The HoD Sword

I've seen that the HoD + 20/20 offhand = Yakslapper.

Comparison I was trying to make, and that and I've never seen a sword that reduces bleeding time.


Another note, everyone here that is defending the HoD, leave it in because its only +5 more energy this and that. All the pro HoD people are saying how player skill is going to determine outcomes, not items bla bla bla.

You're all implying with the Pro HoD arguments that the sword is not imbalanced. So why is it not craftable anymore?

The only argument that's made sense to me here is Carinae's 55 monk theory, as to why the HoD is gone.

Ok Guild Wars Develepers, you can jump in any minute now. I know you're watching.

So it all boils down to "What's a legit mistake?"

Instead of thinking of the items in terms of Anet's intent, think of them in game terms. Can you put two of the same mod on a regular item? No. So, anything that breaks one of the established rules for item behavior should not exist as an item. Conversely, can a sword spawn with an inherent bonus? Yes, even if that bonus is only a damage increase.

So instead of considering the HoD sword and various other items "wrong," consider them "discontinued." Should Anet remove Halloween and Wintersday reward items from all users? I'm not talking about farmed/bought collector items or weapons; I'm talking about the customized headgear. Those items are too in the "discontinued" category. Wintersday hats especially had an incredibly narrow window of access that many people missed out on (and I am still pissed about), but you don't hear calls for their complete removal because people accept the reason for their... lets call it "suspension." Players should not be penalized for being in the right place at the right time; they should be rewarded. Players should, however, be penalized for exploiting game features. And they have. And they will be. And that is the proper course of action.

So think of all the "nerfed" or "removed" items as "special access only." Whether you were playing at the time but didn't get one, or whether you joined afterwards and had no opportunity to do so, you've missed out. But don't worry: unlike Diablo-esque games, Guild Wars is about skill and not items. Those who use items as their crutch can only hobble along as the true masters of the game spank them silly

For the record:
I was playing when HoD sword was available
I had access to creating an HoD sword
I did not create an HoD sword
I am fine without an HoD sword
I have no plans to acquire the HoD sword
I do own a 15% Fiery Flame Spitter, though

Ok..first and fore most they didn't eliminate the HoD from the game....what they eliminated was the weapons crafter that allowed you to craft this weapon and various other weapons and shields. So..for all you people crying about a stupid sword that has +5 energy...take it to Anet, or save up and buy one yourself. It isn't that much of an advantage..I know cuz I own one, and I do enjoy farming to be able to buy one. I don't play PvP cuz you basicly are stuck on teams that need certain types of chars to win..IE iway warrios....w/eles with gale...certain ranger teams..etc.. I just want to play for fun..not relying on others that don't suck.

Then I am confused as to how your setup with a HoD sword does this:

Unless I am missing something, in which case, fill me in.

The reason should not be that big of a deal. My guess is that ANet wanted another rare item to stimulate the economy. The HoD sword can be compared to a crystalline sword or fellblades. They are rare items that do not give an advantage (although in the HoD sword, a SLIGHT advantage is created) but are rare and almost exciting to have.

get a collectors staff and add an insightful staff head and an enchant wrapping... there you go.

Well, the sole reason I purchased a HoD sword was because ANet saw fit to totally screw healing monks.

In that I mean, as Divinus Stella mentioned earlier that staves can have the same exact stats, and they're collectors items.. but you seem not to know that there is no 10/20/20 healing staff!

For some reason, its only Protection and Divine Favor(<--WTF?).

I got the HoD so that I could retain my 12/20/20 Healing offhand, as well as having 20% longer enchantments (invalueble..)

I agree this is on the broken list...but it is a lot lower than other items

1. lt helm
2. 20/20 axe
3. prolly this and a few more items

the list goes on and on, asborbtion rune might even be on it, because other classes dont have anything that is like it. (Oh how I miss my Fury runes)

Yes it is rare and exiting to have. But according to these other posts, it is a HUGE advantage. Ok what you are missing out here is what the people paid for the HoD Sword. They paid A LOT of money for one from another player. When they hit you with one, they are NOT hitting you with an imbalanced weapon, they are hitting you with a sword that costs 14hrs/7days GW farming. Realize that they PAID for it and therefore, should be REWARDED. Just because their team is owning your team with a flawless victory because they have a HoD Sword dosen't mean that the game is unbalanced. Consider what i said. Think about it the next time you play a PvP and you can probably control your anger.

