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Why are my weapons doing almost no damage?
Why are my weapons doing almost no damage?
Why are my weapons doing almost no damage?
I read the FAQ, and it says that you need to have your level and your weapon level equal to or greater than the level of the weapon.

So, I've got a level 10 character, with Level 10 smashing skill.  I've also got a strength of 10 and a Dex of 9.

I'm using a Vampiric Hammer, which claims to have a minimum level of 9 and does 40max, 12 spread.
From what I can tell, this means that the weapon SHOULD do between 28 and 40 damage per hit.

But, when I fight anybody at all, I'm doing more like 5 to 7 points of damage.  Many monsters I can't damage at all.

What the hell am I doing wrong?!?!?!

I've tried using other weapons with a lower required level and they to only do like 5 points of damage per hit.  When I use magic skills, I seem to do a reasonable amount of damage, it's just the physical attacks that seem to be inneffective.

Am I missing something?



>Many monsters I can't damage at all.

some monsters you need a magical weapon to damage them, i think the vamp hammer is only vampirises. as for your other problem sorry i got no clue.
     I won't swear to this but I believe certain calamities (especially paralysis, I think)  Slow you down.  I believe that these calamities reduce stats on a 1:1 ratio.  So if you have 3 or 4 of them your dex. and or quickness is reduced to a level that can no longer handle the weapon.  I personally always carry a prayer wheel and get rid of any calamities as soon as I get them.
     Another possibility is that the monster you are fighting has a high defense, causing your weapon to do less damage.  If this is the case you just have to wait until you level up and get a stronger weapon.
vamp hammer is magic/vampiric, so it should damage all monsters.  calamaties (paralysis especially) could be the reason.  another could be that you're trying to fight monsters much higher lvl than you, and as monster lvl increases, so does their protection.  or have you had the same problem with very low lvl monsters too?
--jason
It's not a calamaties issue.  Calmaties effect hit points and speed, but there is nothing in the faq about calamities effecting damage.  And besides, as soon as I get a calamite I run back to the priest, so I'm rarely fighting with any of them on me.

It's also not an issue of attacking high level monsters, it's low level monsters too.  I am often killed by monsters that are scared and try to run away from me.

It's not an issue of attacking magic only monsters.  I know for example that elementals and others are only damaged by magic.  I have the same problem attacking things like Skinny City Guard.  5-7 damage per hit.

It's not that one weapon in specific.  I have tried a bunch of other weapons of varying levels and it's always the same effect.  My physical attacks don't do more that 7 points per hit.




go into chat and have someone look at your character stats, and weapon and everything... there might be someone there who can help.
--jason
For example, the monsters in the 4th mission, drunk sailors:

http://larkinorguide.com/cgi-bin/monster.cgi?act=one&mid=37


only have 50 HP and are level 7.  I'm level 10 with 151 HP, but they kill me every single time.  Is that normal?  Why can I only do 7 points of damage to these guys based on the stats and weapon I mentioned above?


Some possibilities:
the drunk sailor is weak against piercing/slicing weapons. With your vamp hammer (ss), it prob wont do much. When using your ps weapons, the weapon skill for ps is not as high as the weapon lvl you are using. You are not clicking the right icon, mixing your weapon and ranged. Cant think of any other reason why you are not doing more damage with the stats you mentioned.
Monsters are sometimes tougher in the mission than when you find them elsewhere...maybe that has something to do with it.
Dude, are you wearing the proper armor? Or even armor at all?
Here's a potential problem,

Are you sure you're attacking with the sword, and not your ranged weapon or worse, your shield?  Keeping the left arm and right arm straight is hard enough... the fact that the little "fist" icons on the combat screen are on the wrong sides doesn't make it any easier.

Sandy
A-HA!!!

"the fact that the little "fist" icons on the combat screen are on the wrong sides doesn't make it any easier."

That explains it.  I was attacking with the shield and not the weapon.  Why are the icons in the wrong place?  That's very annoying.  It doesn't specifically say what weapon you are attacking with, it just tells you how much damage you've done, so it seems like it's almost impossible to figure out that you are using the wrong hand.


But thanks for all the help everybody.

They're actually NOT on the wrong sides... when you are dressing your char, you are looking AT him.  When you are fighting, you are looking out from your own eyes  ;)

This one gets most everyone I'd guess.

-Ralphieshouldhave4fists
> They're actually NOT on the wrong sides... when you are dressing your char, you are looking AT him. When you are fighting, you are looking out from your own eyes 

Take a closer look to which side of the hand the thumb is on Ralphie!  The images are backwards.  Clicking on the one on the right-hand side of the screen DOES attack with your right-hand weapon, but the picture you just clicked is a picture of your LEFT hand!

Sandy
You might be right, I'm just used to doing things backwards  ;)
If you hold the cursor over your hand it tells you what weapon it's holding. ;)
What a great exercise in cooperative problem solving... and a perfect way to use the forum. :)  I had a lot of fun following this thread! 
 
Smiles :) :) :D
Zuni
I'm running into the exact same problem, but even my magical attacks are weak. I do 1/3 of the damage against them by either physical or magical means.  bI have run through all the solutions (except chatting and having someone look over my character) and still can't figure out why I can't beat the drunk sailors.  I don't have a problem damaging other creatures in that mission or elsewhere in the game.  I have added armour, increased spell power, even moved up a level.  All my weapons and armour are within my character's skill levels.  Any other ideas?  I'd really like to move on!
drunk sailors are much tougher than other monsters in that mission.  give it one more level, and see if that makes a difference.
--jason
Plony: try posting information about your char, specifically:

Experience Level:
Hitpoints:
Manapoints:
Strength:
Quickness:
Intelligence:
Luck:
Dexterity:
Persistence:
P/S skill:
S/S skill:
Ranged skill:
Magic Level:

Left Hand:
Right Hand:
Chest:
Head:
Feet:

Any other information about what specifically is happening that might be relevant--perhaps cut&paste an entire fight with a monster, to give us an idea of exactly what is happening.

As was the solution earlier, make sure that you are attacking with your weapon, not your shield! Keeping your gear current with your level is also important.

Next, for magic skill (just to make sure you are aware), everty time your magic skill increases, you have to go to the mage tower to increase each magic type (air, fire, earth, water) to your current magic level.

Lastly, make sure that you are attacking the monsters with the correct magic type, ie. Drunk Sailors are weak against Earth magic, so make sure that you are using that against them.

Coming into chat would be another great way to try to solve your problem! I'm sure most of us would be willing to look at your character and give you some advice.
Thanks, Blue Guru,

It turns out I hadn't caught my magic spells up to my magic level.  Once I got within a level of my max, I could complete the mission.

Plony
Out of interest, what would happen to defense if I was to unequip my shield and equipped a second weapon? ie, a sword in one hand, a spear in the other?

Or how about a sword and a projectile weapon, like a slingshot or crossbow (dunno if they exist, as I haven't been that high yet!)?
lol Quickhare hundreds of players do that. In fact nobody except for semis carries only 1 shield. If your a fighter, drop the shield and pick up a ranged weapon and join the party :D. If your a mage , you should be relying on magic only for attack, and carry 2 shields.