Definitive Guide to Rune Weapons and their Upgrades.

HPA if I can acquire it. More often than not, I run around with a Heraldic Mail with Tabarad or a Royal Platemail (if I can loot one). Never got the hang of Morningstars. Apart from that, the Knights War Axe fields a nasty little spike on top of it which is great to spike into heads. Really. Especially from horseback.

Which is exactly the reason why I´m never tempted to invest a single gem into a a rune weapon - I don´t use bows and I can kill fast enough in melee so it´s pretty useless using a runed weapon. And I dislike the look of most of them.

noosers said:

HPA if I can acquire it. More often than not, I run around with a Heraldic Mail with Tabarad or a Royal Platemail (if I can loot one). Never got the hang of Morningstars. Apart from that, the Knights War Axe fields a nasty little spike on top of it which is great to spike into heads. Really. Especially from horseback.

Which is exactly the reason why I´m never tempted to invest a single gem into a a rune weapon - I don´t use bows and I can kill fast enough in melee so it´s pretty useless using a runed weapon. And I dislike the look of most of them.

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Bro, that sweet Ruby Axe! It's so pretty! Or the Sapphire 2-H! Those swings in sieges!

Don't really use rune weapons either I admit...use all qualis gems for elixiers.

I do like the Orator Baccus Sword though...though I'd like to know the story behind the sword...why it's more powerful than enchanted noldor swords and why Marius Imperator has it.

zykox said:

Don't really use rune weapons either I admit...use all qualis gems for elixiers.

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Gotta 'lix up

The balanced light lance is my favorite lance.  Speed is of upmost importance to me as I'm always running around stabbing enemies.  The response times of the other longer lances are just too poor for fast mounted combat. 

I've experimented and it's better that your companions use only swords.  The AI does not know how to use lances appropriately and more importantly, they don't switch out the lance when they need to.  My companions get more kills and survive longer with only swords and shield (bows and throwing weapons can be freely used too). 

azxcvbnm321 said:

The balanced light lance is my favorite lance.  Speed is of upmost importance to me as I'm always running around stabbing enemies.  The response times of the other longer lances are just too poor for fast mounted combat. 

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I never use longer lances as they do less damage and are slower. When I'm lancing, I avoid enemy lancers and go straight for the archer line going stabby stab stab. Also, Light lance rules cavalry dogfight with medium range spin+stab move

For bows, I find that the best one is actually Duskfell -- given if you defeat one of the Elf lords. If I don't use that, then I'd say that the Sapphire is best. Damage doesn't matter if you can't hit, and the Ruby and even Emerald one isn't quite accurate enough in sieges.

I do love the light lance too -- it reminds me of the Awlpike in native (which unfortunately can't be used on horseback here). I wish there was a runed lance.

I can't stop saying...Rune Boomerang!

I'm thinking about getting a Rune Bow to shoot horses. As for sieges I don't really care much about accuracy, since I shoot from under the parapet anyway (hiding behind my infantry significantly reduces the chances of being shot back at). Being able to de-mount enemy horsemen in one or two hits (and then run them down with a melee weapon) is a great way to negate the offensive capability of their charge. Especially  for Valkyries, Falcon Knights and Scorpion Assassins who have fragile mounts.

Kushana said:

I'm thinking about getting a Rune Bow to shoot horses. As for sieges I don't really care much about accuracy, since I shoot from under the parapet anyway (hiding behind my infantry significantly reduces the chances of being shot back at). Being able to de-mount enemy horsemen in one or two hits (and then run them down with a melee weapon) is a great way to negate the offensive capability of their charge. Especially  for Valkyries, Falcon Knights and Scorpion Assassins who have fragile mounts.

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If you can get headshots off with a ruby bow you can oneshot mounts, but you're just going to hit the shield if you suck at it.

Filou said:

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I agree with you there about the ruby rune bow. Not my cup of tea when compared to the others. They already do piercing damage, why do you need even more damage when a headshot just kills everything anyway? Accuracy and Speed makes it so headshots just happen all day. I choose Emerald because it's best of both worlds, I got a good amount of damage and it's accurate enough to strike a quarter halfway across the map.

The other rune weapons though do not interest me due to me wanting prisoners for money. Being my main source of income, I can't pass up a blunt weapon. Yeah, they're short but the income is more then worth it. Besides, once you get used to the range it's quite satisfying.

Doom maces actually have excellent reach, though their attack speed is inferior to blades.

I personally don't like them however, as they remind me too much of "Sauron" and aesthetically shouldn't even be holdable with one hand.

zykox said:

Doom maces actually have excellent reach, though their attack speed is inferior to blades.

