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Lvl : 8
Str : 119
Def : 13
Mov : 79
Hp : 296

Golden Compass
Wand of the Moon
Illusens Earth Potion
Downsize
Leaf Shield
Scarab Ring
Greater Healing Scroll

Budget 2.7mil

I'm thinking of upgrading the WoM for an SC or RSB but can't decide which. Up to now I've only done 1p but have just joined a bd guild so will likely start getting into 2p. Also I'd like a Skeletal Fire Gun but the inflation is nuts, does anyone know where I can rs it?

Hmmmm.... funny you should ask this. I have been thinking about the RSB SC choice in battling recently.

1 Player, the most commonly used one is the cheaper option - the Scuzzys Comb.
2 Player, the most commonly used one is the one that supposedly does better icons - the Ramtors Spellbook

Both contain light icons. So what it comes down to is Physical vs Dark, and the fact that the RSB 100% rips through burrow, and the SC only gets 50% through. The Physical can be a disadvantage because of this as well, both get none through sink. Leaf Shield and Patched Magic Hat both kill the physical in the SC, and are both pretty common shields at this level. The PCH also able to take out the light attack of the SC, making this weapon pretty useless. However, another arguement against the RSB is the newer weapon, the Golden Compass. This weapon Blocks 3 dark icons, taking a good chunk of dark out of RSB. Dual Compasses would completly kill it.

So the RSB in nicer though, especially with the burrow, though there isn't too much in it with the release of the Golden Compass. Decide how committed you are to 2 player battling, and if you are prepared to pay the price then get the RSB. If there is question in it, or you decide that 2 player battling isn't for you then go for the SC.


Also, what is in your 8th slot?

My 8th slot is empty right now but once I find a cheap enough Skeletal Fire Gun I'll be putting that in there. Given your advice I'm going to go with the RSB. If I change my mind about 2p I can always sell it and switch to SC. Thanks a billion for the incredibly helpful reply.

One of the biggest things you could do right now, if you want to see an immediate improvement in your damage count is get to the 125 str boost. Fact is though, with a lab rat, that probably won't be happening and you definitely have no control over whether or not it does happen.

Personally, I prefer the scuzzys comb. The most common shield I know of, even though I firmly believe there are better alternatives is the leaf shield. My opinion on why is that it's merely been out the longest, and people are used to suggesting it. People say it kills the comb, but take a closer look at those icons. The leaf shield takes three physical out of a comb, meaning that head to head, the person with the comb wins, because they deal 7 icons, while the person with the leaf shield effectively deals 3. This is of course, assuming even boosts.

The patched magic hat does beat the comb in a head to head match, but I only know of myself, and one friend of mine who actually use it, and have never seen it appear in a quick fight. Another obstacle to the comb is the extremely common Scarab ring which blocks three physical, leaving them with a 9 iconer and you with a 7.

For the RSB, the main problem is the (relatively speaking) Golden Compass which clips 2.6 dark off, while dealing a full 9 icons. this leaves your opponent dealing 11.6 icons, while you deal 7.4. This may seem like a better trade off than when comparing yourself to a leaf shield with scuzzys, but it really isn't, because now, in overall icon count, you're losing. Another thing to consider is that it isn't at all uncommon to run into DUAL compasses, leaving you with even less of a chance in the fight, if you were to depend upon your RSB.

Now the thing you have to consider, is which is more common at your level: the Compass, which hangs around as a backup weapon once in a while, or the scarab ring/PMH combo, which I believe either was never used (in the case of the hat) or has been outgrown for quite some time (in the case of the ring). There is also the fact to consider that, without inflation, Scuzzys goes for almost half the price of Ramtors.

Good luck with whatever choice you happen to make. Hope I was helpful
~phyre

final_phyre Wrote:...because they deal 7 icons, while the person with the leaf shield effectively deals 3. This is of course, assuming even boosts.

The patched magic hat does beat the comb in a head to head match, but I only know of myself, and one friend of mine who actually use it, and have never seen it appear in a quick fight. Another obstacle to the comb is the extremely common Scarab ring which blocks three physical, leaving them with a 9 iconer and you with a 7.

For the RSB, the main problem is the (relatively speaking) Golden Compass which clips 2.6 dark off, while dealing a full 9 icons. this leaves your opponent dealing 11.6 icons, while you deal 7.4.

Your logic is flawed. If I do 10 icons to you, and you defend with a dual-duty that does 5 icons and blocks three, according to your formula, you're ahead (I'm doing 7, you're doing 8 total). However, in terms of damage done, I do 7 icons of damage, and you do only 5, meaning I do more damage and am ahead.

