Thoughts on the Two-handed Sword?

Gsprfdude · Jun 17, 2016

I've only used this thing a little so far and I'm not sure how I feel about it so far in comparison to the other two-handed swords. Can anyone give me some insight about this?

-Tim- · Jun 17, 2016

Meh, it's a rather pointless weapon if you ask me.

Tyon · Jun 17, 2016

Pretty mediocre, it was good back when thrusting wasn't added yet, but now there isn't much of a point (literally and figuratively). You can easily get much better 2 handed swords from levels 4 and 5.

Gozer · Jun 17, 2016

Everything obtained prior to the portal becomes obsolete once you pass through.

Except the compass, the helm, the box, and the salves.

Armor and weapons all "mo bettah" on the other side.

zhuliks · Jun 17, 2016

Gozer said:
Everything obtained prior to the portal becomes obsolete once you pass through.

Except the compass, the helm, the box, and the salves.

Armor and weapons all "mo bettah" on the other side.

not true, new ares dont have enough layers beneath plate armor, you must get gambesons, tunics and cloth pants as well as very important chain coif and padded cap before portal if you want not to get seriously injured.

Gsprfdude · Jun 18, 2016

Ah I see. I wasn't sure if it had some special quality I was unaware of.

Viking34 · Jun 18, 2016

Surely there is something special about it?

Or maybe it goes to show that just because your player character in Exanima 'feels' something, it doesn't neccessarily make it true.

Don Kanaille · Jun 19, 2016

I always had the impression that this sword swung harder/had more impact than other two handed swords of similar size.

crashingtingler · Jun 19, 2016

its magic.....

I think it might hurt a little bit more but its deceptively short in comparison to the other swords from what ive experienced.

zhuliks · Jun 19, 2016

As it says in the description - shifting balance. Such swords have been made with cavity inside and something to move like quicksilver or just metal balls, thats whats unusual about it. Does it mean it moves faster for its weight or hits harder for its stats I have no idea.

Fracs · Jun 19, 2016

This is executioners sword . Its pretty effective against level 4-5 skeletons.

AnotherDuck · Jun 19, 2016

I find it more nimble than other two-handed swords, while still doing a good amount of damage. If I really need the range, I use a polearm of some kind (preferably a crushy one). Otherwise I just stick to sword and board for almost the entire game.

Scarecrow · Jun 19, 2016

I'm not sure how it works either despite having used it several times, but it looks pretty neat. I imagined that the shifting balance would make it swing fast and balanced from the beginning, but hit with a heavier impact than indicated once the swing is extended further out. I cannot really say whether or not this is the case though. But I've got a feeling its not.

So yeah, a mediocre 2h sword.

Gsprfdude · Jun 20, 2016

The description states that the balance shifts really easily so I was assuming that it might be faster recovery after swinging. But I've noticed no special quality about it.

Madoc · Jun 21, 2016

The screenshot above is very old, not sure why the stats are different, but the one currently in game has 3.5 dots of impact. It has most of the benefits of a sword (balance, speed, long blade, easily remised and the attacks are different), but hits as hard as an axe. It's worth noting that impact is not only a source of damage that is also more effective against armoured opponents, but acts as a multiplier to other damage types. This doesn't affect slashing damage as much though, as it has both a cutting and a "hacking" component.

crashingtingler · Jun 21, 2016

Madoc said:
It's worth noting that impact is not only a source of damage that is also more effective against armoured opponents, but acts as a multiplier to other damage types..

Awesome info, thanks madoc!

Gsprfdude · Jun 21, 2016

Madoc said:
The screenshot above is very old, not sure why the stats are different, but the one currently in game has 3.5 dots of impact. It has most of the benefits of a sword (balance, speed, long blade, easily remised and the attacks are different), but hits as hard as an axe. It's worth noting that impact is not only a source of damage that is also more effective against armoured opponents, but acts as a multiplier to other damage types. This doesn't affect slashing damage as much though, as it has both a cutting and a "hacking" component.

Yeah it's an older screenshot I forgot that anything changed. But that really cleared things up for me Madoc thanks.

Yaar Podshipnik · Jun 23, 2016

This sword also might be a reference to Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle, "The Book of the New Sun" in particular. Somebody mentioning this in some other thread here made me read it, and boy, was I grateful for that!

As far as the usefulness of the sword goes, I do like it even when playing on L5. It does work surprisingly well against armoured enemies, and due to it's relatively short length is easier to manage in confined spaces.

I think I used it to beat the guy wearing

crystal powered mask

once.

zhuliks · Jun 23, 2016

Great thing about exanima is there are no convenient numbers and enemy health floating above. So no need to change a sword you like and feel confident with to something different that has +2 attack vs undead during full moon. You could kill everything with a hatchet if you so wished or bare fists even, with bare fists more likely so.

AnotherDuck · Jun 23, 2016

zhuliks said:
Great thing about exanima is there are no convenient numbers and enemy health floating above. So no need to change a sword you like and feel confident with to something different that has +2 attack vs undead during full moon. You could kill everything with a hatchet if you so wished or bare fists even, with bare fists more likely so.

Yeah, I like that part too. Sometimes it would be nice to know if you're close to killing an enemy or if you're not actually doing as much damage as you think, but on the other hand, stats like that remove immersion to some degree.

With all the different kinds of weapons with different characteristics, there's also not really anything that's optimal either (except maybe for specific situations and strategies), since it's all down to what feels right for your own playstyle. A mediocre weapon you handle well is better than a good weapon you handle poorly.