View source for Post:DSX - 6/13/2009 - 16:06:01

{{obsolete|Combat 3 has rendered these findings unreliable}}
{{Post
|a=URUTU
|t=DSX
|d=6/13/2009 4:06:01 PM
|n=2632
|f=Combat - Weapons and Armor (11) \ Crossbows
|c=m,o
|p=A {{PRel|Weapon:polished mahogany double-stringed crossbow with a gleaming animite boltplate|polished mahogany double-stringed crossbow with a gleaming animite boltplate}} is a {{PRel|Heavy Crossbow skill|heavy crossbow}} type weapon.<br />
You are certain that the crossbow is fairly balanced and is well suited to gaining extra attack power from your strength.

The appraisal is a little slippery since I think we all agree the suitedness of crossbows is inactive right now. So we're back to having just another fairly balanced crossbow.

Here are the data using the DSX and {{PRel|Weapon:sturdy oak quarrel|storebought quarrels}}:

SHOT TO KILL RATIO

100 shots<br />
41 kills<br />
2.44 shots per kill

SHOT RESULT SPREAD<br />
<br />
0 1-shot kills<br />
23 2-shot kills<br />
18 3-shot kills<br />
0 4-shot kills

So far so good. Maybe trailing a tiny bit, but overall not really too different from the {{ilink|w|Heavy crossbow|Crossing HX}} and museum Dragon.

FIRST/SECOND SHOT HITTING POWER<br />
<br />
First Shot Hit Power -- 13.00 (awesome)<br />
Second Shot Hit Power - 15.24 (earth-shaking)

This is where we dig deeper. Here we see the DSX definitely has less hitting power than the other three crossbows. I was disappointed. Unless there's something else special about this crossbow I'm unaware of, its low power and 14 second RT make it a hard sell. Actually it looks like junk. Based on this poor showing I'm not going to do the {{ilink|w|steel-tipped pulzone|pulzone}} test for the DSX, but I welcome anyone who wishes to do their own testing.

The real choice for most people is between the Crossing HX and the {{PRel|Weapon:steel-plated ironwood crossbow with a sculpted dragon-head cranequin|museum Dragon}}. They're both very good. If you're a little strapped for cash then as we saw the Crossing HX is great. It hits as hard as the museum Dragon and actually apps slightly better, although I'm sure the difference is minimal. I know we're all used to thinking "storebought" is inferior and a concession, but this case is one of the exceptions. The museum Dragon will cost about 1000 times more than the Crossing HX also, so if your budget is tight, you'll have to decide if the higher price is worth the 1 second RT reduction.

If money is no object then definitely get a museum Dragon. Just be aware they're harder to find, so someone picking up an HX will probably be using a Crossing HX at first. I know there are other XB out there, but I've only tested these four. And I doubt any of the others hit as hard or harder as the Crossing HX for the same price.

Whether or not to get a [[Weapon:cavalryman's slurbow with a silver-inlaid ironwood stock|slurbow]] is another question entirely. Hardest hitting, longest RT, and almost assuredly the heftiest price. Different people look for different things in a weapon, so it would be an individual decision on that one.

power = slurbow<br />
RT = Dragon<br />
affordability = Crossing HX

It's really just that simple.

One final note. Something I noticed in the DSX testing is we appear to be getting some slippage in the performance results. The DSX is definitely weaker as per the hitting power test, but overall performance in the first two tests compared favorably to the Crossing HX and the museum Dragon. So it was doing less damage per shot but was still killing rock trolls in the same number of hits. The power loss wasn't enough to cross any unseen damage thresholds where it would start generating more 3- and 4-shot kills.

This is similar logic to the slurbow being a stronger hitter but performing the same against rock trolls when all three crossbows use pulzones. The theory is that even with the harder hits the slurbow can't quite reach the point where a 1-shot on a rock troll becomes a probability instead of just a possibility. I would have thought we'd see at least some increase; others feel the damage gap might still be wide enough to camouflage it. At this point we still don't have definitive proof one way or another, but the DSX test indicates to me that the theory the slurbow is best with pulzones is certainly not unreasonable.

[[Kaxis]]


<nowiki>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</nowiki>

TIP OF THE DAY:<br />
A heavy crossbow is a heavy crossbow type weapon.
|obsolete=y
}}

==Also See==
* [[Post:Battle of the Crossbows - 5/31/2009 - 23:50:20]]
* [[Post:This Is Your Crossing HX On Pulzones - 6/1/2009 - 15:26:41]]
* [[Post:We Have A Crossbow Winner - 6/1/2009 - 23:09:26]]
* [[Post:DSX - 6/13/2009 - 16:06:01]]