What min2 G-axe to make?

[Chaosmagistrate]

I've read quite a few good threads about how to make a min2 and some of the debates, but there's only two or three good threads and everything is kind of scattered. So i"m trying to hunt down what are the pros and cons of different min2s. Before anyone says make both, lets just presume mats are limited and of course it is double the larges of a pos/pos/pos.

So what kind of pros and cons am i getting if I run Acid/Good Burst/Acid Blast versus Holy/Acid Burst/Acid Blast?

Thanks in advance for any constructive advice.

[Junts]

holy/acid burst does more damage vs the most important foes, who tend to be evil and to not take damage from acid anyway (2d6 every hit holy, vs 1d6 every hit and 4d6 on crits good damage).

acid good burst is marginally better vs neutral foes, though the game really lacks any neutral foes of consequence.

[tihocan]

Holy version ftw.
Depending on your planned equipment in other slots, you may consider the +2 Con instead of acid blast (or +1 Con instead of acid burst, but this is a higher DPS loss against acid-vulnerable foes).

[sirgog]

Holy version ftw.
Depending on your planned equipment in other slots, you may consider the +2 Con instead of acid blast (or +1 Con instead of acid burst, but this is a higher DPS loss against acid-vulnerable foes).

I went Holy/AcidBurst/ExCon+2 and would recommend the same to most builds.

[Freeman]

I went Holy/AcidBurst/ExCon+2 and would recommend the same to most builds.

I did the same on my barb, and I don't regret it. Except for those rare occasions when I release to a tavern and accidentally switch weapons. Fortunately, I've gotten into the habit of drinking a repair pot as soon as I raise to give myself a small buffer now

[Thrudh]

Holy does zero damage against neutral enemies (mephits, some animals, some vermin), while pure good works on them (both are worthless against "good" monsters).

However, Holy is 2d6 and pure good is 1d6... so you'll do more damage most of the time with Holy...

It's a choice of 2d6 85% of the time, or 1d6 98% of the time...

The main reason to go holy is because where you REALLY need DPS (i.e. raid bosses), Holy works...

[tihocan]

The main reason to go holy is because where you REALLY need DPS (i.e. raid bosses), Holy works...

And mostly, as far as I know everything with some form of DR/good is evil.

[gemineye]

I did the same on my barb, and I don't regret it. Except for those rare occasions when I release to a tavern and accidentally switch weapons. Fortunately, I've gotten into the habit of drinking a repair pot as soon as I raise to give myself a small buffer now

Why would you gimp the best Axe in the game by taking +2 con? Your 40 con already wasn't enough for you? you needed those 4 hitpoints? The whole idea of a Min2 Greataxe is Damage output!!Pick up the con somewhere else if you need absolutely need it. Holy/Acid/Acid FTW

[sirgog]

Why would you gimp the best Axe in the game by taking +2 con? Your 40 con already wasn't enough for you? you needed those 4 hitpoints? The whole idea of a Min2 Greataxe is Damage output!!Pick up the con somewhere else if you need absolutely need it. Holy/Acid/Acid FTW

Because a dead barbarian deals 0 damage, and it's 20 hp, not 10. And your ToD rings should have +2 Str (on the first one) and Healing Amplification on the second, and there is nowhere else to get +2 exceptional Con.

Acid Blast is a weak modifier indeed.

[gemineye]

Damage output.

[sirgog]

Damage output.

Let me ask you two questions then. I'll answer both too.

Does your barbarian wear a Heavy Fortification item?

If so, why don't you take it off and replace it with a minor DPS item such as a Shroud-crafted Lightning Strike Guard item? That's higher damage output.

Answers: Yes, you have heavy fort - because a dead barb deals no damage, and the Lightning Strike guard deals less than enough damage to compensate for the extra deaths.

Acid Blast is a terrible modifier, it's not like you are giving up something *good* DPS wise for the 20 HP that stack with everything. And the 20hp make a difference to many important life or death situations, like copping a 1 on a Horoth Disintegrate.


For the record, Acid Blast on a 2-handed weapon is worth less than 1.2 damage per second on Harry, Horoth and Suulo.

[sirdanile]

Lets look at the benefits...

