Hey,
So I tested some damage modifiers, here are some things you should know about this test:
- Tested against a thrall with full yamatai warlord armor with bulked plating.
- Tested with 43 strength.
- Tested with Black ice broadsword + shield and various weapons (see below)
- Tested with master weapon modification.
So black ice broad sword has the highest damage output in swords category but it was dealing lower damage than most of the high tier weapons (momentum, yog’s touch etc.) by a significant margin. So here are some numbers: ( I used the most damage dealing combo variations, so i dont include the useless attack animations where it deals lower damage in terms of light vs heavy).
86 (light=heavy same) + 94 (light) (128 w/ heavy) + 146 (heavy)+ 128 (heavy=light) = 454 (488 with 2nd attack as heavy)
So keep in mind this is a sword that has a 72 damage and 21% armor pen (with master weapon damage kit). Lets see another widely used weapon that can be considered as a equivelant weapon: Mitra’s justice. (Please keep in mind that this is not the best mace in the category whereas black ice broadsword is the best 1h sword in the game).
152 (light) + 84 (l.) + 132 (H)+ 152x2 (H) = 672 damage.
Mitra’s Justice has 56 damage and 40% armor pen. (With master weapon damage kit). So its clear 1h sword combo modifiers are way lower than maces.
Lets try with Yog’s Touch. (59 damage 52% armor pen w/ mod.)
129 + 129 + 146 + 172 (all H.) = 576
So you can see the obvious damage difference between high end weapon types.
My conclusion: 1h Swords are not being used in any circumstances. In PvE heavy attacks inconsistently throw you around and have a small hitbox (which leads to unreliable attack commitments). In PvP, the damage difference between its alternatives makes it a easy choice to avoid 1h swords completely. Not mentioning the abrupt hit boxes and “lunging attack animations” that can only making you look funny. If the opponent is wielding an axe, he would have a much reliable hitbox with a large attack radious. Same goes for maces.
Suggestion:
- Change the 1h sword attack animations (especially with shields) to be more viable (more hitbox and faster animations)
- Increase the damage modifier of every single attack.
So another short issue is with 2h swords (since the topic is named “swords” after all 
)
2h Sword overhead attack (ctrl key attack) dealt very low damage compared to regular combo heavy attacks. After the related patch this attack type is also not being used in anyway because of 1. high stamina usage 2. low damage output.
2h overhead attack with blade of adventurer ( with same setup as above) dealt only 202 damage.
Whereas the regular heavy combo dealt 545 damage (121+131+71x2+151 all H.). So considering the stamina usage and the attack commitment of the animation it is fair to say that its another unused attack type. Increasing the damage modifier a little bit (I agree with the patch, it was OP before it) should solve this.