Weapons Jack Sparrow's Blade Discussion

[DarkRose]

@Bladerage
"There's just no way for the sword to leave any room for a fair test of skill in PvP or NPC combat."
True for PVP, absolutely meaningless for PVE. PVE you play for yourself and utilize whatever you have to be successful. It truly matters not to you or anyone else how I accomplish my goals in PVE. None. PVP is a totally different animal and your comment makes perfect sense WHEN PLAYING AGAINST ANOTHER PLAYER!! --- NOT Npc. I can not be unfair to a NPC, only destroy them. And I'll strive to find a great weapon to do so in PVE and my actions have no impact in tlopo. And all npc respawn, so I'm not even inconveniencing anyone no matter what I do.

Leave weapon rating to the devs for PVE, leave us alone in PVE with our styles and quirks. But if anything is about PVP, by all means work for fair play in PVP battle. Someone came up with a good solution in PVP, limit or ban certain weapons. OR make auto level including weapons matching for all players in PVP battle. Thus only the players fighting abilities will be victorious.
GL

I agree, bout the pvp thing. Lots of games have a way of not allowing certain items for pvp. The statement from bladerage kinda of makes me laugh, as it was well known most (not all) jumpers found "outside" advantage to be above others. So "fair test", I just dont see it as a thing with pvp. But I might be wrong, as I no longer hang around the pvp crowd anymore since this version.

 

[Scarecrow2123]

I agree, bout the pvp thing. Lots of games have a way of not allowing certain items for pvp. The statement from bladerage kinda of makes me laugh, as it was well known most (not all) jumpers found "outside" advantage to be above others. So "fair test", I just dont see it as a thing with pvp. But I might be wrong, as I no longer hang around the pvp crowd anymore since this version.

Refer to my post.

 

[JacquesDessalines]

I am level 45 and have completed Black Pearl and Ravens Cove, and spend a lot of time looting and have no legendary weapons of any kind. I have something like 45 Famed though.

This isn't a weapon that just comes free walking to Darkhart. I like the new additions and it's nice to have more areas that drop relevant things. I used to like killing Timothy Darden, but he wouldn't drop loot. Today before I found out the update changed loot, Timothy dropped a pouch and I was like "oh cool they've improved the game". Happy this weapon is in the game. It takes level 30 sword, my friend who plays is well into notoriety 40s and has also completed Black Pearl and Ravens Cove and still has not reached level 30 sword mastery nor have they received any Legendary weapons.

This is extremely rare to get. Because many that post here disagreeing with the new obviously very power sword loot in one place nonstop while watching Netflix or whatever, that's their trip for the game (and nothing wrong with that). The majority of players are doing other things and enjoying quests and exploring the seas and ocean. People know Legendary weapons -can- drop, and would be supppper excited to see one, but it isn't the purpose of most people playing the game.

Days, weeks and months into the game is about exploring and quests.
Months into it to year or two is about finding Famed and Legendary.
Year to years into it you want to build insane collections. The best being a specific sword isn't going to make you not look for others once you've begun collecting.

 

[squintz]

I am level 45 and have completed Black Pearl and Ravens Cove, and spend a lot of time looting and have no legendary weapons of any kind. I have something like 45 Famed though.

This isn't a weapon that just comes free walking to Darkhart. I like the new additions and it's nice to have more areas that drop relevant things. I used to like killing Timothy Darden, but he wouldn't drop loot. Today before I found out the update changed loot, Timothy dropped a pouch and I was like "oh cool they've improved the game". Happy this weapon is in the game. It takes level 30 sword, my friend who plays is well into notoriety 40s and has also completed Black Pearl and Ravens Cove and still has not reached level 30 sword mastery nor have they received any Legendary weapons.

This is extremely rare to get. Because many that post here disagreeing with the new obviously very power sword loot in one place nonstop while watching Netflix or whatever, that's their trip for the game (and nothing wrong with that). The majority of players are doing other things and enjoying quests and exploring the seas and ocean. People know Legendary weapons -can- drop, and would be supppper excited to see one, but it isn't the purpose of most people playing the game.

