10-05-2006, 01:00 AM
Quote:Not at all.
I don't know about you, but I like to know exactly how many shots it is going to take to kill a monster. The smaller the range of damage (note I mean range, not the damage itself), the more chance there is that it will take the exact same number of shots to kill each monster of a particular type.
That's exactly what I was thinking, but then again it you'll also have to consider whether or not the enemy you are facing has a significant range in their possible HPs. Of course, mage-type monsters always have the same amount, so this would be especially good v. adovacates, so you aren't wasting an arrow that could have been used to start stun-locking another mage instead of spending it on a dead corpse. Then again, I use an emerald LWB, and even at 1-14 dmg range, I am certain it always takes the same number of arrows per advocate anyways.
If you want to optimize your damage output, you need to determine your damage/time. In the case of your Savage bow, it is: [88-105] / 0.35 s, or an average of 275 dmg/sec. For the needler, you have [70-72] / .30 s, or an average of 237 dmg/sec. Clearly, the savage bow is a better choice here. Also, you will be able to stun a greater number of unique monsters with a higher minimum damage. Add to that the fact that you get the heaven's suffix on the bow.
At higher levels, however, swift bows can do more damage over time than a normal bow. This time take a massive/swift LWB instead of the needler. With this hypothetical rogue, base character damage = 90. Swift bow damage is: [92-118] / .30 s, or an average of 347 dmg/sec. Savage/heavens produces: [97-127] / .35 s, or an average of 320 dmg/sec. So, in this example the swift bow is just a bit more damaging than the heavens bow, although you don't get the stat bonus if you opt for the swift. It only gets better with equipment and clvls.