PC So why was Sledgehammers power attack block dmg nerfed?

[Scyris]

I'd like to know the reasons, I mean the sledgehammer gets bascally 0 from harvesting, its main use is as a weapon for melee and for breaking into things. So why was its power attack damage nerfed down from 150 to 99 or so? Just wondering what the logic was, as I didn't see it a problem that it had higher power attack block damage than the steel pickaxe when you consider you get no resources at all from breaking stuff with the sledge.

 

[InSanity]

I would also like to know why, in Alpha 16 I used to just carry around a sledge for when I was looting POIs as I could use it as a powerful melee weapon and to break into the buildings and even break open safes, now it's a little less viable for all of that so I'd be interested to know the reasoning behind that.

 

[Aldranon]

The sledgehammer is way OP and they are trying to balance it.

Its also a powerful late game crowd control weapon. Can you imagine four players with sledgehammers and their cc perks maxed?

You will start seeing the "game's too easy" soon enough.

 

[babspsol]

The sledgehammer is way OP and they are trying to balance it.
Its also a powerful late game crowd control weapon. Can you imagine four players with sledgehammers and their cc perks maxed?

You will start seeing the "game's too easy" soon enough.

The OP is talking about its block damage not mob damage. I don't think it was OP for block dmg.

I love the sledge hammer for killing stuff for the very reasons you described but I also liked it for the block damage it did and I was happy to lose the resources in exchange for that block damage.

I also think TFP never prioritised MP over SP so balancing around 4 people (or any number of people) going around with sledge hammers doesn't seem like a reasonable argument to nerf its blocks dmg to me

 

[Ghostlight]

It was OP for block damage, out-performing an axe/pick combo easily on all block types. With its knock down perks it is/was nuts, you just had to hit the wall near the zombie group.

 

[InSanity]

It was OP for block damage, out-performing an axe/pick combo easily on all block types.

But that was solely for the purpose of doing things like breaking into POIs and safes, which is why they had perks like breaking and entering to increase the damage it did in Alpha 16. It gives almost no resources for harvesting as it's only for the reasons I mentioned along with melee. And I believe it's still balanced because of a decent crafting cost and the stamina it uses along with the slow swing which forces you to put other points into to regen stamina and a faster swing along with damage and the like.

 

[Zourin]

The sledgehammer is way OP and they are trying to balance it.
Its also a powerful late game crowd control weapon. Can you imagine four players with sledgehammers and their cc perks maxed?

You will start seeing the "game's too easy" soon enough.

- The sledge was always a powerful weapon. It's actually nice to see the fireaxe come in at a close 2nd.

- Four players with their perks maxed are basically melee-specc'ed out and have made sacrifices elsewhere, so of course they're going to kick ass.

- A17 wasn't out more than four hours and we already saw 'game is too easy" posts from the trolls and HC crowd, as usual. You need to readjust expectations, because you're behind by three weeks.

If TFP cut back sledge block damage, it was probably because it was too easy to break through POISteel/safes where it wasn't really needed to get higher perk tiers.

 

[Aldranon]

- The sledge was always a powerful weapon. It's actually nice to see the fireaxe come in at a close 2nd. - Four players with their perks maxed are basically melee-specc'ed out and have made sacrifices elsewhere, so of course they're going to kick ass.

- A17 wasn't out more than four hours and we already saw 'game is too easy" posts from the trolls and HC crowd, as usual. You need to readjust expectations, because you're behind by three weeks.

If TFP cut back sledge block damage, it was probably because it was too easy to break through POISteel/safes where it wasn't really needed to get higher perk tiers.

Having one item that does everything better than anything else is a bad idea and some balancing is needed. Maybe a much higher stamina cost?

With combat, four (maybe two) players with sledgehammers and max perks could kill any group or any boss no matter how powerful with little or no risk to them... That's broken.

 

[kamer1337]

With combat, four (maybe two) players with sledgehammers and max perks could kill any group or any boss no matter how powerful with little or no risk to them... That's broken.

whats broken here? you are maxed stats (endgame) and have 2 to 4 people, there is no way to stop them

 

[Zourin]

Having one item that does everything better than anything else is a bad idea and some balancing is needed. Maybe a much higher stamina cost?
With combat, four (maybe two) players with sledgehammers and max perks could kill any group or any boss no matter how powerful with little or no risk to them... That's broken.

Sledgehammers are NOT resource tools, they are a block destruction tool, which is ONLY useful when clearing a POI. Fire and pick axes cannot be replaced by a sledge for tree or ore harvesting.

- Four players with their perks maxed are basically melee-specc'ed out and have made sacrifices elsewhere, so of course they're going to kick ass.

To quote the quote you quoted to make the point: If you max-spec'ed melee, you are going to kick ass. It doesn't matter if it's with a sledge or a fireaxe or a club or a chainsaw. Multiplying that by four doesn't make it OP, it just means you have four idiots who all showed up to halloween in the same costume. They probably all can't swim, either, because they're min/max tools.

I generally don't use a sledge. Fireaxe swings faster, and its heavy enough to stagger-lock feral and irradiated cops so they don't explode. Maxed out, they can also cause AOE bleed.

 

[Ghostlight]

If you max-spec'ed melee, you are going to kick ass. It doesn't matter if it's with a sledge or a fireaxe or a club or a chainsaw.

You were kicking ass without being melee max-specced with a Sledge, so they nerfed it. Shrug.

 

[Scyris]

You were kicking ass without being melee max-specced with a Sledge, so they nerfed it. Shrug.

Thing is they didn't nerf its entity damage, just the power atk block damage. So, that part of it is the same as before. I guess you just break into things slower is the reason, like most things in a17e. I noticed a alot of the changes are specifically to slow the game down.

 

[Ghostlight]

OK didn't know it was only block damage that got nerfed. Apologies.

 

[Scyris]

OK didn't know it was only block damage that got nerfed. Apologies.

But thats why I don't really get the nerf, even in A16, the sledge was very useful for busting into poi's and it could end up with higher block damage than the steel pickaxe I think if you perked it out. I mean it does fit with the a17e philosphy which seems to be: make anything other than killing zombies take much longer. I find I kill zombies way faster in a17e than I could in a16, and at a much earlier level as well.

 

[Zourin]

But thats why I don't really get the nerf, even in A16, the sledge was very useful for busting into poi's and it could end up with higher block damage than the steel pickaxe I think if you perked it out. I mean it does fit with the a17e philosphy which seems to be: make anything other than killing zombies take much longer. I find I kill zombies way faster in a17e than I could in a16, and at a much earlier level as well.

The problem was Wrecking Crew wasn't a very good perk for the sledge, because it already had excellent block damage. They needed to bring the natural level down to make people want to invest in the perk.