Battle Axe / War Mace / Broadsword

[BrandX]

On 2/7/2025 at 2:18 PM, biostem said:

Or they could just allow all 3 weapons models to be used for any of the 3 power sets, and allow us to decide which secondary effects we want...

 

So, have your broadsword skin while playing the better Axe set?

[Rudra]

4 hours ago, BrandX said:

On 2/7/2025 at 2:18 PM, biostem said:

Or they could just allow all 3 weapons models to be used for any of the 3 power sets, and allow us to decide which secondary effects we want...

 

So, have your broadsword skin while playing the better Axe set?

That is what they are asking for. I don't agree with it, but that's a given in this situation.

[PoptartsNinja]

Broadsword, Katana, Battle Axe, and War Mace started out nearly identical, with Katana's only real difference being the slightly speedier two-handed weapon stance and Mace's big difference being the smashing damage.

 

Over time, they have grown apart. Katana got more signature flavor. Katana's parry got renamed and some of its values tweaked. Mace got a huge upgrade when Clubber was changed from a no-damage stun to a T9 equivalent (available at level 8, making it one of the best sets to exemplar with), and Battle Axe's recent upgrades make it a really strong set for tanks.

 

I'd agree that Broadsword needs a little something, but I don't think the sets need to be merged. Mace has strengths axe doesn't (especially in the early game), Axe has strengths Katana doesn't, Katana has strengths Mace doesn't. Broadsword just needs something a bit more unique to call its own.

[arcane]

Yes vote to buffing Broadsword somehow.

 

Yes vote to unique flavors for powersets (aka no vote to a lazy copy/paste of Axe Cyclone).

No vote to players with the Battle Axe powerset running around with Broadswords because that type of design is ugly, inelegant, unserious, and way too sandboxy. 
 

My 2 inf. Happy Sunday.

 

[megaericzero]

1 hour ago, arcane said:

because that type of design is ugly, inelegant, unserious, and way too sandboxy. 

I kind of get where you're coming from but why ugly and inelegant? The animations - including the drawing - seem to be exactly the same; none of axe's animations seem to have clipping issues when swinging a sword - at least when testing with Titan Icon. Also doesn't seem all that different from Dual Pistols already having crossbow options.

[arcane]

58 minutes ago, megaericzero said:

I kind of get where you're coming from but why ugly and inelegant? The animations - including the drawing - seem to be exactly the same; none of axe's animations seem to have clipping issues when swinging a sword - at least when testing with Titan Icon. Also doesn't seem all that different from Dual Pistols already having crossbow options.

I wasn’t referring to animations with that language. I was basically saying that having a powers tab, powers names, powers descriptions, etc. that literally says your wielding a Battle Axe while you’re wielding a ported over Broadsword model… would create the vibe of playing a game with goofy mods installed. Which, to me, would be ugly and inelegant for the base game.

[Sakura Tenshi]

Probably been said, but I’d kind of prefer them to do things to better distinguish the three sets, even if not in animation terms than in more details of the powers. Like it’d be nice to swap out one of Warmace’s heavier attacks with Shatter Armor or tack on a -res effect.

 

as for broadsword, I just wish the thrust attack from the Stalker quick Assassin’s strike could be worked in some how. Especially since I wanted to make a Roman soldier once and as a history nerd I can tell you that gladius COULD hack but their best use was stabbing.

[Wavicle]

1 minute ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

I just wish the thrust attack from the Stalker quick Assassin’s strike could be worked in some how

 

This, so much.

[Wavicle]

It definitely won't work at this point to just make them all different skins for one generalized "weapon" set. That could have been a thing 20 years ago, but that ship has long since sailed.

Edited Monday at 12:13 AM by Wavicle

[Frozen Burn]

I do not want War Mace or Broadsword to have a "Cyclone" power - I'd rather all three sets NOT be a copy of one another and they instead get something else or stay as they are.

[Ukase]

On 2/7/2025 at 4:51 PM, lemming said:

Katana, Broadsword, Warmace, and Ax all have similar powers effect.    I think they all have a swoop that knocks targets up, a circle attack which Ax now sucks targets in,  and some other similar attacks.    Definitely a lot of differences as well.

 

I think they all started from the same basis, but then other stuff added.

I have a clear memory of making a broadsword/invuln scrapper on retail. And then I made a katana/invuln. Things have probably changed a bit for them since, but then they were pretty much the same animations, just slightly different damage and end usage. Other than that, to me, it was the same powerset with different names. The old devs were clearly lazy and in a rush to get new stuff out. I look at thermal and immediately, radiation comes to mind. There's a lot of overlap between various powersets, but katana and broadsword are just too similar for me to consider them different sets. They're the same thing. At least they were. I made them when HC first popped up, but have since deleted them because I wasn't playing them. Changes to each like the changes to battle axe would be welcome. 

[gameboy1234]

On 2/7/2025 at 6:19 PM, gameboy1234 said:

Lunge with a TP-to-Target could do the same.  I'd say go even further and add a TP to target with a wide cone (not a deep one tho, just a melee cone), so there's two tp attacks,  to allow even more movement from broadsword.

 

Alternately, the new Broadsword attack that summons a chandelier for you to swing from.  Why TP to your enemies when you can swing in style?