Best Weapon For Tanks?

[Phil85]

I have used daggers with recover with success. I'm using a few kopesh now which seem like a good all around choice so far. What works well?

[Lampros]

I like most of them except the sword. Spears on the flanks are popular among the veteran player-base to keep enemy flankers at bay for multiple turns. I like cleavers, for the bleed effect on Necrosavants (they have Nine Lives) - as well as Decapitates on Wieder-whatevers. Axes do decent damage and are golden for shield breaks so that the real damage dealers can reliably hit. Hammers do good armor damage; and flails can wreck those without helmets or low-grade helmets. In contrast, I do not see as much use for swords since the Riposte build has been severely nerfed - and it probably was never as good as a spear anyways on a shield tank even pre-nerf.

[Phil85]

I like the kopesh so far. It's like an axe and a cleaver since it bleeds, decapitates, and is good against armor. I liked daggers, but they have the -15% chance to hit with puncture and are a bit fatigue heavy. I haven't used hammers much yet, but will buy one soon.

[fxntxsmx]

If you're going to stick to non-unique versions of weapons only, then I suppose kopesh would be great damage-wise. But if you count uniques in, I'd go for a unique winged mace, because of their stuns and good enough damage.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by madimp:

If you're going to stick to non-unique versions of weapons only, then I suppose kopesh would be great damage-wise. But if you count uniques in, I'd go for a unique winged mace, because of their stuns and good enough damage.

Yeah, I forgot about maces. I have one to stun folks all around.

[Phil85]

I need to find some uniques. I just fiished the first crisis with only one death in my group. I guess I should just check camp sites for leaders to find uniques. I have the daggers on my guys, just in case.

[Kerensky]

Goblin Shaman mace is my favorite tank weapon. Light and basically no damage, it's just there on my best defensive warrior and all he does is soak hits and stun heads. The perfect tank to hold up 6 or more enemies simultaneously while my main hitters chop their way through the rest of the enemy.

[Tephros83]

Originally posted by Phil85:

I have used daggers with recover with success. I'm using a few kopesh now which seem like a good all around choice so far. What works well?

Depends on his stats. Horrible melee attack (<55 at 11) but amazing defenses? Probably an ax because breaking shields doesn't require any skill. High melee attack (70ish) and excellent fatigue (>140 base at 11)? Spear on the flank. Lowish melee attack favors flails and swords, since they have some accuracy bonuses. Swords are decent, particularly if you place that merc next to somebody with an armor killing weapon so they can synergize. Swords are probably my favorite weapon for goblins.

Daggers? Everybody in the front line gets a dagger as an off weapon to be taken out to steal armor from the brigand leader or knight. Dagger as a primary weapon is alright against humans if you have high melee attack and fatigue, since it allows your tank to act sort of like a duelist in making quick injuries, but it's not so great in most other situations.

Originally posted by Phil85:

I need to find some uniques. I just fiished the first crisis with only one death in my group. I guess I should just check camp sites for leaders to find uniques. I have the daggers on my guys, just in case.

Always check the taverns and go after any tip that is specific enough to find the unique. If you feel ready to take on a hard enemy base and you don't have a great contract available (or better yet, you get a patrol mission), pay for extra tips at the tavern (up to 3 per day). This is how I find uniques without wasting time. They usually are not seen on the enemies I fight but found in the loot afterwards.

[Realm]

My tanks are often equipped with picks since I use them to tie up the armoured big boys like Warlords and Honour Guards. They can be a bit painful on fatigue if you're tearing up armour like no other, but they're generally quite good against orcs and the ancient dead. Ditch them against goblins and wiedergangers unless you've got the pick spec and are feeling lazy.

The khopesh, or any of the unique cleavers, are fine choices assuming you can keep up with the fatigue requirements. Try to find uniques that are specifically better against armour if you're looking to upgrade to uniques soon.

Swords are a dandy choice despite their relative lack of popularity since they have both fine damage, and a nice little accuracy bonus. I usually use them on high melee defense pseudo-tanks, like Swordmasters, who can make use of them against Geists and Goblins who both don't require particularly high damage to fell in a swing or two. Pair with appropriate trinkets as necessary against these enemies. As a bonus, unique swords are fairly common if you fight bandit leaders, knights or swordmasters semi-regularly.

If these are flank tanks, consider spears. They don't really require decent melee skill to get good mileage out of, and their ability to control the battlefield carries them well beyond their 'rookie weapon' status. Pair with high melee defense, a solid unique shield and good fatigue.

