My waraxe is masterwork with total 812 stats, although I am not making a general comment about waraxes vs flails, but yeah I was comparing it with my artified flails.

What Thorgal says is true though, and Axlords is worse than Pureblades.

Right now pureblade seems a lot worse than axelord, least you have knockdown.

With Thorgal's help, I've tested a few of the unique Pureblade skills to see their effects. Also I had a unique opportunity to test lightning runed broadswords against my lightning runed claymore. And here are the results.

Attacker - Me
Relevant Skills:
Transcendent Pureblade

Stats:
Strength - 15
Dexterity - 12

Weapons:
Claymore - Damage: 340 Precision: 325 Speed: 165
Broadsword 1 - Damage: 160 Precision: 162 Speed: 141
Broadsword 1 - Damage: 160 Precision: 162 Speed: 141

Test Dummy - Thorgal
Relevant Skills:
Transcendent Resilience

Armor:
Field Plate - Cutting Defense: 81 Blunt Defense: 89

Base Damage Testing

You swing a dragon-hilted claymore at Thorgal. You cut his right leg, but only manage to nick his thigh.

Base Health Damage: 898
Base Wound Damage: 12

Skills Testing

Cleave

Cleaving through his defenses, you make a slow deadly strike at Thorgal's head with a dragon-hilted claymore. You poke him in the chin for a small puncture.

Health Damage: 576
Wound Damage: 8

SliceBicep

You swing a dragon-hilted claymore at Thorgal. You cut his cheek for a small flesh wound.

SlicedBicep Health Damage: 383
SlicedBicep Wound Damage: 5

CrackElbow

Flourishing a translucent sapphire katana above his head, Thorgal takes a swing at you. You are sliced in the right elbow, cutting deep into the bone and causing the arm to hang uselessly.
You cease parrying.
You adjust your attention spent parrying your head.
With a heavy overhand stroke, Thorgal slams a translucent sapphire katana down upon you, and you make ready with a dragon-hilted claymore. Thorgal's katana hacks your claymore, and you easily deflect the blow.

Twohanded vs Onehanded Damage Testing

You swing a exquisitely crafted draconic broadsword at Thorgal. You cut his left leg, but only manage to nick his thigh.
You swing a exquisitely crafted draconic broadsword at Thorgal. You cut his right leg, but only manage to nick his thigh.

Health Damage: 1004
Wound Damage: 12

Results

Cleave -
Base Health Damage: 898
Cleave Health Damage: 576
Health Damage Decrease: 35.86%
Base Wound Damage: 12
Cleave Wound Damage: 8
Wound Damage Decrease: 33.33%

SliceBicep -
Base Health Damage: 898
SlicedBicep Health Damage: 383
Health Damage Decrease: 57.35%
Base Wound Damage: 12
SlicedBicep Wound Damage: 5
Wound Damage Decrease: 58.33%

CrackElbow -
Cracking a elbow only stops parrying with that particular arm.

2hs vs 1hs -
Base Health Damage: 898
Dual Sword Health Damage: 1004
Health Damage Difference: 11.80%
Base Wound Damage: 12
Dual Sword Wound Damage: 12
Wound Damage Difference: 0%

Conclusion

Cleave

Seems to roughly lower wound and health damage by 33%, and thats understandable, but not when you add the speed penalty to it. I would prefer if the speed penalty was removed completely and the damage penalty was increased a bit.

SliceBicep

This is a decent affliction, but it seems to be made for Blademasters since they would be able to put it to much better use. I do like the uniqueness of it though.

CrackElbow

While it is understandable that cracking a elbow would not hinder the parrying abilities of your other arm, it is also quite regrettable. Compared to its counterpart in Axelord, it is really quite a weak affliction. Which is further illustrated by the fact that it can be instantly cured by regeneration.

2hs vs 1hs

From this test, and others it has become clear to me that there is a soft cap on weapon damage. My broadswords had a combined damage of 320 which was lower than my claymore and yet they still did more damage. Other warriors have also noticed this imbalance. So we are hoping that the problem will be found and corrected soon.

I've always had the impression regeneration/restoration in IRE is supposed to take effect with a delay, having regeneration cure something instantly is weird, since mending would make more sense for that.

It'd be a great help if regeneration would always work delayed, no matter what affliction.

Err.. the cleave on Thorgal hit his head, and fieldplates don't cover head defence. What's Thorgals helm stats? Go cleave something else of his?

