Something About Melee I Very Rarely Hear About Anymore...

[_Azeizel]

So let's start off with a story. A curious Mr 5 was on region chat and decided to ask region about some high tier melee weapons that they wanted. Most of it was "Is X good?" But then, he asks " Scindo Prime vs. Dragon Nikana". And then it happened. A war broke down into region, "SCINDO P IS INFINETLY BETTERER"  "Dragon Nikana has more speed and mobility!" But there is one thing I didn't see talked about, at all. 

 

Combos, not the stance, but how the combos in the stance work in game. [DISCLAIMER: I am not rooting for either side]

Dragon Nikana has more arcs and mutli hit potential with blind justice, + speed and good mobility, allowing it to be more superior in crowds. When tempo royale for Scindo, though it having some arcs and good mobility, it still is "single target" or small groups and its animations show that. 

 

Dragon Nikana animations are more fluid, (is that the right word?) when Scindo's are a bit more clunky. Also, combo meter, multi hitting animations and combos allow for quick increases to your damage because of the combo meter. This is the reason why Boltace/Kronen when used properly are very good, some may even say top tier. 

 

Also Dual Ichors can be put into this. It's animations are easy to pull off and have decent multihit and speed. Though the range and arcs are mediocre. 

 

Now the purpose of this post was not to compare the 2 weapons. But for 3 reasons.

 

1. So some newer players can realize that paper dps=/=in game dps

 

2. So some players can stop comparing weapons with completely different roles and playstyles

 

3. To get some awareness to the community. I have never seen anyone compare the hits, combos, mulit hits, and arcs on a melee weapon to date.

 

Note: I was not 100% sure whether or not to put this on players helping players, or here, if it moves... woopsie 

 

[Bambiiiiiiii]

Tempo Royale solves a lot of the 'clunk' you describe for Scindo, but it boils down to personal preference. I like my Dragon Nikana a LOT because it's quick and dependable.

[_Azeizel]

Tempo Royale solves a lot of the 'clunk' you describe for Scindo, but it boils down to personal preference. I like my Dragon Nikana a LOT because it's quick and dependable.

True, but it's definitely there, and it's one of the reasons why I can't stand any heavy melee below 1.0 attack speed, (or around there)

[Stratego89]

True, but it's definitely there, and it's one of the reasons why I can't stand any heavy melee below 1.0 attack speed, (or around there)

I can't stand slow or short ranged stuff, so I threw that scindo prime with berserker on a Valkyr. So much heavy death so fast... Also, I always compare combos for melee weapons, and you're right, people act like they don't exist. It's kind of sad really...

[Sixty5]

Honestly, what is the best melee weapon really comes down to what you are running it on.

[DataThief]

Eternal War Valkyr + Tempo Royale (August Mesto) + Fury + 3 Berserk Stacks + Unranked Life Strike = Solo 40 minute T3 Survivals all day :)

 

August Mesto is what makes Tempo Royale. DK and Blind Justice can't keep up.

[Jakcal]

>Says their not picking a side

>Talks about how good one of them is and how bad another is

[MonkeyWaffles]

speaking of melee and their combos... what bothers me about scindo is its first strike is always an overhead vertical hit instead of a horizontal slice. Any other weapons aside from polearms (ie. orthos) that does a horizontal slice first strike? any particular stance that does all horizontal strikes with the standard E combo?

[(XBOX)MAIXX74]

I ran the Dragon with blind justice and absolutely hated it, sold off the weapon and ran with a Galatine instead.

Then I had a Tranquil Cleave drop and decided to try the DK again, now my favorite carry melee (quick strike weapon)

It's mobility is excellent and holster speed is incredibly fast perfect for quick strikes when primary/secondary is equipped.

But it's combos (tranquil cleave) are lackluster and when going into a mission knowing I will need an equipped melee, there are several I prefer over the Dragon.

There is no 1 weapon fits all. More importantly it's what feels good to the user and fits their play style.

Edited May 30, 2015 by (XB1)MAIXX74

[counterflux]

You should see what a speed volt can do with a scindo prime.

That thing becomes a ceramic dagger suddenly, It obliterates everything in its path.

Overall for me: scindo prime = epic with boosts otherwise not that strong.

  

Dragon ninkana is also good, but a bit overrated. The mobility drops almost to that of the scindo if you put blind justice on it. The strikes are faster and combo counter can compensate this a bit.

Overall for me: Dragon ninkana = strong if you can master the stance, otherwise there are better options.

