stamblade or stamplar, you're better off in a setup like 5xVO, 5xHunding, 2xVeli, even if you do have vMA weapons, because there's no point in using Flurry instead of Surprise Attack or Jabs.

(Just to be clear, this is only for the arena; in a vet trial where you have boss fights that go on for several minutes, you do want to use DoTs, and vMA weapons will shine.)

So what I'm reading is, swords and daggers will do equal damage if there no CHD bonuses? Which I have none. I have 50.4% crit chance. And axes are useless. So should be using two swords instead of one sword one axe? I've done most other content successfully (not vWGT and vICP) and normal mode was a walk in the park (one hit ice breaker trolls with bow) etc.

CHD = Critical Hit Damage. Not chance.

Everyone starts with 0.5 CHD, which is the point where daggers = swords. Anywhere above 0.5 CHD, daggers will win (this is for PvE; in PvP, impen on your opponents changes this equation). Champion Points in Precise Strikes increases your CHD. Being a Nightblade or Templar increases your CHD by 0.1 via class passives. Using the Trap Beast skill in your rotation increases it by 0.12. Using the Shadow Mundus increases it by 0.18. Add all of that up, and a stamblade or stamplar using Trap Beast, wearing TBS, with enough CP assigned for 10% critical damage, will have a CHD of 1.0, at which point daggers will be twice as effective as swords.

Bobby_V_Rockit · September 2016

Cheers!

kylewwefan · September 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Bobby_V_Rockit wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Each dagger added 5% crit chance. Each sword added 2.5% damage. That means you need a CHD of 0.5 for daggers to match swords in damage. It also happens that 0.5 is the base CHD that you get, and a typical build will be running with higher CHDs. So in the absolute worst case, where you are running with zero crit damage bonuses, daggers will still equal the damage output of swords.

Each axe adds the chance of procing a bleed DoT. Most of vMA is burst. There are bosses, but they don't really last that long and most of your fight is with trash. Trash that die before one of your DoTs can run its course. DoTs are necessary for sustained boss fights that last several minutes. But vMA is all about short, bursty fights.

So... use 2x sharpened daggers.

Also, if you are a stamblade or stamplar, you shouldn't use vMA weapons in vMA (which is very ironic, I know), because they're all about empowering DoTs. It's the same reason why you wouldn't use axes. What's the point of empowering or even using a DoT if the enemy is dead after just one or maybe two ticks of that DoT? It's good for vMA bosses, but, again, most of your time in vMA is fighting the trash, not the bosses. So if you're a stamblade or stamplar, you're better off in a setup like 5xVO, 5xHunding, 2xVeli, even if you do have vMA weapons, because there's no point in using Flurry instead of Surprise Attack or Jabs.

(Just to be clear, this is only for the arena; in a vet trial where you have boss fights that go on for several minutes, you do want to use DoTs, and vMA weapons will shine.)

So what I'm reading is, swords and daggers will do equal damage if there no CHD bonuses? Which I have none. I have 50.4% crit chance. And axes are useless. So should be using two swords instead of one sword one axe? I've done most other content successfully (not vWGT and vICP) and normal mode was a walk in the park (one hit ice breaker trolls with bow) etc.

CHD = Critical Hit Damage. Not chance.

Everyone starts with 0.5 CHD, which is the point where daggers = swords. Anywhere above 0.5 CHD, daggers will win (this is for PvE; in PvP, impen on your opponents changes this equation). Champion Points in Precise Strikes increases your CHD. Being a Nightblade or Templar increases your CHD by 0.1 via class passives. Using the Trap Beast skill in your rotation increases it by 0.12. Using the Shadow Mundus increases it by 0.18. Add all of that up, and a stamblade or stamplar using Trap Beast, wearing TBS, with enough CP assigned for 10% critical damage, will have a CHD of 1.0, at which point daggers will be twice as effective as swords.

Thanks for posting this! It's starting to click that the dot build that I've been working on is not so great performance for me....probably from lack of maelstrom weapons. Caltrops, endless hail, poison injection, etc...nothing really hits hard and it seems like I've made it further with more ease in the arena with less CP worse gear.

Think I may switch to the shadow stone and split my points up differently; 100mighty/77precise strikes.