Yes title is a little bit baity, yes DS obviously needs nerfs
But I’m making this post since I always see DS being brought on the “nerf list” (most of the times alone in regards of melee power) every time balance is being mentioned in this Game
Things like “NUKE DS!!!” and so might be a little overboard with what should be done
Regardless of how I’d personally nerf it (nerf uncanny + make it deal 0 stagger unless parry), I’ve also seen this weapon less and less over time (Havoc 40 player idk if people keep using DS as much in Auric)
I see a lot less people bring up Force Sword (Deimos), Greatsword, Relic Blade, Knife and Power sword in discussions when they’re basically right there with DS level (either a little bit better or a little bit worse than DS)
Is DS really as influential as it was before to the game’s current balance state? Did DS create a sense of normalization on weapons like Relic Blade and Knife to be seen as “balanced” rn?
It got replaced by relic blade and force great sword builds in aurics. I only see it on low level players nowadays, the weapon really overstayed its welcome as an op option and people probably got bored from its playstyle. Anyways as you pointed out above uncanny is the real problem really i believe it should just be removed from the game but that will never happen.
They’ve definitely added to the broken pile but they all have the same common thread, insane crit damage. Deimos and Power sword 6 bogart super powered moves that honestly shouldn’t be part of the variant system. I’d throw dual shivs at the top of the broken pile in auric, late rampage you dumpster crushers in like 2 heavies with crits, the other oggs can be killed in 1, and the entire rest of the game can get one shot by a hyper critical light. And the special is a freaking chem toxin dart, that is way out of line for a melee weapon…
I think DS gets targeted a lot because it is the “whole package” so to speak. It’s not alone in damage output, but it does also get to be one of the most mobile weapons in the game AND have the possibility of uncanny dot abuse at the same time. I’m not sure any other weapon can claim to do as much for you in one package. Maybe knife but then there is a reason it was the number one talked about weapon before the massive duelling sword buffs. And you do genuinely sacrifice range and some safety using knife over duelling sword.
Of course in a coordinated team you might prefer to just take power sword for better overall DPS but it’s hard to argue the use cases are as broad as DS.
Not trying to make any categorical claims here, that just seems to me likely why DS gets singled out a lot in these conversations.
Yes it is above the others and it is the enabler you talk about. And no it is not because it deals higher/fester damage than other strong options. It is because it is easy to use.
Imo it’s the egregious crutch factor the DS provides that makes it stand out in people’s minds compared to other truly op melee options like the fgs. No combos to learn + high attack speed + long reach + high movement speed + long dodge distance lets you be very sloppy mechanically and still do ok. I know this is a elitist dork thing to say but sometimes I’m spectating a console player and they’re making the game look like a ps1 survival horror with tank controls but somehow still living due to the aforementioned attributes and it drives me insane lol
I also really don’t like the chem toxin "dart”, it seems like it’d be better if you applied poisons to your daggers or whatever, but we’ll definitely have the weird poison dart forever, which is redundant with the needle pistol and not satisfying to use.
It is indeed less useful in the context of Scum’s kit (specifically unlimited ammo but on the needle gun in particular that is busted beyond belief) but in the context of individual weapon slot power its nuts. You can just ignore your ranged slot weapon and be totally fine, though I am assuming you spent hundreds of hours with throwing knives already. Other melee weapon specials are petty banal and niche, primarily for stagger and defense. Or on some its the power button between ass weapon and good weapon. A throwing knife with the same restock conditions (+ backstabs) armor damage and stagger is pretty wild for a weapon special. The only thing that compares is Force Greatsword’s slash, and that requires at least 20 kills in melee each use (for the good fully charged wave) or a bunch of elites (definitely not hard with this weapon but still).
