Weapon damage when you don't meet req?

Can someone help me out on this? I have tried searching the internet as well as various Guild Wars sites. I'm trying to figure out how to determine the damage of a weapon (sword, axe, etc) if you don't meet the requirement.

I've found a few different explanations, the problem is they are all different.

One theory was that damage was equal to a starter sword, but I tested various swords versus a starter sword and the starter sword did the least damage (tested this on low level mobs outside of Ascalon). So that one is out.

Another theory was that damage is halved if you don't meet the req. But I tested a sword that was 14-19 req 7, and another that was 15-22 req 10 and the lower req sword did more damage. If damage is indeed halved then the higher damage sword should do more damage, but the lower req and lower damage sword actually did more.

The final theory I found was that damage is reduced by 1 for each point you don't meet the req. This seems the most plausible because it would explain why the req 7 out damaged the higher damage req 10.

Does anyone know for sure how this works? Also, does anyone know what the max damage for a sword is for each req?

ok ,if you have the reqs for a sword >> ie reqs swordsmanship 6 , and your char has 6 sword , then on a char with NO armor (or very little ) it will hit within the range ( btw the eg sword is a plain 10 - 20 dam sword no upgrades req 6 swordsmanship ) but if you attack a enemy wearing ARMOR the sword will do less dammage ... now if the enemy is "buffed " aswell , youll do even less dammage .

to sum up the demo sword (if you have at least 6 sword) hits a peson no armor you'll do 20 dam max, if the same enemy has max lvl armor and say its knights armor (-3 dam taken and a superior rune of protection -3 ) and has a ferther "buff" on them you may only get maybe 10 to 12 damage...

Max base dam for sword is 11 - 22 ( i think )

i can help on the last bit Max Damage for any sword is 15-22 but as for the not meeting requirements i have no idea. Can anyone help out it's always puzzled me too

if you dont met reqs , the sword Or any other weapon WILL NOT give you damage stated . to my eg , if you have 0 swordsmanship , the weap will only give you about 5 or 6 to 15 - 16 damage ( not tested ) but you get the piont .. or if WIll you dont have the req ... 8) ..


{ yes the last bit was a joke , stupid, but a joke.}

You do half of the stated damage if you do not meet requirements(half the minimum damage-half the maximum damage) This is not inclubing things like buffs, stances, strength attribute, and ur weapon attribute(for critical hits).

This is not true.
You deal the damage a starter version of that weapon would deal. That's 2-3 for swords, 3-5 for hammers and bows, and 2-4 for axes (not sure on that one). The only exeption is shields, which have half their armor if you don't meet the requirements.
All mods on that weapon (HP+30, HSR, whatever) still work.

Ty for that Soul ... wasnt 100 % sure ....

Wiki says its both answers, In Wiki I trust.

Linked Attribute
Generally every player can equip any weapon. However, mid to high end weapons all have an attribute requirement for their primary stat. If the character's rank in the required attribute is not high enough, one of two stats can be used:

If the weapon is a collectors, crafter, quest reward, or unique weapon, then the stat used is the one for a starter weapon of the same type.
If the weapon is a dropped item, then the stat used is half of the current stat. For example, a max 6-28 axe will have a damage range of 3-14 when you do not meet requirements. Certain attributes also increases damage dealt using specific types of weapons as their inherent effect

Heres da link ya'll:

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Weapon

oh, but it is

The thing is I ran some tests on Flash gargoyles outside of Ascalon. I used them because they are low level and can't really hurt me, and they're always there and easy to find.

A starter sword (req 0, 2-3) hits for 2-3 and criticals for 5, just like you'd expect.

An Istani Scimitar (req 1, 7-10) hits for 2-3 and critical for 5, so it seems to act like a starter sword. I thought this was a drop, but I could be mistaken I suppose.

But then a Fiery Dragon Sword (req 7, 14-19, no damage bonus) hits for 9-11 and criticals for 16, which is way higher than the starting sword range.

And a Fiery Long Sword (req 10, 15-22, no damage bonus) hits for only 6-8 and criticals for 11.

With the last two swords, neither is acting like a starter sword, and the half damage rule doesn't explain it, because the Fiery Long Sword should do more damage in that case.

There has to be something else at work, like how much you fail to meet the req must impact the damage?

Of course, maybe this is all a moot point since against higher level mobs the damage will be so low that it doesn't really matter anyway.

Edit: Yeah, I tried against some higher level stuff and the difference is between hitting for 3 or hitting for 4. The damage difference is too low to even worry about, hehe.

The thing is, even if you meet the requirement, you don't do 100% dmg against a 60 armor level target unless it's 12, period.

However, it also depends on armor. A sword hit that'll hit for 6, with a weapon attribute of 0, will hit a target with 0 armor for 6. If you use that exact same weapon but up your sword attribute to 5, you'll hit that same target for 9, and critical for 12.

if you want to run real damage tests, use the 60 armor guys in temple of balth. at 60 armor, damage dealt will be what's supposed to be displayed. if you use the flash gargoyles, you'll have to deal with their armor (or lack thereof) in the damage numbers.

umm, not entirely true, against 60 AL targets you'll only do the damage you're supposed to if your weapon attribute is at 12, higher will do slightly more damage, and lower than 12 will do significantly less.