Why the Dagger? - Page 2

[:1]sorcs didn't use wands.|||twas the point..|||I think he was being pedantic. :P

Sorcs used staves and Orbs. Necromancers used wands.|||The only reason Daggers aren't more widely used in D2 is because they're not big enough to cram top-tier runewords into. If runewords go, then daggers might make a small resurgence.

Despite the Runeword thing, however, some Amazons use daggers (since they're the only non-javelin class weapon that they get a decent block rate with) and a selection of Necromancers also use daggers (meleemancers using PD for the AR boost and poisonmancers that have chosen to use PD as a killing skill instead of PN).

Anyway, while there may not be much reason for WDs to wade into melee, they're basically D3's version of the Necromancer. Lack of melee skills goes with that archetype.|||Quote:








I dont recall any dagger specific skills. I would think wands would be better suited.




The Witch Doctor has no weapon-specific skills at all. None for daggers, and none for wands.

Their decision to have him holding a dagger is not just cosmetic or thematic, it also shows the players that dagger class weapons have a likelihood of being as valuable to the Witch Doctor as wand class weapons.|||I think that the dagger will be used for a few reasons!

First, I'm pretty sure that the WD will want to avoid direct-combat whenever possible, even if it's something as basic as taking pot-shots with a wand/staff here and there - it's inconsequential enough to justify not having either of those items be the WD's primary weapon.

Second, and possibly more importantly, Daggers are so much more in keeping with the WD's voodoo vibe . There's a lot of resonant fantasy imagery about witch doctors performing strange rituals with daggers...not so much with staves and wands.

The dagger definitely feels like a very 'cruel' weapon, and the Witch Doctor isn't a very nice guy. Like I said, the WD would prefer to avoid direct combat; but if he needs to, then I think that getting a little dirty and stabbing your enemies up close is in character for him .|||In the Diablo Archive (book) a necro uses an enchanted dagger to cast spells. She couldn't cast verry powerfull spells without it. The book does contain a situation where a creature was stabbed by the dagger but it was not because the necro wanted it, it was a last resort. The enchantments that were unleashed from the dagger when it stabbed the creature made it experience alot of pain.|||Outside of a stealthy, royal assassin, type role daggers are hardly as dangerous as a sword, axe, or mace. I can see daggers being relegated to being an incantation aid just like a wand or orb. Daggers would also provide a nice avenue for types of magic that require physical contact along the lines of a corrupting curse. Its a lot more dramatic to apply magic of that sort by pricking something with a dagger than it is to touch something with a wand.

Daggers are also good at delivering poisons but that was already covered by the necromancer and wasn't exactly memorable in its implementation.|||Quote:








Its sad that daggers, as a weapon class, were hardly ever used in D2 except for the MF one and the elite caster one, i forget their names. So in the interest of not creating an entire class of weapons which gamers collectively ignore, the solution could be to leave out melee functionality, and focus on boosts, and caster bonuses. I don't see why else someone would pick daggers over a superior 1-handed sword/mace.




Agreed. They should be like wands, in that you aren't really using them for the damage, but for the other effects. It would be cool to see a variation of ceremonial daggers.|||Daggers look cooler than wands. I wouldn't be surprised if they put spell caster mods on daggers in D3, just to encourage their use. I saw good WD mods on wands and staves at BlizzCon last year. Don't remember seeing any daggers, much less what their stats were, but it would be a cool variety of a weapon.

After all, Necromancers had that awesome Psycho pose with daggers in D2, which was enough to encourage pre-game hopes of viable stabomancer builds. Didn't work out that way, obviously, since Poison Dagger wasn't viable past early acts of normal, but he did look cool with one. Players would have used them, if they'd had similar potential stats as wands....