Days, weeks and months into the game is about exploring and quests.
Months into it to year or two is about finding Famed and Legendary.
Year to years into it you want to build insane collections. The best being a specific sword isn't going to make you not look for others once you've begun collecting.

I like when they use their alts in the same mob. It's funny to watch each wake up in sequence sometimes, then stand still again.
But what would make looting incredibly beneficial is if we could trade and it's legal to trade with alts. THEN you could build up a formidable pirate in PVE. Like wow, where I can mail other alts on the same realm on my account. This allows some positive benefits as I can process pelts as a skinner and send the finished product to my main who is a leathercrafter. The same can be done in tlopo in a lessor way for just swapping mats and such, since we have no processing skills in tlopo for items. But the concept is the same.

Darkhart and now dalton are picking up mobs even in light use oceans. Ran into a couple well known full time looters on darkhart on a non busy ocean.

 

[JacquesDessalines]

Darkhart and now dalton are picking up mobs even in light use oceans. Ran into a couple well known full time looters on darkhart on a non busy ocean.

In chat about a week ago people were talking of favorite looting areas and I was the only one to include Darkhart/Darden and Kingshead. One other included Ravens Cove as well. Everyone else said something alone the lines of "there is no point to go outside of Isla Tormenta". That's why this is a great update. If the sword is OP for PVP, which it very well could be, then ban it from PVP, even if it's just a gentlemans agreement not to use it.

 

[Beggar]

In chat about a week ago people were talking of favorite looting areas and I was the only one to include Darkhart/Darden and Kingshead. One other included Ravens Cove as well. Everyone else said something alone the lines of "there is no point to go outside of Isla Tormenta". That's why this is a great update. If the sword is OP for PVP, which it very well could be, then ban it from PVP, even if it's just a gentlemans agreement not to use it.

Adding other viable looting spots can be accomplished without giving a mid-level boss a sword that makes Leviathan look like a joke. The reward for looting a boss should be commensurate with the effort required to find it.

 

[Beggar]

this power argument is pointless, thats like buying a 2018 car then complaining the 2019 has 100 more horsepower and has better features so you complain they should make it cater to your needs and send progress backwards

No offense, but this analogy is completely ridiculous.

 

[Ediego59]

At this point, look at the poll results, its a landslide victory to not change anything to the sword, Instead of at this point making a cycle of throwing up the exact same details every 5 comments, Accept the loss and face the fact that people don't want it changed. As much as you guys are respected members of the TLOPO community, the ultimate word of this shindoodledardy comes down to the Developers, they have the ultimate power to change things here. but literally ripping something apart that you don't even own in the game is going to end up being unfruitful, find the sword then complain. Plus the obvious fact that you are literally breaking the sword in half and making a generic sword with statistics closer to a Black Shark Blade clone kinda make the sword devastatingly less desirable.

 

[JacquesDessalines]

Adding other viable looting spots can be accomplished without giving a mid-level boss a sword that makes Leviathan look like a joke. The reward for looting a boss should be commensurate with the effort required to find it.

Could it be coded something like 0.01% of Skull Chests dropped by Tormenta Boss drop related Legendary, and 0.005% by General Darkhart drop Jack Sparrow's Blade? Like twice as easy a boss, but half as frequently dropped?

 

[squintz]

Adding other viable looting spots can be accomplished without giving a mid-level boss a sword that makes Leviathan look like a joke. The reward for looting a boss should be commensurate with the effort required to find it.

I was going to agree and disagree, but decided I don't agree with either sentences because to me it seems the contention is based on self imposed assessments of value from a hard core looting perspective. I fear I will never align with the looters mentality and valuations as I only loot because I have to, not that I want to and collect things to brag about. Looting is a ends to a means, nothing else to me. Thus I'll probably never see eye to eye with a looter and should start to bow out of these discussions.

