Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1795286" data-attributes="member: 3146">I think that keeping power attack values the same on general principle would obscure the results of the comparison, however. If Falchions benefit from more power attack against certain ACs than greatswords do, then a fair comparison between the two won't put them at the same power attack values. That would be a bit like comparing the range of a 10 mpg SUV with a 28 gal tank and a 12 mpg SUV with a 20gal tank on 20 gallons of gas rather than comparing their range on a single tank.Now, of course there IS a &quot;which player can do math in his head faster&quot; comparison going on. The player who can pick more optimal power attack values will generally do better than the one who can't. That's the nature of power attack and it doesn't matter that much whether we're discussing greatsword vs. Falchion or spiked chain vs. scythe. If I'm right, picking optimal power attack values is probably more important for a falchion-wielder at low-mid levels than for a greatsword wielder. In that case, an answer like:If you can do math quickly and accurately in your head, you can get somewhat more damage out of a falchion through optimal use of power attack. (As long as your foes are vulnerable to crits).If, OTOH, you want to do less math, picking optimal power attack numbers is slightly less important with a greatsword.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Elder-Basilisk, post: 1795286, member: 3146"] I think that keeping power attack values the same on general principle would obscure the results of the comparison, however. If Falchions benefit from more power attack against certain ACs than greatswords do, then a fair comparison between the two won't put them at the same power attack values. That would be a bit like comparing the range of a 10 mpg SUV with a 28 gal tank and a 12 mpg SUV with a 20gal tank on 20 gallons of gas rather than comparing their range on a single tank. Now, of course there IS a "which player can do math in his head faster" comparison going on. The player who can pick more optimal power attack values will generally do better than the one who can't. That's the nature of power attack and it doesn't matter that much whether we're discussing greatsword vs. Falchion or spiked chain vs. scythe. If I'm right, picking optimal power attack values is probably more important for a falchion-wielder at low-mid levels than for a greatsword wielder. In that case, an answer like: If you can do math quickly and accurately in your head, you can get somewhat more damage out of a falchion through optimal use of power attack. (As long as your foes are vulnerable to crits). If, OTOH, you want to do less math, picking optimal power attack numbers is slightly less important with a greatsword. [/QUOTE]

Verification