What weapon base for a twc ambusher?

[Rhovan]

I was wondering what people suggest for a twc rogue.

Personally, I've always gone longswords, but I'm past cap and I'm having trouble finding a really nice blade. I have a 4x HCW blade that does great, but there are a few things around that can still survive my ambush.

Handaxes look good with a high DF against plate, but 4x HCW are the ones that are more readily available. Does anyone have any experience to say if switching will be significantly better? There are plenty of numbers out there for determing kills based off of DF, but usually not once ambushing comes into play.

Katars also look good to me. They have the same DF as longswords where it matters. Does anyone know how hard it is to find a high end katar? Also, it looks like you have to train 2x in both edged and brawling. Another 918 PTP and 312 MTP isn't cheap at all, so it'd would have to be a long term goal to get there.

What are peoples' thoughts out there? Anything else I should be considering?

[Gizmo]

I use daggers.

Gib likes daggers/handaxes.

Katars will be tough for you to pull off with TPs. I also tried a sai TWC rogue once, it worked out but the issue is higher end sais aren't very existent in this game still.

None the less, I always have no issues with daggers at about 25+

[Gelston]

I TWC, daggers work perfect. My daggers are pretty pimped out, but any dagger works well enough.

TWC is pretty overkill though, once you get good enough, you'll almost never see your offhand weapon do anything.

[Rhovan]

I hunt up on plane 4 of the rift mostly and have a decent pair of daggers I've tried every once in awhile. I do hit the eyes of a cerebralite more often, but their resistance still makes it hard for a crit kill. My longswords do just as well going for their heads. The crawlers are the real problem though. They don't have any eyes to aim for! Swords are much better for them.

I still like using twc because it has saved me plenty of times against the crawlers. I'm pretty sure the DS pushdown from hiding is a seperate roll for each hand because I often don't get a good pushdown when ambushing them on my first attack, but some times their DS will drop by as much as 150 for the second swing. That plus a critter just evading the first swing, I'll be sticking with it.

[Archigeek]

Longsword shortsword work ok? I have a nice pair I'm going to sell fairly soon.

[Gelston]

The crawlers are the real problem though. They don't have any eyes to aim for! Swords are much better for them.

Crawlers are based on Roa'ters, no? I've found (and could be a bug) that if you AIM RIGHT EYE and just use ambush you can still hit eyes on things that probably shouldn't have them.

[Rhovan]

Longsword shortsword work ok? I have a nice pair I'm going to sell fairly soon.

Until I figure out what I'm going to do, I always happy to hear of a prospective longsword auction. That being said, it all depends on the blade. As far as the shortsword, I already have an offhand blade i like being 4x and enhancive for edged and ambush. It's just about a perfect blade for me, though I may have it enchanted down the road.

[Rhovan]

Crawlers are based on Roa'ters, no? I've found (and could be a bug) that if you AIM RIGHT EYE and just use ambush you can still hit eyes on things that probably shouldn't have them.

I know there are a lot of similarities, but I can't say if they are based on them or not. I'll give it a shot to set my aiming to eyes and see if I can crit them that way.

[Gizmo]

IMO too, the Rift is the toughest place for an Ambushing Rogue to hunt in, but granted you aren't in the Scatter I suppose...that opinion may not matter as much

[Rhovan]

I've never actually tried the other capped hunting areas yet, so I guess I'm just used to the Rift. I generally hunt self-spelled, so I figured the Rift would be the place for me. It'll be awhile before I really try soloing the Rift, but that is part of the reason I want to upgrade my blade. I figure the better chance I have of getting a kill in on the first shot, the better my chance of surviving.

[Gizmo]

I've never actually tried the other capped hunting areas yet, so I guess I'm just used to the Rift. I generally hunt self-spelled, so I figured the Rift would be the place for me. It'll be awhile before I really try soloing the Rift, but that is part of the reason I want to upgrade my blade. I figure the better chance I have of getting a kill in on the first shot, the better my chance of surviving.

Nelemar and OTF is easier when it comes to hunting as a rogue, I found.

I personally, loved Nelemar myself, even with 4x flaring daggers it worked. Most things there are squishy enough.

Issue with Nelemar is I hear it's getting more crowded now that more and more people are starting to cap/near cap

[DoctorUnne]

Handaxes work great against both cerebralites and crawlers. As long as you're 2x ambush you'll have no problem getting crits. Other swords should be fine too. You don't need weighting. The best thing to invest in is AS. Spend your money on 7x perfect weapons and AS enhancives.

[Rhovan]

I don't know, I've got a 7x longsword, but I like the 4x with weighting more (and that isn't just because the 7x is ugly). Most AS vs weighting comparisons I've read seem to point to weighting being more beneficial at high endrolls.

Maybe that is the difference with a handaxe vs a longsword. I've got a 4x handaxe in my locker I will pull out to compare to my HCW longsword.

Also, I checked on the crawler eyes. Definately no eyes to ambush even if you just set your AIM to the eyes.

[BigWorm]

I don't know, I've got a 7x longsword, but I like the 4x with weighting more (and that isn't just because the 7x is ugly). Most AS vs weighting comparisons I've read seem to point to weighting being more beneficial at high endrolls.

Maybe that is the difference with a handaxe vs a longsword. I've got a 4x handaxe in my locker I will pull out to compare to my HCW longsword.

Also, I checked on the crawler eyes. Definately no eyes to ambush even if you just set your AIM to the eyes.

Especially near cap, you should already be getting near max crit before randomization kicks in so weighting won't be doing much for you. More AS is better because you are more likely to hit and more likely to get the level 1 crit required for ambushing to kick in. The comparisons you are talking about apply to open combat, not ambushing.

[Rhovan]

Especially near cap, you should already be getting near max crit before randomization kicks in so weighting won't be doing much for you. More AS is better because you are more likely to hit and more likely to get the level 1 crit required for ambushing to kick in. The comparisons you are talking about apply to open combat, not ambushing.

I pulled my daggers out to give them a go on another hunting trip. I ran into a problem killing a cerebralite as I ended up doing slashing damage to each eye. Looking back at the numbers, an endroll of 204 led to a rank 3 slash and an endroll of 281 led to a rank 4. I needed a rank 5 for the kill and therefore a rank 9 before randomization to guarantee it.

I'm guessing this is due to the low DF of daggers as I'm also adding around 11 points of weighting from my dex bonus. I'll give a handaxe a go next to see how it does, though I'm starting to wonder if a mace to the head is the best solution. I just don't want to have to start getting all new enhancives for blunts.

[Rhovan]

I tried my 4x handaxe and it was great for crit kills to the head. Especially with a higher enchant axe, I completely agree extra crit weighting wouldn't be needed. I'll give my 7x longsword another shot and see how it does and if it's DF needs the boost.

I have to say, the lightning flares were pretty underwhelming up there. Any thoughts on particular flares if your weapon isn't weighted? Better to just keep it clean so it can be blessed?