[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Stormbinder:
Bottom line is - it's not that I hate lifedraining weapons, they are cool. But I would like to see all other nice weapons used as well much more often than they are being used now.

That's because the other weapons tend to be specialized in purpose. Not all weapons are intended to be carried by SCs. Summer Swords, for instance, provide lots of supply, but are not weapons you would give to an SC to carry. Gatecleavers are great for busting your way into a fort, but, once again, are not really weapons you'd have an SC carry: You give this to some flunky to carry for when the opposition is dispatched. Elfbanes are not weapons you'd normally use unless your opponent is fielding a large number of mechanical mans....but fielding a large number of mechanical mans, which are lifeless and cannot be drained, *IS* the counter to lifedraining attacks - it makes these weapons useless.

Other weapons are great for giving to random flunky commanders, so that they can cast spells in battle...and not be sidetracked because they have nothing else to cast. Phoenix Rods, Drain Life Banners, all these are great tools to hand to a scout or Joe Ordinary commander.

A lifedrain weapon, on the other hand, is the obvious and natural weapon of choice for somebody who's going to be mixing it up in the thick of things with a load of ordinary units on his ***: The preferred weapon of the SC. However, not all SCs need to use this combo: You can get more punch out of, say, Bone Armor and a Sword of Swiftness, than you will out of simply slapping a Wraith Sword on somebody. It's just that these weapons don't gather as much press because you can't just slap them onto anything with decent combat stats and watch him go kill things.

Just because a weapon is specialized or intended for a purpose you don't use, doesn't mean it's worthless. There are only a few truly crappy weapons on the list, like the Knife of the Damned...which is intended to be given to a sacrificial lamb to die and give to somebody on the other side, obviously.