I personally don't like them however, as they remind me too much of "Sauron" and aesthetically shouldn't even be holdable with one hand.

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I rarely even GET a Doom Mace. The speed also makes them undesirable to me anyway. I just go with a Masterwork Warhammer. Nothing is more satisfying then charging headlong into the enemy army and smacking King Ulric in the face, full speed, with one. CRUNCH!

Rpground said:

Nothing is more satisfying then charging headlong into the enemy army and smacking King Ulric in the face, full speed, with one.

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Why would you do that to Ulric?!

He's the best and most badass king going around.

fidoman1272 said:

Rpground said:

Nothing is more satisfying then charging headlong into the enemy army and smacking King Ulric in the face, full speed, with one.

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Why would you do that to Ulric?!

He's the best and most badass king going around.

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For one, he's a jerk. He is the biggest ******* in the game towards me...every bloody game! Even if I don't do anything to him, he is STILL AN *******!

I'm just minding my own business and the guy always declares war on me for no reason, raids and singles me out. Once I had a weaker vassal following me and Ulric walked through my weaker vassal right into me to attack me...there was a part of 50 you just ran through...but no, you want the guy with 150 Eventide Knights 100 HA's...k...

No other king has been that much of a jerk to me in any other game, outside of elves...and Sarleon are in it with the elves, so honestly...not that surprising.

Rpground said:

blablabla.

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Of course Ulric attacks you. You're usurping his position as rightful ruler of Pendor.

On top of that, he can't discriminate.

Sarleon are nice for farming.

fidoman1272 said:

Rpground said:

blablabla.

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Of course Ulric attacks you. You're usurping his position as rightful ruler of Pendor.

On top of that, he can't discriminate.

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I was champion of Sarleon, star of the kingdom, beloved by the people and nobles alike and especially  King Ulric. One night, I conspired with my husband. When a feast was in progress I suddenly attacked the reveling partygoers, captured the entire Sarleon nobility in a single battle and overthrew the kingdom.

Then I removed Ulric's "lance" and shoved him in the dank dungeon of the city he once was proud king.

Position means nothing.

Kushana said:

fidoman1272 said:

Rpground said:

blablabla.

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blablabla

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I was champion of Sarleon, star of the kingdom, beloved by the people and nobles alike and especially  King Ulric. One night, I conspired with my husband. When a feast was in progress I suddenly attacked the reveling partygoers, captured the entire Sarleon nobility in a single battle and overthrew the kingdom.

Then I removed Ulric's "lance" and shoved him in the dank dungeon of the city he once was proud king.

Position means nothing.

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How dare you

This shan't go unpunished, knave. I will see your head on a pike!

fidoman1272 said:

Kushana said:

fidoman1272 said:

Rpground said:

blablabla.

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blablabla

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I was champion of Sarleon, star of the kingdom, beloved by the people and nobles alike and especially  King Ulric. One night, I conspired with my husband. When a feast was in progress I suddenly attacked the reveling partygoers, captured the entire Sarleon nobility in a single battle and overthrew the kingdom.

Then I removed Ulric's "lance" and shoved him in the dank dungeon of the city he once was proud king.

Position means nothing.

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How dare you

This shan't go unpunished, knave. I will see your head on a pike!

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To be honest, in my playthrough, he had it coming. Originally I intended to remain a loyal vassal and conquer all for Sarleon. But the king kept holding feasts while losing one settlement after another, and if I hadn't kept freeing lords and stocking up the garrison with picked troops, we would have been wiped out long ago. Just when I was about to capture a key town or castle, he would hold a feast or replace me as marshal. Just when I desperately needed assistance against a Fierdsvain axe tsunami crashing through the Sarleon heartland, he would plunge headfirst into a roaming demon or vanskerry ****-stack. He even managed at point to somehow lure Wolfbode in the vicinity of Marleons, who then of course what else, proceeded to curb stomp 5/6 of the entire Sarleon field armies. What did the brave king do at that time? He fled to his castle (which I captured for him), only to get intercepted along the way and pathetically taken captive by a  lord herd of D'shar, who didn't miss an opportunity to gang up on us. And then guess what? Sarleon declares war on Empire!

Eventually I realized that my goal of Pendor's re-unification wasn't getting anywhere with the sausage and spam blubbering ass, and the people of Sarleon deserved a better leader, namely myself. History favors who's left to write it, and I sent my companions spread plenty of propaganda to that end. Nobody seemed to mind after a while.