Casters Using Swords and others

SirJames

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Sep 2010

Illuminati Elite

W/Mo

03 Oct 2010 at 06:04 - 1
Ok, I know this is a total noob question, so be nice.

What is the purpose of having casters use swords or assassins with spears?
I can understand the logic of having a melee class using a ranged weapon to pull and whatnot, but I don't get the purpose of casters w/ melee.

Perfected Shadow

Perfected Shadow

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2006

Zul'Aman

Umes Uranger U[bot]

03 Oct 2010 at 06:29 - 2
What do you see in the offhand that goes with those swords/spears/axes?
Shields...

And what mods can shields have?
+health, and +armor vs damage types... Thus sword/spear/axe + shield combos are used as defensive sets. Also when running to the next target, are melee using their primary weapons? So why not put on a shield to take less damage while running.

Regarding spears, they're used to build adrenaline from afar (furious mod).

There are also aesthetic reasons for using them e.g. there are many more 'popular' sword and spear skins than caster weapons. Anyway you have four weapon slots why not use them.

Markaedw

Markaedw

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

N/

03 Oct 2010 at 06:34 - 3
also usinng a melee weapon often times causes the PvE mesmers to not cast anticasting spells, such as backfire.

SirJames

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Sep 2010

Illuminati Elite

W/Mo

03 Oct 2010 at 06:40 - 4
Oho, I get it now. Thanks for the prompt response!

Pleikki

Pleikki

WTB q8 15^50 Weapons!

Join Date: Nov 2006

???oo ???ugs ???lan [?????????]

03 Oct 2010 at 07:26 - 5
and from caster weapon u can get +5energy and 20% Enchaments, or 30hp

Milennin

Milennin

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Sep 2006

Europe

W/

03 Oct 2010 at 08:17 - 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pleikki View Post
and from caster weapon u can get +5energy and 20% Enchaments, or 30hp
So can you from staves?

Raven Wing

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Nov 2005

The Imperial Guards of Istan [TIGI]

N/

03 Oct 2010 at 08:30 - 7
If you use a staff you cannot have offhand and thus you cant have a shield with extra armor and hp etc

Mashiyu

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2010

E/

03 Oct 2010 at 09:53 - 8
In PvE, I often use Spear/Focus Combos for Ench+20% and energy from the focus. Note that Spear, Axe and Swords are the only onehanded weapons where you can add +20% Enchantment

Fate Crusher

Fate Crusher

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2006

Pie-land

Warlords Of The Underworld [WoTU]

Mo/

03 Oct 2010 at 15:09 - 9
Use Staff for Enchanting mod? It brings along the 40/20 chance of HCT and HSR respectively.

If you guys haven't realised, there are 4 weapon slots and players can afford to use one weapon slot for a defensive set (+60hp, +AL vs xx). Why people still think spears need enchanting mods for it to be "caster modded", I don't know. Monks run Defense and Shelter mods on their sets so they have even more armour.

But I guess PvE is easy and doesn't need weapon swapping...

Chthon

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Apr 2007

03 Oct 2010 at 15:40 - 10
Since you really haven't gotten a good all-in-one response yet...
  • Martial weapons can have a 20% enchanting mod. If your build needs this mod, depending on what other mods you value, a martial weapon+focus may offer better numbers than a staff. And wands can't even have 20% enchant mods.
  • Martial weapons can have an unconditional +5e mod. Paired with a focus, that's +17e. Staff with an insightful head is only +15e. Wands can have +5e, but it's always conditional -- +5e/enchant or +5e^50.
  • It can be paired with a shield to create a "defensive set" to swap to when you're under fire. Wands cannot have +hp or +AL mods; and staves are two-handed, so they do not go with a shield.
  • In PvE, the monster AI decides what kind of build it thinks you must have based on the weapon you equip. Using a martial weapon will cause it to treat you differently. Most famously, the Sapping Nightmares in the Deep will stop using Chaos Storm if everyone switches to a martial weapon.
  • Spears can do physical damage, and therefore trigger Barbs, Mark of Pain, Order of Pain, Order of the Vampire, Blood Bond, etc.
  • Spears can have a silencing mod, which is useful for Technobabble in PvE. (Martial weapons can also have other condition-lengthening mods, though very few caster builds can take advantage of them.)
  • Warriors can use them to build adrenaline at range, since they have the fastest attack speed of all ranged weapons. Though this is mostly a PvP phenomenon. (Warrior secondaries can do the same, such as a Mo/W charging up Bonetti's Defense.)

