While these weapons have good range and damage, they also tend to lack in the speed department.
This is important because the amount of hits Whirlwind can land in a given time period depends on the amount of Increased Attack Speed on the Weapon (hereafter called WIAS), and on WIAS only. The way your speed is determined works (like all speed calculations in D2, be it attack speed, casting rate or hit recovery) via the breakpoint system; that is, you have to reach a preset amount of IAS to achieve an actual improvement, i.e. to have the attack require one less frame to execute.
These WIAS breakpoints for Whirlwind are, for two-handed weapons other than swords: -10, -30, -60
If you consider that e.g. a Lance has a base speed of 20, you'll see that you need 80% IAS on the weapon itself to reach the third breakpoint and attain the fastest possible WW speed with that weapon. There are two ways to accomplish this while still retaining passable damage:
1. take a magical Lance of Quickness (+40% IAS) with a decent prefix ("Cruel"), then have Larzuk put two sockets in it and socket two Shaels (another +40% IAS) for a total of +80% IAS.
2. find a rare Lance with +40% IAS from the Quickness suffix, two sockets from the Mechanic's prefix and decent ED (rares can reach over 400% ED in 1.1), then socket two Shaels.
Of course you can settle for the first or second breakpoint as well, but be aware that this will noticably affect your WW performance.
Meeting the third breakpoint is much easier on weapons with a base speed <= 0; this includes Scythes (which all have -10) and most spear-class weapons other than the Pike and its excep./elite versions. The Arreat Summit lists these values for every weapon in its Items section.
It also lists each weapon's range, which is the second important factor to consider when looking for a good WW weapon. The longer a weapon's range, the farther away you can be from monsters while still hitting them (but they being unable to hit you). War Scythes, Halberds, Spetums and Pikes have the greatest range (6), although a range of 5 is acceptable as well. Again, check the AS for values.
The idea, of course, being to find a balance between range and speed. The War Scythe (and excep./elite) requires 50% IAS to meet the third WW breakpoint, but also has a range of 6.
The Brandistock (+excep./elite) only requires 40% IAS, but its range is "only" 5. Of course there's also the Pike, which requires a whooping 80% IAS (effectively limiting you to a Cruel Pike/Lance/War Pike of Quickness with two Shaels), but its range is equal to that of the War Scythe and its average damage is superior to that of both War Scythe and Brandistock.
Which to choose? I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader. ;) Item availability being the deciding factor, of course. A rare Mancatcher can have all the IAS it needs for the third BP, without any need to socket a Shael/IAS jewel plus a significant amount of ED%, thanks to the new 1.1 rare affixes.
A Giant Thresher, requiring 50% IAS for BP #3, will need at least an IAS jewel to reach the third BP no matter what, but has a greater range than the Mancatcher. It will usually also have better average damage.
I've discussed the Pike already, you need a (prefixed, so pretty much Cruel) Pike of Quickness with two socketed Shaels if you want to reach the third BP, no way around that.
That's the gist of it. Of course there's more to it (there are Halberds, Poleaxes, various other spears, the question of whether the third BP is a must et cetera, ad nauseum), but this should give you an idea of what to go for.
(Why do I write stuff like this at 3am?)
This is important because the amount of hits Whirlwind can land in a given time period depends on the amount of Increased Attack Speed on the Weapon (hereafter called WIAS), and on WIAS only. The way your speed is determined works (like all speed calculations in D2, be it attack speed, casting rate or hit recovery) via the breakpoint system; that is, you have to reach a preset amount of IAS to achieve an actual improvement, i.e. to have the attack require one less frame to execute.
These WIAS breakpoints for Whirlwind are, for two-handed weapons other than swords: -10, -30, -60
If you consider that e.g. a Lance has a base speed of 20, you'll see that you need 80% IAS on the weapon itself to reach the third breakpoint and attain the fastest possible WW speed with that weapon. There are two ways to accomplish this while still retaining passable damage:
1. take a magical Lance of Quickness (+40% IAS) with a decent prefix ("Cruel"), then have Larzuk put two sockets in it and socket two Shaels (another +40% IAS) for a total of +80% IAS.
2. find a rare Lance with +40% IAS from the Quickness suffix, two sockets from the Mechanic's prefix and decent ED (rares can reach over 400% ED in 1.1), then socket two Shaels.
Of course you can settle for the first or second breakpoint as well, but be aware that this will noticably affect your WW performance.
Meeting the third breakpoint is much easier on weapons with a base speed <= 0; this includes Scythes (which all have -10) and most spear-class weapons other than the Pike and its excep./elite versions. The Arreat Summit lists these values for every weapon in its Items section.
It also lists each weapon's range, which is the second important factor to consider when looking for a good WW weapon. The longer a weapon's range, the farther away you can be from monsters while still hitting them (but they being unable to hit you). War Scythes, Halberds, Spetums and Pikes have the greatest range (6), although a range of 5 is acceptable as well. Again, check the AS for values.
The idea, of course, being to find a balance between range and speed. The War Scythe (and excep./elite) requires 50% IAS to meet the third WW breakpoint, but also has a range of 6.
The Brandistock (+excep./elite) only requires 40% IAS, but its range is "only" 5. Of course there's also the Pike, which requires a whooping 80% IAS (effectively limiting you to a Cruel Pike/Lance/War Pike of Quickness with two Shaels), but its range is equal to that of the War Scythe and its average damage is superior to that of both War Scythe and Brandistock.
Which to choose? I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader. ;) Item availability being the deciding factor, of course. A rare Mancatcher can have all the IAS it needs for the third BP, without any need to socket a Shael/IAS jewel plus a significant amount of ED%, thanks to the new 1.1 rare affixes.
A Giant Thresher, requiring 50% IAS for BP #3, will need at least an IAS jewel to reach the third BP no matter what, but has a greater range than the Mancatcher. It will usually also have better average damage.
I've discussed the Pike already, you need a (prefixed, so pretty much Cruel) Pike of Quickness with two socketed Shaels if you want to reach the third BP, no way around that.
That's the gist of it. Of course there's more to it (there are Halberds, Poleaxes, various other spears, the question of whether the third BP is a must et cetera, ad nauseum), but this should give you an idea of what to go for.
(Why do I write stuff like this at 3am?)
And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
____________.Not shaking the grass.
-- Ezra Pound, "And the days are not full enough"
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
____________.Not shaking the grass.
-- Ezra Pound, "And the days are not full enough"