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In this article, we'll break down why the Twin Winch Ballista is getting all this attention, examine how it compares to other weapons, how to make Skull and Bones Items and analyze the full build that maximizes its potential. So, let's dive in and figure out whether this weapon is as powerful as people say it is.
Understanding the Twin Winch Ballista
To get a full understanding of the Twin Winch Ballista, it's crucial to start by examining the weapon's core stats and abilities. Here's what makes it stand out:
Base Damage: 1460
Piercing: Yes, it pierces through enemies, dealing damage as it travels.
Reload Time: 2 seconds
Fire Rate: 2 seconds
At first glance, the Twin Winch Ballista looks like a solid weapon, with a good balance of damage, reload time, and fire rate. But what sets it apart is its Double Draw perk, which allows the weapon to be charged up to twice as long, increasing its damage by up to 200% and its range up to 1,150 meters. This makes it an excellent tool for both dealing with large clusters of enemies and targeting long-range threats.
The Piercing Mechanic
One of the unique features of this weapon is its piercing ability. Unlike other weapons that deal a single hit, the Twin Winch Ballista fires a projectile that passes through enemies, dealing multiple ticks of damage as it travels. This is incredibly useful for hitting multiple enemies in a line or when you're facing large enemy formations. However, there's a catch: the damage decreases with each hit. So, while it can deal substantial damage, it may not always hit its full potential when going through several targets.
The Comparison: Twin Winch Ballista vs. Great Spring Old Free
As much as the Twin Winch Ballista has been praised, there's an argument that it may not be as powerful as some of the other options available in the game. One weapon that often comes up in comparisons is the Great Spring Old Free.
The Great Spring Old Free is a blue weapon, unlike the purple Twin Winch Ballista, making it slightly harder to obtain due to its lower ship rank requirements. But while it might be harder to get, its power and versatility cannot be overlooked.
Base Damage: 1,845
Charge Time: 2 seconds for regular shots, and up to 4 seconds for full charge.
With the Great Spring Old Free, you get a higher base damage per shot, especially when you charge it for the full 4 seconds. In fact, after 4 seconds, the damage can go up to 3,690, which is nearly twice the damage of the Twin Winch Ballista at full charge. In essence, the Great Spring Old Free is more powerful in terms of raw damage output, especially if you're able to time your shots perfectly.
Damage Per Second (DPS) Comparison
When considering damage per second (DPS), the Great Spring Old Free wins out, simply due to the faster recharge time. The Twin Winch Ballista requires a full 4 seconds of charging to reach its full damage potential, but during those 4 seconds, the Great Spring Old Free would have already fired two shots, each with a significant amount of damage.
It's also worth noting that the Great Spring Old Free offers Long Arm, which provides up to 60% more damage when shots are fired at a range of 70% of the maximum distance. This means that the Great Spring Old Free can deal even more damage when used at long ranges.
However, the Twin Winch Ballista has a unique perk in that it can be charged twice, giving you 200% damage and making it a powerful option when you're playing for higher burst damage. But in terms of pure DPS, the Great Spring Old Free is clearly the winner.
The Perks: Maximizing Damage
To make the most out of the Twin Winch Ballista, you'll want to stack the right perks to enhance its performance. In terms of perks, the Twin Winch Ballista comes with some great potential, but you'll need to strategically build around it. Here's how you can do that:
Piercing and Rupturing
Given that the Twin Winch Ballista is a piercing weapon, Rupturing becomes a key perk for this build. Rupturing increases your damage as your projectile speed increases, allowing for even more damage output as your projectiles travel further. This works perfectly with the piercing nature of the ballista, allowing you to stack damage across multiple targets.Siege and Long Arm Perks
Though Siege is typically used for structure damage, Siege Perks can be used to great effect here, especially since the ammo priming bench bug allows the Siege perks to deal extra damage not just to structures but to everything else as well. You'll also want to pair Long Arm with the Twin Winch Ballista. This perk increases the damage of your shots when they travel 70% or more of their range, making long-range shots even more powerful.
Full Build: Maximizing the Twin Winch Ballista's Potential
To truly maximize the Twin Winch Ballista, it's important to integrate the right ship loadout, weapons, armor, and furniture to support it. Let's break down a build designed to get the most out of the Twin Winch Ballista.
Ship Loadout: Geruda
For this build, we'll use the Geruda, a ship with a unique first perk called Dead Eye, which increases weapon damage based on the distance from the target, capping at 60%. This is perfect for the Twin Winch Ballista, especially since it can deal significant damage over long distances. We'll also add the Revolver Perk, which increases piercing weapon damage by 20% (and up to 30% when hitting a punctured target).
Weapons: Great Spring Old Free and Twin Winch Ballista
In terms of weapons, you'll want to use both the Great Spring Old Free and the Twin Winch Ballista to cover all your bases. The Great Spring Old Free will be your go-to weapon for high single-shot damage while the Twin Winch Ballista will handle piercing and long-range shots. Combining these two weapons will give you a versatile arsenal that's effective at close, mid, and long ranges.
Armor: Mantle of the Deep
For armor, the Mantle of the Deep is a great option for this build. This armor provides poison resist, piercing resist, and flooding resist, which are essential when facing off against sea monsters like the Kraken. It also has the Primordial High perk, which reduces damage taken from sea monster attacks by 15%, and 30% when bracing.
Furniture: Ammo Priming Bench and Blister Mount Smithy
In terms of furniture, we'll use the Ammo Priming Bench, which increases reload time and damage dealt for siege weapons. For the Twin Winch Ballista, the Blister Mount Smithy is ideal because it deals 2,000 damage and marks targets for 20 seconds, increasing damage from ballista weapons and all other sources. This ensures you're maximizing your damage output in both PvE and PvP.
Final Thoughts: Is the Twin Winch Ballista Worth It?
While the Twin Winch Ballista has its strengths, particularly with its piercing damage and long-range potential, it ultimately faces stiff competition from weapons like the Great Spring Old Free, which outperforms it in terms of raw damage output. That said, the Twin Winch Ballista is far from useless and is an excellent option if you're looking for a versatile weapon nad Skull and Bones Silver that can deal with large groups of enemies and hit from long distances.
If you're willing to put in the time to optimize your build, the Twin Winch Ballista can be an incredibly powerful weapon in Skull and Bones, especially with the right perks, armor, and ship loadout to support it. So, while it may not always be the top choice for pure DPS, it offers plenty of utility and could be the perfect weapon for players who prefer strategic and calculated combat.
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