Well, it isn't all bad news... the gutsplitter seems to be a great weapon for 2-handed specialization, just from theorycrafting.
- Full DR gear (minus the shield, but oh well.)
- Gutsplitter
- 3 skills into 2 handed weapons
Gives a pretty good rate of damage, and I just like the general idea of some sort of Executioner type character... Axe, Dark helmet (Dark Protector), and overall resistance to damage. Not sure how it works out in the real game, though. But even before you get combat speed, this build would still be usable with Jewel of Fallhaven + Coward's Boots, allowing some form of Hit-and-Run to complete quests.
Edit: Actually read through the thread this time, and I think I missed the point. What this thread is saying is that in higher levels damage no longer matters.
I agree that using 2-handed weapons probably doesn't pay for higher level characters. But I feel that changing every weapon into a percentage based calculation would make the game mechanics change too drastically. It's already confusing that the % of AC and BC doesn't work normally for noobs; it would be even odder if the AD was also presented as a %age.
What I suggest, is that 2 handed weapons need this to carve out their niche: The proficiency skills could make them add to your base AP.
On purely logical grounds, this makes sense since you will get more space between yourself and your enemy; allowing you additional breathing space. True, it takes more time for you to swing your weapon around, but it also takes more time for the enemy to get under your strikes and get close enough to you to hurt you.
In the gaming sense, this would also balance things a little. Using the Skullcrusher
as an example, if I had a JOF equipped, I would get 6/12 ap cost. But if the Skullcrusher could add +2 to AP, then I'd get an Attack cost of 7/14, and I'd get a chance to equip a more defensive necklace instead.
