Hi! I've got the bug to make a build centered around the Dragonslayer Spear, for jolly co-op and light PvP ending around SL 120. Because I'm just slightly OCD, I read up as much as I could on Dragonslayer builds, Ornstein builds, and the like. I've digested all the numbers, differing opinions on what is right and wrong regarding this weapon, and I feel like I understand it. Still, my mind is snagging on one aspect, and I was hoping to get some feedback from the sharper knives in this drawer. ((Please note, too, all my meagre calculations were done with ( http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/ ) and if that is inaccurate, or out of date, then nevermind! ))
The general consensus is that this build ought to have the following stats, in order to get the most damage out of the DSS while still being reasonably rounded.
40/12/40/27/40/-/-/24
Scaling, btw, is C/B/-/B.
I understand the reasoning for 40 dex, and 24 faith gives you Greater Heal and Greater Magic Barrier. I am not sure I understand the 27 str, as opposed to the base needed 24 str, but that isn't my nagging question.
I've read, right here on these forums, that split damage AR is not as good as pure AR, all things being even. I've read that higher individual AR gives increasing returns on damage.
DSS is split damage, but not evenly split. At the base stats needed to wield it 1 handed, damage is 253/101, combined 354. Physical/Lightning. From this point, adding Str or Dex increases the physical damage, adding Fth increases lightning.
Here is my problem. Would I get more damage on target, after defenses, if I sought to increase the physical damage as high as I can, and ignore the smaller starting lightning, or am I better off adding emphasis to lightning, to brig it up in the damage ratio? If a larger single number is better, then it seems I would want the physical side of the damage as large as possible, rather than spread it more evenly towards the smaller AR lightning. Most suggested builds on forums don't seem to jive with this. I ran some numbers, and I realize these are not necessarily optimum builds, but they suffice for the question I have.
40/40/-/11 335phys/105lght 440 AR
34/40/-/17 323phys/125lght 448 AR (34str for Artorias Shield, which I have a crush on)
27/40/-/24 310phys/144lght 454 AR
24/40/-/27 304phys/151lght 455 AR (minimum str for 1 handed)
If I'm to judge purely by AR, they are close, but the winner is clear-ish. My question goes back the the idea that one bigger number is better than two smaller, but combined bigger, numbers.
Is it better for damage to have 335/105 or 304/151? My mind snags on the idea that I should maximize the larger number, and ignore the smaller one, since even if I increased it, it is still smaller, and will therefore suffer decreased returns on damage. Will the extra 31 points of phys give me more real damage than 46 points of lightning, since the phys number is overall much bigger already?
Then again, does it even matter? Would the difference in damage between these four options be so small as to not even matter? If it is all basically the same, then I can feel free to go with whichever I like, depending on what I value at the time.
Thank you for reading this far, I hope I didn't come off as dumb as I actually am. I appreciate any and all feedback on this, I just can't drop it until I know what is what. Again, thanks.
The general consensus is that this build ought to have the following stats, in order to get the most damage out of the DSS while still being reasonably rounded.
40/12/40/27/40/-/-/24
Scaling, btw, is C/B/-/B.
I understand the reasoning for 40 dex, and 24 faith gives you Greater Heal and Greater Magic Barrier. I am not sure I understand the 27 str, as opposed to the base needed 24 str, but that isn't my nagging question.
I've read, right here on these forums, that split damage AR is not as good as pure AR, all things being even. I've read that higher individual AR gives increasing returns on damage.
DSS is split damage, but not evenly split. At the base stats needed to wield it 1 handed, damage is 253/101, combined 354. Physical/Lightning. From this point, adding Str or Dex increases the physical damage, adding Fth increases lightning.
Here is my problem. Would I get more damage on target, after defenses, if I sought to increase the physical damage as high as I can, and ignore the smaller starting lightning, or am I better off adding emphasis to lightning, to brig it up in the damage ratio? If a larger single number is better, then it seems I would want the physical side of the damage as large as possible, rather than spread it more evenly towards the smaller AR lightning. Most suggested builds on forums don't seem to jive with this. I ran some numbers, and I realize these are not necessarily optimum builds, but they suffice for the question I have.
40/40/-/11 335phys/105lght 440 AR
34/40/-/17 323phys/125lght 448 AR (34str for Artorias Shield, which I have a crush on)
27/40/-/24 310phys/144lght 454 AR
24/40/-/27 304phys/151lght 455 AR (minimum str for 1 handed)
If I'm to judge purely by AR, they are close, but the winner is clear-ish. My question goes back the the idea that one bigger number is better than two smaller, but combined bigger, numbers.
Is it better for damage to have 335/105 or 304/151? My mind snags on the idea that I should maximize the larger number, and ignore the smaller one, since even if I increased it, it is still smaller, and will therefore suffer decreased returns on damage. Will the extra 31 points of phys give me more real damage than 46 points of lightning, since the phys number is overall much bigger already?
Then again, does it even matter? Would the difference in damage between these four options be so small as to not even matter? If it is all basically the same, then I can feel free to go with whichever I like, depending on what I value at the time.
Thank you for reading this far, I hope I didn't come off as dumb as I actually am. I appreciate any and all feedback on this, I just can't drop it until I know what is what. Again, thanks.