Well I think that RSB is marginally better, as it does get more through burrow, and defensive options against dark and physical are roughly even. However, with the commonality of Golden Compass, Mask of Coltzan, and Ring of the Lost, I really don't think that RSB is better by a wide enough margin to justify the price difference.

I mean, which would you rather have: Ramtors Spellbook or Scuzzys Comb and also enough dubloons and codestones to train your lab pet up to getting Berserk ?

PS: Skeletal Fire Gun restocks in Haunted Weaponry. For most weapons, you can find where they restock by entering the name in the "search" bar on neopets, and clicking on the "see if this item is in stock" link on the info screen.

cooldude42192 Wrote:

final_phyre Wrote:...because they deal 7 icons, while the person with the leaf shield effectively deals 3. This is of course, assuming even boosts.

The patched magic hat does beat the comb in a head to head match, but I only know of myself, and one friend of mine who actually use it, and have never seen it appear in a quick fight. Another obstacle to the comb is the extremely common Scarab ring which blocks three physical, leaving them with a 9 iconer and you with a 7.

For the RSB, the main problem is the (relatively speaking) Golden Compass which clips 2.6 dark off, while dealing a full 9 icons. this leaves your opponent dealing 11.6 icons, while you deal 7.4.

Your logic is flawed. If I do 10 icons to you, and you defend with a dual-duty that does 5 icons and blocks three, according to your formula, you're ahead (I'm doing 7, you're doing 8 total). However, in terms of damage done, I do 7 icons of damage, and you do only 5, meaning I do more damage and am ahead.

I count each icon stopped as the equivalent of one icon dealt. So no, the logic isn't really flawed, it's just a more defensive way to look at things.

If you can afford the RSB over the SC, I would definitely buy that instead.  When considering the shields used at your level, there are a less shields that block dark than block physical.  In fact, most multi-icon shields block at least some physical.  That, along with the fact that there are some shields that block light (light-defending shields are necessarily popular, but they aren't rare), SC will get killed.  Dark shields are some of the least popular unless you are worrying about SoSs... Also, you have to consider that at that level, Burrow is very very important and is used in almost every battle.  So, the RSB will get all of its icons through Burrow which can mean the difference between a win and a lose.

I also don't agree at all about adding the icons defended to the overall icons - you can't win a fight by using just shields! Who ever gets more icons through wins, end of story.

Minusing def icons AND adding def icons in a comparison or weapon matching is silly.

If anything you should simply minus the defended icons from the opponents weapon and leave it at that. By doing both adding and subtracting you are overstating the importance of the defended icons.

Looking back at that, I can't quite remember the logic that originally brought me to calculate net icons that way. If I remember it, I'll be sure to post it, but until then you guys are right. I should simply subtract defended icons, rather than subtracting and then adding them :/

final_phyre Wrote:I count each icon stopped as the equivalent of one icon dealt. So no, the logic isn't really flawed, it's just a more defensive way to look at things.

Yet you also count each icon stopped as the equivalent of an icon stopped. You're counting blocked icons twice, which is indeed a flawed way of looking at things. If you want to favour defense while comparing weapons, you would only count icons blocked towards the defensive weapon, not against the offensive weapon as well. So, while a PMH would be an effective 6-9 icons against a SC, the comb would still be an effective 10 icons.

To explain why, head-to-head, a SC does NOT lose to a Scarab Ring:

SC vs. Scarab Ring, assuming equal strength/defense boosts, and 1 icon = 1 damage:
The attacker will do 7 damage with their SC, while the defender will do 6 damage. Not even a tie - the person using the SC will win.

That said, so long as you're planning on waiting for 'war' inflation to dissapate, I'd go with the RSB. Even though you've got a good chance of seeing certain shields, you've probably got an almost 100% chance of seeing Burrow. It'd be nice to get so much of your attack through at least one mass blocking ability, seeing as even with your Golden Compass, you'll be barely getting anything through Sink.

Also, on the off-chance you do hit a Scarab Ring, a SC would be effectively reduced to 7 icons while your second weapon would be down to either 6 (Golden Compass) or 5 (Skeletal Fire Gun). If your opponent also has a 9 or 10-iconer of their own, you could be looking at your 12 or 13 icons against their 13 (if you used your GoC) to 16. If you had a RSB, you'd need to go up against the specific combination of Scarab Ring and Golden Compass to see a comparable problem.

Of course, if you're dying to get one or the other immediately, or on a rather tight budget, it's not worth sacrificing so much potential trading or later upgrades for slightly better icons. You'll be seeing an immediate improvement in damage whichever you pick.