Think that about covers it. Did I miss anything?

Lord Mip

Lord Mip

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2006

Somewhere in a distant land..

Reign of Judgement [RoJ]

E/

04 Oct 2010 at 21:22 - 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chthon View Post
Since you really haven't gotten a good all-in-one response yet...
  • Martial weapons can have a 20% enchanting mod. If your build needs this mod, depending on what other mods you value, a martial weapon+focus may offer better numbers than a staff. And wands can't even have 20% enchant mods.
  • Martial weapons can have an unconditional +5e mod. Paired with a focus, that's +17e. Staff with an insightful head is only +15e. Wands can have +5e, but it's always conditional -- +5e/enchant or +5e^50.
  • It can be paired with a shield to create a "defensive set" to swap to when you're under fire. Wands cannot have +hp or +AL mods; and staves are two-handed, so they do not go with a shield.
  • In PvE, the monster AI decides what kind of build it thinks you must have based on the weapon you equip. Using a martial weapon will cause it to treat you differently. Most famously, the Sapping Nightmares in the Deep will stop using Chaos Storm if everyone switches to a martial weapon.
  • Spears can do physical damage, and therefore trigger Barbs, Mark of Pain, Order of Pain, Order of the Vampire, Blood Bond, etc.
  • Spears can have a silencing mod, which is useful for Technobabble in PvE. (Martial weapons can also have other condition-lengthening mods, though very few caster builds can take advantage of them.)
  • Warriors can use them to build adrenaline at range, since they have the fastest attack speed of all ranged weapons. Though this is mostly a PvP phenomenon. (Warrior secondaries can do the same, such as a Mo/W charging up Bonetti's Defense.)

Think that about covers it. Did I miss anything?
You gave me some insights on a question of which I thought I knew the complete answer

Jk Arrow

Jk Arrow

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2008

WI

Dark Phoenix Risin [DPR]

R/

05 Oct 2010 at 15:00 - 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chthon View Post
Since you really haven't gotten a good all-in-one response yet...
  • Martial weapons can have a 20% enchanting mod. If your build needs this mod, depending on what other mods you value, a martial weapon+focus may offer better numbers than a staff. And wands can't even have 20% enchant mods.
  • Martial weapons can have an unconditional +5e mod. Paired with a focus, that's +17e. Staff with an insightful head is only +15e. Wands can have +5e, but it's always conditional -- +5e/enchant or +5e^50.
  • It can be paired with a shield to create a "defensive set" to swap to when you're under fire. Wands cannot have +hp or +AL mods; and staves are two-handed, so they do not go with a shield.
  • In PvE, the monster AI decides what kind of build it thinks you must have based on the weapon you equip. Using a martial weapon will cause it to treat you differently. Most famously, the Sapping Nightmares in the Deep will stop using Chaos Storm if everyone switches to a martial weapon.
  • Spears can do physical damage, and therefore trigger Barbs, Mark of Pain, Order of Pain, Order of the Vampire, Blood Bond, etc.
  • Spears can have a silencing mod, which is useful for Technobabble in PvE. (Martial weapons can also have other condition-lengthening mods, though very few caster builds can take advantage of them.)
  • Warriors can use them to build adrenaline at range, since they have the fastest attack speed of all ranged weapons. Though this is mostly a PvP phenomenon. (Warrior secondaries can do the same, such as a Mo/W charging up Bonetti's Defense.)

Think that about covers it. Did I miss anything?
I was going to add a few things until I got to your post. That's pretty much it. Adds better details than the wiki explanation of Caster Weapon if you ask me.

It's silly that wands can't have 20% enchant mods. Never understood that.