[Norfleet]

Originally posted by PvK:
I had just seen a large veteran army of Vanheim troops, including equipped heroic commanders, get wiped out by seasonal spirits, since even the heroes with magic weapons, required multiple hits on a lion to kill one, by which time their friends were killed and they would be overwhelmed.

Wouldn't they have held out much better with lifedrain weapons that would actually replenish their life and fatigue as they fought? While the kill rate would have been slower, they could have then fought indefinitely.

The Allfather and another leader (with slightly better defense equipment too, IIRC) just stood toe-to-toe with a huge number of lions, wiped them out, and went on to slay others. It was close though, as the fatigue added up.

I say again: Wraith Swords, Blood Thorns, and you could have fought an indefinite number without having it be "close".

In Doms II, although seasonal spirits are less of a threat due to their increased cost, it's still effective as an early rush tactic if enough gems are available. And later on, there are still some very powerful magical beings, so it's good there is an effective anti-weapon.

I would think they'd be a better weapon against things like Mechanical Mans, Golems, Crushers, Iron Dragons, and the like, which are lifeless, and therefore, negate the benefits of using a blood thorn or wraith sword, and thus the extra punch can help. Otherwise, you'd think that being able to indefinitely sustain combat, regardless of the kill rate, would be more valuable.

My point: Would a more classical choice, namely, Wraith Swords and Blood Thorns, have been a better choice? Lions, after all, have 0 protection, so it's not like the increased damage would help you tear through armor better...and you'd get life and fatigue back while fighting, negating the enemy's damage, as opposed to simply substituting another lion in place of the dead one flailing at you: It replaces the concept of a hitpoint pool, with a hitpoint buffer. The only time I'd see the Elf Bane as being superior in such a case is if you had an alternate source of lifedrain, such as a Soul Vortex.