Weapon Recipes redux

[EllisDee37]

Updated version of this older thread.

The cannith crafting revamp added power and flexibility to crafted weapons, and also made them BTA so you can invest in a single version of "ideal" weapons to store on a mule and pass around as needed.

Over the years I've grown to appreciate item consolidation as a virtue, so the only weapons I consider worth crafting are:

• Default weapon
• Undead beater
• Ooze/rust monster beater
• DR Breaker
• Throwers

Note that there is no construct weapon recommended. Golems aren't scary, so their DR isn't an issue. The only construct with DR worth breaking is marut, with DR/Lawful. But the default weapon listed already bypasses that, so there's no point to a dedicated construct beater.

[EllisDee37]

Named weapons will likely be better depending on your build, but in case you end up not having a good named weapon to use, here's a solid crafted option:


ML10 +4 1.5[W] Force (or Light) 3d6 Cold Iron of Aligned w/Ins. Deadly 2

This is a solid all-around weapon for trash. ML10 is the earliest level for both the 1.5[W] paragon bonus and extra effects (Insightful Deadly), so this is the most logical level for crafting. Insightful Deadly isn't needed if you don't have the collectables or want to save them for something more important.

Both Force and Light are cheap and easy to craft. Make whichever one you have more collectables of. Otherwise it's just a matter of personal preference, which for me is Force.

Cold Iron + Aligned makes this quite a versatile DR breaker. It will bypass DR for:

• Demons
• Devils (all except Harry and Suulomades)
• Eladrin
• Thaarak Hounds
• Marut

The absolute perfect version would also have a red slot (cold iron + red slot is a very rare find) for slotting byeshk bypass. The byeshk augment is ML8 so it won't mess with the ML, and it lets the weapon also bypass all dr in the xoriat chains. (Harbinger, etc...)

I have used this weapon from 10 to 20 and never thought it felt weak or underpowered. And I particularly enjoyed breaking thaarak hound and eladrin DR natively with my trash weapon.


ML20 +6 2[W] Force (or Light) 4d6 Cold Iron of Aligned w/Ins. Deadly 3

Just simply an ML20 version of the ML10 weapon with all the same advantages and reasoning, except you don't need byeshk bypass (red slot) on an epic weapon. You could wait until 21, when the prefix bumps from 4d6 to 5d6, but I prefer switching out as soon as I hit 20.

In a perfect world this would also have a red slot for silver bypass. Unlike the ML10 version, both cold iron and silver augments are lower ML than the weapon, so you can make the "perfect" version with either metal type and a red slot for the other. The silver is really just for Harry, Suulomades, and werewolves, though, and they aren't really common enough to worry about.

If you have tier 0 thunderforged (ML22) I would probably just skip this one entirely and stick with the ML10 version until 22. If you don't have tier 0 thunderforged, go get one! They only cost 20 ingots, which can be farmed in the wilderness area. Unless, of course, there's a good named weapon you're using instead.

[EllisDee37]

The only reason to make an undead beater is to have a bludgeoning weapon for skeletons, and only because some quests are all skeleton, all the time. Also piggyback incorporeal into the undead beater for versatility.


ML4 +2 Good 2d6 (Bludgeon) of Undead Bane 2d10 (Ghostbane)

The key for this weapon is the ghostbane augment from Mabar. If you don't have one you'll need a separate weapon to deal with incorporeals.

In a perfect world this weapon would also be silver for the vampire boss at the end of Necro1, but that's really a trivial quibble.

The bludgeon works for skeletons, good bypasses ghostly skeleton dr in delera's, and the ghostbane augment handles wraiths and specters. It's ML4 so that it's available in time for all the early level wraiths in Catacombs, Delera's, Necro1 and the Depths chain in House Deneith.


ML10 +4 1.5[W] Light 3d6 (Bludgeon) Silver of Unnatural Bane 3d10 w/Ins. Deadly 2
...or...
ML10 +4 1.5[W] Light 3d6 (Bludgeon) of Unnatural Bane 3d10 w/Ins. Deadly 2 (Vampire Slayer)

The thinking here is that you already have a Cloak of Invisibility to grant ghost touch on all attacks, and you're past Delera's so you no longer need good bypass. (Use the ML4 weapon for all of Delera's, including the final level 8 quest.) If you don't have a cloak of invisibility, slotting a ghostbane augment is your best option.

Level 8 quests include necro2, which is chock full of shadows that are extra vulnerable to light. This comes just in time to use there while still getting elite bravery bonus. The light effect also does extra damage to vampires.

Silver bypasses vampire DR which is nice for necro4. You can get it either from a silver base item or a mabar augment. In a perfect world this would be an adamantine weapon with a red slot for the vampire slayer augment, which would bypass all dr on the shadow crypt end boss. But you can certainly get by without adamantine.

Unnatural Bane targets undead, monstrous humanoids and aberrations. Which means this weapon will also be an excellent werewolf beater.

