question
Why isn't WHB piercing yet
I'd prefer it to have damage boost Ultra or Max towards beasts, so that it may be close to on-par with piercing weapons.
I would prefer it to have an effect against beasts; like always flinches beasts or something; that way it could receive UV bonuses for beast etc.
How about multiple bonuses against beasts? Keep damage+3, and add either ASI+3 or CTR+3 (relative to DVS)? Even with these seemingly-overpowered bonuses, I still doubt that I would ever use the sword.
DVS is the choice if u want something in the cutter line.
The WHB is technically usless compared to piercing weapons.
DVS is great for JK, and is one of weapons that inflict statuses on swing.
@Dvntbjh-
As I wrote, it has a use-
"It is meant as a side weapon for bombers fighting beasts in areas that might have turrets. Bombers fail hard to turrets, which are mostly piercing resistant. Not only that, but a swordy already has bonuses for swords in their arsenal- making the damage vs beast worthless."
Is it the first weapon you should craft ever? Probably not. Is it worth picking up at some point if you plan on bombing through beast levels? Yeah; its useful for that.
When bombing through a beast level, something like DBB is probably your main weapon. But presumably you're carrying some secondary weapon --- Nova Driver, Leviathan, etc. --- that is more than adequate for the other monsters. I mean, even in your highly specific niche, Fehzor, I can't imagine greatly preferring WHB over other weapons. And hence I still can't imagine getting WHB (except for testing purposes).
Beasts are super-easy. Levi will sort them just fine.
Now, if it had a bonus like always interrupting beasts (Fehzor's idea), that would totally be worth getting.
Because promotions and the Guildhall are more important than making weapons more balanced out.
@Fehzor I really don't think it's quite intended to be a psuedo-normal weapon. If I remember correctly, piercing damage wasn't introduced to the Sword weapon family until the Flourish update. Given its bonus to beasts, Pierce would work very well to make them a viable weapon again over other swords.
A) make it split pierce and keep the bonus
B) make both DVS and WHB split pierce but give WHB slightly higher damage over DVS (even when faced with non-beast targets, to balance its lack of a status further than a capping boost)
or my personal favorite, C) Leave DVS' damage types alone, give WHB split pierce, slightly buff the damage of both. (DVS will be for general use, WHB will be effective in what it makes most sense to be effective in.)
I'm pretty sure carrying a Leviathan Blade offers more versatility in your options to get rid of turrets in Beast levels as a Bomber rather than a WHB. Or perhaps even a Supernova for the slightly-more-consistent-than-its-counterpart knockback. Normal weapons are currently designed to be sidearms or your first items. Excel in nothing, but no weaknesses in terms of flat damage. Problem is, WHB is probably only good for locking a turret while you whale on it, and there's no point in using it for the Beasts since you should have a Briar or a Nitro line bomb, being a bomber. The first is done more effectively by a Pulsar, the latter is an unfortunate weakness in its only current should-be-profitable situation.
Maybe flinching Beasts easily would help it out, but because of how weak it is compared to a Flourish even in a Beast-related case, I'd much prefer split-pierce, if not alongside a flinching buff.
Besides, we don't even have a Normal/Pierce sword. Don't see why it wouldn't work. You know, besides the whole problem where even if they agree with giving WHB any sort of buff that there's nothing stopping them from pulling another Iron Slug.
I try to interpret the intended use of weapons to be whatever niche they fall into. I know its fallacious thinking as there are a good number of weapons that just don't work, but its all that I can do, really. When fighting beasts as a bomber, it can be useful to have a sword when it comes to the last beast... although even then, it isn't really necessary. Levi is also good against turrets, and is much better general use than WHB, although WHB is still better than it if there are large numbers of beasts around that you can KO.
I've wondered the same myself in the past. Although I wouldn't want it to be pure Piercing like the Toothpick weapons, would rather it be split Normal/Piercing, seeing as we have Normal/Shadow and Normal/Elemental already. As it is the WHB does have the advantage of dealing additional damage to Beasts, but that's it. Even if the bonus is "High", the damage difference is minimal at best. Is there any wonder that most would much prefer using Dread Venom, for its poison ability?
The only use I have for the WHB so far is Nature of the Beast prestige levels. I take WHB and the BTB on those, and I try using the BTB as much as I can to get practice in using Toothpick weapons. But my patience can wear thin quickly and I sometimes start using WHB instead because I feel more comfortable using Cutter weapons.
Idea!
What if instead of "damage VS beasts" it had something like...
if on a "beast" themed level:
+2 ASI
+2 Damage
+2 CTR
or perhaps:
if in the vicinity of a "beast", meaning that there is a beast near by; think about twice the distance of a haze bomb
or even:
if a beast is killed; 30 seconds of +3 ASI and +3 damage
I mean, its not "broken" right now, but it is still undoubtedly lacking, and bonuses like the above would make it far more interesting than it is at the moment; we don't NEED a beast fighting normal sword even if we do have one. As others have said, it is nearly trivial (even if it is a valid use) to have when you can instead have a leviathan blade, or a DVS.
I meant a blanket ASI or CTR bonus against all enemies. Of course, no weapons have such bonuses, because their attack and charge speeds are built into their basic design. So I meant to give WHB that level of speed improvement relative to DVS (which, if I understand correctly, is the same speed as WHB right now).
I think if WHB is semi piercing....
It might be too OP on beasts and fiends O.o but I don't know how to convert half the Normal dmg to piercing on beasts, so it might be much more too OP on beasts and fiends than flourish O-o
Detailed study of damage outputs of various weapons suggests that a pure-special weapon does no more damage than a mixed-normal/special weapon. This study is corroborated by combo DPS data showing, for example, Combuster doing as much DPS against undead as Final Flourish does against beasts.
I would expect a normal/piercing sword to be roughly as powerful as a pure piercing sword against beasts, fiends, undead, and gremlins, and stronger than a piercing sword against slimes and constructs. So, yes, a mixed WHB might be overpowered.
Nobody else appears to have suggested that it would be way, WAY too OP on Fiends. As in, more OP than the current Toothpick. Also, atm it's a kinda hipster weapon, ergo has to be normal.
Maybe OOO doesn't want to risk another update on weapon mechanics, especially given the hate they received over the Shard Bomb update?
Why would it be way more overpowered against fiends than Final Flourish is?
teethpicks smash in WHBs teeth (even if it were piercing) because it has that lunge; gets in close to fiends quickly. WHB can't do that as effectively.
WHB also doesn't interrupt like the toothpicks do. Using WHB on fiends would just result in more tridents to the face.
Darkbrady nailed it.
Try using a striker type weapon against fiends, the problem isn't the damage, the problem is the style of attack.
Because that would ruin it. It is meant as a side weapon for bombers fighting beasts in areas that might have turrets. Bombers fail hard to turrets, which are mostly piercing resistant. Not only that, but a swordy already has bonuses for swords in their arsenal- making the damage vs beast worthless.
Its a very niche weapon, but it still fulfills a niche... rather than a few items, like the dark matter and deadly splinter bomb and irontech destroyer and heavy deconstructor.