Armor Ignore and Weapon Damage type

[Loren]

AI is my preferred attack, I have always liked using Katana's. I generally hunt things I can isolate or pull 1 at a time. So today I whipped up a few 100 damage type slayers, 100% Cold, Dragon Slayer / 100% Energy, Balrons and Demons /70% Fire, 30% Energy Scorpion Slayer (same lowest resist on fire and energy so I count this)

Ok now my question - How much does weapon damage type matter when using AI? Tooltip says it ignores target Physical Resistance...so did I just waste a bunch of charges from hammers getting the damage types ? Could I have just left them, or used 100 physical weapons? I am a Pally, I prefer not to put Consecrate into my rotation unless I have unexpected aggro.

Thanks,
DOM

 

[Maximus Neximus]

I"ll admit that I haven't really played much in the past year or so....

But from what I remember damage type does NOT matter with AI. I use/d a bladed staff as my main boss type weapon. After making all my elemental ones I did not notice a change in AI. But if you go low on mana and have to do a normal hit there is a noticeable difference. But things also could have changed since then.

 

[Obsidian]

So you could have gone without elemental damage for the AI. However, most of us don't AI every hit unless you have a specially built 100% HML weapon. So the elemental damage does matter for the non-AI strikes when you are waiting for your mana to rebuild.

 

[Loren]

Ok, that makes perfect sense. Thank you both.

 

[BeaIank]

Katanas also have double strike, iirc, and having 100% elemental slayer weapons when using it pays off pretty well.
Many mobs have 40 or less as their lowest resist, so a double strike will yield you more damage than a single AI strike.
Try it, you may end up loving DS.

 

[Loren]

Katanas also have double strike, iirc, and having 100% elemental slayer weapons when using it pays off pretty well.
Many mobs have 40 or less as their lowest resist, so a double strike will yield you more damage than a single AI strike.
Try it, you may end up loving DS.

Indeed, I have noticed exactly this. AI @Miasma = 140-ish , +/- range of 20. DS sometimes totals beyond 170 and running mental average confirms your statement.

 

[Tuan]

If you're making swords weapons for DS purposes, then you should use scimitars or pickaxes. Personally I prefer pickaxes, because I think it'd goofy to walk around killing things with one.

Just be careful when DSing some necro things. I was collecting leather against Shadow Wyrms not too long ago, got nailed by a Blood Oath. On one hand, I did WAY over 300 damage to the Wyrm, which was cool. On the other hand, I also did WAY over 200 to myself, which was notably less cool, since even factoring in my 65 or so points of leeched life, I still died. Had I done a single 200pt AI, I would have lived...

 

[BeaIank]

Oi, blood oath can ruin a DS fighter, yes.
Those 340+ damage to dark fathers with double axes returning as 250+ damage to you... fun...
Seeing all in grey screen is surely to follow such situation.

 

[CorwinXX]

resisting spells could help against blood oath

 

[Chevypowder]

AI is my preferred attack, I have always liked using Katana's. I generally hunt things I can isolate or pull 1 at a time. So today I whipped up a few 100 damage type slayers, 100% Cold, Dragon Slayer / 100% Energy, Balrons and Demons /70% Fire, 30% Energy Scorpion Slayer (same lowest resist on fire and energy so I count this)

Ok now my question - How much does weapon damage type matter when using AI? Tooltip says it ignores target Physical Resistance...so did I just waste a bunch of charges from hammers getting the damage types ? Could I have just left them, or used 100 physical weapons? I am a Pally, I prefer not to put Consecrate into my rotation unless I have unexpected aggro.

Thanks,
DOM

I was a big katana fan until you run low on mana and your just pinging your target for low damage. I switched to hatchets and never looked back. Not quite as fast as a katana but still very easy to attain 1.25 swing speed. Hatchet also does more damage if you run low on mana. I can leech back to full mana after only a few swings without using a special.