The problem with crackelbow against two-handed masteries is they need to be seen as having the weapon in both hand, so cracking either elbow will stop parrying entirely for 2handed as you have to have both hands to swing it. As it is right now it's seen as being held in the hand you tell it to wield in. WIELD LEFT CLAYMORE, but I'm sure you know what I mean. It should stop only parrying with one arm from 1handed masteries.

Also, who was the blademaster using those broadswords?

Crackelbow should stop parrying if just one elbow is cracked, just like axelords slicing just one kneecap stops stancing.

On a previous note, could it be that regeneration was always supposed to be a delayed cure, whichever affliction it's used to cure, but that it got missed in the code?

No, his point was that against two handers cracking either elbow should stop them from parrying completely. While against one handers you would have to crack both elbows to stop them from parrying. It makes sense realistically, but balance wise it would be unfair.

On cleave though, I'll do another test and target the same area.

Yes, well, that's the price you pay for taking up something in both hands. In any case, both of your broadswords are lightning runed? You realize you can stick two lightnings on that claymore, yes? It would bring the damage up to probably around the dual broads with two lightnings, as that's how it's suppose to be, yes?

According to Roark, my claymore should have two runes of lightning on it, even though it doesn't show properly.

Attacker - Me
Relevant Skills:
Transcendent Pureblade

Stats:
Strength - 15
Dexterity - 12

Weapons:
Claymore - Damage: 340 Precision: 325 Speed: 165

Test Dummy - Thorgal
Relevant Skills:
Transcendent Resilience

Armor:
Field Plate - Cutting Defense: 81 Blunt Defense: 89

Base Damage Testing

Focusing on his gut, you strike at Thorgal with a dragon-hilted claymore. You prick him in the gut causing him to bleed slightly.

Base Health Damage: 890
Base Wound Damage: 12

Skills Testing

Cleave

Cleaving through his defenses, you make a slow deadly strike at Thorgal's gut with a dragon-hilted claymore. You prick him in the gut causing him to bleed slightly.

Health Damage: 666
Wound Damage: 8

Results

Cleave -
Base Health Damage: 890
Cleave Health Damage: 666
Health Damage Decrease: 27.17%
Base Wound Damage: 11
Cleave Wound Damage: 8
Wound Damage Decrease: 27.27%

Nothing to argue about sacrificing 27% damage to get past shield and rebounding. Also, if wounding and damage decrease is different, think it's possible it's slightly random?

It does seem to be slightly random, but you seem to be ignoring the fact that it takes twice as long to recover from cleave as it takes to attack someone. Thus making it inferior to raze/slash as well as raze/raze then slash/slash.

If rebounding and shield are up, and you cleave through them to only sacrifice 25% damage you're doing the equivalent of raze/raze/slash/slash.

It amuses me that despite the fact that you are a speed knight, you are failing the grasp the importance of speed in offense. If it takes me a second longer to recover from cleave then it would take you to double raze then fully attack. Not only would I be doing less burst damage than you but over time my offense would be significantly less as well. Also cleave does not have the versatility of raze. Even when our opponent only have rebounding or shield up, we still suffer greater penalties than a one hander would by double raze before they attack.

Hey, it was your choice to give up two weapons for a single one. Speed Knights - BM or BC. Claymore isn't exactly your speedy weapon.

Cleave seems to be exactly 4 times slower than a double-raze...

Here is my latest version of Pureblade suggestions, criticize it.

Pureblade
This is truly a innovative idea in IRE, where dual weapons is the staple. But the implementation was a little flawed in my opinion and that stems in large part of the skills in the set. Which are largely made up of Blademaster afflictions. Afflictions that are easily cured but were useful for Blademasters since they were able to deliver atleast two afflictions at the time most of the time. The only truly good afflictions in Pureblade right now for two handed weapons, are the three critical ones AmputateLeg, AmputateArm, and Behead. But they are critical wounds and thus hard to achieve. The skillset also lacks critical chest and gut wounds, thus lessening our tactical options.

Skill Change Suggestions

Cleave: After testing this skill alot lately, I've come to the opinion that it is better than I thought it was initially. I guess my original opinion that it was meant to be our Lunge/Crush equivalent flawed my evaluation a bit. But I still think the balance penalty needs to be removed or drastically lessened. That remains the sole reason that this skill is weaker than Raze/Slash. To balance it, the damage penalty should also be increased to fifty percent.

CollapseLungs: Basically reiterating a opinion I stated in the Ur'guard's last envoy report. But the requirement that your opponent have a puncturedlung before this affliction is even possible is especially troublesome for a Pureblade specialists. Since they can only deal one wound at a time, and puncturedlung is extremely easy to cure. That requirement should be removed in Pureblade atleast.