I would disagree with nearly everything you just said. According to almost all of the other posts, including mine, the HoD sword is a MINIMAL advantage. Your philosophy is exactly the opposite of ANet. They believe that time spent farming and getting gold should not be related to skill. That is why they offer the best weapons free for PvP characters, the best armor, and a level 20 character.

Honestly,
I find this thread funny...
yes, HoD is inbalanced, but just because your opponent has it does not mean you have lost, in fact, the chances of the HoD tipping the victory to the other team is 1%. The scenarios that you ppl are pointing out are unrealistic (who the heck is going to drop to 0mana and back to full 100, even 50times in a match??) and it makes it seem like u guys have close matches, where 10health or 5mana makes or breaks game everyday.

The arguement that all the teams playing in the world championship are using it is a very weak arguement. The teams competing are pros, meaning they are playing for money and since money is a factor that means they want to have EVERY advantage they can get, no matter how small, so that 1% is meaningful to them and unless you are a hardcore gamer, that 1% wont mean a thing to you and if u are a hardcore gamer, then i pity u for sucking so bad and not being able to dish out 300k for it.
The hex helmet is a different story, so if u want to complain about that please start another thread and keep it out of here.
And lastly,
The 20% axe was a MAJOR exploit and was out of anet's hands, the combos that would ruin PvP w/ a 40% longer enchant mod are numerous ( a CLEAR unfair advantage could be achieved using mistform, ob flesh, spellbreaker, mark of protection, shield of judgement, ect. and even the ability to maintain some of these enchantments forever could be achieved thro this)
The HoD gives a very minor advantage and the chances of it changing the outcome of the match is slim to none and even if it does somehow change the outcome, it wont be noticeable (ie: OMFGZ! THE ONLY REASON Y U WON IS CUZ OF THAT STUPID HOD SWORD N00B)
the HoD sword was purely Anet's fault, and ppl who have purchased one should not have to pay for a mistake they made, the only fair way for it to be eliminated from the game is to delete the sword and to leave the sword's value in gold in the player's account, which anet will never do, so sorry but the HoD sword is here to stay.

Did you decide to leave Ensign's third paragraph out of that quote for a reason? Seeing as he has no problem with the HoD sword, I have no idea why you would even take his argument, delete parts of it, to make it seem like he supports you.

The rest of Ensign's quote:

"This isn't a trivial item like the HoD Sword or Axe (which give minor boosts that'll likely be mirrored in expensions anyway). This helm fundamentally breaks an important aspect of the game - hexes as a means of punishing Warriors. The sooner it is removed, the better off the game will be.

Peace,
-CxE"

HoD sword is not game breaking at all. Not even close. There is no reason right now to ever delete them from players accounts.

So why is not craftable at Denravi anymore?

20/20 axes were a bug/exploit that is a direct offense of the EULA. HoD swords are a legit item created by Anet and later taken away from crafters. It offers no overwhelming benefits, so they'll never do anything against those who own one.

Gold amounts relate to balance in exactly what way? Gold is meaningless in Guild Wars, and I don't understand why the majority of people havn't realized this. Most "green" items are utter trash, but they're worth something for their color. The same can be said of most golds, but that's just stupidity among humanity. The only way the players are "hurt" is by losing an item they were allowed to have at the time. The person spent the cost to craft to have a specific item, and those people shouldn't be penalized because Anet decides the item shouldn't ever have been placed in the game. I still can't understand the bitching about HoD swords when they're ONLY 300k. With such a low price, there has to be an extensive supply in circulation. They'd be considered unbalanced if only about 100 swords survived; they'd be nearly priceless.

1. HoD swords don't reduce bleeding. I'm glad you took the time to smoke something before posting.

2. Any staff (20/20) can get 15 eng and 20% enchant [ZOMG 2 ENG LESS THAN HoD!1!!one!1], and certain Rod (3-5/20)+Focus (20/20) combos range from 15-17 eng. Have any desired 20% enchant item on swap for any major enchants. It's not like switching to a new wep to cast Aegis or other enchants is overly hard.

3. If you really care about the item I dismissed in #1, get the quest reward focus that reduces bleeding and poison time. The dandy little item also has at least +6 eng, if not +8.


Moral of the lesson: Start using items on switch and stop trying to define balance with a price tag in plat.

