"best" melee weapon?

Hello.
The reason why I'm asking is because many people on the forum claim that the Staff of Xoranth is like the best melee weapon for high ST characters, that left me puzzling.
Also I'm a bit confused about the whole speed issue. Do base speed and weapon speed add? Do tempus and haste help spellcasters (harm for example) as well or do spells work relative to DX points/base speed, so speed spells and items don't matter.

Anyway, here goes
Is avg dmg like:

Code:

base speed + weapon speed / weaponAPs per attack * avg dmg of weapon

?

Example:
DX20, ST20, tempus fugit, haste, speed boots -> base speed 70 + 5

Sword of Baltar 40 avg dmg, 15speed
75 + 15 / 3 * 40 = 1200dmg per round?

Staff of Xoranth 12 avg dmg, 37speed
75 + 37 / 1 * 12 = 1344dmg per round?


I don't currently have arcane axe or arcane great sword at hand so they are probably way better than the 2 above configurations. Pyroaxe or that Iron Clan Hammer are even superior to the arcane weapons maybe.

 

Try either Kree sword or sword of Kriggirth in Void.

 

Sure, but they are rather end-game weapons. That's why I'm asking for the damage calculation formula Arcanum uses.

edit
the question if haste works for spells is cleared up, harm does indeed still use 4APs per attack even with haste on, meaning haste allows for more magick attacks as well

 

Top 3: (not and game waepons)
Dagger of speed
Sword of baltar
B.S

 

Behold the glorious name of the WMD found on the Isle of Despair!
I've never been coerced into looking for it.

 

It isn't as straightforward as just adding. They do combine but I can't tell you exactly how.

Tech: Pyro axe
Neutral: Barbarian heavy blade (earlier in the game)
Magick: Sword? Excuse me? Try casting Harm.

 

Hmm, my 0.2$

Your BEST melee weapon depends on what kind of character you have built. Like people said, the best all-around weapon is the unnamed sword from the pit in the Isle of Despair (found by looting the corpses of your opponents there- but QUICKLY, before the time is up). It's neutral, very fast and has good damage, so if you're going for ST20+, this is a great choice. The Barbarian Heavy Blade is a good option, too, and the Sword of Baltar is only slightly worse for a magickal character.

Tech specific weapons- I find the Pyro Axe to be much overrated. It has awesome damage, but it is SLOW. The Iron Clan Hammer is a much better choice. If you prefer your fights in real time, the Shock Staff makes for a very interesting option, possibly superior to EVERYTHING- although if you play turn-based, it won't be worth the bother at all. It is also charge hungry.

Magic weapons- if you play evil, get the Bangellian Scourge. "Deadly" doesn't quite cover it. Until then, stick with the Sword of Baltar or neutral weapons. The Filament sword is great for low ST characters, and the Axe of Lost Time, while VERY SLOW, has low ST requirements and a very consistent high damage (I think it's bugged to deal a steady 35 damage per hit). These are the weapons I usually give to my weaker followers, like Virgil or Jormund. By the end game, get either Kryggird's Falchion or Torian Kel's Ancestral Sword... unless you already have the Scourge.

 

My workaround for that? Pyro axe + backstab expert. Much less need for speed when you can drop most nasties in one shot...

 

Edit: of course, it also means my crit misses suck some major rotten eggs ... :^% like OWWwch...

 

I did not know at all