When to use Precision, when to use Power Attack

[Djeserit]

Which monsters have a particularly high AC relative to their hitdice?

Which monsters have low AC and high HP?

[Aranticus]

couple of situation here coz of diff abilities of precision and PA.

precision add 4 to attack roll but at a cost of 1/2 base dmg. its good when you want to land an effect if it is not resisted, ie if you are doing 5 damage w/o precision but hit infrequently with a wounder but doing 0 dmg but hitting frequently, its better not to use it. but if after the reduction, you are still dealing damage, then precision is better. this is coz wounding effect need the enemy to take damage b4 it deals con damage.

i have precision with my fighter to help out with him landing trips and stuns on my first attack while i run up to the mob. but now since i run frequently with a 30+ to attack, its less useful.

for PA, it really depends if u can take the penalty to attack. if you are already hitting him frequently, it means that even with PA, you should be hitting often enough for you extra damage to overcome the loss that is the result of having less hit. similarly, if you have a low attack, then dun bother trying to deal large damages with on a couple of strikes out of 20

[tihocan]

Basically just pay attention to your hit/miss ratio.

[Snike]

Use Prescision 99% of the time and get your kills/DPS from # of swings and weapon effects.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

Power Attack stays on until the misses become obvious...which is rarely actually.

[Snike]

Usually... this is when you use them, of coarse you can and will have builds that are not the norm.

TWF = Precision
THF = Power Attack
Shield = CE

[M1A1]

Which monsters have a particularly high AC relative to their hitdice?

Which monsters have low AC and high HP?

If I wanted my special weapons to hit (i.e. Vorpal, Para, Smite, etc) for their effects, I would use precision.

If I wanted my DPS weapons (i.e Holy/PG, Burst/PG, etc) to be higher, I would use Power Attack.

I guess you just need to evaluate the quest and then decide for yourself what you want to do that particular time.

[Emili]

I watch my combat log an awful lot, not only to see the mob's AC but all the other abilities, spells etc... they have. It seems the only time I turn PA off is when I feel I'm being batted around as much as I'm dishing out the punishment, then I typically go the opposite direction and turn on CE to boost my own ac into the 50's. My fighters are a near max'd str fighter (ie. 32 human) feated to-hit and damage with mid hp and saves. Plus to-hit 30-34 before buffs or button pushing. Toss on buffs such to gain 40+ to-hit base and you basically guarentee you're PA capable on near everything (even the highest AC mobs). I do not put up with swish swish hit hit... for me it's more important to have hit hit hit hit then +5 damages on only swings which land.

I will typically use PA on unless fighting a High AC mob such as a Fire giant Champ (AC 46). There are very few mob which have AC so high for instance Velah is AC 36 on norm and the AC goes up by 2 (so seems to me) given the increase in difficulty (so ac 40 on elite).

[Twerpp]

Precision-never
Power Attack-always

unless you are a gimp then its the other way around, :D

[InfidelofHaLL]

Usually... this is when you use them, of coarse you can and will have builds that are not the norm.

TWF = Precision
THF = Power Attack
Shield = CE


thats defenitaly not the norm anymore lol precision went out when they dropped the ac of all mobs precision was only useful againt the blackguards in tempest when they had ac now its pointless to even have it as nothing in the game has a high enough ac that you will be missing

[Snike]

With a 30 to-hit and mobe with AC around 60, that +4 to-hit with my wounders = 20% less chance to miss, add to that you are swinging 5-7 times a round that 20% is HUGH. I stand by precision as great for DEX basesd TWF.

[baddax]

One other to thing to consider is Agro. If you are using a wounding and or puncturing weapon and doing at least 1 point of damage then you get the weapons effect. If you can still deal damage with Precision you will be better off because you will not draw as much agro. This is especially useful for rogue builds as it will still allow you to get your sneak attack damage or fighters with flanking ability. I have a very effective fighter rogue build that uses precision often. Also with wounding weapons you are concerned primarily with hitting and not damage which is what precision does. I have heard more and more people say this game is more about agro control and i believe it. You do not hace to have a 70 AC or 600 hp if you do not have agro, or are the only person alive in your party!

[Shade]

Precision is generally not useful unless your killing purely with a special effect type and also missing some on at least a roll of 1-5.

So generally that means dex based rogues use vorpal, disruption, smite, etc... With low enough str that there damage doesn't matter nayways, just relying on the special effect to kill.

I used it allot on my old dex rogue with his disruption rapier.. Being that it barely got thru the DR of skeletons and zombies, it was much better to just do 0 dmg, avoid agro and hit everytime to try to disrupt.

[Mjay]

One other to thing to consider is Agro. If you are using a wounding and or puncturing weapon and doing at least 1 point of damage then you get the weapons effect. If you can still deal damage with Precision you will be better off because you will not draw as much agro. This is especially useful for rogue builds as it will still allow you to get your sneak attack damage or fighters with flanking ability. I have a very effective fighter rogue build that uses precision often. Also with wounding weapons you are concerned primarily with hitting and not damage which is what precision does. I have heard more and more people say this game is more about agro control and i believe it. You do not hace to have a 70 AC or 600 hp if you do not have agro, or are the only person alive in your party!

Good points... my rogue is uses a repeater... and runs percision 99% of the time. I still draw agro (usually) after one volley... 3 sneak attacks pretty much get anythings attention if it doesn't kill it outright.