""Admittedly as Ensign also points out the LT's helm is considerably more imbalanced than the other henge items, but that does not change the fact that they ARE imbalanced."

"It has a clear advantage over anything else, which equals imbalance. That is a fact. Therefore, something should eventually be done about it. It certainly isn't urgent at all, but eventually it needs to be looked at."

I never said the HoD sword is "game breaking" or anything quite so dramatic. I just pointed out that personally I think the HoD sword should be removed. If you don't think they are that good, why do people pay 100K + 20 ecto for them or whatever the price is at now? Because people like to have the best equipment available. And when you need to grind for days to get the gold to do that, in a game that is supposedly "skill over time", something is wrong. And it is a price that is only going to increase with time, unless something even better comes along with chapter 2.

So we're all in majority agreement that there's no advantage to having a HoD sword?

But bluntly, people are stupid. They are willing to pay outragous sums for minor benefits. Yes, the HoD sword IS the best thing there is, but that is not why everyone buys it. People are fooled into buying the most expensive thing thinking it offers huge benefits when they often times do not. For example, +30HP upgrades are much more expensive than +5 armor upgrades, yet the +5 armor is arguably better. A weapon with +14% damage versus a weapon with +15% damage offer little to no damage increase, yet the 15% weapons sells for much more. Most people just like having something that is rare, and because this rare item happens to be good, they use it as well. Again, similar to a crystalline sword.

Personally, I wouldn't pay over 20k for the sword, and that is why I will probably never buy one.

For a reasonable alternative to the Henge of Denravi Sword, you should try the Fiery Flame Spitter from Nicanor Gannel in the Pockmark Flats. It's arguably better than the HoD sword and around .001% of the cost.

I'll go on the record stating that I don't think the HoD sword should be removed. There are lots of items in the game that have been removed that can give minor advantages - the HoD sword and axe are the most popularly quoted ones, but the old Arid Sea weapons (+15% damage with no condition or drawback at all) are floating around as well. There is PvE uberloot with PvP ramifications: +15% damage / -5 energy weapons are outstanding; there are -2/-2 and -2/-3 shields, some with requirements as low as 7; you can get wands and foci with 10/10 cast speed and recharge for a mixed build, or one with 20% recharge and no other mod to work better in a timed spike build. There are +30 health shields with no condition whatsoever. Then there are quest and collector items that have PvP usage: the Fiery Flame Spitter, the Cities of Ascalon foci, the Nolani Fire Wand, the Fires In The East trapping staff. There's the holiday Candy Cane Wand that has potential PvP usage. In short, there are a whole lot of items in the game, some pricey, some not, and that variety is what makes the game fun for a lot of people.

I don't feel that there's a problem with any of this. In fact I think that these unique items, and even the 'legendary' items like the henge sword are good for the game. I think that people need to stop focusing on 'perfect balance' and .001% advantages and all of that trite stuff. Arena.net is trying to appeal to many different interests, and one of those, like it or not, likes a wide variety of items. The character creation system that allows us to roll up PvP characters on demand and be competitive with some of the best weapons in the game is phenomenal. I feel that people who are getting worked up over a meaningless +2 (you can roll a staff you know) energy at a cost of being able to attack need to get over themselves and play the game. It's pretty good, you know.

Peace,
-CxE

Indeed, like that +2 energy is going to do you any good when you can just stare at the dying nightmare unable to wand it..

Alrighty then...
I would like to contribute several things that have not already been stated, and would also like to recap on a few things that have been stated.

First of all, I am the proud owner of a HoD *accepts cheers etc.* But I was not one about 2 weeks ago. I saved up my plat from several weeks of griffen farming with my ele, several long weeks. I then bought my denravi for the price of 240plat, in ecto. I then upgraded it with a 20% pommel I bought earlier that day for 2ecto+5k. I got a great deal on these items, but thats what happens when you shop around, I must have bid/posted on at least 50 HoD auctions ranging from this site to rpgtraders, where I eventually bought it. As a note, I never asked for this item to be removed, nerfed, killed, etc-ever- I made a goal, kept my sights on my goal, and accomplished my goal.

