Teach me how to swing my axe.

[Little Raven]

My level 14 character has a mean two handed axe, and she really likes to ride down poor River bandits and hit them in the head with it.

However, I've noticed that the damage I do with my swings varies wildly. Sometimes I only hit them for 15 points, barely a flesh wound. Other times I hit them for 80 or more, and I halfway expect to see their head flying into the sunset.

Now many of the factors that go into damage are obvious. The faster I'm moving, the more damage I'm likely to do. But I'm conviced there's more to it than that. Will I do more damage if they are just at the end of my weapon arc? Do I want to hit them at the end of the arc, the beginning, or right in the middle? Can I aim the elevation of my arc to more properly line up with their head?

 

[n00854180t]

From what I've gathered, there are a few things that affect melee weapons. One is, if you're mounted and moving fast enough, you get double damage (Warrider). Another is, you do more damage at the beginning of your arc than the end. And yet another is, you do slightly more damage with a shot to the head.

 

[armagan]

Another is, you do more damage at the beginning of your arc than the end.

Not quite true. Ideally you should hit in the middle of your ark or maybe slightly to the end.

 

[n00854180t]

Oh hmm, I must have misread.

 

[Arthur]

I like the one-handed axe Warrider damage. If I can line up 2-3 bandits I can usually kill all of them in a single pass. It's more efficient that way.

 

[Sir Saladin]

Yeah! I noticed that too, if they are bunched together you can whack two or three at once.