Swords VS Axes

Well, since I started playing I've always used axes. Mainly because there was a lot more axe skills available to me earlier on. I'm lvl 18 now and I'm beggining to question how effective axes really are... I really don't see anyone near my level using them, and I've began to have difficulty hitting well with them as I get further in the game. The 6 base damage seems to really be becoming a major disadvantage.

I've kinda spent most of my money on getting a really good axe, but I think this was a mistake. In your opinion, are swords superior weapons?

well, for me, its for taste, i preffer the swords as they are more "elegant" weapons, but axes have their advantages, are you putting points in axe mastery? if you are dealing little damage to other monsters is because you either have not placed enough points to meet the weapons req or you are facing mostly warrior enemies.

if you are missing hitting maybe you are getting blinded too often or you are facing enemies with stances.

Yeah, swords vs axes has nothing to do with hitting or missing - thats all about the skills used (by you and against you).

As the very well documented argument goes - there is very little difference between axes and swords goes for damage. Axes have higher spikes due to criticals, but the speeds and averages are about the same. I switch back and forth according to need - cyclone axe rocks for fast energy/health regain on some builds, and swords are mandatory for riposte builds.

You're beating a dead horse.

They both have their pros and cons, it's all about taste and what you want to do.

What they said. For my W/Mo I prefer sword because of the Strength factor. For my W/Me and R/W I use axe since I have no use for Strength. I have found axe is great if you do not invest in Strength or you are using War as a Secondary.

Yes, but are you beating it with a sword or and axe?

Does Strength not figure in to the damage/armor penetration calcs for Axes? I thought I had sword/axe/hammer figured out until read that.

strength figures in when you use atack skills (sever artery, executioners strike, hammer bash, and maybe on dagger atack skills too, maybe)

I´m using Crushing Blow on the dead horse!

Ah, perfect. I thought so.
Danke.

I believe that the axe offers more of a variety in builds than swords. There are more disrupts for axes and more attacks that can hit multiple targets ( a real plus in my energy attack build). Maybe I'm wrong in this but it is what I use most of the time. But I still do carry a sword and Hammer for use in differnt farming builds because each has its use.

It's like comparing a Flatbow and Daggers?

Axes FTW

Interupt and deep wound ftw.

Swords are good as well, dont worry about your axe, its a fine weapon and I made it through all of Prophesises and factions with mine. A guildie gave me a Razorstone a while back and I love it

you cant ocmpare swords and axes at all. not only is there a total dmg difference but also the skills you use.

strength is a factor as well becuase the mroe poiuntsyou put in stregnth increases armor penetration of your attacks by 15 per point. - very useful if you combine penetrating blow (attack has 20% armor pen.) + sundering hilt (20/20) + 12 stregnth is (52% armor pen. i think there might be a special factors and stuff)

i use all 3 weapons it really depends on the situation. but mainly axes becuase of the dmg and the speed is average. (swords have the fastest attack speed then axes and last hammers)

Wands are better.

Actually swords and axes attack at the same rate (once every 1.33 seconds)

I only use an axe for one skill: Eviscerate.
Other wise I use a sword to free my elite for better things.

wrong, 1 point in strenght gives you 1% armor penetration 12 points in strenght gives you 12% armor penetration

yeah the 5 is suppose to be a percent mark just didnt press shift hard enough is all

and ty for the ifo about the attack speed. just sayiung what other people once told be.

The attack speed is a common misconception That's why you see IW mesmers always running around with short swords instead of axes (I rarely see a IW mesmer with an axe [though I use a totem axe for the job]).

Axes FTL Swords FTL Fists FTW. Thats all im saying.

But to get to more seriuos matters, when im soloing IDS and FoW (beach and cave) Axe seems to do it faster. Overall for me i think Axe is doing alot more damage to everything than sword, just my experience but go with whatever you want. I preferably use my axe because i think my axe looks cooler than my swords and hammers so mostly depends on your build and yea. But yea

Fists>All

It kinda depends on preference, but I get a lot more chain kills with an axe, while with a sword I have to combo attacks to get the full effect. Same with hammer as I have to knockdown to get the deepwound with crushing blow. With axe, it's just damage and you can quickly apply deepwound with one hit: Eviscerate. Bbbbuuut, get a combo off with sword at the right health and final thrust hurts sooooo much.

LoL, someone said Axes are better looking than swords, no axe costs 1million, unlike a perfect crystalline.