Now then, onward
-If we are truly going to argue over 2 energy, lets argue over the fires in the east staff, which can give you a whopping 3 energy and still keep that 20% bonus, how about that? Ok so it doesn't give you the 20% bonus huh? Ok so I also have a +5energy>50% health truncheon that also gives +20% recharge to inspiration magic. Now, lets recap abit. The staff can be obtained for about...free, 50gold if you high a newbie runner{lol}. OR you could take my wand, which I admit I am rather proud of owning, and compare it to denravi. On one hand we have 20% enc, and in the other we have 20% recharge...close ehh? Or we could compare the wand to the staff, +3energy and 20% to 20% cast and 40% recharge...or the staff to the denravi +1energy to 20/20 recharge and cast.

Now everyone is going to have their preferences, I admit I like the wand for my mesmer, but thats the way I am. I will take it anyday for her over my denravi because it increases recharge on insp to 40%, which makes manataps and ether feast broken imo. The staff is my second choice, as the +3 energy is rarly ever useful, as I have taps etc, but they do help.

{notes that the staff does NOT have a requirement for ANY energy gain, a warrior could use it and it would be comparable to denravi+ANY focus item (also notes that foci have req}

So the denravi really only comes into use with builds that need the 2ndary item, such as the 55 build, which I dont see needing the +2 energy, they gain that much whenever they get hit anyway. Or the IW mesmer build, which I have yet to see as a success.

The lieutenant's helm is a huge pain in the ass. I made the mistake of unlocking warrior skills with my monk instead of my warrior, and now I'm left trying to scrape together a ton of skillpoints for warrior unlocks. Not to mention all the runes, different armor sets, and items (including those items that are long gone and almost impossible to find). All that for a helmet that can unfortunately make quite a bit of a difference.

The main problem I have with the HoD sword is not that it is in the game, its the fact that it was taken out. If it was still available to craft at a measly cost (like the Firey Flame Spitter etc), I would have very little quarrel at all with it. It almost feels like Anet didn't finish the job of removing it. And as it is a highly desirable item that is only available to buy off other players, I don't see the price going anywhere but up.

My argument about it being 'imbalanced', however slightly, is not really the basis for my wanting it gone. It is just justification of Anet finishing the job and removing it entirely.

Just for the record my stance on the HoD sword and "h4x" helm is that PvEers should have MORE of these items, *not* less.

Let's just face it, nobody plays this game for quests or missions. Go to ToA and try to find a group that is heading for a UW quest run, or go to DWC and try to find a quest group for say.. Killroy Stonekins.

People are all going to single you out, and make you realise what a fool you have been to even think of that.

It is farmers, farmers, and more farmers everywhere.

Why?

Because playing the game normally gives ZERO rewards. Nada. Zilch. Nil. Absolutely NOTHING. I say again, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

That's why people farm Sorrow's furnace. Or UW. Or FoW. Because in these places there are supposedly "good" weapons.

How about this, have certain weapons that are marginally better than arena standards along the lines of the helm or the sword, and make them items that cannot be used in the arenas.

How hard would that be?

I know for sure it is trivial, at least they did it with presents and candy cane items, it can definitely be extended to weapons as well.

Why not?

I sure as hell hope Anet has some really brilliant ideas for Chapter 2, because if at the end of the day all we see is just "Look! New gold sinks! Erh humph! PvE idiots, start your grinding! This is your next goal!", I am just going to call it quits.

Let's face it, the only thing that is crippling PvE right now is PvP. It is like a disease, a cancer that I never partook in, but somewhat hampering our PvE experiences.

how does HoD sword look like then? o.O

If you are talking about pure looks, it looks like a short sword. If you want the stats:

14-21 damage (?)
+5 energy

I dont really want or care that other people have these swords. But it is suspicious that an item that was once available to everyone is now exclusive. It doesn’t drop, you can’t craft it, and you must by it from someone that got it while the getting was good.
It’s not being removed so it’s okay to have. If it’s ok to have, why the hell is it exclusive?
It doesn’t make since to anyone that thinks about it.
If you got it or you just roll with the punches then it’s not your problem. But if you want that edge, you must do what those have done - spend weeks grinding for the cash to get it.
This is against the philosophy of the game to my knowledge.
You don’t farm for edge, you farm for style.

Like I said, it doesn’t bother me so much because Im dont need this item. But I do find it suspicious.

Is it wrong or imposable to change the sword so the bonus mods only work when you meet the weapon requirements?
Say it has a req.9. You put 9 points in swordsmanship you get +5 energy.
At least for this weapon because it was designed for warriors that maybe wanted a little extra energy.

