Reasons why favored weapons are unfavorable

[HatsuharuZ]

For me, it comes down to 2 issues:

1) There aren't enough choices available to all divines, regardless of race.

2) Why shouldn't I just use a two-hander?


The first issue is simple, and has a simple solution. There are 5 faiths available (except to FR iconics), and 3 of them are only available to one race each. Not only that, each race that has it's own favored weapon, along with enhancements to buff that weapon. I've seen more than a few twf melee favored souls, but they were almost always elves or drow. Everybody else except warforged miss out. I would suggest to the devs that they make more faiths. The Sovereign Host is a pantheon, after all....

The second issue is a bit more complex. You see, it's not hard for anyone who doesn't like their favored weapon choices to find ways to *completely ignore* the entire idea of favored weapons in favor of picking up a two-handed weapon. If you're a half-elf you can take fighter dillie. For humans and everyone else you can take a fighter level or even use up a feat slot. 2-hand weapons use 1.5x your character's strength modifier for damage. Add that, along with the large number of stacking strength bonuses, then compare it to what you get from wielding a favored weapon. All the feats and enhancements that benefit favored weapons are to-hit and damage bonuses. One might think that the lack of to-hit bonuses would hurt a melee divine... however, to-hit bonuses are the most common buff in DDO, hands-down, and most of them stack. To solve this issue, favored weapon feats and enhancements should give something that a two-handed weapon does not, such a doublestrike/doubleshot, spellpower, or enhanced critical profile.

[axel15810]

A big reason not to use a 2hander if going full out warpriest is because the tree really favors TWF because more hits mean you can build up your divine conduit, ect faster.

I see it as a balancing factor. In my opinion warpriests shouldn't get bonuses to the better weapons like greataxes, that's something the real melees get. You can't start making the Warpriest tree give as good of bonuses to melee as the Kensei Tree. The only way to get a bonus to 2handers if to go warforged which obviously has the healing penalty so you give up survivability.

That being said I also use THF on my cleric and ignore the Warpriest tree except for a few parts of it. I do think the warpriest tree needs a slight buff in some areas but I think the way favored weapons are set up is fine.

[axel15810]

I do agree that there aren't enough choices though. I don't know how lore appropriate it would be but I'd love to see all simple weapons and some of the less powerful martial weapons added as favored weapon options.

[ValariusK]

Specifically, the new tree favors elven priests who dual wield the scimitar. The scimitar is the only extended critical weapon on the religious weapons list. To get this on both weapons you need either Ranger-3 (for the tempest ability to treat scimitars as light weapons) or oversized 2 weapon fighting. Human warpriests can dual wield longswords I suppose and drow can do shortswords (which doesn't require an extra feat beyond TWF).

I do wonder if this is intended. The proc rate for a scimitar wielder is about 50% greater than that of a longsword user, a difference that remains after keen or improved critical is taken into account.

[HatsuharuZ]

Specifically, the new tree favors elven priests who dual wield the scimitar. The scimitar is the only extended critical weapon on the religious weapons list. To get this on both weapons you need either Ranger-3 (for the tempest ability to treat scimitars as light weapons) or oversized 2 weapon fighting. Human warpriests can dual wield longswords I suppose and drow can do shortswords (which doesn't require an extra feat beyond TWF).

I do wonder if this is intended. The proc rate for a scimitar wielder is about 50% greater than that of a longsword user, a difference that remains after keen or improved critical is taken into account.

Personally, I think that Turbine wouldn't have given *just* bonuses to hit and damage if they had taken the time to really think about the issue of favored weapons. It's obvious that scimitars are the better weapon (compared to long swords) when one considers how many damage effects only proc on critical hits. Short swords may not be powerful weapons in themselves, but they are light weapons (and thus have lower dual-wielding penalties), and there are more than a few useful named short swords in the game. It seems to me that the best melee divines are the ones with racial enhancements that buff their favored weapons.

[Chaosprism]

The answer is to bring in more faiths with more deities.


They could add a whole swathe of them, just for eberron. then theres even more faiths on realms.

A faith to be implemented just needs.

1) Weapon of choice selection.
2) Slow use clicky power at level 6
3) Display icon.


Seeing as the Sovereign 6 is a whole bunch of deities , it shouldnt just be longsword either, there should be a drop down menu for you
to select which weapon for which sub-deity.


Also consistanty giving the weapon of choice +1 and +1 damage seems a bit beyond what it should be.
Adding special low intensity vorpal procs instead or those bonuses against particular alignments, or species might be more balanced.

[Saravis]

They simply need to expand the selection. Each race needs to have at least one favored weapon of its own.
Current races without a favored weapon;
Dwarf
Halfling
Human
Half-Orc

Start with expanding the list and then worry about whatever tweaks are necessary.

[HatsuharuZ]

The answer is to bring in more faiths with more deities.


They could add a whole swathe of them, just for eberron. then theres even more faiths on realms.

A faith to be implemented just needs.

1) Weapon of choice selection.
2) Slow use clicky power at level 6
3) Display icon.


Seeing as the Sovereign 6 is a whole bunch of deities , it shouldnt just be longsword either, there should be a drop down menu for you
to select which weapon for which sub-deity.


Also consistanty giving the weapon of choice +1 and +1 damage seems a bit beyond what it should be.
Adding special low intensity vorpal procs instead or those bonuses against particular alignments, or species might be more balanced.

This.

Remember how Turbine gave lots of doublestrike to druids, and people started building their melee druids with shield feats in order to take advantage of that? Turbine should give us the choice of adding +to-hit/damage or doublestrike bonuses when wielding favored weapons, since most of them are one-handers.

[HatsuharuZ]

They simply need to expand the selection. Each race needs to have at least one favored weapon of its own.
Current races without a favored weapon;
Dwarf
Halfling
Human
Half-Orc

Start with expanding the list and then worry about whatever tweaks are necessary.

Why does each race need it's own favored weapon? Why not just give a list of faiths and favored weapons that are available to everyone?

[Saravis]

Why does each race need it's own favoed weapon? Why not just give a list of faiths and favored weapons that are available to everyone?

Same reason that each race has its own unique advantages and disadvantages; diversity. If you give the same list to everyone, most everyone will just run as the most optimal race; likely human. With that said I'm not against having both, a list of racial favored weapons and a list for everyone.

[TheOldCodger]

It's downright embarassing to think of a dwarven battle cleric tied to a longsword or even worse~ a LONG bow...
The same goes for Half Orcs... but even more so.

It strikes me as very reasonable to tie in weapons already defined in individual racial enhancement options...
Or if that's to much work in man hours to implement; maybe employ the battle engineer or occult slayer mechanic?

It also seems wretchedly short sighted to force RANGED weaponry into the battle cleric concept when the cornerstone SMITE FOE only works with MELEE weaponry...

I'm sure there's alot of room for debate regarding details... But I'd like to see a LOT more effort put into making use of the massive amount of legitimate lore rotting on the vine to bring more RPG into our MMORPG... ala >>>-------en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_of_Eberron------<<<

*please don't try and convince me that I'm wrong, as I'm far to much of a grumpy old man to entertain such foolishness...lol