Does Size Matter? (Weapons)

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Is there any real argument for using the frag axe over the plank? Obviously it looks extremely cool and drives the shek women crazy, but aside from that they seem to come up short. At comparable weights the plank seems to completely outclass the frag ex. ..39kg mkII frag does 1.98 blunt 0.37 cut while 38kg edge IIII plank does 1.92 blunt and 1.46cut. I realize that the frag axe goes FAR above the 39kg example I listed but IMO the practicality falls off steeply. Is the length differential frag-32 vs plank-30 even relevant. Idk what I'm missing but the frag seems completely nerfed compared to the plank, and thats a shame bc the frag is so damn cool. I know this is no new or novel convo but after looking through forums and posts I thought I'd probe the community and see what yall think. Thanks people!

[ai_dude]

Heavier the weapon is, faster a character will gain strength.

Of course, in actual battles, you will want to use a weapon that fits a character's strength.

In practice or heavily one-sided battle? You might want to use the heaviest you've got.

[Shidan]

No, the size really does not matter. It's a 1/5th of a meter difference and barely noticeable. That said, if you have the strength to use the Frag Axe, an Axe will always outperform a Plank of one quality level higher than the Axe. But even then, a Falling Sun will outperform even an Axe of the same quality.

Damage on the weapon matters more than anything else, assuming equal skill levels of the characters. As damage to the body penalizes skills, so the more damage done the worse your opponent is in combat.

That said, nothing beats the feeling of dropping dozens of cannibals with one swing of a Frag Axe. ;)

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by al_dude:

Heavier the weapon is, faster a character will gain strength.

Of course, in actual battles, you will want to use a weapon that fits a character's strength.

In practice or heavily one-sided battle? You might want to use the heaviest you've got.

Ya I typically don't throw my peeps a plank or frag axe until they have a min 85 strength anyway. The game just punishes you so hard if you take any damage, so I don't think ill be going above the 38kg plank I listed to leave some wiggle room for the strength to weight ratio. Thx man :)

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by Shidan:

Damage on the weapon matters more than anything else, assuming equal skill levels of the characters. As damage to the body penalizes skills, so the more damage done the worse your opponent is in combat.

This is why I'm weary of running any frag over ~50kg (assuming Iv'e had a limb lopped off) but Rane doesn't give a crap about "math" or "ratios" so its just going to have to be a trade off lol. Really would be cool to have a feasible way of running around with stone golems frag tho IMO especially in a thick field of cannibals like you mentioned lol that's a shek's dream!
The actual length discrepancy definitely confused me as I had no tangible reference point, but ya 1/5 of a meter isn't worth too much. Falling sun is just a crazy/ beautiful weapon that doesn't play by the same rules as the other heavies.

As I was writing this I was thinking about the last line in your post as well as the fact that the in game description outright tells you up front "unwieldy ridiculous axe" lol and I think that even if this wep is far from min max, its just so damn fun and that's enough to justify it. Even if its 72kg LMAO. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and grant me some clarity on the size debate lol. I do appreciate it, ty =)

[Zee_]

Remember, you want to have double the weapons weight in strength to avoid attack and defense speed penalties, which means the meitou frag axe just isn't worth it. Even at 150 strength getting a single scratch to your gut means your combat stats are toast. For me the meitou frag axe only serves as a trophy item... that sits in a box in my city's armory.

For frag axes, you can take on everything in the game with a simple Skeleton Mk2. Once your strength get to the 95+ mark the damage is enough to push it into the 1 shot range for most humanoids, even against heavy armor, plus you don't have to worry about a single scratch to your stomach ruining your combat stats.

Alternatively, work a character up to 98 strength, then rip their arms off and give em 2 masterwork lifter arms to get you into the 140 range. that allows you to use the second and third heaviest models without too much worry.

My Rust's good old Mk 2 frag axe tosses corpses and limbs into the stratosphere with every swing just as well the much heavier models (seriously, I haven't swapped his weapon out in nearly 2 years now, because there has been no need to). Sure the good old frag axe got outclassed by the Falling Sun once the balance passes started, but damn it, it's just so much fun watching a character swing something resembling an I-beam with teeth into a group of enemies and watching bodies fly across the continent.

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by Zee_:

My Rust's good old Mk 2 frag axe tosses corpses and limbs into the stratosphere with every swing just as well the much heavier models (seriously, I haven't swapped his weapon out in nearly 2 years now, because there has been no need to). Sure the good old frag axe got outclassed by the Falling Sun once the balance passes started, but damn it, it's just so much fun watching a character swing something resembling an I-beam with teeth into a group of enemies and watching bodies fly across the continent.

I don't intend to use anything too heavy for anything serious for all the reasons you have listed Zee =) All the "heavy lifting" will be adequately addressed with planks and frags on the lighter side of the spectrum (35-50 kg). The meitou frag is just a sexy weapon that will likely spend most of its life decorating my retired shek queen (ruka),but I have several characters who are cut from the same cloth as your Rust =), meaning there will be brief, glorious but brief, moments that the meitou is carried into combat. And while there may have been much more efficient and logical devices of war, none will have brought the same joy as the frag and the ensuing carnage.

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

I see the weight to strength ratio mentioned all over the place but is there a rule of thumb for dex?. Dex in terms of blocking/weapon wielding, not in its correlation to cut damage.

[The Pollie]

Giant weapons have that big ♥♥♥♥ energy, but smaller ones have that style.

[Raymond]

size doesn't matter in this game, but weight of the weapon does. There is a limit on fast you can swing a weapon. So it is important that you get your character a heavier and better weapon to make the most of their stat once they reach a certain level.

[Bragdras]

Axe will come out ontop of both Plank and falling Sun if you opt for heaviest armor (crab set) due to the heavy dexterity reduction that comes from crab + blackened chainmail (-65% dex), especially if you get industrial lifter arms.

Otherwise go for Falling Sun

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by The Pollie:

Giant weapons have that big ♥♥♥♥ energy, but smaller ones have that style.

Well put, it's all about that lifestyle

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by YariMurai:

size doesn't matter in this game, but weight of the weapon does. There is a limit on fast you can swing a weapon. So it is important that you get your character a heavier and better weapon to make the most of their stat once they reach a certain level.

Making the most of certain stats ie strength is def the frame of mind I was coming from. There has been a lot of good suggestions and input in this post so far and it is interesting to hear everyone's input :) Seems like most people in here have a pretty good understanding of the game and its mechanics which is cool bc that does take some time and commitment to learn. Thanks mang :)

[Azz Dan The Ripp3r]

Originally posted by Bragdras:

Axe will come out ontop of both Plank and falling Sun if you opt for heaviest armor (crab set) due to the heavy dexterity reduction that comes from crab + blackened chainmail (-65% dex), especially if you get industrial lifter arms.

Otherwise go for Falling Sun

Iv'e probably spent 3-4 hours skimming through related topics and looking at my gar in game and have never seen this suggested or came to this conclusion on my own. Great piece of insight my dude! After you bring this up i guess it is kind of obvious but I never came to this conclusion before. Thanks for sharing some nuggets of truth! Appreciated