Here's my stance on the HoD sword:

1. Make it available. Both for Roleplaying and PvP-only characters. GW is not about making uber-loot available to the richest 5% of the playerbase. It's about making it available to everyone.

or

2. If you can't make it available, then remove it from the game.

I have an HoD sword, but I don't feel any more superior than the next guy.

I'm just gonna view it as it is. A piece of GW history.

My arguement is that the marginal benefit that would come from removing these items would be grossly overshadowed by the backlash such a change would make. I would agree that taking it off of that crafter was a mistake - though I don't believe they took it off because they thought it was imbalanced - but removing existing copies would be a disaster that there's no reason for them to walk into. This goes doubly for unconditional damage weapons, I can guarantee you that everyone who has one is proud of it and would absolutely freak out if it was removed. The unconditional weapons are a bigger problem, because the +energy sword or whatever can have replacements put in the game at some point. Unconditional weapons cannot.

In short: removing non-disruptive uberloot will cause more trouble than it's worth.

Peace,
-CxE

They cant remove them. A very small percentage of GW plays only for pvp. GW will slowly over time turn into a regular mmog where special equipment will give you an edge, only because if they don't all they have on their hands is counterstrike, no depth to it at all. ANET knows they need to give 85% of the game something to strive for because they'll never be in a high ranked ladder guild where all that matters is pvp. Just look in the major cities at primetime, how many people sit around trying to trade stuff?

has anyone honestly ever been devastated by the 20/20 rockmolder orHOD sword? the only thing that sword seems to be really used for is farming, adn teh only thing it upsets are ataaxes and otheres of the sort. It doesn't really upset the game.

Er, other way around, counterstrike is the game with depth, not itemquest. Itemquest PvP is perhaps the most shallow and pointless thing in existance. I think it's incredibly unlikely that the game will ultimately turn into an itemquest game where those with the best loot win, it just isn't in the core model.

Of course, there are a lot of people out there who desperately want Guild Wars to be item quest, so I could be wrong and someone at NCSoft could pull an executive decision. Who knows.


Well PvE balance is a whole lot harder than PvP balance (the mobs can't change), but a whole lot less important...the PvE population lives for imbalance infact. Makes the whole job kinda tricky, because you want to balance it enough that it doesn't get silly, but if it's *too* balanced people just complain. Anyway...

Devastated by the energy sword? I did kill someone with an energy sword in a build that featured Order of Pain. That was pretty funny, even if a wand would have sufficed. Mostly the point of the energy sword is for the second focus set, the sword and a +15/-1 focus, to let you keep the 20% enchanting when you focus swap for more energy. It's pretty blah besides that, since you're almost always better off with a staff on your main set.

The debate isn't about how much or even *if* anything is upset by the existance of the energy sword or any other extinct loot. It's over whether such things should even exist. Ultimately it's some ideology up against a wall of pragmatism that is running a company and an online game, and the net result that you'll see time and again is that you don't break things unless they absolutely have to be. It just isn't worth the mess otherwise.

Peace,
-CxE

I am mostly on the boat with Jr but I do like the points you make and I think they are more balanced. I never realized the hex helm could have the affect it does in pvp. Since I don't pvp much I only had the perspective of its usefulness in missions and hunting. I wouldn't want it removed either, but definitely it needs balanced.

For the items I have mixed feelings. I have played online games for around 4 years now and nothing sucks worse than having your items or skills nerfed not just for balance, but for the common good of the community. I will address and give my thoughts on a couple items.

1. Unconditional Damage Weapons: These need to be modified. They need to have a randomly assigned -5E or -10AR or -1 health regen assigned to them. They are the most drastically out of balance items I can think of. I wouldn't want them removed, but modified. ANet has already shown that they little difficulty modified existing software objects.

2. HoD Sword (and other items): I agree it was a mistake to totally remove these items. The sword itself can be imbalancing. Most "in the box" thinkers only look at the 5E and refer to 1 more Word cast or what not, but there are other ways for this to be used. Just one example is a farming smite warrior that can now cast 25E spells while wearing better armour than Gladiators. If you start to consider other possiblities it's not as weak a weapon as the owners claim. I think a good idea here would be to make it collectable with rarer items in a difficult spot (such as fire islands). Just like the Crimson Carapace shield was moved to the desert and given Bleached Shells as the requirement. If the drop probability were lowered for a ring of fire collector piece (or in the UW or FoW, it doesn't matter) and a large number required for collection then this would help keep it's value high and promote it's rarity. There are other options than just removing it all together or not letting it be collected any longer.

