K so i recently acquired a cutter with a damage bonus vs beast high. I was wondering should i make DVS with WHB capabilities or a supercharged WHB?
WHB or DVS
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 08:54
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 09:57
#2
@Kxdx
The two swords have the same damage, generally. Here's the comparison:
WHB: +3 against beasts, charge has heavy interruption and longer reach
DVS: Inflicts poison.
I'd say it depends on how useful that improved charge is for you and also whether or not you ultimately think you'd be wearing skolver armour while fighting beasts. The UV would go wasted on a WHB if you did.
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 10:55
#3
thank you for the correction
thank you zeddy.
and I didn't wish to mention whether or not wearing skolver or snarb would render the bonus pointless because I was unsure, thank you for clearing that up as well.
P.S. Super Beast Killer!!!
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 11:46
#4
history
My detailed sword guide does this specific comparison. (See also this recent thread.) But my sword guide doesn't explain why the WHB would be designed to be so bad. So here goes.
When Spiral Knights launched, there were no piercing swords. Also, there were no offensive trinkets, Barbarous Thorn Shield, or Punch/Vise UV shop, so it was much harder to max out your damage bonuses. Further, the wolver AI was much harder than it is now, because wolvers would track you as they went through their attack animation. WHB wasn't the best sword in the game, but it definitely filled a niche.
A month or two after launch, the piercing swords were introduced. Immediately they completely outclassed and obsoleted WHB against beasts. They were also great against fiends, who are arguably the hardest monster family. Several months later, the wolver AI got weakened, so that beasts were hardly worth thinking about anymore. Also, maxing out damage bonuses became much easier. A DVS with +6 damage matches a WHB with +6 damage, even against beasts.
More recently, the range of the piercing swords has been shortened, so that they are not as strong as they were. However, they are still at least as long as DVS/WHB, and their first swing is much wider. If you're performing combos as fast as possible --- which is actually pretty realistic against beasts --- then Final Flourish does significantly more DPS against beasts than does WHB (607 vs. 545, not even counting the fact that FF often hits multiple targets, or that it has more room to grow in terms of damage bonuses).
In summary, through a variety of changes to the game, WHB has been left in the dust. I feel that WHB deserves some kind of boost, to help it catch up with the times. Until it gets a boost, I would strongly recommend piercing swords or DVS over WHB.
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 11:38
#5
Processing Thoughts of You Always
Dread Venom Striker.
If you turn it into a WHB, you are going to end up with Maximum! vs. Beasts. This means that any additional damage bonus above this will be wasted on the Beast family. Since it's ridiculously easy to max out damage in all families with Skolver/Snarbolax and Barbarous Thorn Shield, this isn't really a good idea. A Dread Venom Striker with that UV has the exact same damage stats as the standard Wild Hunting Blade, admittedly with marginally shorter range and more interrupting ability. However, it also possesses the ability to poison which can help it outdamage the WHB, and is very useful in some circumstances.
Additionally, as Bopp says, the assorted toothpicks all outdo Wild Hunting Blade, possessing larger range, comparable speed, specialised damage (giving a bonus vs. 2 families, not one) and still retaining the ability to have an extra Maximum! slapped on top of that damage.
Wild Hunting looks cool. Dread Venom is the more useful option, though, especially given your current UV.
Lun, 09/17/2012 - 11:40
#6
Processing Thoughts of Herp Derp
Stupid effing connection. :U
I would suggest searching for a previous thread based on DVS vs WHB as it is a common discussion and will likely provide you with similar answers.
IMO I would suggest crafting the "supercharged WHB" and leave it as a designated beast killer in your arsenal due to the poison variant of the cutter series not being as strong.
TL;DR Super Beast Killer!
Someone will most likely post a better response with a lot less bias of their opinions but I hope this helps.