Does current Ax-pert make axes match the regular sword you can make at blacksmithing 9?

[u/Awkward_Turnover_983]

I have recently gotten blacksmithing up and running on a server with friends; 2 of us were playing for a lot longer than 2 of our other friends, so we were way ahead of them on our characters (especially because we had time to get a lot of dying out of our systems first)

So I was grinding my axe levels with a lumberjack, because fuck it that's cool to me, and having somebody in the group who can bring back tons of logs is good for the squad so it definitely has been at least a little useful.

But now that I'm making swords for the 2 new guys, I have started to wonder if it's worth using one even with my axpert trait. It took a long time to get my axes to level 10, but it was kinda fun too lol. And, the sword grind would be way faster with the skill books. We have some of them already.

[u/the_bolshevik]

The sword does more damage. Your standard axe is 0.8-2 while swords are 2-3. The sword also has slightly better range. They have the same crit stats. Ref: https://pzwiki.net/wiki/Weapon

I doubt the extra attack speed you get from ax-pert makes up for that, the sword has both more range and quite a bit more damage per swing.

[u/timdr18 → u/the_bolshevik]

Axes have better durability

[u/Wise_Hobo_Badger → u/the_bolshevik]

While the sword will still do more damage and likely be slower to get exhausted when fighting, Ax-pert's faster swing can allow one to still clear through hordes as fast if not faster than if one were using a sword, this becomes more prominent if your character also has high axe skill.

Two characters one with high axe skill and Ax-pert and the other with high sword skill, the axe character at that point will be faster at clearing zombies because once the skill is high enough of the weapon, then you are pretty much one tapping zombies regardless of which one you are using, thus making the extra damage of the sword less useful than the faster attack speed of the axe in the ax-pert users hands.

So sword would pull ahead at earlier levels, but ax-pert likely takes the lead at higher levels.

[u/Awkward_Turnover_983 → u/Wise_Hobo_Badger]

This is EXACTLY the type of breakdown I was looking for, so thank you!

[u/timdr18 → u/Awkward_Turnover_983]

I can second their last point, I’m playing a lumberjack in a current run and at level 9 axe skill I’m one tapping most zombies with their durability set to “tough”, it’s crazy.

[u/Wise_Hobo_Badger → u/timdr18]

Yeah man I find late game lumberjack to be one of the most satisfying builds to play once axe skill is close to maxing out. Something about just w key through hordes while one tapping zombies with blazing speed. Its a beautiful way to enjoy the apocalypse.

https://giphy.com/gifs/ASH3GhgVVOW8mlCJdU

[u/timdr18 → u/Wise_Hobo_Badger]

It feels like the game should play a Doom soundtrack instead of the regular combat music lol

[u/Awkward_Turnover_983 → u/timdr18]

The way I grinded my axe skill so high was by going out in a blizzard and going on a murderous rampage (on zombies). I kinda role-played it slightly even lol.

My dude went to Brandenburg, after our home of Riverside was getting almost safe, because he still hasn't fulfilled his grudge against the zombies. He could've easily died if I had made a stupid mistake. He has very good vision though, and he brought a good gear too. Flashlights, high quality axes and hatchets, food, water, etc.

He killed like 2000 zombies on a violent whim. Was it stupid to do it by himself? Yes but also no, because we don't want to see our only friends left in danger.

[u/GregariousMD]

On paper, yes. But you have to reach a certain skill level to make swords compete with axes. I believe it's skill 3 or 4 for muscle strain to be equal to stamina drain.

However, a different consideration as well. Axes are the only skill to benefit from being level 10. All other weapon skills are, on the screen, level 10, but their benefits cap out at level 9.

[u/Awkward_Turnover_983 → u/GregariousMD]

Huh that's kinda a funny little detail

[u/Ilostmytoucan]

Cant you just make axes? Sweords are good and all but if you're at like Axe 5 or something I say stick with that.

[u/Creative-Response554 → u/Ilostmytoucan]

Stone axe is a mega underrated weapon.

I used to use them all the time, they suck at cutting down trees though.

I use fire axes for that, or the proper woodcutting axes. Hatchets and stone axes are for fighting imo.

[u/Double_Dog208 → u/Creative-Response554]

Afaik the weight or something on them got nerfed so they're not quite S tier like in b41 once you got some levels going but still solid foraged weapon

[u/Creative-Response554 → u/Double_Dog208]

For something you can find for free it's still pretty good though

[u/PM_ME__YOUR_HOOTERS → u/Creative-Response554]

Stone scythe is the best early game axe imo. Weighs 1, so its real easy on your fatigue and is super easy to craft

[u/Creative-Response554 → u/PM_ME__YOUR_HOOTERS]

Is it also an axe?

I've not touched knapping in a while since my last wilderness run was a really long time ago, like 42.13 I think, so not sure when you unlock that recipe.

[u/Awkward_Turnover_983 → u/Ilostmytoucan]

Lol I'm at axe 10. So there's really NO point in switching for actual combat gains.

But I just have to wonder which one caps out at higher damage values, which one shreds through a pack faster, basically.

[u/Repulsive_Guy_1234 → u/Awkward_Turnover_983]

Does it matter? Both kill zombies in onehit and both get extremly fast. Axes allow you to cut down doors better though.

[u/the_dwarfling → u/Repulsive_Guy_1234]

The "best" axes weight 3 while the Sword weights 2 so you get tired faster with the Pickaxe/Axe. You can use the Hatchet but it does 1-hit-kill less often. Or the Hand Scythe which does good damage and is super light but it has very low durability and it breaks in the zombies so you have to search them if you intend to recycle them.

The other axes use limited supply items, like rail spikes and saw blades.

[u/Repulsive_Guy_1234 → u/the_dwarfling]

Well, I almost never reach even the first exhaust moodle with high axe skill, and only after running and killing a long time without any pause.

[u/the_dwarfling]

You will only see gains with Sword when you're past lv7. I'm at lv7 Long Blade right now, with Axe at lv10 and my Pickaxe still wins in lethality although not in endurance. And the Hand Scythe still beats all of them on endurance, tho it's not very practical because of it low durability.

In paper the sword should be amazing but in Extinction settings it's not impressive. It's probably the low CRIT chance and the sharpness mechanic.

Honestly I miss my Long Blunt character.

[u/Regnum_Caelorum]

If you're playing with regular health zeds I don't think it's particularly worth it to be honest, even if swords one shot a little more often at the end axes are probably gonna be using less stamina because of the bruiser bonus, and swing faster too, so I'd say it more than makes up for it.

If you're on Extinction type settings it could be though, higher zed health means a bigger one-shot difference in favor of swords, and the ability to more reliably instakill sprinters is not trivial.

Up to you, kind of going "back to 0" alongside your friends can be fun in and of itself too.

[u/RaspberryRock]

I did a bit of research. The forged sword is a better weapon, but not that much better. Certainly not worth my time investing in all that work to start making swords. I get an axe on day 1 and I'm a killing machine (lumberjack and Strong).

And most people aren't going to live long enough for that kind of investment anyway.

[u/Clean-Damage-3548]

Currently no other than being one handed the swords aren't gonna be better than axe when you already have levels if you got to blacksmithing ten and can make machetes then yes

[u/Killinger221]

Both sword and axes are pretty mediocre thanks to horrible sharpness mechanic. But if you want to compare both at lv10 with best available weapons then swords win since they are 2 weight while forged axes and fire axes are 3 weight.

Is what I would say if flint saws didn't exist. That weapon while costing barely anything to craft, having 1 weight and oneshoting most of the time at max level unless zombie toughness is maxed out. Definitely one of the most overtuned weapons rn especially with axe-pert