[EllisDee37]

Melee need an everbright weapon to avoid shattering their primary weapon into a million pieces. One thing to note is that wiki implies that ooze are vulnerable to light.


ML1 +1 Light 1d6 (Bludegon) of Everbright

If you wait until ML3 you can up the enhancement bonus to +2, and if you wait to ML4 you can also double the light proc to 2d6. I often find myself in the Harbor at level 2, though, so I figure better safe than sorry.

This is the weapon I'm still carrying at 9 when running The Pit. The optional ooze boss at the bottom of the pit has the following special traits:
- Immune to sonic, cold, force, evil and electricity
- Healed by fire, acid and negative energy


ML10 +4 1.5[W] Light 3d6 (Bludgeon) of Everbright w/Ins. Deadly 2 (Cold 1d3)

Ml10 for the paragon bonus and extra effect.

Slap in a cold damage red augment because why not? Cold seems to be the most effective of the standard augment choices against ooze, though none of them are particularly good. An exotic augment might technically be better but it's not worth it for an ooze beater.

Definitely do not use acid or electricity because of arcane oozes, which first show up in quest level 8-9. They are healed by acid and hasted by electricity. They also have 50% absorption to ALL energy procs, so outside of acid and electricity, everything is equally mediocre against them.



I don't see a need for an ML20 version because there just aren't enough oozes in epics to care about.



Worth testing: Is alignment damage also 50% absorbed by arcane ooze?

[EllisDee37]

I generally don't bother with DR breakers, but if you really want one...


ML10 +4 1.5[W] Metalline of Aligned w/Ins. Deadly 2

There's no need for a DR breaker before level 10, except maybe a good bypass weapon for at-level Chronoscope. But meh. Waiting until 10 gets you the 1.5[W] paragon bonus and insightful deadly, so that's nice.

If you're using a named weapon that doesn't bypass any dr, you probably don't care about dr since your named weapon would likely out-dps a dr breaker even though it doesn't bypass the dr. But if you really want one, I'd probably make the ML10 default weapon (Force of Aligned on a cold iron weapon) instead of this.

If you're already using the default weapon detailed above, this really isn't needed.



An alternative option, especially if you're using the default weapon, is something like:

ML10 +4 1.5[W] Metalline Flametouched Iron of Slashing 3d6 w/Ins. Deadly 2

This would then be good for werewolves, mind flayers and xoriat demons, plus harry and suulomades.

[EllisDee37]

You don't really need a thrower weapon except to hit levers and break stuff that's suspended in the air. Here are two that combined can get you all the way to 30. The earliest example is Partycrashers, a level 5 quest, with a mark (construct) suspended in the air at the start.


ML4 +2 Force 2d6 of Construct Bane 2d10

The two main choices are Throwing Dagger (simple weapon, 1d4) or Throwing Axe (martial weapon, 1d6.)

You might prefer to make this as an ML6 weapon instead of ML4 to give it a +3 enhancement bonus.


ML20 +6 2[W] Cold 4d6 of Elemental Bane 4d6

This isn't really needed, but is nice for Spies in the House epic dailies. There's one part where fire elementals spawn and sometimes stay out of melee range, and must be killed to advance. If you don't really use throwers for anything other than hitting levers, may as well get some utility out of it while ETRing.

[EllisDee37]

Okay, I think I'm all set.

[Enguebert]

Personally, on Cold Iron, i prefer to craft a [Good] Cold Iron of [Evil Outsider Bane] for all the devils and abishais
And i craft a [Good] silver of ???? (usually bludgeon) for demons, werewolves and vampires

It doesn't break all DR, but i can bypass the most commons.

For undead, i plan to craft a Triple pos Greensteel Quaterstaff. It is bound to char, but i don't have too much melee char. The advantage, it is also a raise dead clicky that is always useful, even in epic.
And Quaterstaff because every class is proficient with it

[EllisDee37]

Personally, on Cold Iron, i prefer to craft a [Good] Cold Iron of [Evil Outsider Bane] for all the devils and abishais
And i craft a [Good] silver of ???? (usually bludgeon) for demons, werewolves and vampires

It doesn't break all DR, but i can bypass the most commons.

For undead, i plan to craft a Triple pos Greensteel Quaterstaff. It is bound to char, but i don't have too much melee char. The advantage, it is also a raise dead clicky that is always useful, even in epic.
And Quaterstaff because every class is proficient with it

Devils are silver OR good, not cold iron. Abishai are just good.

Demons are cold iron AND good.

Eladrin are cold iron AND evil, and even though they're only in a couple places, they're super irritating.

Quarterstaff is nice for proficiency, but I prefer mauls.


As for +++ bludgeons, I have several for my various melees, but I think I actually prefer the crafted versions. I might lug the +++s around for the raise dead clickie on the alts that already have them, but I definitely won't be spending mats to make more.