LegTendon: In my study of the Pureblade skillset, I noticed that this affliction required only a heavy wound state instead of the critical wound that is required for Blademaster. That is definitely a step in the right direction. But the fact remains that this affliction is weak because it can be instantly cured by regeneration. It should be a delayed cure like damaged limbs.

CrackElbow: I can understand the reason that this skill was made to hinder only the parrying of the arm that was afflicted. But I think it should be changed, and one way to realistically explain the reason for that would be to make so that having a cracked elbow would disorient you too much to concentrate on parrying. The cure should also be delayed like most of other regeneration cured afflictions.

AmputateLeg: Thanks to Thorgal, several problems with this skill were brought to my attention. First of all, amputating someone's legs does not knock them down, so they can stand even with no legs. Secondly, they can still use skills like leap and tumble while having no legs. Thirdly, the bleeding from this wound is significantly lower than Scalp. All three of these problems need to be fixed.

AmputateArm: Just tested this skill, and I have to say without a doubt it is the best unique wound affliction in Pureblade. Much better than I initially thought, but it is still has the problem of doing significantly less bleeding than scalp, and realistically it should do more.

Decapitate: I am thankful that the requirement that your target be prone before this skill could be utilized was removed. But I don't think it goes far enough when you compare this to the Celestine's Judge or even to Cleave of the other IRE games. For two reasons, one both those skills are not trans skills, two the supplemental skills of both the Celestines and the other Knights assist is making the skill possible to pull off. The Celestine angel's hindering attacks, and the other Knight's falcon which could knock people off balance. To counter this, I think the power cost should be lowered.

New Skill Suggestions

Assault: In a burst of energy, you will surge forward to deliver a swift and accurate vertical slash to your opponent, overwhelming their defensive preparations such as parry and stances. This counts as a swing. Power cost: 3

Eviscerate: Charging forward, you will impale your opponent deeply on your blade before giving a savage twist and ripping it from their body. This attack will cause 50% more damage than a normal attack and severe bleeding, that will only stop when their gut is cured with regeneration. It would be a critical gut wound, and only be possible with jabs.

Misc.

Change Suggestions

Two handed weapons: I've thought long and hard on how to balance the afflicting capabilities of two handers against one handers without changing most of the skills involved. And the best solution that occurs to me at this time other than making the venom afflicting of two handers 100%, would be to add a chance of stunning to every blow we deliver because of the greater force and weight that our weapons hit with.

Daevos, pardon, but ... HAR HAR HAR..

Stun would turn you into the Sentinels of this game.. 100% poisons if not that? Anyone without focus mind you could keep paralysed indefinately, and combat should be balanced at guild skills, not skills high in other skillsets.

Also, with any of these suggestions, do you sit and think about the other classes that don't have 80+ cutting on their armours like we do? It sure doesn't seem like it.

Ok, then. How would you suggest the half affliction rate of two handed weapons be balanced against one handed weapons. Blademasters are capable ot dealing out up to eight affliction at once with Haymaker, and both BM and BC are capable of up to four afflictions in a round. Where as Pureblade and Axelord is capable of only two afflictions at best.

Giving two handed weapons a 100% venom affliction rate is extremely fair in my opinion, and it would still be lessened by resilience. But that only balances venoms, one handed weapons still hold a significant advantage in afflicting with wounds over two handers. After thinking about it, the chance of stun was the only change that would help, that didn't involve overhauling Axelord and Pureblade. I also consider it to be a fair solution, though I wish some other route was available since stun is used too much in this game.

For the 80+ comment, I meant that toward assualt and this Eviscerate that looks insanely scary. As for the evening out, you just should NOT count on resilience to even things out. I already said, Guild skills should balance combat, not skills beyond that. Anyone with a really fast katana could keep someone paralyzed and slip in other venoms throughout each attack, which still doesn't deter you'd be able to pull of upwards of 1300 damage and keep someone paralysed every 4.5 seconds they get out if they don't have focus mind. To even it out.. well... bleh! I think the delayed curing, if it were put into effect, and a higher chance to pull off amputates would do this nicely because you could keep their offensive in check, or just outright outdamage them since they wont be able to put up shield with no arms, or really shouldn't be able to, in addition tot that I think cleave should be less balance time loss if it's only cleaving through one defence.

Now, food for thought, Terenas could keep me paralysed in our spar nearly the entire time, and admittedly my resilience sucks and is not so good at Master, but like I said, we shouldn't be taking that into effect should we?

Also, AmputateArm is broken. You can still wield weapons if you lose an arm, not sure if you can cure the arms wounding or parry, but you can't use the weapon.