Well...
If your going PvE USE the SWORD, its better, more effective too, because most axe skills require a lot of adrenaline, unlike swords, you can make someone bleed and get deep wound for 8 strikes of adrenaline, not much, now is it? I never farm with axe because its WAY too slow, my crystalline and I do the job WAY faster. Sword skills are WAY better than axe skills TRUST ME. Nothing is wrong with combo attacks, if combo attacks are bad, than ASSASSINS are bad PERIOD.

Now PvP side,
Swords and Axes suck, damage is too little, healer just heal that little all up, while HAMMERS, they deal BIG POWERFUL damage, and tons of knockdowns. However Sword beats axe again, because in PvP, sword skills have a lot of counters vs blocks and evades, which Players are known to do a lot in PvP.

Swords>HAMMERS>Axes

There might not be a crystalline for axes, but a Perfect Gold Gothic Dual Axe is also worth an insane amount.
FYI, you don't have to listen to everybody who posts here. It's actually just preference. quanzong says that farming with axes is too slow.. yet a majority of warriors use axes for farming with axes. Cyclone or even triple chop is perfect for PvE; just don't bring it for PvP. quanzong also says that axe skills take too much adren. But that's the reason why you bring Cyclone or Triple Chop with you. Use cyclone to generate adren and you've got it.

quanzong, please think about what you are going to post before you post it. If someone says that axes are better looking than swords, that is their preference or opinion. You have yours. No reason to poke fun at another's opinion. In the end of a battle, skins of weaps don't mean much. I can do the same amount of dmg as a Perfect Crystalline with, for example, a Perfect Long Sword. People who have the money to buy perfect crystallines end up showing off their weaps, but those players are usually exceptionally skilled. Oh, and last time I checked Sever Artery + Gash Combo, which deals bleed then deep wound is 11 adren. 4 + 7 = 11, according to guildwiki

For me, I switch off between axes and swords, but I find myself using axes more often.
IMO, Axe>Sword>Hammer.

So far from the truth it is laughable. In fact, a white max damage Prophecies sephis axe would sell for an outragous sum.

SOME axe skills require a lot of adrenaline like eviscerate and executioner's strike. However, there are the 2 forms of penetrating blow that cost 5 adrenaline, and the newly added axe attack that costs 2 adrenaline I believe. Swords, on the other hand, have a low adrenaline skill, sever artery, but look at the other skills. Final thrust takes 10 adrenaline, galrath slash and silverwing slash take 8, and standing slash takes 7.

The fact that sword skills have no AoE attacks generally make them inferior to farm large amounts of monsters. Cyclone axe and/or triple chop can drop a group of melee and bunched up ranged monsters very quickly.

And then there was this axe.
http://guildwarsguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3072492
Looks to be over a million to me.

lol. If these were still available in game..

Whether you go axe or sword, it depends on the build that you want to run. I prefer axes because it has more diverse uses.

AB- Swords DO have AN AOE attack its called hundred blades and its rather handy. check your facts BEFORE you post next time.

Fact Swords do the most damage over time. Apart form that its personal choice. I prefer swords.

Hammer ftw! Id rather take the kds, the dw and the damage thank you.

I hate these threads. Hammers>All

Hammers are WAY to slow, and you can't use a shield.

Sorry, I skipped over an elite sword attack that only hits foes adjacent to the target instead of targets adjacent to you.

And swords have a DPS of 21.34, while axes have a DPS of 21.84.

OK if axes get 15% always and swords dont without a counterpart, then axes for sure. However if swords get 15% always too without being green, then swords for sure.
Trust me PvE = SWORD
Cuz Showoff, EASY to USE, BEST SKILLS
PvP = HAMMER & Sword over AXE
Axes is like people thinking that req 8 does more damage than req 13, when compared to swords.

That doesnt make sense... so because it costs more than 1 mil, it means that it is better looking? In my opinion crystallines are ugly.


Sever Artery (4 adrenaline) + Gash (7 arenaline) = 11 adrenaline... while Evicerate takes only 8 adrenaline and does +42 bonus damage plus it only takes 1 skill slot.

LOL... wow so you take riposte and deadly riposte into pvp... i cant be bothered explaining why this is retarded.

Axes are used because of their ability to spike.

Finally you contradicted yourself with your last statement 'sword>hammer>axes' but in the first line in your last paragraph you said swords and axes suck then go on to boast about hammers BIG POWERFUL damage and knockdowns.

BTW.. how much experience do you have in pvp quanzong?

That's your opinion. Some people think it's the best and would be willing to pay outrageous amount of cash for it.