Going from memory, a +++ has holy, good blast and greater disruption. The greater disruption is nice, for sure, but in terms of just dps the crafted is competitive:

Crafted ML10
+4 1.5[W]
3d6 Light (increased vs vulnerable)
3d10 bane
(1d4 vampire slayer augment)
------
27 (29.5 w/augment) proc damage per swing

Triple Positive
+5 1.5[W]
2d6 Holy
1d6 Good Burst
6d6 Greater Disruption
-----
31.5 proc damage per swing on non-vorpal

Vorpals add another 8d6 + instakill, so that's definitely nice. But the crafted isn't all that far behind, and is even closer vs shadows and vampires thanks to all the light vulnerability. It's nice to see purple numbers instead of yellow against vampire bosses.

I'm currently eyeing my yellow dopant stash thinking about deconning my +++s.

[Stoner81]

Awesome to see you updated this m8 great stuff! Quick question...

The default weapon is ML10 so what do you do before then? Just craft a lower level one and make do or use easy(ish) named items (Carnifex)?

Stoner81.

[Saekee]

excellent list

For constructs, the mace of smiting is ML 6 & adamantine. Really, really handy

http://m.ddowiki.com/page/Item:Mace_of_Smiting

[SirValentine]

I don't see a need for an ML20 version because there just aren't enough oozes in epics to care about.

Oozes in Legendary Shroud, rusties in Legendary Tempest Spine...how about an ML 30 version? :-)

[EllisDee37]

Oozes in Legendary Shroud, rusties in Legendary Tempest Spine...how about an ML 30 version? :-)

Totally, but my thinking for the weapons listed here was that they'd be communal weapons stored on a mule and retrieved as necessary.

I give all my melee characters a PL34 ooze beater of their very own so that they don't have to run and hide from oozes.

Your point is well taken, though.

[C-Dog]

The absolute perfect version would also have a red slot (cold iron + red slot is a very rare find) for slotting byeshk bypass. The byeshk augment is ML8 so it won't mess with the ML, and it lets the weapon also bypass all dr in the xoriat chains. (Harbinger, etc...)

Does an augment like that on a ranged weapon work as well? Or do you have to rely on the ammo to deliver a "metal" to the target?

[EllisDee37]

Does an augment like that on a ranged weapon work as well? Or do you have to rely on the ammo to deliver a "metal" to the target?

I think it works, but can't say for sure from experience.

I'm pretty sure projectile weapons (bows, crossbows) can't drop as a metal type, so your only choices are augments and ammo unless you have a twist of fate or something.

Note that Cold Iron augments are ML16.

[xenon211]

ML4 +2 Good 2d6 (Bludgeon) of Undead Bane 2d10 (Ghostbane)

The key for this weapon is the ghostbane augment from Mabar. If you don't have one you'll need a separate weapon to deal with incorporeals.

In a perfect world this weapon would also be silver for the vampire boss at the end of Necro1, but that's really a trivial quibble.

The bludgeon works for skeletons, good bypasses ghostly skeleton dr in delera's, and the ghostbane augment handles wraiths and specters. It's ML4 so that it's available in time for all the early level wraiths in Catacombs, Delera's, Necro1 and the Depths chain in House Deneith.

I could swear I tried to craft one of these for Delera's a few months back and simply putting the "good" damage effect on a weapon was not enough. Needed to be holy, ie flametouched base or the Blessed silver 1/4 staff. I just use a ML4 +2 ghosttouch Flametouched of Undead Bane 2d10 since I don't have the mabar augments. Also works very nicely for those bloody reapers.

As a side note in case anyone is curious, the ghostly skeletons in Deleras take full damage from slashing weps as long as you break the holy/ghostly effects.

[EllisDee37]

I could swear I tried to craft one of these for Delera's a few months back and simply putting the "good" damage effect on a weapon was not enough. Needed to be holy, ie flametouched base or the Blessed silver 1/4 staff. I just use a ML4 +2 ghosttouch Flametouched of Undead Bane 2d10 since I don't have the mabar augments. Also works very nicely for those bloody reapers.

This isn't true; just crafting Good on the prefix is sufficient.

I say this from personal experience, having just run all of Delera's last week using my standard ML4 undead beater maul: (The one on the left.)

[Enguebert]

A little feedback about the ML10 extra

For a ML10 (and up to ML16), Ins.Deadly give only a +2
Vampirism give 1D2 (2D2 from ML13)

In N/H/E, between 10 and 20, i find that vampirism is more useful than ins.Deadly
For reaper, go for Ins.Deadly because vampirism is reduced by reaper self-healing debuff and is nearly useless

[EllisDee37]

A little feedback about the ML10 extra

For a ML10 (and up to ML16), Ins.Deadly give only a +2
Vampirism give 1D2 (2D2 from ML13)

In N/H/E, between 10 and 20, i find that vampirism is more useful than ins.Deadly
For reaper, go for Ins.Deadly because vampirism is reduced by reaper self-healing debuff and is nearly useless

Excellent thoughts. Agreed on all counts.

[xenon211]

This isn't true; just crafting Good on the prefix is sufficient.

Well that is good to know. Guess it was changed in the crafting update then.