Greatsword or Polearm?

[imstimpy]

I'm currently in an SP, but I know the need will eventually arise where I need to party up with a THF. For a THF to really shine, we know they need to be able to close with distortion, pre-66, or fragmentation post-66. Until 66, our axe and great axe are incompatible with a THF and so I have chosen to skill up a weapon with a transfixion attribute.

I chose to level great sword based upon the more powerful end-game great swords we can equip and our greater skill in them compared to polearms. As per my observations as well as a conversation with a lv60 THF friend, WARs level polearms, not great sword. Anybody with a logical explanation as to why this is so? One hypothesis my friend proposed was that double thrust is a more powerful weaponskill to stack with sneak attack.

Up through my current level of 59, I have NEVER had to party with a THF where we didn't have a NIN. The skillchain could always be created. The groups I built or was included in was always built around me using my best weapons instead of those that chain with a THF. With 6 more levels before I chain perfectly with a THF, is it worth it for me to finish skilling up the greatsword and/or polearm?

[tomiko]

I never bothered with polearm or great sword because I didn't have the time. Leveling Great Axe was hard enough. Ask drks... skilling up a behind great weapon sucks.
If I were to party with a thf (pre-66) I would be tanking, or soloing WS. Post 66, however, we are compatible. Mistral Axe->Shark Bite creates Light chain (not fragmentation).
If I had to make a choice, I would level polearm, just because there are really no good great sword WS we can get in the game, even with the B+ vs B- (polearm) skill cap. I heard the quest GSD WS Ground Strike sucks. The only good GSD WS is Spinning Slash which only drk and pld get._. I believe Double Thrust is better than Power Slash for a Distortion opener...we also get Penta-Thrust which is fun for farming... and we can get the OK quest WS Impulse Drive... poor drgs. I might wanna level Scythe someday for Spiral Hell. XD

But really... you shouldn't worry about it post 50.
The only other weapon i would level than my beloved axes is sword... ideal for /nin. :spin:

[Synbios]

WAR/RNG and use arrows. XD

[imstimpy]

When I said fragmentation, I meant I needed a fusion attribute to lead into fragmentation yielding light. Anyhow, it all seems moot post 66.

My LS was setting up avatar parties over the weekend and they needed a damage dealer. Since I didn't have a transfixion weapon skilled all the way, I couldn't go because there was a THF.

Yes, it does take a long time to skill up two-handed weapons. However, doing coffer key parties offers the ideal opportunity to spend hours skilling them up.

[Synbios]

Originally posted by imstimpy
When I said fragmentation, I meant I needed a fusion attribute to lead into fragmentation yielding light. Anyhow, it all seems moot post 66.

My LS was setting up avatar parties over the weekend and they needed a damage dealer. Since I didn't have a transfixion weapon skilled all the way, I couldn't go because there was a THF.

Yes, it does take a long time to skill up two-handed weapons. However, doing coffer key parties offers the ideal opportunity to spend hours skilling them up. It depends, most JP coffer PTs I've joined ended up having 2 party or full alliance and the mobs drop so fast you hardly have a chance to scratch them.

[imstimpy]

Yes, that is a problem. When we do our coffer parties, most members are around the 55-58 levels with one or two 64-66. Some took quite a bit of hacking; some dropped with a single skillchain.

We were in Castle Oztroja with another alliance like you mention. They were fighting three coffer mobs at any given time.

[Hisdon]

don't worry about having to pt with a THF that much, any leader that knew anything about melee combos would know that WAR's just don't mix with THF's duo to their A weapons for quiet a while (I'm still not sure if a WAR with an Axe or Great Axe can lead Distortion)

[Nameless]

No, we cant start one as far I'm aware. We can close one though.

Back in CN I remember doing Piercing arrow -> Smash Axe which made distortion.

[Deyreeph]

Does skilling up weapons past a certain level become really tedious? I know most of my jobs are at 20 or below, but it doesn't seem that hard to level up any of my weapon skills with the exception of Club and Staff...

I plan on becoming a Great Weapons whore, having the availability of all 2 handed weapons wherever I am...is this a bad idea?

[ZQM]

It's difficult when you can hardly solo an EP, and the only way to raise you skill is by fighting EM+

If you need to skill up, just do what I did. Camp a high level NM with friends and skill up the weapon on the mobs needed to pop it. Money + skillups at the same time.

[Tomatoes]

My WAR is closing in on 50. I'm considering purposely not doing Genkai for a while and skilling up in LVL 48-50 XP PT's. Would this be viable?

[Tomatoes]

Hi Nny, I have seen you quite often. :)

I agree with your suggestion. I got Gaxe and Polearm up to 100-ish while camping Stroper Chymes. No ring though. :(

[Synbios]

Don't really have to rush skill ups pre 60 unless you've been asked to use it many times, lotsa time for you to skill up when getting AF coffers.

[Hisdon]

ya at lvl 60 I took my GS from 100 skill to 207 within 2 weeks

[Deyreeph]

I only ask, because it is so easy to skill up a WS from one character level to the next. So I could cap a WS within 1k of experience into a character level and I figure it's a waste to not swap weapons to cap some other WSs.

[imstimpy]

As a WAR/NIN, I cap out my axes within about 3,000 experience. A DRK or other two-handed wielder will take most of the 20,000 exp to cap out.

I was in Beadeaux killing coffer mobs and skilling my great axe last night. In the two hours I was there, I got a total of 3 points going from 187 to 190. I could go as long as 10 battles without a single skill up. Conversely, with my polearm in Gustav Tunnel on the way to camp, I found some gobs there with a lv70 skill and pulled it up at a rate of almost 1 skill point per mob.

[Hisdon]

Originally posted by imstimpy
As a WAR/NIN, I cap out my axes within about 3,000 experience. A DRK or other two-handed wielder will take most of the 20,000 exp to cap out.

I was in Beadeaux killing coffer mobs and skilling my great axe last night. In the two hours I was there, I got a total of 3 points going from 187 to 190. I could go as long as 10 battles without a single skill up. Conversely, with my polearm in Gustav Tunnel on the way to camp, I found some gobs there with a lv70 skill and pulled it up at a rate of almost 1 skill point per mob.

naw, it takes around 5k exp to cap out :)

[ZQM]

Originally posted by Tomatoes
Hi Nny, I have seen you quite often. :)

Hey, I've seen you around too. ;) Always nice to meet other Pandy's.

[imstimpy]

I am at a loss. With my great axe at 191, I only got .3 in the 2+ hours I spent fighting T-VT coffer mobs. I don't know how in the world I'm supposed to cap another 2-handed weapon when I can't even cap one that I'm most proficient at.

[Hisdon]

Originally posted by imstimpy
I am at a loss. With my great axe at 191, I only got .3 in the 2+ hours I spent fighting T-VT coffer mobs. I don't know how in the world I'm supposed to cap another 2-handed weapon when I can't even cap one that I'm most proficient at.


seriously, just cap Greataxe and Axe, it's all you'll need :/

[Deyreeph]

Don't take too much stock in my words. I just broke 20...so, you know everything is easy pre-20. I have to now solo mobs to skill up the weapons that don't get asked to be used in a pt. It sucks, but it is zen like at the same time and I get to farm in the process. Three birds with one stone...muhahaha.

[Meimei]

Sturmwind > Dancing Edge > Aero. you are going to fight Cockatrance in terrigan from lvl 62-65 anyways.

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