The 'Sever Artery+Gash' combo only takes 7 adenaline, not 11. It's like saying the combo for axes takes 16 adenaline because of Eviscerate (8 adenaline) + Executioner's Strike (8 adenaline).

Remember, Evicerate needs 8 adenaline to be used, that's one more than the sword combo above. Sure, Eviscerate is like two skills in one (Dismember + Executioner's Strike) because it's an elite. While the mentioned sword combo above doesn't rely on any elite to do the same as the axe combo.


I agree with that.

Swords can spike also, ever had a 'Sever Artery + Gash + Final Thrust' combo happen to you? Or tried it?

Um.. what does showing off have anything to do with this? And how are sword skills easier to use than Axe skills? No offense, but it seems like axes are too complex for you. And they're as easy to use as your sword skills. Best is just your preference. We already got that from your earlier post.
I really have no ----ing clue what you are trying to say here. I really can't "TRUST" you here.

Overall, you really gotta rethink your logic..

Axes used most by people has elites to be effective.
Swords can input damage without an elite.

OMFG please close this thread - the answer has already been given - it's all about preference. You can rock with either a sword or axe (or hammer, or fists). Its all up to you to stack your skills to support your weapon.

A: currently, the 8 req 14% no conditional serpant axe is going for more than that 15% dual-axe.
B: as one of the few people with a customized 8 15>50 crystalline sword i can tell you...skin does NOT equal skill.
C: i can (and do) use my req 7 15 -5 winglbade more than any other sword i own...including my custom crystalline.

with thos having been said.
i have a sword warrior, and axe warrior, and a hammer warrior. they are all pretty darn good at their jobs and i will say this; no 1 weapon is "better" than another.
yes, some are better than others in some purposes, but overall, the "best" weapon is determined (99.9% of the time) by the circumstances/way in which it is used.
overall ive found that swords have higher DPS than axes...making them better for pve. axes, meanwhile, have the highest chainable spike damage (assuming crits...as with the addition of ch2 sword skills swords can actually compete with axes for spike damage...something they couldnt really do in ch1 exclusivly)
and hammers, while they do the LOWEST dps out of the warrior weapons (yes, hit for hit they do the most...but overall an axe or sword will do more over time), hammers are unparalleled for taking down casters quick and nasty. with a hammer you get your opponent on the floor, and while they are on the floor you are nailing them with massive attacks, keeping them from casting, and killing them at the same time (something neither a sword or axe is very good at). as a tradeoff though...hammer warriors go down the fastest...often they will die to a spike just as easily as a caster...which can be a disadvantage in gvgs where DPSing the warriors is a strategy.

it depends on your playstyle.
in pve axes are quite good for hitting multiple foes, swords, meanwhile do excellent dps in pve, hammers in pve are pretty much...not a good idea.
in pvp sword warriors have their uses -mainly the fact that they dont 100% rely on adrenaline like any half decent axe warrior...sword wars can use energy based skills to do some off-the-cuff damage that axe warriors just cant do withotu charging adren- though axe warriors are the preference...mainly becase eviscerate, an all-in-1 damage spike/deep wound spike, works wonders when in conjunction with regular spike dmg. hammer warriors are also a novelty for butchering monks/rearline casters.
each class has its purpose...and in all honesty, if you want to get the most out of warriors...get 1 of each class on your team that knows what they are doing. 1 axe war, 1 hammer, 1 sword can be a deadly combo when operated in unison.

Ok ok so to get bleeding and deep wound costs 13 or whatever, I didnt check the adren so gimme a break lol. However whoa nelly 8 adrenalline for 1 thing thats not really good lol. See if you make your opponent bleed with 4 adren, that takes like 3 hits to get 4 adren, and 6 hits to get 8 adren, so basically you get em to bleed, and bleeding causes damage yes? Eviscrete sucks, oop i blocked it, you going to get 8 more adren? with low req adren you are given more chances, unlike wasting time to get a lot of adren to get all in 1, thats kinda like hammer damage, wastes time for a powerful blow. I say the best warrior elite skill is warrior endurance, that with sword or hammer warrior makes them WAY better than axe warriors. And for me bringing in riptoses, I never said that, I said they can COUNTER them. You know CANNOT BE BLOCKED. More sword skills can counter those skills. Because someone ALWAYS brings 75% to block or evade. Yeah if you read, higher req means more damage. so yep, those req 8 weapons are bad bad damage, feel sorry for ya, I just get em to sell lol.

For real trust me, my warrior is lvl 20 and has been playing for 13 months, and I got a crystalline sword, in my 1st 2 months. Yeah I got 25 fame, its good enough to say A LOT!