3. 20/20 Rockmolder: I think I have the name right but if not I'm sure you know the item I refer to. This is the most irritating one for me. It would be so easy for ANet to modify without affecting availability. It isn't right that after testing and release the item was determined to imbalanced and then adjusted without adjusting previous iterations. I'm not insensitive to the fact that some people would lose money, but this should just be evened out.

My main point is that there are items that need to be addressed specifically, but I think there are solutions in the middle of removing them all together or only letting some people have them with others having no chance to obtain them. One of Jr's most pertinent points, to me, is that if the game truly is focused on skills then there should be a better balance to these items.

Ensign ~ I know some items aren't available to a PvP build, but an account holder does have the option to build an RP character into a PvP character. In that same logic it is much easier for a PvP slot to unlock and use a Superior Absorption rune compared to an RP character, but if that RP warrior wanted to he could unlock that SupAbs rune and make a PvP warrior to use it.

My personal stance on the HoD and other 'overpowered' weapons is mostly the same as Ensign. The HoD sword makes a marginal difference and although 2 extra energy does make a difference it only makes a very marginal difference. Are some matches won because of the HoD sword? Yes, some are and because of that the sword clearly is unbalanced. Let's face it: the sword beats any possible other combo out there. I once had one but I accidently merchanted it. (You can laugh now).

At first I didn't understand why they took it out. Well, with hindsight it's pretty obvious why they took it out of the game: because both staves and wands became utter crap because of them. Should they be put back in? No, they should not.

Is it fair however to leave them in? Well, in all honesty: no, it is not fair the sword is left in the game. It is an imbalance and no matter how you turn it stays an imbalance. Is it however fair to take them away from their owners now? No, it is not. Some people have spend a lot of time and effort to get one and that time and effort should not be in vein. Taking them out now will cause alot of harm. Although one could wonder: Can the momentary grief from taking them out be compared to having the imbalance stay till the end of GW?

Anyhow, all of this does not change the fact that Anet should've removed ALL existing copies as soon as they deleted it from the crafter. Back in those days the HoD sword wasn't a big deal. Noone had payed extravagant amounts to get one and taking them out for the cause of balance would have been understandable and wouldve caused little grief. Anet made the wrong choice here and seeing how they reacted to the SoA axe shows me they probably won't make that mistake again.

The ones that don't have an HoD sword now are the victims, but nothing is gonna change that, because the imbalance caused by the sword can be overcome and the harm in taking them out now, or putting them back in is too big. If it's a comfort: if I hadn't merchanted my sword I probably would've sold it for a pretty penny now eventhough I mostly pvp nowadays. Really, the extra 2 energy isn't gonna cost ya the World Title or anything... If it'll cost you one match in tombs you can already consider yourself 'unlucky'.


And about the 20/20 rockmolder. I heard that it is just a typo and that it hasn't actually got the 20/20 effect.

[Edit] and about the uncoditional weapons: If you just take a 15over50 and a 20under50 you basically have an unconditional weapon too.

basically i agree with ensign, the hodsword is far less an issue than the unconditional weapons and the hod helmet (helmet discussion here: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...d.php?t=109255
) and removing it now will definately "piss" people off who invested big amounts of crafting material (the yellow one) on it / might scare away possible chapter 2 buyers.

there is no need to have a hod sword to be competitive in 99.9% of all battles (pretty sure one could make up a situation where you can squeeze in one more healing seed and the last 2 seconds will keep your hero alive...notice that it has to be +5 energy AND the 20% enchants that let you win) if you want to have enchantment-improvement with a normal offhand item: use axe/sword of enchanting and you are set - those 5 energy might be help useful - but if you NEED those 5 energy to see yourself able to compete then you might take a look at how efficent you can play your current profession - maybe you should spend the time to get +5 on your skill instead your maximum energy.

anyone who doesn't care about pvp but cares about this sword beeing exclusive: you can farm place X or even Y which is slightly more north but a bit deeper in the ground without 20% longer enchantments - and if you prefer that mod - use an axe or sword that you like to look at all the time.
if you die without the +5 energy you will most likely die with it as well.


at the end it all comes to one point: the hod sword won't make up for lack of skill - experience and knowlegde regaring the game, all available skills and the build you are running. it won't help you against good intuition, reflexes, better latency with the servers, ... i could go on and on but i think everyone with half a brain could understand where this is going.

