What's up with throwing weapons? (Discussion)

[Amineri]

I don't know if I'm just missing the boat, but it seems to me that I see very few players using throwing weapons at all.

It seems sad that such a feature is in the game, and yet hardly used. In addition, it seems like said feature could provide some benefit to the economy, as consumable items are generally a stabilizing influence (in my opinion, at any rate). However, rather than discuss the economic merits, I thought I would see what people think about the advantages and disadvantages of throwing weapons.

I will admit that my only experience with throwing weapons was using bronze javelins on my rank 23ish Lancer, so definitely need a broader range of players chiming in!

Pros:
Can be used for pulling mobs
Can be used for avoiding PBAoEs
Can be used to avoid effect of shock spikes
Generates TP, as an auto-attack
Are more accurate than melee weapons (at least for Lancer -- it's true! Iron Halbard has 150 acc, Iron Azagai has 161 acc)

Cons
Are consumed, costing gil
Require inventory space to carry
Attack power is much reduced, generally on an order of 1/2 of an equal rank melee weapon

*************************************************

I'll describe what experience I had with Javelins. This is while completing Necrologos : Lightsome Verdure, with the annoying pus gnats.

If the pus gnats ever get their shock spikes off, I would then stand back a bit and begin hurling javelins. The damage is small (but, to be honest, the damage with my main weapon is small, too), but the primary purpose is to build TP, and I certainly am not building TP while stunned.

Once TP was built up, I could run in and use a big damage TP power (which also doesn't allow me to be affect by shock spikes). I found that this method allowed me to contribute more damage to the party then trying to continue beating on the gnats with me melee weapon.

******************************************************

I'd certainly appreciate any other tricks that people have found for using throwing weapons, and any suggestions to improve throwing weapons for our beloved Square Enix developers

[Veasna]

For me, i would use it to pull, but with the dropping hotbars it's just not practical. Putting throw on my 1st hotbar is a waste, putting it on 2 or 3 kind of negates the effectiveness of making a fast pull (with keyboard and mouse). Maybe in the future after they fix this hotbar issue i would use throwing weapons much more.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

I was thinking the other night that throwing weapons would be a neat, physical alternative for ranged attacks with a melee class.

In particular, a Drybone leve with swarms of insects, the earlier time I tried, I threw Shock Spikes on, charged in, and ended up engaging a party, but drawing both parties toward me. As a result, I really only got experience for one.

Next time I crafted bronze throwing daggers to pull. Unfortunately they were already separated, so I didn't need them.

Another instance where throwing weapons would have been helpful. A Horizon leve with Deathstroke Assassins. As a Marauder, I used Trammel to afflict Heavy, Shadowbind to Bind on the last target. He had a skim of HP left. I couldn't kill him and had nothing available that was an instant ranged attack. I spent the next two minutes running after him, sometimes ahead of him, trying to swing my axe at him. Where a single throwing axe could have probably finished him off.

Sorry, went off on tangents.

But I'm starting to invest in throwing weapons for the instant pull effect, the get in one attack on a running mob about to die effect, and now that you've brought up your strategy, when the time comes, may employ such.

[Reika]

I thought about using throwing weapons on my gladiator once, but as said, they take extra inventory space. I rarely have inventory space without them.

[Kazimir]

The inventory space and use of an action space does not bother me at all. The one and only problem I have with the ranged weapons is they do not have a far enough range. I would use them to pull much more often if it were not for that, but as it stands now my Taunt has a longer range.

I have used throwing weapons on NM's after dying and while I was still weakened. Doing so allowed me to do damage at a safe distance, but other than that they are completely useless.

[Reika]

Well when you get to the point where you do almost every class and have tons of different clothes and materials to work with, you will become bothered by inventory space lol.

[Amineri]

I was able to confirm that the range on a javelin (brass javelins, specifically), is long enough to hit slugs, but avoid their silence + damage AoE attack.

Was running Necrologos : Inferno last night to confirm.

[Arcell]

I like throwing weapons but the range is far too short to be viable as pulling tools. When certain skills like Provoke have a longer range, it's almost a waste to use a throwing weapon. Then again that's forgetting the fact that pulling with a provoke generates no enmity but that's not the point lol.

Give throwing weapons a decent range and they'll be perfect.