(going holy first tier) Acid blast: +4d6 on a natural 20 + 1-3d10 on any critical

Pros: Extra damage not alignment based.

Cons: only works full time on a 20, many high end enemies are immune to acid.

(Going acid first tier) Good blast: +4d6 on a natural 20 + 1-3d10 on any critical

Pros: Extra damage only slightly alignment based (It works on any non-good foes)

Cons: sub-par first tier, there is math that proves it somewhere on this forum.
Only works fully on a 20.

Exceptional con 2: 2 Higher con.

Pros: longer rage timer, more hp, higher fort save, Works always.

Cons: If you swap weapons alot you'll lose 20 hp, it will scale though so when you swap back you'll gain it back.
(Since min II is the most general purpose weapon you'll find this isn't often an issue.)
Could be dealing extra damage vs. appropriate enemies.

Superior (Corrosion/devotion) 6: 40% extra damage to appropriate spell type.

Pros: casters might be level appropriate for about 2 levels if they immediately craft at 14-16.

Cons: Not good for a melee and a caster can find other items that work better now.

+2 Exceptional Wisdom (could be charisma but entirely not worth it then): 2 higher wisdom.

Pro: higher will save.

Con: Could be exceptional con 2...

+4 Insight AC:

Pros: works well for ac builds.

Cons: Is useless if you can't get meaningful ac.

+20% acid resistance

Pros: take less damage from acid.

Cons: there are almost 0 high damage acid spells.

+30% healing amp:

Pros: get healed 30% better

Cons: Substandard first tier.



Personally If i made a Holy min II i'd go exceptional con 2, if I made a pure good Min II i'd grab the 30% heal amplification.

[Freeman]

Damage output.

Acid Blast gives you a less than 5% chance of doing an average of 14 points of acid damage, which comes to roughly an additional .7 points per swing. If the enemy has acid resistance 10, then it drops to .2. Any higher and the average drops to nothing. So I could take something that added a tiny amount of DPS(at most) in the places that it really mattered, or I could take a modifier that constantly adds 20 HP and extends the length of my barbarian rages. It wasn't a tough choice for me.

[gemineye]

This guy is making his first min 2 axe...I'm guessing he wants to kill things. An addiditional +2 con doesn't fit into the equation very well. If he was TWF and asking about a khopesh or dwarven axe that would be different. But his main DPS axe should put out MAX dps.

[sirdanile]

Just a Point for your first greensteel if you want max dps make a res clicky axe...

Holy + good burst + tier 3 (if you want to spend the scales/stones on it) is the same dps as a min II vs most mobs with 0 dr.

[Thrudh]

Just a Point for your first greensteel if you want max dps make a res clicky axe...

Holy + good burst + tier 3 (if you want to spend the scales/stones on it) is the same dps as a min II vs most mobs with 0 dr.

But raid bosses all have DR... Min II first... second weapon can be pos-pos-pos

[Thrudh]

Personally If i made a Holy min II i'd go exceptional con 2, if I made a pure good Min II i'd grab the 30% heal amplification.

Earth always beats Positive... When you dual shard Tier III to get the Mineral II benefits, you can only get Earth effects.

You can't get 30% Heal on a Min II (otherwise, we'd all have it)

[sirdanile]

Ah good point I wasn't thinkin...need more coffee X_X

[sirgog]

This guy is making his first min 2 axe...I'm guessing he wants to kill things. An addiditional +2 con doesn't fit into the equation very well. If he was TWF and asking about a khopesh or dwarven axe that would be different. But his main DPS axe should put out MAX dps.

This isn't WoW, in this game survivability is more important on DPSers than tiny increments of DPS.

[Hokonoso]

if you are only worrying about pitfiend dps then by all means go holy + whatever, but for the rest of us that actually play the rest of the game we will continue to use acid-good burst-acid blast as being able to kill stuff and very rarely see the immune message is worth the minor (and i mean minor considering that good burst does extra crit dmg with x3 wpn) while fighting pit-fiends. but then again me and many like me make min 2 mauls over swords as we don't like yellow numbers either (unlike you, we fight stuff other than pit-fiends on a regular basis).

imo make min2 maul for all around usage and lit 2 falchion for dps.