Post by Mark (newsgroups)That strikes me as a strange argument when all high runes seem to have
roughly the same value.
Eth weapons have a 50% higher BASE damage. That is in turn boosted by the ED
on the runeword itself. So if someone is going to use a Zod in a runeword,
they generally prefer them in eth weapons, so that they get a MUCH more
damaging weapon. It's not about cost, it's about "I can make an
indestructible weapon, so do I a)make it in a bow and get a max damage not
much higher than that of a Windforce, or b)make it in an ethereal
maul/collossus sword/whatever and get a max damage in the range of
800-1300."
To give you a comparison, let's say you make a BotD in a hydra bow, and roll
a perfect 400% ED. The bow now has a max damage of ~340. Now, let's say you
do the same thing in an eth collossus blade. That gives a max of ~865 if
wielded 2 handed, 490 even if wielded 1 handed. That's a max of 150 damage
higher, even if wielded 1 handed which allows use of a shield. Likewise,
made in an eth zerker axe you get a max of ~535, and made in something like
a thunder maul, you get a max of 1300+. And barring another runeword in an
eth item or an eth elite unique weapon, NO 1 handed weapon will ever have
listed damage that high. While OTOH, a Windforce at level 90 will deal ~510
damage and a Buriza will deal around 380, both more than the BotD will, and
even Eaglehorn will deal 290-300 or so, which is nearly as much. Since so
many b.netters are enthralled by big numbers, when it comes down to making a
choice, they're usually going to pick the biggest number weapon they can
get.