Topic. Plus shouldn’t mighty weapons deal more damage but be slower, since they are suppose to be to heavy for anyone but the barbarian’s to wield?
Bliz has never addressed the issues with Mighty weapons. They are still under-developed and should have been changed years ago. Super oversight and poor development from day one…
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My thoughts on the matter would be to give 2 handers 2 sockets and be able to carry a shield on the Barbs back for extra DR, just for starters.
That leads to issues with Crusaders who can wield a two-hander and a shield. This would mean they’d get 10% CHC from their shield and 260% CHD from their weapon whereas every other class would choose from 260% CHD (dual-wielders, or two-handed) or 130% CHD + 10% CHC (main-hand + off-hand).
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Probably could have certain 2 handed weapons, such as two handed staves, scythes, daibos, and mighty weapons possess an inherent damage bonus (non-cubable) that’s active when equipped. Beyond that, I can’t think of any way to give 2-handed weapons more viability.
My go-to is always adding increased crit chance affix to the pool of 2-handed melee weapons. Ranged 2h weapons are okay and DHs can easily carry a quiver with them, no problem. Compared to other options, 2-handed melee weapons either lose from ChC% by lacking an off-hand (except 'saders passive) and lacking ChD% compared to dual wield. Only edge 2-h melee weapons have over a one hander is 23% more damage per hit but this can be negated easily with increased attack speed of one hander or dual wield.
While I have trust in this approach, this increased ChC% addition will come with Crusaders having access to more damage at the cost of one passive. So class based 2-handed melees (barbs and 'saders) must be excluded from this rule if this were to apply to mitigate this effect up to a point.
My second idea is adding a seventh or utility slot and introduce charged skills for 2-h staves and introduce 1-h quarter staves (ranged weaponry, think them as wands but can be used by multiple classes).
Each staff can roll with a charged skill of an off-class or even monsters’ for limited amount of uses. Utility slot can be given other purposes easily such as commanding pets or followers so it wouldn’t feel like a hollow concept.
This is a problem with all games. Think of the Dungeons and Dragons with a Two-Handed Sword doing a 1d10 and a One-Handed Sword doing a 1D8. If speed is a factor, obviously the One-Handed weapon will be faster. Seriously? That’s it? A 1d10 vs. a 1D8 and in most cases it’s slower too? Plus I can only use one? Most players would say NO THANKS.
Depending on rules, when using 2 One-Handed weapons, usually the second one (the off-hand so to speak) will do less damage (usually 50% less). 1D8 + 1D4 has more potential to do more damage than 1D10 and it’s faster. Depending on the rules, if using weapon speed, those 2 One-Handed weapons could strike before the Two-Handed weapon.
You have two chances to do damage vs. only one chance. The only thing a Two-Handed weapon has going for it is the Role Playing factor of smashing something with a really big object.
Many games, even computer games, struggle with this. Make the Two-Handed weapon more viable and those that prefer 2 One-Handed weapons will get upset and complain. Plus through out most games, more people would prefer to use 2 One-Handed weapons vs. a Two-Handed weapon even if it did less damage.
Of course there is the obvious reason for that, but I won’t get into that at all. That would violate the rules and deviate from the topic altogether. Basically, I really can’t see Two-Handed weapons being viable, just a different flavor. That’s a bummer since I am of the few that prefers to whack things with a really big object vs. poking or tickling something with 2 smaller objects.
EDIT: To answer your question… Since Two-Handed weapons are slower, I would add the damage potential of 2 One-Handed weapons and add 50% more damage to the Two-Handed weapons. Maybe that would work for D3, I don’t know. Bt That’s where I would start and work from there.
To use the above example… 1D8 + 1D4 = 1d12. 1/2 of that is 1D6. Add 1D6 to the Two-Handed Swords 1D10 and you get 1D16. Well that doesn’t exist, but 4D4 does. But that would never happen either unless the person running ‘that’ game said so. No the best that would happen would be 1D12 (or 2D6 for better min. damage) for the Two-Handed weapon.
Most people don’t think about weapon speed when suggesting this (2 handers are way slower than one handed swords, daggers). Because of how attack speed and breakpoints work in this game, ‘moderate’ buff to two handers won’t make players use two handers over 1hand+offhand. It has to be outlandishly op buff, but we all know better that shouldn’t happen.
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Two handed in d2 and d3 were kinda a no go. I used two handed ebotd sword on my shield pk barb in D2 because I liked the look but wasn’t as good as the axe version which also had as much reach as the two handed sword…
D3, I’ve never used a 2 handed weapon besides on crusader and in cube. They really shouldn’t have even had them in the game if there wasn’t something to boost them up to equal a one handed…the macho barbs aren’t even as strong as the crusaders apparently with their “holy strength”. IK 2 handed weapon isn’t even used which is part of the set.
I would like to have something simple but thematic. Lets make you attack 80% slower but deal 140% (or even higher) damage when using 2 handed weapon.
It should also be count as 2 items for LON/LOD.
More weight doesn’t mean more damage 100% of the time.
Create more useful legendary affixes.
D3 builds consists mainly on the items with the highest multipliers, since most 1-hand items allows for 2 legendary affixes, they are usually stronger. For instance if the Remorseless affix was put on a 2-hander, then all HotA builds would be consisting of 2-hander barbs. Before that item the Istvan’s Blades was the only other weapons that could boost it with a legendary affix, and thus what players used.
Sockets and magical affixes doesn’t matter, it’s the legendary affixes that determines items usefulness, and so far to few 2-handed weapons has too poor legendary affixes, or only one is required (making it a favorable cube choice).