I agree with mercenary that to argue item power in the PVE arena is pointless. Of course PVP is totally different and people should take a moment in crossover thread talk that they may mean PVP. It's hard to tell some times.

 

[Beggar]

Could it be coded something like 0.01% of Skull Chests dropped by Tormenta Boss drop related Legendary, and 0.005% by General Darkhart drop Jack Sparrow's Blade? Like twice as easy a boss, but half as frequently dropped?

Based on the ratio of normal legendaries to JSBs found over the last week, i’d say that it’s possible that something like this is already in place.

While this is much preferable to the weapon being as easy to acquire as a Lost Sword, I still don’t think it’s appropriate for DH to drop something so absurdly powerful. Even if it is slightly rarer from him than other weapons, Darkhart is still a mid-level enemy who can be soloed by relatively new players who wouldn’t dare approach Pacifico.

For the time being, I don’t think the game warrants a sword this ridiculously powerful at all. As JFR noted, a weapon like this would be more appropriately suited to accompany future content featuring much more formidable enemies and bosses.

 

[Beggar]

At this point, look at the poll results, its a landslide victory to not change anything to the sword, Instead of at this point making a cycle of throwing up the exact same details every 5 comments, Accept the loss and face the fact that people don't want it changed. As much as you guys are respected members of the TLOPO community, the ultimate word of this shindoodledardy comes down to the Developers, they have the ultimate power to change things here. but literally ripping something apart that you don't even own in the game is going to end up being unfruitful, find the sword then complain. Plus the obvious fact that you are literally breaking the sword in half and making a generic sword with statistics closer to a Black Shark Blade clone kinda make the sword devastatingly less desirable.

The idea that a belief must be correct because the majority of people believe in it is a logical fallacy.

Furthermore, I would not support nerfing any legendary weapon to the quality of a black shark blade. The combination of Critical Strike rank 3 and Health Drain rank 3 would make the weapon competitive with Thunderspine Sword, and I would still be ecstatic to find one.

 

[Ediego59]

A Better solution in my opinion is to put this sword behind a wall of a boss, there are still undead captains to be released, why not release an Area with undead captains between levels 45-50 with one of these monstrous bosses at the helm at level 52 theres still areas in the catacombs or even las pulgas where they could be added

 

[Beggar]

A Better solution in my opinion is to put this sword behind a wall of a boss, there are still undead captains to be released, why not release an Area with undead captains between levels 45-50 with one of these monstrous bosses at the helm at level 52 theres still areas in the catacombs or even las pulgas where they could be added

I would also be happy with that.

 

[Ned Cabinmorgan]

Before you keep reading this post allow me to provide a disclaimer:
- This post is not aimed to say how the game is "broken".
- This post is not directed at the developers. [Nor is it a petition that I am pushing.]
- The objective of this post is to provide constructive criticism and open discussion to updates.

- Please avoid getting upset over others viewpoint & reply with respect.
Thank you!​

​

Now on to the topic at hand, this controversial weapon. Which is very similar topic as my Heart of Padres Del Fuego discussion. [See older post]​

Jack Sparrow's Blade Pros & Cons

​

The Reasons I find this Blade Awesome:
- It's awesome because it encourages people to loot old bosses. [Darkhart]
- It's awesome because it encourages low level raiding groups. [Below level 30's]
- It's awesome because it encourages the mid-game. [Not just BLASTING to 50.]
- It's awesome because it encourages PvP players not to skip Cleave.

The Reasons I find this Blade Terrible:
- It does not require Raven's Cove Quest to obtain.
- It is more powerful than ALL blades in the game. [Expect Leviathan]
- It is the only weapon with a rank 5 Critical Strike. [Wow...]
- It is the only weapon with Powerful, making it the only cutlass with an attack over 100.
[After the Powerful buff is applied it easily reaches over 100 attack.]
- It is the only other blade that has Drain Health. [Apart from WEB & Tyrant Blade]
- It is obtainable at a very low level boss. [Darkhart]

My personal thoughts:
It shouldn't be more powerful than Legendary CURSED weapons. I think the blade should be nerfed...
- Lower attack to 70.
- Lower Critical Strike down to Rank 3.
- Lower Powerful to rank 3.
- Remove Drain Health.

