So what’s wrong with axe?

[BobbyT.7192]

I keep hearing from people on here and in game that axe is no good and it doesn’t do a lot of damage.

Yet since the game first started, it’s probably received the most buffs of any weapon set I can think off.

On a power build, axe 2 can do a lot of damage even before the vulnerability kicks in.

Honestly from a 900 range none projectile weapon, what more do people want?

 

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

Don't ask me, from where i stand it's a great weapon, that has it's own identity, numerous uses and respectable damage.

[Anchoku.8142]

I like axe... now. It used to be the most pathetic weapon Necromancer had. Low damage, 600 range, and slow vulnerability stacking. It was awful as a power weapon. Staff was a better choice for power builds.

[KrHome.1920]

Axe is great now. If MH- and OH-Dagger get the same love that GS, Axe and Focus already got and ANet gives us 10% more DPS and a Shroud cooldown of 8s, then Necro is in a pretty complete state.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"BobbyT.7192" said:

> I keep hearing from people on here and in game that axe is no good and it doesn’t do a lot of damage.

> Yet since the game first started, it’s probably received the most buffs of any weapon set I can think off.

> On a power build, axe 2 can do a lot of damage even before the vulnerability kicks in.

> Honestly from a 900 range none projectile weapon, what more do people want?

>

 

Its a burst weapon its (mostly) fine imo although ill never stop asking for more damage.

Axe 2 (Ghastly claws) does require some setup to make the most dps out of most people dont seem to read the part about it doing 1% more damage per stack of vuln. in other words this skill can do for example

Enemy with 10 vuln

10% damage from vuln

10% more damage with axe 2 attack

Total of 20% bonus damage during a burst

or 50% more damage on a foe with 25 vuln

It hits hard!

+ it recently got a 10% damage increase from the passive that was removed from the triatline.

 

Axe 3 is more of boon converting and chip damage its not bad but its not good either.

 

The only real issue i see with axe is that its auto attack lacks in power. Meaning that when you drop shroud or what ever you were using to deal tons of damage and you dont have ghastly claws available your damage is going to take a massive spike downward and you kind of have a good few seconds where it feels odd to just stand there and do an atuo attack with no chain thats not a projectile.

Thats said i would mainly say the auto attack damage is lacking if they upped that to hit as hard as some of the other professions weapon auto attacks it would be perfectly fine.

[mulzi.8273]

The auto-attack from the axe hits like a mini-truck. It hits hard enough to bait out dodges so you do not waste GC. I use to be a mh dagger necro, but switching to axe really allows me to put pressure on scourges/mesmers/thieves when out of shroud.

 

I would like to see a bump in lifeforce generation on the auto-attack though.

[arenta.2953]

my only issue with axe is its rather bad for lifeforce generation

outside of the 2 skill, it doesnt help regain lifeforce.

 

sure the vulnerbility apply is EPIC. but a necro that is struggling to regain lifeforce will suffer in long term =/

[Lahmia.2193]

I'd argue it's one of our top 3 weapons (greatsword and sceptre being the other two).

[vicious.5683]

Auto attack is awful. And necromancers don't have an off hand weapon to pair axe with.

[FrostDraco.8306]

> @"mulzi.8273" said:

> The auto-attack from the axe hits like a mini-truck. It hits hard enough to bait out dodges so you do not waste GC. I use to be a mh dagger necro, but switching to axe really allows me to put pressure on scourges/mesmers/thieves when out of shroud.

>

> I would like to see a bump in lifeforce generation on the auto-attack though.

 

No it doesn't. Just on numbers alone the damage from axe auto is pitiful. The skill 2 is where the damage is. That just shows you how much worse the mainhand dagger damage is.

[UMS.1976]

I realy like axe + warhorn combo.

In spvp with marauder + crhono rune i can so hard hit ppl with axe 2. Some squishy build get blasted with this axe 2.

