Does anyone else use the Axe of Unyielding?

DetroitRedWings25

Hey I was just wondering if others use this weapon regularly? I've read over a lot of the forums and when people bring up end game weapons this one never seems to be brought up and I'm curious why? I find the additional con HP regeneration and bonus AC to be a great bonus as well as the 10% kill chance and +5, is there any particular reason others find it underwhelming?

Aasimar069

There are others weapons available, so it's not always possible to use it, depending of your party composition.

But it is indeed a nice item that I sometime use.

Lord_Tansheron

It's a nice weapon to be sure, but aside from the vorpal hits, it doesn't do a whole lot of damage. That means that against anything you cannot insta-kill (like bosses), it's not a very good choice.

Additionally it's an axe, and there aren't a lot of good axes in the game. So before you get AoU (which is quite late in the series), you are pretty much putting proficiency points into a more or less useless category.

bbear

If you have Korgan, then it's the weapon for him.

Tresset

Why do people keep saying there are few good axes in the game? There are plenty of good axes, just not many exceptional axes.

Lord_Tansheron

Why settle for "good", when you can have "exceptional"? Might as well go down a tier and use "good" and "bad" - it's really the same thing, just a matter of perspective.

Tresset

If axes rank on a scale of poor < good < exceptional then I still say there are plenty of good axes. Sure there are a few poor axes but there are good and exceptional ones too.

A few examples of how I rank them: (just my opinion)
Poor: Hangard's, Horthgar, Non unique axes
Good: Frostreaver, Stonefire, Rifthome, Azuredge, Unyielding+3
Exceptional: K'logarath, Unyielding+5

Lord_Tansheron

You could make the same list going Good > Average > Bad. Either way, the argument remains: axes are generally worse than the alternatives.

One exception, though: Azuredge is useful because of its undead-slaying effect.

Don't get me wrong, though: I don't find this a good thing. BG has a clear bias towards swords, and more decent axes would go a long way.

Nic_Mercy

My favorite melee toon is a Fighter 7 Dualed to Thief that uses it. Taking him to 7 gives him an extra attack, weapon mastery, and most of the warrior HP rolls but still lets him get his warrior abilities back in BG1. He ends up with grand mastery in Long Swords and Axes with the intent of dual wielding Angurvadal +5 and Axe of the Unyielding +5. The passive benefits from these weapons alone is great! To really make him OP a little shadowkeeper magic to give him the swashbuckler kit does wonders! This guy is just a pure vegematic melee DPS even without that though.

karnor00

Axe of the Unyielding is great at +5, but the +3 version isn't anything special.

The main problem I have with it is that the +5 version doesn't come along until very late in the game. That's why I generally prefer other weapons.

CoM_Solaufein

Its a good axe but I prefer K'logarath. If my character doesn't use it, I give it to Minsc or Korgan depending on who's in the party.

zur312

+3 axes are
+3 +1 acid +1 cold
+3 +2 fire
pretty good for like the first +3 weapon that you can buy(really easy) in soa

Lord_Tansheron

There's also swords that are comparably easy to get, though. Heck, the same quest that unlocks the fire axe, unlocks a +3 sword, too.

I do agree though, these axes are easy to get - but they are also pretty much the only axes in the game until you reach Axe of the Unyielding itself, which in its un-upgraded form isn't anything special. Upgrading it takes you what, halfway through ToB... not exactly a point you want to be using early SoA weapons until.

ZanathKariashi

You can instant-kill Abazagal and Draconis's 2nd forms with it...someone decided dragons shouldn't be immune to instant death apparently (ALL dragons are vulnerable to instant death).

Also AotU turns off all your other regen items, due to have the highest regen rate in the game...only regen effects with the same rate can stack.

Lord_Tansheron

Dragons being vulnerable to death magic has been the source of hilarious moments ever since BG2 first came out... I do remember videos about killing Firkraag with Finger of Death, or a Chromatic Orb... A glaring oversight to be sure by the design team! Luckily, many mods fix this issue - but unfortunately that also relegates vorpal items like AoU to trash cleanup duty.