Quality vs Heavy?

[Netsa]

I'm going to respec to try and maximize single-hit damage on my reasonably-large sword. I was running Quality all this time, and the damage was fine, but how does it compare to Heavy? 50/50 Str/Dex vs 80 Str?

[urabe mikoto]

Right now there's no point in using any slow weapons. Since it is possible to instaproc many status effects, fast weapons can achieve the same damage of ultras and colossal weapons with double attack speed and half stamina cost

[hewhoishere]

Originally posted by urabe mikoto:

Right now there's no point in using any slow weapons. Since it is possible to instaproc many status effects, fast weapons can achieve the same damage of ultras and colossal weapons with double attack speed and half stamina cost

Sometimes fun is more important than effective

Originally posted by Netsa:

I'm going to respec to try and maximize single-hit damage on my reasonably-large sword. I was running Quality all this time, and the damage was fine, but how does it compare to Heavy? 50/50 Str/Dex vs 80 Str?

Each weapon is different, the only way to tell if it's better quality or heavy is to go into the affinity menu and see for yourself, or check the wiki if it has been recorded yet.

[Miles (Tails) Prower]

You pretty much have go take a look at the stats and heavy will make worse anything except str scaling. But since stat increase going a bit steep, if you are going to 80str, I think quality would be better. But it may depend on weapon base scailing tho.

[Netsa]

Originally posted by hewhoishere:

Each weapon is different, the only way to tell if it's better quality or heavy is to go into the affinity menu and see for yourself, or check the wiki if it has been recorded yet.

I know, I just didn't want to waste a larval tear in case this had an obvious answer.

[urabe mikoto]

Originally posted by hewhoishere:

Originally posted by urabe mikoto:

Right now there's no point in using any slow weapons. Since it is possible to instaproc many status effects, fast weapons can achieve the same damage of ultras and colossal weapons with double attack speed and half stamina cost

Sometimes fun is more important than effective

Well, if you don't care about PvP:
- If your weapon has a D/D scaling, you can achieve high damage with less stat investment by 2handing and leveling up STR. Use your remaining levels for vig, end etc
- If you plan to dual wield or one-hand, quality or dex is usually better
- If your weapon has a C scaling for STR it's probably a strength weapon that should be 2-handed. Going quality will result in sub-optimal damage

[ImHelping]

Slower weapons can still be practical against filler enemies, but the bigger you go the more you fall into "Can be interrupted by a rat when swinging a weapon that weighs more than some armor sets" issues a lot of sunk cost fallacy manchildren try to defend with "Nuh uh! because if you do literally nothing but jump attack or crouch stab as your only moves, that means it is just as good as weapons you beat the boss with using the entire moveset of!"

Just another reason my baseline preference from DS1 has been reinforced time and time again, of "regular greatsword. abandon claymore moveset for bastard sword or 'bastard sword, but cooler' moveset" with detours into both smaller weapons and huge weapons when they actually feel justified for honest use.

JUST fast enough to beat a lot of recycled enemies to the punch. JUST big enough to matter more in a single swing than normal weapons.

Elden Ring's hatred of "weak to strike" being worth a damn also reinforces this. If I smack an EZ to kill miner with a bastard sword or something with a one handed R1, it bounces but still flinch stunlocks them to death. If I use a mace one handed... it still bounces, but does not even flinch them. Good job, """weak to strike""" and "I heard blunt has better flinch and stagger, my dad at nintendo said that makes it OP!" (even ignoring the fact a weapon with the exact same AR and crit rating, the blunt smashey one will deal hundreds less damage on a crit than a weapon that impales someone for the crit animation. even to something "weak to strike")

Fighting a crowd of clay men underground instead of sprinting past them. Power stance hammers is casually poised through. ♥♥♥♥ youuuu strike damage. greatsword and halberd needs a jumping attack to flinch them, because charged two handed strong can't flinch em. And a large club can't flinch them either, unless you jump attack. So it does not really let me kill them any faster because I gotta hit and run to avoid being poise tanked by a crowd of recycled filler anyways. once more, guess "weak to strike damage! Strike flinches better": can go ♥♥♥♥ itself.

And that is an example of an EASY enemy where that makes you roll your eyes. Now apply these issues to enemies worth a damn.

See also: Jump attacks are not OP, jump attacks are just not TRASH, which people mistake as OP.

[Netsa]

For the record, I've already beaten the game. This is NG+ stuff. I really don't have a problem using normal swings on slow weapons. It's hit-and-run sometimes, but whatever.

[justfaded]

Don't forget you get free stats when you go strength scaling if you two hand.

[p00se2]

would there any ashes besides royal knights resolve
and determination for a good single hit damage buff ?

[Kain]

Originally posted by Netsa:

For the record, I've already beaten the game. This is NG+ stuff. I really don't have a problem using normal swings on slow weapons. It's hit-and-run sometimes, but whatever.

Powerstancing two big ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ swords and doing a jump attack with armor and talismans seems to be where it's at. Pump str and get swole.

Edit - Don't forget Knights Resolve.

[Target]

Switching costs nothing, try both and compare the numbers.

[Tinkuwu]

Originally posted by urabe mikoto:

Right now there's no point in using any slow weapons. Since it is possible to instaproc many status effects, fast weapons can achieve the same damage of ultras and colossal weapons with double attack speed and half stamina cost

Incorrect. Giant-Crusher remains one of the best colossal weapons in the game. And you can run builds that have extremely good resistances to a variety of different status effects.