I don't want to be too argumentative here, but there's a few things the above post states that aren't true:
First overall thrust does better damage against the other 2 realms. This is because all Hib classes are thurst neutral, but half of them are slash resistant. Mids have only 3 classes that are thrust resistand, but 5 of the classes are slash resistant. So overall, everything being equal you will do more damage in rvr going the thrust damage route.
Secondly it’s kind of funny to indicate that Malice must hit harder since the Malice scroll 3o3 sells for 15 plat on the merchant. Last time I checked the GS scroll 3o3 also sells for about the same. I had an extra one that I just sold at a discount to a buddy of mine for 13 plat.
He is correct that if you are a slash based damage dealer, Malice and Battler are your best choices, but Golden Spear and Croc Tooth dagger are the Thrust counterparts and hit just as hard. Although from the above information you can tell that overall you’ll hit enemies in RVR for more damage by going with thrust based damage (since more enemies have slash resists overall).
Heres the formula for the highest damage style in the Infil’s CS line (which btw is also the highest for any Infil line): pa = 75 + (cs * 9) + base damage. Your max damage is based on your CS level and your base damage level, not your base damage type. So if you want to hit harder as an Infil, go as high as possible in your CS line and your base line for a one or two strike attack. Over time all the attack style should deal damage approximately equal, but most Infil battles only last 15 seconds, so I try to do as much damage as possible in 3 or 4 hits.
Also, keep in mind that although your “base†damage may be based on slash or thrust, most Infil’s do the highest damage using their Crit Strike line. For background information training in CS determines how high your damage can go. Training in the base damage (slash, thrust or crush) only determines your average amount of damage, or in other words the average “varianceâ€. So again my 50 level Infil, RR6.2 only uses his CS line to hit enemies, unless I evade in which I pop out the Dragaon Fang for the 5 or 6-second stun (damn it used to be 9 seconds, the good ol’ days) ïŠ.
Whether you think Slash or thrust damage looks cooler is up to you. What looks best to me is a dead enemy, and all things being equal Thrust is better overall…unless there are specific “style†types you like to use and your play style dictates you use those…my play style dictates I use the CS line in most my attacks, so it doesn’t for me and most the buddies I group with). Again, I’m going strictly on the formulas for damage vs. enemy resists.
Now, let’s talk about why exactly Thrust hits harder than slash. Here’s the base statistics and relative race-stats for building an Infil:
Britain: 60 Str, 60 Dex
Saracen: 50 Str, 80 Dex
Inconnu: 50 Str, 70 Dex
Since slash damage is based only on Str, if you go this route Britain is clearly the best choice. Remember, I’m saying this based on all things being equal for how you create the toon, how many of the free 30 points you spend are equal and that your equipment, artifacts and, armor etc is equal. Thrust damage is based on ½ your str and ½ your dex…so if you go thrust damage then Saracen is best, all other things being equal. In no scenario is an Inconnu best, although when you get to a certain level…maybe it doesn’t matter so much…but again, it does matter a little bit. Lol it matters a lot to me when I die and just a little bit of extra damage would have made the differenceïŠ. Again, I know it’s a bit **** but when I planned out my Infil, I did the research and the above formulas seem to be agreed upon by most beta testers that have done the research themselves.
Comparing your starting races and base damage goes as follows:
Britain’s best max damage would be either slash or thrust at 60 Str and 60 dex. So a Britain’s damage whether he goes Slash or Thrust should be the same, if all other factors are held equal.
Saracen’s best max damage would be Thrust at (50+80)/2 = 65
Inconnu’s best max damage would be Thrust at (50+70)/2=60
So if you just like the toon and want to go Inconnu, you should hit just as hard as a Britain slasher by going thrust. Again I’m keeping all other factors equal for comparative analysis.
Having shown all the above I will still agree that the way you play your toon, the equipment he carries and your skill mean more than the 5 extra points shown above, the points you allot when creating the toon or the race you choose. But if your looking for the mathematical maximum damage, then the Saracen Thrust is statistically the best option.
Lol so why do all the Britain-Slash Infil buddies of mine always tell me they hit harder than I do? Well maybe they do depending if their artifacts are better than mine or if their equipment is better, or if their artifacts are in better condition. I’d say that statistically I should hit slightly harder, but when you throw in the fact that we all have buffbots at RR5…the above post is correct that it doesn’t matter much. Lastly, GS and Croc tooth dagger do exactly the same damage as Battler and Malice, holding all other factors equal. With buffs my Str is at like 300+, dex is at 360+ etc.