I don't have enough experience with maces, axes (I usually use longaxemen to handle shields) or flails to give an educated opinion on them.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Kerensky:

Goblin Shaman mace is my favorite tank weapon. Light and basically no damage, it's just there on my best defensive warrior and all he does is soak hits and stun heads. The perfect tank to hold up 6 or more enemies simultaneously while my main hitters chop their way through the rest of the enemy.

You'd prefer them over unique maces?!

[McGrits]

Maces are the most universally versatile weapon. The stun is that good and it can stun enemy hedge knights or bandit leaders or swordsman or necrosavants or honor guards or the noble heroes with great axes, etc. Against the big orcs, where maces can't stun, they are still good since they add so much fatigue to the enemy. Orc warriors and warlords with extreme fatigue will often just raise their shield (if they have one), saving your guys lots of damage and death.

Maces are weakest against weidergangers although they are great against possesed enemy. Maces are also weak against goblins but the stun is still useful for shutting down the shaman and preventing one more spell before your other guys can move in or kill it the next turn.

Eventually they get outshined by your orc cleaver wielding bros, but maces are good early to mid, and have plenty of uses late game.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by McGrits:

Maces are the most universally versatile weapon. The stun is that good and it can stun enemy hedge knights or bandit leaders or swordsman or necrosavants or honor guards or the noble heroes with great axes, etc. Against the big orcs, where maces can't stun, they are still good since they add so much fatigue to the enemy. Orc warriors and warlords with extreme fatigue will often just raise their shield (if they have one), saving your guys lots of damage and death.

Maces are weakest against weidergangers although they are great against possesed enemy. Maces are also weak against goblins but the stun is still useful for shutting down the shaman and preventing one more spell before your other guys can move in or kill it the next turn.

Eventually they get outshined by your orc cleaver wielding bros, but maces are good early to mid, and have plenty of uses late game.

I tend to agree with you on maces, but what's up with all this Orc cleaver support? Isn't the Fatigue expenditure prohibitive? Also, their stats do not look that much better than unique human cleavers?

[McGrits]

Orc cleavers are way easier to find than unique human cleavers. Heck, baby orcs carry them. I would say unique orc cleavers are also way more easy to find, and there is no better single weapon in the game than an orc cleaver with bonus in the damage stat. You need to fight orc warriors and warlords and hit the big camps, but unique orc cleaver are the second easiest unique to find. (the easiest unique to find are unique swords on house knightrs or hedge knights)

As for fatgue, it is not that bad. You don't even need iron lungs, although that is always nice. Use the cleaver mastery perk and recover perk and your bro will handle the fatigue just fine provided he is in the net 70 fatigue range

[Lampros]

Originally posted by McGrits:

Orc cleavers are way easier to find than unique human cleavers. Heck, baby orcs carry them. I would say unique orc cleavers are also way more easy to find, and there is no better single weapon in the game than an orc cleaver with bonus in the damage stat. You need to fight orc warriors and warlords and hit the big camps, but unique orc cleaver are the second easiest unique to find. (the easiest unique to find are unique swords on house knightrs or hedge knights)

As for fatgue, it is not that bad. You don't even need iron lungs, although that is always nice. Use the cleaver mastery perk and recover perk and your bro will handle the fatigue just fine provided he is in the net 70 fatigue range

So if unique human cleavers are found, then they are better than Orc cleavers? As for Recover, I know math-wise I should probably use it, but I seldom seem to use it even though I have it on nearly everyone. Psychologically, I always feel belting out just 1 attack per turn toward the end of the battle seems better than doing nothing one turn and getting to do 2 attacks for several turns thereafter ;)

Edit: Also, you say cleavers are great late-game, but don't they actually lose value against most tough end-game foes other than Goblins?

[zosh127]

Mace. It provides 2 unique benefits that your primary damage dealing weapons do not. That's the stun, and the extra fatigue damage. If I want another damage dealer, then I'm not going with a tank build. Swap it for a hammer if you want against orc warriors. I prefer to stick with the mace since the orc warriors tend to run themselves out of fatigue pretty fast.

[gazomierz]

I'll start with saying it all depends on what tank you have in mind.

For shield tanks I'd say maces or cleavers. Maces for general utility, cleavers for chance at decapitating. That would, somewhat, allow you to buff dmg potential of otherwise lacking tank build. Daggers with Puncture use paired up with Fearsome would also be very good for more dmg potential.

For nimble tanks definietly cleavers. Or twohanders, greatswords or warbrands work best due to low-ish fatigue cost.

Or you can just build twohander tank by buffing melee d as high as possible and stacking Reach Advantage during combat. Pair it up with battle-forged or indomitable and you have great tank.