Which botd is better for merc? GS or WP?

[PhuQ]

Assuming both have exactly the same ed% roll, which one is better?

WP has higher dmg but GS is faster, i´d like to see some numbers tho

Thanks .)

[jiansonz]

What about a Great Poleaxe?

[psych]

What is your other gear?

What is your lvl/merc lvl?

Do you run fana or other aura's on yourself?

Do you cast decrepify or amp or other curses regularly yourself?

Or do you want the merc to do that?

Are you only concerned about damage?

Will the merc apply crushing blow?

[Eilo Rytyj]

What about a Great Poleaxe?

Great Poleaxe exactly = Ghost Spear, except different str/dex requirements, In case you already didn't realise.

[TheBe]

And to add psych's list, What character are YOU playing?

[PhuQ]

Oh, seems I forgot to add something :)
I just wanted to know pure damage compare between GS and WP

Well I add other infos

I am GF baba (no auras)
My merc is lvl 89 A2 Might Merc

Wealth Armour
Crown Of Thieves

Meaning no CB / DS

[PhatTrumpet]

You should be able to do this on your own:

1. Go to the Arreat Summit and compare the average damages of the two base weapon types (runeword mods are irrelevant).

2. Go to a weapon speed calculator (the German one, although probably not entirely accurate, is close enough for comparison purposes) and compare the speeds of the two base weapon types (with 60%IAS from the runeword).

3. Compare your results from (1) and (2) to determine which weapon type does more damage over time.

[psych]

Ok here it goes: War Pike / Ghost Spear

Increase in dmg (average base, doesn't matter if you multiply by bonus damage)

105.5 / 86.5 = 1.220

Increase in time needed per attack (only jab used, use RTB's info on delays and regular attack speeds for mercs if you want to know it into the finest detail)

7 / 6.5 = 1.077

So the damage gained is bigger than the extra time needed and therefore Warpike will deliver more damage over time in your situation (given the limitations I pointed out)

[jiansonz]

Great Poleaxe exactly = Ghost Spear, except different str/dex requirements, In case you already didn't realise.

I didn´t realise, thanks.

I think the Great Poleaxe has much more merc friendly requirements (lower DEX). No problem for the merc described, but there may be others to come.

Spear or polearm makes a lot of difference for future characters. Polearm is faster for almost any class (especially sorceress). But a Ghost Spear can be used with amazon spear skills. Not an easy choice IMO.

[Mythatic]

I'd choose WP, I hardly even notice the Speed IAS difference when merc pokes a bit slower or a bit faster, as long as he does HUGE damage and Leech, he's fine.

Ghost Spear? I'd say the requirements are too high for mercs, unless you want style points on them, they are faster than WPs nontheless.