After that significant scourge nerf i think i cann run power reaper spvp now as i suffered from lack of condi cleanse on reaper before.

Now wells got buffed (harder to currupt protection), no need for massive condi cleanse...

Sry for my english btw.

[HardRider.2980]

Trouble is Axe is a MID RANGE weapon which doesn't have projectiles... So it can't do Close range damage or long range damage

[Drakril.4058]

biggest problem is Axe#2 can glitch out if you quickly cast it after weapon swap. The animation will play but no dmg is registered.... ANET fix asap!!

[nekretaal.6485]

The big problem is that it hardly scales with extra power. So, you add power to your build and the damage barely increases.

[ZeftheWicked.3076]

> @"HardRider.2980" said:

> Trouble is Axe is a MID RANGE weapon which doesn't have projectiles... So it can't do Close range damage or long range damage

 

That's one of the biggest pros of axe! When a guard or mesmer, or hell even an enemy scourge pops his projectile hate spell and others can only howl if it's impossible to get near....you just whip out trusty old axe and shred them to pieces!

[DeceiverX.8361]

Axe is amazing for PvP/WvW; don't listen to the haters.

People just whine about weapons being weak when they're not dealing massive damage in PvE, despite said weapons not being meant for sustained damage.

[Drarnor Kunoram.5180]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"BobbyT.7192" said:

> > I keep hearing from people on here and in game that axe is no good and it doesn’t do a lot of damage.

> > Yet since the game first started, it’s probably received the most buffs of any weapon set I can think off.

> > On a power build, axe 2 can do a lot of damage even before the vulnerability kicks in.

> > Honestly from a 900 range none projectile weapon, what more do people want?

> >

>

> Its a burst weapon its (mostly) fine imo although ill never stop asking for more damage.

> Axe 2 (Ghastly claws) does require some setup to make the most dps out of most people dont seem to read the part about it doing 1% more damage per stack of vuln. in other words this skill can do for example

> Enemy with 10 vuln

> 10% damage from vuln

> 10% more damage with axe 2 attack

> Total of 20% bonus damage during a burst

> or 50% more damage on a foe with 25 vuln

> It hits hard!

> + it recently got a 10% damage increase from the passive that was removed from the triatline.

 

It's a bit better than that. Those damage boosts on Ghastly Claws are multiplicitive, not additive.

 

For example, with 10 vuln, you don't do 1.2 times damage, you deal (1.1*1.1) or 1.21 times damage. With 25 vuln, you deal 1.5625 times damage (56.25% bonus damage)

[Thustlewhumber.7416]

I hit a scourge for 16k with axe 2 today.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Drarnor Kunoram.5180" said:

> > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > > @"BobbyT.7192" said:

> > > I keep hearing from people on here and in game that axe is no good and it doesn’t do a lot of damage.

> > > Yet since the game first started, it’s probably received the most buffs of any weapon set I can think off.

> > > On a power build, axe 2 can do a lot of damage even before the vulnerability kicks in.

> > > Honestly from a 900 range none projectile weapon, what more do people want?

> > >

> >

> > Its a burst weapon its (mostly) fine imo although ill never stop asking for more damage.

> > Axe 2 (Ghastly claws) does require some setup to make the most dps out of most people dont seem to read the part about it doing 1% more damage per stack of vuln. in other words this skill can do for example

> > Enemy with 10 vuln

> > 10% damage from vuln

> > 10% more damage with axe 2 attack

> > Total of 20% bonus damage during a burst

> > or 50% more damage on a foe with 25 vuln

> > It hits hard!

> > + it recently got a 10% damage increase from the passive that was removed from the triatline.

>

> It's a bit better than that. Those damage boosts on Ghastly Claws are multiplicitive, not additive.

