staff or hammer/shield

[Typhus]

If you do solo as a whm don't plan on making good xp. Really the only reason you'd go solo is to try and make some money. Even then it is a bit of a pain

[SamuraiX]

what would be really cool would be a wm/nin using 2 wands lol I would almost pay to see that one....almost...
I hardly every attack the mobs i usally just sit back and cure and add buffs, so i go wand/shield

[fate_of_fantasy]

Since i delve in blm and whm although blm is my main... I choose wand/shield... the wand i have adds +3 to both at lvl 22/11 which may not seem much but when all my stuff is added together i have +8int and +8mnd... this helps out when something goes wrong and i need to backup cure. but as a blm/whm when i farm i walk up to something hit it with my club dissengage and do it over and over and over unitl i have about 15-20 mobs on me (if some idiot noob doesnt think they are helping me by fighting htem off) and one little waterga (or stonega or aeroga) and everything is dead.... once i get to 30 ill prob level thief to 15 for the treasure hunter bonus when farming.

[Miriamel]

Originally posted by SamuraiX
what would be really cool would be a wm/nin using 2 wands lol I would almost pay to see that one....almost...
I hardly every attack the mobs i usally just sit back and cure and add buffs, so i go wand/shield

[Meriadoc]

Shields are too handy for me to sacrifice them...
I prefer + to stats as opposed to +6 to mp/hp.. (6mp/hp isn't much IMO)
Damage hammer for soloing purposes because you don't want to be whacking at something with that stick for 30 minutes.. heh

[Fourinkmaaya]

i'm using a lvl39 +1 staff, and my reasoning - it looks so UGLY running with a club and shiled as a taru.. :D
with a staff i can sway both my arms back and forth while i run and it keeps my heart at peace!

at lvl50 i'm getting the holy shield though. ;_;
byebye cute running-posture.

[Lyonesse]

I stuck with hammers myself.

WHM damage is on par with PLD 1h sword (for the most part) through level 40. It's just that most people don't attack with WHM to keep their skills up. If you're not the only healer in a party, it'd be a good idea to help smack a mob around to whittle it down faster. However, if you are the only healer, it'd be a good idea to keep away from the fights.

Most people have this notion that WHM is as weak as a BLM or SMN in the physical department but that's just plain untrue. WHM has all the tools to be a fairly physical character even through 50 now. It's not PLD defense, DRK attack, or even the balance of the two like a WAR but WHMs can still hold their own.

At any rate, I'd stick with hammers and wands (i.e. club skill) primarily. A shield is invaluable to a WHM (especially if you have a very high shield skill which WHM has a nasty little knack for if you sub something like WAR) so the Hammer/Club option is the way to go.

However, I do recommend a leveled staff if you intend on farming. As much as Banishga II has been improved, it's not a substitute for the BLM -gas and the Earth Crusher WS is invaluable.

[Katonfoma]

I have three things.
one fast hammer (currently none though, usually wands.)
One staff for DMG (keep skill up)
and Boosting 1hnd (AF1... just waiting to hit 41!)

I generally participate in battle around now if i know it doesnt hurt the group (mobs dont do AOE.. I prove that we get same number of EXP when im fighting, and when im resting.. etc)

[IhsanShade]

When i first started this is one piece of advice i took from Icemage, ditch staff and go hammer/shield.

Holy Maul at my level is awesome 22 or 26 dmg 304 delay with light element dmg added on. also +2mnd

For leveling I use a paddle gives +5mp +mnd and int as well as lowers my spell interruption rate 25%.

It doesn't happen often but when you see a block vs a mob whacking at you, you will be very happy you leveled up your shield skill.

[Kamakazik]

I use **Hammer/Shield** for **Solo'ing**
I recommend going with the following Hammers:
Bronze Hammer (5)
Brass Hammer (12)
Warhammer (20)
Also, some hammers give +stats......so you can use those in a party if you want.

I use **Wand/Shield** for **Party'ing**
The +stats for wand are usually really helpful for me plus I don't really need to attack in a group.
Some hamemrs give +stats...so its up to you.


Never used Staff because shield is way more important than +mp or whatever staff gives.
At higher shield levels, you block a lot so yeah.

[AlthornCS]

If you're from Bastok, the Decurion's Hammer is a level 20 Rank 2 item that's WHM only. If you use hammers at all, its well worth the investment, imo.

Originally, I used a hammer for soloing and a wand for groups. Then for a while I switched over to a staff (Legionnaire's Staff - a rank 1 conquest item) when I soloed, while keeping the wand for groups. Then when I hit 20, I ditched the staff and went back to the hammer for soloing. I boosted staff a bit when I raised BLM, but iirc, its currently around 65, and I have no intention of raising it (I still have an Elm Staff sitting in storage, though).

One of the things that got me away from staves was when I finally found a shield that I could use. The first few that I looked at were melee only, and I didn't discover the Luan for quite a while (until well after I should have switched over to a maple, or something similar).

Currently, I'm using the Blessed Hammer (AF1) and a Fish Scale Shield (somewhat low level, but I have more important things to spend money on - like spells). My shield skill is floating right around 40, and comes in quite handy from time to time. It'll be a while before I forget the time when I blocked a double attack from a monster - while resting.

For some real fun, equip THF (get it up to 15 for TH1), go farming, and keep track of how hits are stopped. Not only will you perform the usual evasions and shield blocks, but you'll also parry the opponent from time to time. It doesn't add up to much (especially since you're farming low levels, so the damage isn't a big deal), but its fun when it happens.

[Peppara]

I hope when everybody is refering to doing damage as a WHM you mean it while you are soloing? I can't imagine why a WHM would actually engage in melee in a PT. For one at higher levels you wont do hardly any damage and 2 you are to busy casting heals to actually swing your weapon. If you are in a PT I highly recommend using a wand that gives you bonuses. I never solo as a WHM I just PT all the time and sell crafts and loot from my PTs for gil. Soloing as a WHM isnt very fun.

[Crow]

At level 40 I'm enjoying my holy maul, and I have my blessed hammer ready. The holy maul and blessed hammer actually do decent damage and give mind bonuses, so in Crawlers' nest I'm enjoying swinging at crawlers/beetles(no AoE attacks ^^). I'm consistantly doing more damage than all palladins I've partied with somehow, so it's kind of fun ^^. Of course, I rarely get a chance to swing because I'm busy casting, but it's fine to do it on those types of mobs. As a result, I also just got my starlight WS activated