I personally think that the blade, in its current state, fills too many roles. For a cutlass, that is honestly a shame and a balancing issue; especially for a Legendary.

Let's take a look at a few of the original Legendary weapons; take into account their strengths and weaknesses.

1. WEB.
The World Eater Blade is undoubtedly an amazing Broadsword. It's meant to be an AOE tank that almost never dies, and it's very useful for on-demand heals. You won't be switching much with this weapon, but besides its massive Attack, it doesn't have much else going for it on terms of offense, and if a player isn't pinpoint accurate with their most powerful abilities or combo, they get punished HARD for it as Blade Storm and Jumping Strike are where a majority of your healing will come from.
2. Thunderspine Sword
The Thunderspine Sword was previously one of the best cutlasses in the game. It has an amazing attack, critical hits, and a massive thrust boost. The downside? Thunderspine has no practical recovery. It has no endurance boost, no parry boost, no drains, etc.. There's nothing going for it defensively and it relies on heals from either allies, a tonic that's on a long cooldown, another blade with health drain or a voodoo doll that will be able to heal you with its abilities.
3. Blade of the Abyss
While the Blade of the Abyss isn't very useful or practical, you can see where the balance is. You can see how the devs tried to balance it; it's a powerful blade that starts out weak but ramps up with damage with a powerful Bloodfire boost. The drawback is that you're forced to keep the weapon out at all times if you want to keep your boosts. You rely solely on your ramp-up and only have one option to heal and attack.

You can even see this in other weapon classes, too. It's very clear that there's a balance that needs to be kept with the weapons that we accept as a community. Every weapon needs to be unique to a degree and feel different to handle without being too overpowered or making another sword obsolete (this is assuming that they are of the same rank, and there are certainly a few exceptions to this rule that are indeed balancing flaws).

I believe that Jack Sparrow's blade breaks this fundamental balance. Let's examine its stats.

1. Critical Strike Rank 5
This is an AMAZING boost. And I mean, it's borderline overpowered on its own. In my opinion, this could easily serve as the basis and main selling point of this weapon; a high-risk, high-reward weapon that has damage boosts that come into play in the most unexpected moments. A blade worthy of the captain's chaotic nature.
2. Powerful Rank 4
This is, again, a great boost. A flat damage boost that comes into play and makes this sword one of the highest attack cutlasses in the game. Personally, I don't think this is necessarily needed. Boosting the Attack to 100+ just isn't fitting for a Cutlass; they're meant to be single-target weapons punishable due to their short range with a reasonable DPS. They rely mostly on boosts (for example, TS wouldn't be nearly as powerful if we took away the Thrust perk or Critical Strike) to be good. They're specialized weapons by design; it's rare that you find a Cutlass that has no drawbacks.
3. Health Drain Rank 3
This is where my first BIG problem with this weapon comes into play. It has a Rank 3 Health Drain. This frankly, in my opinion, does not belong on a weapon that seems to be designed around risk-taking and dueling. Drain Health takes the risk out of this weapon. It stops being a high-risk glass cannon (that can be either better or worse than Thunderspine, with less consistent combo damage and no thrust boost to help if you don't secure critical hits) and starts being an almost horrifically overpowered blade that wants you to take risks, but won't punish you if the risky playstyle that the blade encourages ultimately backfires. It gives you a safety net that degrades the thrill of the weapon; the thrill of a high-damage, high-burst sword that can save you or break you at any moment. It takes away the chaotic nature of the sword that made it seem fun in the first place. It just doesn't feel like it would be as rewarding to get that one pinpoint accurate, critical hit bladestorm if missing is degraded by the ability to just recover your health consistently anyways.

The health drain of this sword is the main problem. It makes the description of the sword less "A high-risk, high-reward blade that demands pinpoint accuracy to secure powerful critical hits that it isn't too strong without." and more of "A less consistent Thunderspine with training wheels".

