So why bother with alternate weapons?

Hey now, you never said anything about end-game weapons until this post. And you're putting a lot of words in my mouth. I'm just saying that at any point if someone needs a weapon and they can't afford (or don't want to pay for) a more expensive line, they'll go for the alternative. It's just easier to switch between them now for whatever reason you prefer. I think of it as similar to the difference between 1-handed and 2-handed weapons before. 1-handed swords are a whole lot more expensive than 2-handed swords, and fast 2-handed swords are more expensive than normal speed 2-handed swords. I use 2-handed swords because I'd rather not bust my ass off for some extra damage.

Aesthetics do affect gameplay decisions, whether or not you like it. I have a friend who chose bishop over archmage because Genesis looked cool, I would rather have a VIP 2-handed sword than 1-handed because it doesn't look like crap, etc. Just because it might not apply to you doesn't mean that it doesn't apply to others who do make decisions on how jobs, equips, skills, etc look. Also, shockingly, not everyone buys NX clothes.

Also, 6 years? GMS wasn't even out of beta yet.

Doesn't matter if it's an endgame weapon, the logic is still there. They don't have to be end game weapons, but endgame is where people look when they're building their characters. Also, when you're talking about weapons you choose the 1h-2h dichotomy which isn't as important as the alternate weapon split to me. In other words, I no longer consider the 1h-2h dichotomy as part of the alternate debate (I did at one time, and I admit it's still important). When you talk about downgrading you don't even mention the alternate, you mention the cheaper sword. The question is whether you still look toward a better weapon (sword) after you get a godly scrolled alternate.

Aesthetics don't affect gameplay to the degree you say they do. I've never bought NX. I wore an ugly sauna for years. Several people wore saunas. A very small minority will choose alternate weapons over swords, and an even smaller minority will choose those weapons because they are aesthetically pleasing (most likely reason I can think of is money or simple ignorance over which weapon type is better). Most people will choose stats over aesthetics any day. Just look at all the noobs running around wearing those ugly spirit hats (me). Basic gameplay aesthetics stopped being important right after the cash shop was released.

6 years ago I was a blunt weapon page in beta...sooo yeah. The argument reaches pretty far back.

1h-weapons also allow access to more potential stats through the use of shields at the same time. Shields with w.att also can fill in the void for the w.att difference between 1-h & 2-h weapons as well as the w.att multiplier.

Overall 1-h weapons are undoubtably more efficient now.

How did this become a thread about 1h weapons? In any case, I don't argue that 1h weapons have become so much better ever since Nexon fell in love with their own stat whoring gameplay mechanisms.

Not *EVERY* endgame player is going to put in that level of farming for their equipment, especially if they enjoy alts often. If a 200 mil investment results in a godlier axe than a sword at that point, where as breaking 1bil + makes investing in scrolling a sword the best option then i can see some strategic choices being made.

Just because the change doesn't replace the optimal equipment setups does not make it pointless. Pointless to the richest of endgame players, yes, but it may have a point to everyone else. One group does not a whole MMO community make. However, if one feels doing everything possible to optimize damage with the maximum funding is the only thing worth doing, then it certaintly is pointless in their situation. Overall though, BWs and Axes did get a very nice buff out of this change.

It is practically impossible to properly differientiate them and balance them without making them basically the same, people would eventually figure out which of the two offers better DPS and bandwagon onto that one anyway leaving us back at square one. As the combat system currently is I don't see much else they can do that won't result in players doing maple science and figuring out the overall best choice is.

Weapon properties such as Slash or Blunt affecting different mobs differently is an option... but then we'll have the same problem archmages did which caused them to need a Elemental Reset ability too. So it really doesn't seem like much else can be done.

In the end though, this is the Q & A section as opposed to the debate section, I'd say your main question of what's the point has pretty much been answered though i understand many don't find the change satisfying.

True, it doesn't make it pointless, and I recognize that now, but it does imply that the change wasn't well thought out, and it doesn't really change where players look for their motivation. It's great that players can find these weapons now and not throw them out, or search the free market and buy nicely scrolled items. But where's the justice in the situation? How is this balance? Actually, I consider that significantly buffing the damage for alternate weapons is a fair way to balance the weapons. In this way, players who are true to a class attempt to scroll items for that class, but players who want to swap great weapons between warriors can do that too. I find it ok if players end up band-wagoning to their proper class weapon, don't you? I find it balanced if you are forced to choose between a good universal weapon or a great single class weapon.

I never said I liked the concept of weapon types either, but I submit to not always having my way all the time. One possible choice is removing the weapon system completely, along with respective scrolls, in favor of a more neutral (and non class-based) system. But that would actually require thinking on the designer's part. I never really liked the whole weapon reductionism due to class choice idea. In beta, class choice was often determined by whatever weapon dropped for you first, as the choices were so limited that is was sometimes impossible to be what you wanted. I would rather be a weapons expert, and use bows too.

I'm not really satisfied with the change or the answers. My conclusion is that reasoning is shifting more towards an economic base now more than ever. It is good for some people, it just wasn't the change I (and several other people) were hoping for after all of these years. I was hoping I had missed something and that there really is something great about the new changes that I had not seen and that the wizards of southperry picked up on. That's why I posted it in Q&A. Among other ill-thought out changes, I anticipate this topic becoming more important with the actual release of the patch.