>

> For example, with 10 vuln, you don't do 1.2 times damage, you deal (1.1*1.1) or 1.21 times damage. With 25 vuln, you deal 1.5625 times damage (56.25% bonus damage)

 

Thanks for the corrections but my rough guess was still close enough XD the difference between 50% and 56% is not that much. XD

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Thustlewhumber.7416" said:

> I hit a scourge for 16k with axe 2 today.

 

Melted?

[Nex.3782]

> @"vicious.5683" said:

> Auto attack is awful. And necromancers don't have an off hand weapon to pair axe with.

 

Pairing with focus for boon strip is very strong. Combine that with Scourge trait "Feed from Corruption" and enjoy endless boons. Axe has incredible synchronization with many, many builds.

 

> @"Drakril.4058" said:

> biggest problem is Axe#2 can glitch out if you quickly cast it after weapon swap. The animation will play but no dmg is registered.... ANET fix asap!!

 

I've used axe since launch and have never seen this. Be sure your "Allow Skill Retargeting" option is checked under Combat/Movement of the general settings. If you start axe 2 and retarget, it will not hit the new target mid animation unless this is turned on.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Nex.3782" said:

 

> Pairing with focus for boon strip is very strong. Combine that with Scourge trait "Feed from Corruption" and enjoy endless boons. Axe has incredible synchronization with many, many builds.

 

If the rest of scourge had some kind of power option this would have ben perfect for power builds.

In my honest opinion "Feed from corruption" should have been a core trait that was mainly locked int a power line like spite. This would have opened up a whole new world of power boon strip builds while giving necros a way to get the boons they lacked in player vs player gamemodes. As the only light armor profession that had no real access to vigor, regeneration, swiftness, retaliation etc.

In pve though right now a trait like this has near 0 use and so do the boon ripping / stripping / corrupting mechanics of any other necro weapons.

On scourge you cant make use of it if you want to make use of your shades. Clearly this was not thought out very well.

People who even want to use it can because then the main mechanic of scourge as bad as it currently is become even less effective.

 

 

[Nex.3782]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

>

> If the rest of scourge had some kind of power option this would have ben perfect for power builds.

> In my honest opinion "Feed from corruption" should have been a core trait that was mainly locked int a power line like spite. This would have opened up a whole new world of power boon strip builds while giving necros a way to get the boons they lacked in player vs player gamemodes. As the only light armor profession that had no real access to vigor, regeneration, swiftness, retaliation etc.

> In pve though right now a trait like this has near 0 use and so do the boon ripping / stripping / corrupting mechanics of any other necro weapons.

> On scourge you cant make use of it if you want to make use of your shades. Clearly this was not thought out very well.

> People who even want to use it can because then the main mechanic of scourge as bad as it currently is become even less effective.

>

>

 

I don't think the objective of Scourge was to improve on power builds. We already have Reaper for that. I'm also not entire sure what you meant by

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> People who even want to use it can because then the main mechanic of scourge as bad as it currently is become even less effective.

>

 

are you talking about the shade mechanic or boon stripping mechanic that comes will almost all scourge skills?

 

As for PvE, open world PvE, maybe not, but this certainly has a great place with the more difficult or newer content. They've slowly been adding boons and more advanced mechanics to PvE mobs that all for this to be useful. For example, Axe #3 will almost always give you 9x might when doing a Dragon Stand meta. All the might those mobs have work well with Feed from Corruption.

[DeceiverX.8361]

-Redacted-

Quoted posted was referring to another comment and I got confused.

[Nimon.7840]

> @"KrHome.1920" said:

> Axe is great now. If MH- and OH-Dagger get the same love that GS, Axe and Focus already got and ANet gives us 10% more DPS and a Shroud cooldown of 8s, then Necro is in a pretty complete state.

 

Focus got love? Did i miss something? Oh dagger is fine as it is. Mh dagger is awful. Focus is awfull

 

Yeah i think axe is fine. Dont know. Never heard someone complain about. Sure id like to see havin more dmg on it. But anet did a good job the last patches for that axe.