Axes
Axes are easy to find and well balanced.
There are three types of weapons in 'Axes' skill category:
- an axe
- a battle-axe
- a pick-axe
Types of Axes
Axe
Hand axes are very common weapons, and likely one of the first you will encounter as they are used by low level skeletons. Axes are generated in a wide variety of metallic materials.
Axes deliver slashing damage, and have decent roundness but this is offset by their small size giving them a mediocre block modifier of 1200.
Hand axes have an adequate strength modifier, making them "rather sturdy".
They have an average primary material density, meaning changing the material of the axe will have a noticeable effect on its weight. Hand axes feature a shaft made of lightweight pine wood.
They come in Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, and more rarely, Meteoric Steel, Mithril, Adamantine (broken only), and Ommel Tooth variants.
Hand axes are attached to Loricatus.
PROS:
- Very common
- A good balance between accuracy, damage and sturdiness
- Lightweight
- Low strength requirement
- Axe skill level carries over to both battle-axes and pick-axes
- Functional as throwing weapons due to their abundance and reasonable accuracy
CONS:
- Balanced weapons do not hold up as well as specialized ones in IVAN
- Somewhat outclassed by daggers which are only slightly weaker but are lighter and much more accurate
Battle-Axe
The two-headed variant of the axe, also a common sight in dungeons. Battle-axes are also generated in a wide variety of metallic materials.
Battle axes deliver slashing damage, and have a higher roundness than their hand-axe counterparts. They are also larger in size, leading to a much more impressive block modifier of 3300.
Although intended to be used as two-handed weapons, it is possible to wield a battle-axe in one hand with lower arm strength than you would need for any other two-handed weapon aside from a war hammer.
Battle axes have an adequate strength modifier, making them "rather sturdy" however their larger size makes them unwieldy and inaccurate.
They have an average primary material density, meaning changing the material of the axe head will have a noticeable effect on its weight. Battle axes feature a shaft made of oak wood.
They come in the same variants as an normal axe.
Battle axes are attached to Loricatus.
PROS:
- Common
- Sturdy
- Very high block modifier
- More powerful as a two-handed weapon than a war hammer or spear
- Lightweight for a two-handed weapon
- Low strength requirement for a two-handed weapon
- Lower strength requirement to use effectively in one hand than most other two-handed weapons (20 ASTR)
- Axe skill level carries over to both hand axes and pick-axes
CONS:
- Inaccurate
- Outclassed by bastard swords in almost every way when used as a two-handed weapon
- One of the least powerful two-handed weapons in the game
- No artifact battle-axes in vanilla IVAN
Pick-Axe
Pick-axes are digging tools first and weapons second. You'll find they are the weapon of choice for shopkeepers. Pick-axes are generated in a wide variety of metallic materials.
They deliver piercing damage, and have average roundness and small size leading to an average block modifier of 1500.
Despite primarily being used for digging tunnels, pick-axes can surprisingly hold their own in combat.
Pick-axes have an adequate strength modifier, making them "rather sturdy".
They have an average primary material density, meaning changing the material of the axe will have a noticeable effect on its weight. Pick-axes feature a shaft made of lightweight fir wood.
They come in Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, and more rarely Meteoric Steel, Mithril and Ommel Tooth variants.
Pick-axes are attached to Loricatus.
PROS:
- Can be (a)pplied to dig through walls or break furniture or other dungeon props
- Much more accurate than a battle-axe
- Very lightweight for a two-handed weapon
- Low strength requirement
- Low strength requirement to wield effectively in one hand (12 ASTR)
- Axe skill level carries over to both battle-axes and hand axes
- Have a unique price modifier when being sold due to their utility as digging tools
CONS:
- Uncommon
- Least powerful of all two-handed weapons
- Cost more when bought from a store due to their utility as digging tools
- No artifact pick-axes in vanilla IVAN