#ot_talk:

oh it works. with a falchion of enchanting (which looks way better then this short toothpick from the henge) alone i wouldn't be able to chain my own aegis. and it seriously beats the 10% recharge - i counted all faster recharges i got for 50 shielding hands. compared to a 10% smiting staff i get my recharge far more often.

i am going to re-test with a flamespitter, just to see if i would get the same recharge that i have with 10/10 wands.

whoever reads this: if you still think your rockmolder doesn't work - i need one for my mesmer on the 2nd account and will buy it for a couple plat ^^

7am, please bear with any typos.

edited syntax error

I won't say that I have too much of a life, but you really exaggerate too much. Wow, from a simple +5 energy sword you made it into a SUPER WEAPON! A weapon with which the HoH can be held for days!

Please, just let it pass, we'll see what Anet will do.

Personally I will just stop playing GW if they took it out, this game is already getting old, let's just say sacrificing PvE for the sake of PvP yet again is really going to be the last straw.

pardon my french, but this is load of bull droppings. i do not need the HoD sword to stay competitive. i do not need the sword at all. but i like it, i saved up for it, i payed 160+40 to have it with 20% enchants mod and i make good money wielding it. as for pvp - i get +2 energy than a monk with Insightful 20/20 healing staff of Enchanting, but i don't get the luxury to attack.

imbalanced? no way.

it's the same reason people buy BMW's, Rolex watches, (insert status item here) and fissure armor.

Fully agree.

I have 2 unused 20/20 rockmolders and a HoD. if they will be nerfed to the bone, it will be a bit of a bummer for me. But I'd gladly take it because it would make the game balance better in the long run.
I've been fortunate enough to be given a HoD. For those that spend capitals on their HoD, I feel sorry. If they still would nerf it (not sure on that, but we'll see on the coming skillupdate round), it won't be the most elegant nerf in this game.
The 20-20 enchant axe was handled with more elegance (sp?).

I wish people would stop playing the HoD sword up as some sort of elite uber-item that's the best option available no matter what. It simply is not. The weapon was not changed at the crafter because it was ultimate uber-loot. It was changed because they wanted to put more standardized, desirable modifiers on the weapons available at crafters - remember that they changed all the other weapon crafters as well to offer 'normal' weapons like the perfect hammers and swords available in Droknar's. The old denravi items that had their uses in one build or another became popular collector's items, and now they've been played up in people's minds that they're unparalleled uberloot. "Ultimate Caster Sword!" makes for a good ad when you're trying to sell one of these, but it really doesn't mean a damn thing.

Here's the rub - +5 energy is a relatively weak modifier. Maximum energy pool is seriously overrated in this game - it has its uses in letting you burst a little harder, or make better use of energy management by removing some time-sensitivity, but ultimately it doesn't do a whole lot. The other staff heads, +5 armor and +30 health, are much, much more valuable. In general a staff with the right upgrades is going to outperform a sword + focus setup due to stronger modifiers and the ability to attack.

The reason the sword is good / popular is because it lets you take a 20% enchanting weapon modifier in a weapon + focus setup, *without* giving up the benefits of a staff head (even if it is the weakest one). In practice it is a useful alternative for characters who don't have a useful staff available (such as PvE monks who can't get a 20/20 healing staff), or who are locked out of staves because they either need a special focus (55 farmers), or can't afford the fast casting modifier (spikers). On a PvP character, as mentioned, the best general use for the sword is on your first focus swap (-1 pip regen) to maintain the 20% enchanting while getting the energy boost.

If you really want to use a weapon that doesn't let you attack as your main, the old henge axe is the strongest anti-spike option available, while the strongest weapon for general usage is the Fiery Flame Spitter, particularly if you're using an energy elite that can benefit from a fast recharge (if you're using Offering of Blood at 10 spec, for instance, the Flame Spitter is worth around 2.5 energy per minute from the recharge bonuses. The first time it triggers on an energy elite it has already far surpassed any value you'd have gotten out of an energy sword).

But all of this is an old man rambling. The point I wanted to make was that the weapon was not pulled from the game for being overpowered. It was pulled for being non-standard, when all of the crafters became standardized. That's all there is too it.

Peace,
-CxE

there isn't one. the HoD sword is a status symbol.