Weapon masteries.

[DarkMasterX]

Weapon masteries.

Well I'm planning to make a weapon mastery barbarian. My style of weapons is a slow yet powerful weapon. This being the case I have narrowed it down to axes and mauls. My question is which is better by means of power?

 

[Ce Olba]

Dual runeworded Berserker Axes do the most damage in the game.

Grief+Beast or EBotdZ+Beast.

 

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

Well I'm planning to make a weapon mastery barbarian.

Practically all barbarians chose a weapon mastery. You usually chose a mastery AND a combat skill as your primary means of doing damage.

If you're strictly comparing damage between 2H axes, and mauls, then mauls do more damage. (But axes are faster*.) If you compare 1H weapons, the axes win.

However, if you want a powerful, slow, 2H weapon you could always look into spears as well. Spears actually are about the equal to mauls in terms of damage. A War Pike and a Thunder Mallet do very similar base damage. However, spears have dexterity requirements, which means you'll likely have less strength with a spear, so the mauls will still do more total damage.

* Note that a lower damage weapon that is considerably faster can (and often does) outdamage a slow, high damage weapon over time. Also two 1H axes will outdamage two 1H maces over time.

 

[DarkMasterX]

Good to know. I have still been thinking about mauls though because it is the weapon in sets such as sigons and immortal kings. Also I'm not choosing a combat skill until I'm high enough level for berserk.

 

[JME]

Well, between two handed axes and two handed mauls, I'd say a glorious axe (92 avg damage, range 4, 10 speed), ogre maul (91.5 avg damage, range 2, speed 10), and a thunder maul (106.5 avg damage, range 3, speed 20) are your best bets. As partial as I am to mauls, of the 3, I'd have to say the glorious axe is the best overall.

I would not use spears because polearms have better options in both uniques and runewords. Honestly, for the best all around two-handed weapons I'd have to vote for polearms.

Sigons set doesn't have a weapon.

Berserker barb then? There are several good guides floating around.

 

[DarkMasterX]

Yes once i am of the needed level I'm getting berserk. So the question remains. Is it worth using mauls for the powerful sets that use them (immortal kings etc.)? If not axes would be my choice.

Sigons doeasn't have a weapon? My bad.

 

[JME]

Also, keep in mind that swords can be one or two-handed with barbs. A colossus blade has 86.5 average damage, range 3, and a speed of 5 when held with two hands. Also, having somethng that can be one or two-handed adds to the potential versatility of the build. Personally, I'd rather use a CB then a glorious axe, but that's me.

As for mauls, unless you are going to build an IK barb or just really like the way they look (aim for an ebotd maul if so), I'd use something else.

 

[DarkMasterX]

Alright. I'll be making an axemaster berserker barbarian then. Exellent.

 

[Aldeth the Foppish Idiot]

Regardless of whether or not you go for axe or mace mastery, I'd highly recommend picking up both a one handed and two handed version of each. In particularly difficult areas, having a one-handed fall back option would allow you to equip a shield to up your resistances. Granted, you're probably going to want to have weapons that up your warcries on switch, but keep a one handed weapon on the stash for when you need it.

 

[windwingwind]

Slow and powerful? Why not polearms...?

 

[SicHalo]

hmm 2 hand vs duelwield in all case duelwield does more dmg as u get more hitchecks also the dmg mods bettween weapons.

Also slow weapons depend on what u use well what attack, slow weapons are no use to whirlwind as u dont hit the fastest whirlwind frame. frenzy ideally u want 1 slow weap and 1 fast.

 

[prion]

if you're using berserk, then you probably want a sheild. so the choice is between axes and war hammers.