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Message: <blockquote data-quote="erik_the_guy" data-source="post: 4396366" data-attributes="member: 70483">I made an excel sheet to consider the greataxe and the greatsword in comparison. I plotted the average damage for a melee basic attack with a +4 str mod to damage. I considered all base chances to hit between 0% and 95% for the axe and the same attacks made with the greatsword with between 5% and 95% chance to hit appropriately. I listed the average damage of each weapon (5.5 for greatsword and 6.5 for greataxe) as well as the average bonus damage from a critical hit (4.5 for greatsword, 12 for greataxe). The overall average damage for a weapon was:(Chance to hit*average damage)+(5% chance for crit*bonus damage from crit). The greataxe seemed to perform the best overall. I was most interested in the range where your chance to hit (with a +2 proficiency bonus) was between 40% and 60% (or 5% higher with the greatsword). The greataxe had a higer average damage in this entire range. At the line where the greataxe had 50% hit chance and the greatsword had 55%, the average damages were 5.45 for the greatsword and 5.85 for the greataxe.The average damages include the chance to hit, chance to crit. Remember, I am assuming a melee basic attack with a +4 modifier to damage for a heroic tier character.I modified the chart so the greatsword used 1d12 for damage. The result was that the greatsword now always dealt 0.15 higher damage except when your base chance to hit was unrealistically high (90%+). It would appear that the greatsword is just a bit weaker than the axe in terms of damage output.With certain powers, a high #[W] damage makes the +1 to hit on a greatsword more appealing, but it also makes the higher [W] of the greataxe appealing.The greataxe is definitley a higher damage weapon than the greatsword. Even in attacks that deal [7]W I am sure you will find that the higher damage die of the axe (multiplied by 7) makes up for the swords +1 to hit. It seems that the axe fighter is best to take high [W] powers and the sword fighter should take powers that have a special effect on a hit (cleave, crack the shell, etc).I attached the two excel files that calculated the average damage output.</blockquote>

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