great poleaxe infinity diablo 2 cryptic axe strength final

There’s really nothing new here compared to Great Poleaxe.

The dex requirement on Ghost Spear is pretty high, but it’s still usable, it’s not quite as bad as Colossus Voulge - an eth Ghost Spear should be wearable on a level 85 merc (91 for non-eth).

Same speed, same average damage, but wider damage range. Stygian Pike and Ghost Spear are roughly the same as Great Poleaxe (and Ogre Axe, but that only has max 3os so can’t be an Infinity base). The other spears have roughly equivalent polearms for speed/average damage, so nothing really changes there other than you having a couple more options depending on what you find. (Threshers can be used at clvl 66.The only spears that really change the equation are War Pike (slower than any of the elite polearms but with the highest base damage) and Mancatcher (faster than any of the elite polearms but with lower base damage). Of course, +Strength gear can allow earlier use, but generally if people trade good stuff for a runeword polearm, they want to be able to use it ASAP without jumping through hoops, hence the popularity of Cryptic Axes. However, you'd need clvl 81 to use a Greater Poleaxe or clvl 86 to use a Giant Thresher. Act 2 Nightmare mercenaries reach 165 Strength (enough for Cryptic Axe) at clvl 73, without bonuses from gear. what gives?Ĭryptic Axe is still among the best at one thing: strength requirements. Wait, I thought Cryptic Axe was considered by everyone to be the best polearm. It's possible to equip your mercenary with gear such that your only real consideration is how fast he attacks, in which case Giant Thresher may be the polearm for you. A faster-attacking mercenary, regardless of weapon damage, is more likely to trigger Chance to Cast gear, Crushing Blow, and similar mods that care about when you hit. Sometimes it isn't about the polearm damage so much as it's about the number of hits you land. Giant Thresher doesn't seem to win any DPS contests. Conclusion: Cryptic Axe wins at 25, 50-60, and 95+ IAS.

Great poleaxe infinity diablo 2 cryptic axe strength final