Weapons for a Cavalier
Kneller
Member Posts: 438
I'm thinking about a Cav that I would take through the saga. Now, Axes, 2H swords, and 2H style are obvious choices. However, there are still 9 more picks to go before one hits the cap. What to take and when? I figure on starting with Axes and 2H swords. Levels 3 and 6 can be for 2H style. I can buy the +1 Axe from Beregost to use with a shield until I get Spider's Bane. As long as I hit DT before UB, I'll have a +3 weapon (2H sword) to use against the Greater Werewolf. And that takes care of BG1.
In BG2, I dunno. Halberds pale in comparison to the 2H swords you can get. Jah will have spears and staves. That covers 2H weapons. I could still go 1H and shield, but I'll have Minsc DW, so that'll take care of Flails (FoA), Hammers (Crom), and probably long swords (whatever). There's no good bastard swords until ToB. Maces for Mace of Disruption? What's left, really?
In BG2, I dunno. Halberds pale in comparison to the 2H swords you can get. Jah will have spears and staves. That covers 2H weapons. I could still go 1H and shield, but I'll have Minsc DW, so that'll take care of Flails (FoA), Hammers (Crom), and probably long swords (whatever). There's no good bastard swords until ToB. Maces for Mace of Disruption? What's left, really?
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Comments
- If you want to go with bastard swords then you can get Foebane early.
- Celestial Fury.
- No need to let Minsc hog three great weapon classes.
2.) Purifier (Bastard sword)
3.) Flail (FoA)
4.) War Hammer (Main weapon in BG1 and nice for golems in BG2)
Either use Carsomyr for it's 50% magic resistance, amazing damage and nice dispel effect. Or use FoA + Purifier for 25-35% magic resistance, slow, elemental damage and FoA dealing the most damage of any weapon in the game.
2-handers for main weapons, Axes for throwing and Bastard Swords to deal with Karoug in BG:EE. Similar in BG2:EE, but with Axes for trollslaying too. Getting Axes, Bastard Swords and 2-weapon style to specialised should occupy me until level 18.
Start:
++Axes
++2H Swords
Then:
3 +Bastard Swords
6 +Bastard Swords
9 +2W Style
12 +2W Style
15 +2H Style
18 +2H Style
The way I figure it, 2H style provides some good benefits, but not any better than specialization in another weapon I'd be using often. With this, I do a weapon and shield (or Spider's Bane) throughout BG1, then switch to 2W by BG2 (where shields are not as useful), then finally further improve with 2H so I'm ready for the Holy Avenger.
+2 THACO, +2 to damage, double damage vs dragons, immune to fear, +1 HP every 10 rounds, Detect Invisibility once per day
Placed on a cavalier it makes dragon fights laughably easy. Case and point:
My cavalier with a strength potion went in with it equipped and Solo'd Firekragg without even taking a scratch, okay well I took 10 damage - killed him in 3 rounds at level 14. One hit went like this.
Crit + Max damage = [(8+ 2) + 11 Str modifier +3 bonus from class + 2 for specialization] * (2) *(2) for crit and double damage= (26x2)x2 = 104 damage. After that I was dealing about 50-80 damage on every swing with just the strength potion buff. Combined with the fact the Paladin was immune to all the fire attacks I think I slew the dragon in about 2-4 rounds doing nothing other than straight up tanking.
Make sure you're ready to go with carsomyr once you get it since its much more useful for a much larger quantity of fights, but make sure you always keep dragon slayer on had as it makes the dragon fights in the game laughably easy.
Personally, I just bridge the time to Carsomyr with Joril's Dagger and Lilarcor, and never bother with anything else. But that's just me
Halberds are interesting and different, the main problem being that the best ones only arrive late on. Wave +4, Blackmist +4 and Dragon's Breath +4 are only available in or after the Underdark. Ravager is about halfway through TOB. Early on the Harmonium Halberd is solid but unexceptional, as is Dragon's Bane. A fairly big drawback is piercing damage too, it's commonly resisted.
Whereas Two-Handed Swords, as pointed out, get Lilarcor, as easily available +3 weapon with a very useful secondary effect. There aren't many other standouts in SoA, but there's not much competition from NPCs for two-handed swords either, and you can have Carsomyr itself before even heading to Spellhold.
-ravager (2h-halberd)
-flail of ages (1h-flail)
-celestial fury/hindo's doom (1h-katana)
-the equalizer/blackrazor/answerer (1h-long sword) (switch to dragonslayer/daystar if necessary vs. enemy type)
-crom faeyr (1h-hammer) (switch to runehammer if necessary vs. enemy type)
-and assorted axes (too many, too equal)
these are your best weapons per weapon class. look up what each does and how your proficiencies will affect each and make your decision based on what you want your paladin being used for.
I was actually quite disappointed with polearms in this series, especially when it comes to paladins. When I think of paladins, I think of Sturm Brightblade from Dragonlance and his final battle where he's weilding a dragonlance.
@Lord_Tansheron IMO, Lilarcor is the best weapon in the series. Not necessarily in terms of power, but in terms of all around awesomeness. At the very least, he's a better conversationalist than Carsomyr.
@Remenissions You forgot bastard swords.
And this makes me wonder. The only reason I'm taking bastard swords is to have something good against the greater werewolf in ToSC. If I do DT before UB, I'll have flametongue (long sword) and be covered. That being said, I think I might be better off taking long swords instead of bastard swords, as the long swords are better and more plentiful. This changes my plan a little, as I was originally thinking of having minsc DW long swords and FoA. Maybe instead I give him FoA with Scarlet?
Longswords are abundant in +1 and +2 varieties with various special abilities, but the Blade of Roses with the +2 Charisma boost is the only +3 weapon available before the underdark/Watcher's keep. Angurvadal is great once you get it and even better once upgraded but comes later still.
The reason to consider Bastard swords on a Paladin is pretty much just Purifier. A 1-handed mini-Carsomyr from Watcher's Keep level 3. If you're willing to do the first level of Watcher's Keep early, which is doable at lowish level, you can get Foebane +3 to tide you over.
I'm trying to have a pretty optimal weapon setup. Most of this involves figuring out how to split weapons between my Cav and Minsc, especially since they both with be DW eventually. Axes are obvious for the Cav, Flails are obvious for Minsc, the second for both is not as clear for me.
I guess that will leave Longswords with my Cav. Problem solved, I think.
@Corvino I'm SKing proficiencies anyway to what they had at the end of BG1.
People using Quarterstaves, on the other hand, can pass it up, because all of the good quarterstaves have 0 speed factor to begin with. Spears and Halberds are slow enough to maybe justify the second pip, but those weapon types tend not to get used much.
Has anyone tested this? Are there screenshots to back it up? I can't imagine BIS would set up a system where an extra pip merely grants a nudge to speed factor.