My suggestions:

1. Take away the Health Drain. it takes away the main appeal of the weapon and makes it a lot less unique and more boring.
2. Take away the Powerful boost and give it a 90 flat attack. This makes it lag just behind Thunderspine Sword and makes it a gambit to use by moving the +3 boost onto a weaker combo move (thus giving it a weaker safety net for its pretty high-risk boost otherwise), giving it less attack, but making it get critical hits more consistently.
3. Give it some sort of other unique boost, something special that we haven't seen yet. Something to make it truly unique. It IS Jack Sparrow's sword, after all. Maybe amplify the risk-reward by making you deal and take more damage? That's up for you guys to decide.

 

[Ned Cabinmorgan]

No, I had no idea. That article is helpful, thanks. Regardless, Levy’s “% of increase” is still significantly higher, and it can hit more than a single target, has an amazing main ability, and huge increases on multiple passages. Yore’s is, like, 6% lower and has all its various boosts on major skills. I just don’t see how it’s so far and away from these blades.

The main balancing point of Leviathan's Blade is that it's a tanky, high damage sword that has powerful AOE. Despite its insane boosts, it has no reliable method of recovery. If an enemy can overwhelm the wielder with high burst damage or just rip through their high health pool that has not much recovery to support it, that enemy will win. TL;DR, where WEB needs high burst to rip through its drain health bonuses, Leviathan is countered by steady, consistent damage that will whittle down at its high health.

Yore's Blade has a consistent damage output that isn't countered by any one thing, but it's more of a jack-of-all trades. It doesn't have a critical boost or health drain to back it up or give it some kind of specialized role (weapons with critical strike and drain health are usually surrounded around being high-burst glass cannons and recovery/self-heal tanks specifically), it's just a good sword with not much else that's remarkable about it. It has the weaknesses of your standard cutlass; low range, high accuracy needed, no reliable AOE, lower collective damage than sabres or broadswords, slow combos that do pretty decent damage, etc.. It's just an average sword that's beefed up to compete with other legendaries.

Jack's Blade seems to want to be both a recovery tank and a high roller at the same time. It fills two roles that should conflict, and putting them together makes up for the other's weaknesses almost perfectly. A high risk and reliance on critical strike boosts doesn't matter when you're healing through most damage anyways (thus allowing you to stall for crits), and a low damage output and healing that can be powered through doesn't matter when you have high attack and a critical strike boost that lets you get all the burst you need to take down a target.

I hope these explanations as to the roles those blades fill and why Jack's Blade is a particular problem help in the future, my dude.

 

[Pika Pirate]

If one wants to nerf a weapon based on skill points, then what is the point of collect legendaries. Aren't legendaries weapon suppose to have a overpower stats and skills?

 

[Roger-Daniel]

If one wants to nerf a weapon based on skill points, then what is the point of collect legendaries. Aren't legendaries weapon suppose to have a overpower stats and skills?

I think the main discrepancy between this blade and all previous legendaries, is that a lot of people think that it is too overpowered compared to the others which, any way you slice it, shouldn't really be the case.

 

[Ned Cabinmorgan]

If one wants to nerf a weapon based on skill points, then what is the point of collect legendaries. Aren't legendaries weapon suppose to have a overpower stats and skills?

Legendary weapons are supposed to excel at what they do. For example, WEB is by far the best recovery blade in the game. This means that it can return a steady stream of health to the player that lets you outheal most chip damage and lets you effectively reduce the massive damage done to you. Recovery blades are countered by critical hits and blunderbusses; something that can power through them and kill the player, regardless of how much they try to heal. They have weaknesses, but they're still indisputably the best swords in the game. A weapon becomes overpowered with this system when it overshadows the standard. When it becomes better enough to make every other legendary not worth it. Jack Sparrow's Blade makes most other weapons just not worth getting to lots of people.

 

[Pika Pirate]

If the Jack Blade is to be nerfed, then what is the point of looting it?