Quarterstaff vs Scimitar

Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2003 5:14 am

Which is the better choice for WOS and in which situations????

Which is quicker
Which will cause more damage against which armor (or no armor)
Etc. Etc.

Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2003 7:22 pm

SC is almost always a better choice. QS *IS* slightly more decisive, but it does barely more damage without crits, and with crits few weapons are in the same league as the scimitar - one SC crit is enough to win a low-level fight. The BA actually does more damage than the SC, but it has the unfortunate tendency to be a slash/bash weapon rather than a slash/lunge weapon. Also, while SC is slightly more fragile than the QS, you can´t carry a backup QS. Finally, SC allows your waste to carry a shield, and since the vast majority of non-Eligible wastes cannot fathom the riposte, they´ll spend a large amount of time parrying.

It basically boils down to whether or not your guy throws more than about 10% crits - if no, then QS is better against anything more than APL. If he does throw crits, though, the SC is better in every situation. If it´s a rookie waste, I´d even choose BS/ME over the QS for an 11 strength waste.

Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2003 11:17 pm

nonsense, use a real weapon like the war flail!

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 12:58 am

Is he trying to jump or last until he can get into the fight later?

If he wants to last, you should go with 1 hand weapons and shield. BS is often a better choice in the 10/11-12 range to avoid the ASM. On both sides of that, ARM and ACM, you have armors that are best against bashing (ie QS). If your guy doesn´t like the scimitar, I would try the BS against these heavier armors. I do have an AB who fights bizarrely with the SC (parrys with it but would rather attack with his shield than a SC). For heavy armors I give him the QS and he´s beat his arenas best TP twice with it. But aside from being an AB he also does great damage so when he throws a couple crits the fight is over...

Now BS and a few others mentioned are not high riposte weapons. I´ve certainly seen some WOS´s who were plenty good at riposting and if you´re lucky enough to have one you may want to be careful not to screw it up. Still, against heavier armor (against light you might as well stick with the SC I think) how much riposting do you need to do? Maybe the occasional tanked up basher.

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 9:49 am

Don´t underestimate the damage capacity of the scimitar - I had a Apprentices plunger in the last mail-in who cut through 5 TP´s to get his TV, 2 of whom ALSO TV´d. None of those fights were even close, and he never used anything other than a scimitar, even though they were all in full plate.

Advanced Expert Poster Joined: Nov 04, 2002 Posts: 132

The scimitar with slash crits is merciless. My slasher gave Eraser one of his losses in the novices tourney while using a scimitar.

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:02 pm

taking all comments into consideration, I need to be able to hold off hot lungers for a minute or 2, but I can´t afford to take a beating all day either.

Advanced Expert Poster Joined: Nov 04, 2002 Posts: 132

If you hope to hold off a hot lunger, then parry and riposte are more of a concern than speed. I´d go with SC and an offhand ME.

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 7:04 pm

One word of warning, though - wastes don´t hold off hot lungers very well. Lungers, bashers, and aggressive aimed blows are the three styles that eat wastes for lunch. You´d think slashers would as well, but I´ve always had good success against them.

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 7:42 pm

so here I sit in arena 25, lunger heaven! DOH!!!

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 7:51 pm

Yes my friend, you are in lunger heaven.

.......of course, 5 of them are mine. But unless you know your fave, always go with the BS or SC with a waste. Especially in basic. And as far as what IF said, lungers that have good attack ratings and aimers are deadly against WOS. Bashers are to an extent, but not as bad. But with bashers it really depends on the set up of your waste. My waste in the Zalcon contest in 74 eats bashers for breakfast, lunch, supper, in between snacks, dessert...get my drift.

Of course, he isn´t your typical waste. He has more decise that a slasher, more riposte than most lungers and strikers start with, and defense almost equal to a lunger. Not to mention he is at AdEx ATT and Expert INI/PAR in 3 FE.

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 8:04 pm

if that waste is that good we should expect a TV at the very least from you in the mail-in. Assuming you´re half the manager you think you are...

Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2003 9:50 pm

I expect one as well. He probably could have at the face if I´d sent alternate strats for Zalgor to work with. But, I sent him in with a different oe/al/kd along with different EVERYTHING to keep it from being totally known what he was actually running in the arena. But he will run his normal strats at the mailer, and I do expect at least a 6-3 showing, and hopefully, a TV. And I to hope I´m half the manager I think I am.

Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 12:26 am

Also as far as the SC goes I WOULD use it against APM and up (15+). The SC is probably the most effective weapon against any type of Plate armor. Although it is generally assumed that the WH is the weapon the rulebook refers to as the single weapon that is effective against the Plate armors. You can do extra damage with a SC at times, against APM/APA, even when your warrior only does normal damage!

Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 12:38 am

Filling in a couple of things from other posts...

I said if he doesn´t like the scimitar, use the broadsword against heavier armor. This means, he´s not throwing those awesome SC crits. Then you can still profitably use it against light armored (and theoretically less skilled defensively) offensives but against heavier armors and the often better parry that goes with it, go to the heavier damage weapon (sans crits or hoping for crits with it if he doesn´t like SC).

WOS´s can certainly be vulnerable to slashers. As the slasher generally will jump, attacks about as well as the waste parrys, has tons of init. so is hard to rip etc. and usually outlasts the lungers. Like anything else, an exceptional WOS will beat average warriors of styles that should have the advantage. And of course the best slasher numbers are very close to lunger numbers and people don´t want to waste them...

Your best defense is learning. Most offensives seem to treasure one skill over all others and you´ll never be able to expect to beat them at their favorite thing. You can outstrip some offensives attack as a waste though with parry/defense and by the time they catch up with that if you´ve learned enough to beat them down on their 3rd or 4th min strat you´re still competitive through graduation. You will definately need something beyond attack and parry as you move up the arena ratings though. Whether you rip, steal init, jump slow bashers or whatever, fighting higher offensives with just parry doesn´t work. (They´ll break stuff until they get through if nothing else)

That´s all Ok, but the bad news is top of basic lungers have nearly outgrown all their natural predators. Learn well....