Good dps builds with flails?

[AnjyBelle]

There are some good, unique flails and even a soulbound one.

 

Nevertheless, I none of the popular builds I've seen an advice to use flails.

 

What are the reasons, that these weapons seem to be inferior to others?

[hilfazer]

Probably problems with overcoming DR. It's fast weapon with low damage and it's special does not help with crits nor with DR bypass.

Graze to hit conversion becomes less powerful as your accuracy grows and patch 2.0 upped accuracy and downed deflection.

 

You could wear just single flail for accuracy buff ( more crits ) but it would ruin flail's special.

[Ymarsakar]

The graze to hit conversion isn't particularly unique nor does it add that much to your dps. The fighter has a passive talent and there's the paladin zealous aura.

 

So things like +accuracy or DR bypass on weapons is more noticeable.

 

Flails are generally used in dual wield strategies, sometimes for the unique proc like the drain on the gaun's share. They faster than the big swords, but lack the sabre's top slash damage. They don't have DR bypass or accuracy like spears or stilettos or maces or estocs have. They aren't a reach weapon.

 

The side benefit of attacking faster would be on crit strategies, but a flail doesn't have a crit bonus, an overbearing bonus, or a prone on crit effect like a certain Toki axe has.

 

So basically it would only be used in dual wield strategies that need the special attribute of a special flail.

 

There might also be a problem with the weapon group it is part of. If it is part of the weaker focus group, then fewer will use it as it is out of their focus group for their main weapon dps. This doesn't apply to the soulbound flails, nor particularly to any superb enchanted ones.

 

For the soulbound flails, I think it's more like people haven't had enough time to plan out the builds for them.

Edited September 25, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[Elric Galad]

If you really want to go flail, then choose a class that have an intresic bonus to damage like melee rogue or melee cipher.

 

I think flail can be good for interrupt due to fast speed and graze to hit granting +25 to interrupt. So high perception and maybe interrupting blows.

[AnjyBelle]

Ok, thx so far. Interesting aspects!

[Boeroer]

However, with a flail you can reach crazy high rates of graze-to-hit conversion and add 20% hit to crit with durgan steel. Take the fighters talent, one handed style (also works with shield) and add a paladin with zealous focus and you get a 95% graze-to-hit conversion plus a 25% hit-to crit conversion. Together with a shield and not too high accuracy this is a good weapon choice for chars that use a shield and want to avoid grazes while doing CC-attacks like knockdown and so on. Doing a lot oft hits and avoid grazes is also good for weapons that cause afflictions in x% of all hits or crits (not grazes).

Edited September 25, 2015 by Boeroer

[AnjyBelle]

Oh, until now I thought a knockdown is a hit or miss attack.... how could I "graze" with a knockdown?

[Boeroer]

Duration would only be 50%

[Boeroer]

Same for Blinding Strike and so on.

[AnjyBelle]

And a low INT would shorten the durations even more, right?

[Boeroer]

Absolutely. So - the best thing to do in order to get a very long CC duration is to crit (= high ACC) and have max INT. That also counts when you have a weapon like Starcaller that stuns or causes prone on critical hits. In that case you also want to have high DEX in order to strike a second time while the enemy is still afflicted - because that raises the possibility for a next crit which will again cause the affliction, stunlocking the enemy without the use of special attacks like knockout and the like.

Edited September 25, 2015 by Boeroer

[Oralaina]

There are some good, unique flails and even a soulbound one.

 

Nevertheless, I none of the popular builds I've seen an advice to use flails.

 

What are the reasons, that these weapons seem to be inferior to others?

 

There's a soulbound flail?  Where do you get it?

[Boeroer]

It's not soulbound. But it shares some characteristics. It causes daze with a 10% chance when you hit or crit if I recall correctly. That's quite... meh? At least it's not soulbound - so you can refine it with durgan steel. That's way better than all that soulbound rubbish.

[Oralaina]

Oh, okay, thanks!  I thought I'd missed something.

[AnjyBelle]

Yeah sorry, my fault. I have mistaken a mace for a flail.

[KDubya]

I am surprised that no one gave the obvious answer.

 

The best DPS with dual flails is a WIZARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joke aside you could probably make a rogue work - they get a lot of damage adds so less base damage from fast weapons don't hinder them as much. Another option would be a cipher - apply CC and then hit them with the flails to quickly get your focus back and then cast some more. Soul whip is a 40% damage add, dual wield style is +20% attack speed and the new time parasite is like another 50% speed boost so you'd be a whirlwind.

[Oralaina]

Yeah sorry, my fault. I have mistaken a mace for a flail.

 

No worries.... I just would have been happy to have a soulbound flail too!

[Ymarsakar]

Soulbound upgrades sounds way too close to the World of Warcraft legendary weapons.

 

Sentient and intelligent weapons, self aware, that you can play around with and converse with, that is I think closer to the BG2 and Planescape Torment environment.

 

I got an idea. Why not reforge the Caed Nua steward into some kind of weapon, so you can get voice overs when you activate the weapon and select some custom upgrades, like the stronghold has custom bonuses depending what you build.

 

The quests they had for that spear in the ruins, the one you craft with your soul, was better content for legendary weapons I thought. But they should be adjustable, with little to no cost, from a dialogue screen.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Ymarsakar

[hilfazer]

That's way better than all that soulbound rubbish.

 

My stormcalling ranger disagrees (:

[Boeroer]

OK, that one is good because it lowers the shock DR and does shock damage. Together with Heart of the Storm that's pretty good. The rest I didn't hardly ever use because this x% on hit/crit is only good for carnage or low acc chars, you can't enchant them and most of them have this silly class restrictions.

 

P.s.: The warbow that confuses on crit is even better I think.

[Boeroer]

Oops - double post.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Boeroer

[Teioh_White]

I really hated that War Bow that confused on Crit. Maybe if I was micro'n the ranger to shoot things in the back, it'd work great, but for me it just seemed to turn something that would still die right away because everyone already had attacks queued on it, or it just get its char model in the way when I'd rather folks have just killed it in one more attack round.

 

Stormcaller just did crazy things, and in a rangers hands, gets 4 chances to proc per shot, making it really fun to use.

 

On topic for flails, it has one with a speed mod, one of the best mods (though not quite as good for fast weapons) and another with draining. Can pair the two together with some plate mail and any of the phys classes and have a decent fire and forget front line character. It wouldn't be the most min/max'd thing, but it'd get the job done if you like the idea of spinning lots of balls overhead.