 

Mobility is also a big factor that should be taken into account. The ceramic dagger and tipedo would be king of this. If you can fly from one enemy to another you can keep the combo counter up and you won't get shot while running to the next enemy.

Overall for me: Ceramic dagger/ Tipedo = best for maps with few choke points and completing missions as fast as possible

 

 

Other weapons are usually a tradeoff between big and high damage, good combo's and mobility.

Edited May 30, 2015 by counterflux

[NyxCrab]

A big problem is that combos in this game are very clunky. They usually lock you in place or lock you into the animation, and are overall very clunky. If there was a way to cancel out of a combo move and reset the combo/change to a different combo and be able to me more mobile with combos, they would see a lot more use. Of course, another problem is that some combos have higher multipliers than others, so the ones with low multipliers don't get used as much.

[Tesseract7777]

Honestly, what is the best melee weapon really comes down to what you are running it on.

 

I agree. And I would add that playstyle is also a part of the equation when it comes to best. 

 

 

And on top of that, in some cases weapons have multiple stances available and you need to choose the best combos. And even in that case, the best combos aren't always cut and dried -- it depends on the playstyle/frame/mission/need. 

 

There are some weapons whose stats just aren't end game viable, and there are some that are. I would say that any that fit the "are" category, can be described as someones "best" weapon, for their particular needs. 

Edited May 30, 2015 by Tesseract7777

[SoIaris]

I generally say dragon nikana is best because of tranquil and blind justice, blind justice drops constantly from stalk ( if he ever decides to appear again ) and tranq is easy on a simple earth excavate run. Temp royale is no longer available ( for now I hope ) and scindo prime is harder to get because of rng.

Thats why I say d nikana over scindo to a new player (also I like swords and crimson dervish bores me )

[Autongnosis]

What i love about Blind Justice is that the quick melee performs the whole Zatos' Creed combo. Way less dull than the usual e-smashing you get with quick melee. Looks like you're actually fighting with your sword.

 

That said, i both own a BJ DK and a Tempo Royale ScindoP, i use them both, and i think they're both excellent weapon/combos with very different purposes. TR is a sledgehammer, BJ is more subtle.

They are both up there with the double D imho (crimson dervish dakra prime). Some of the most powerful and fun to use melee weapons. Who cares about coptering speed.

 

Tbh the only thing that makes me lean towards tempo royale is the back spam combo. I mean, the animation is kickass, and it is just so rewarding to headcrit a guy with a 500% damage modifier. With a Scindo Prime. On Chroma. With max Fury. Dem numbers :D

[KingTaro]

If you're going to use melee weapons for the actual combat.

You can narrow it down to one thing when you want to give a quick answer: killing efficiency.

 

What I define as killing efficiency is how fast can I kill X enemies (spread out through the mission).

 

If we compare Scindo Prime with Dragon Nikana.

Dragon Nikana will have a higher killing efficiency in most occasions, if you know how to take advantage of Nikana's slide attack mobility.

 

Now, if they ask why weapon X has a higher killing efficiency than weapon Y.

Then you can start digging up all the features of the weapons.

 

In case of Scindo Prime and Dragon Nikana, the deciding factor is the weapon mobility.

Both weapons can clear a squad of enemies really fast if they're put right infront of them. So it comes down to how fast one can move from one squad to another.

 

.

PS: Dragon Nikana performs better without a stance.

 

 

Theories might help to some extent, but the best way to find out which weapon has a higher killing efficiency is through actual gameplay experience. My favourite mission to test this is T4 Survival.

[(PSN)Mazda_07_]

It's more for playstyle. I can't stand Nikana it's too Damn choppy and awkward swings don't feel fluid where as the scindo is alot more easy going once you get the hang of it. I've Ran t4 surv and I did around 46 mins with scindo and 38 I think with the nikana so scindo is much better with what I felt and by how far the weapon took me. But I'll still main fang primes because I'm vain and I like to look pretty.

[WrathAscending]

I suspect the reason few people mentioned the combos or stances is that they aren't often used.

 

For myself, I only switch to melee mode if I'm injured and using Life Strike.

 

If the combos were easier to perform, more useful, and more predictable I'd use them more. Perhaps they're better on consoles or with a control pad, but with keyboard and mouse ranged weapons are a more consistent source of damage even in close.

[Ziegrif]

Tempo Royale trumps all other stances I've tried.

Easy to use and really damn powerful.

Edited May 30, 2015 by Ziegrif