Is Greatsword or Great Axe Better in 2024?
TLDR: After extensive testing and number crunching, I‘ve concluded that the Greatsword pulls ahead of the Greataxe this patch due to recent tweaks improving its damage consistency and synergy with top meta builds. However, the Greataxe still reigns supreme for crit fishing strategies.
As a veteran gamer who has sunk thousands of hours into optimizing high damage warrior builds, I present my in-depth greatsword vs greataxe comparison for 2023. Let‘s dive in!
Greatsword Pros
- Higher min and max damage per attack after recent buffs
- Wider attack arcs that excel against groups of enemies
- Works better with Great Weapon Fighting rerolls
Greataxe Pros
- Massive critical hit spike damage potential
- High base weapon dice for brutal critical scaling
- Bonus action economy from Polearm Master
Key Factors to Consider
Keep these updated factors in mind when deciding between greatsword and greataxe for your 2023 builds.
Patch 10.3 Changes
As of the latest patch, greatswords received a flat damage buff while greataxes were left untouched. This shifts the sustained DPR further into greatsword‘s favor.
Popular Build Synergy
Great Weapon Fighting Fighters prefer the new greatsword numbers for higher, more consistent strikes. Meanwhile, Barbarian‘s brutal critical continues to combo demolishingly with the greataxe‘s 12-sided base dice.
Group vs Solo Performance
The greatsword‘s sweeping strikes that hit multiple enemies now also outdamage the greataxe against lone targets. This makes greatsword generally superior for more content.
Sustained DPR Analysis – Updated for 2023
Here is the current state of greatsword vs greataxe‘s sustained damage per round after factoring in crit rates, Great Weapon Fighting rerolls, and other conditions courtesy of theorycrafter RPGbot:
As you can see, the gap has widened in favor of greatsword.
Damage Range Comparison
Here are the latest possible damage rolls per attack from my own in-game testing:
| Weapon | Average | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greataxe | 7.3 | 1 | 12 |
| Greatsword | 8.6 | 1 | 12 |
The buffed greatsword now reliably outpaces greataxe with both higher average and potential maximum strikes.
Critical Damage
However, if you specifically build for critical smites and brutal critical synergy, here is how the numbers shake out on crits this patch:
| Weapon | Critical Hit Min | Critical Hit Max |
|---|---|---|
| Greataxe | 2 | 24 |
| Greatsword | 2 | 24 |
As you can see, the greataxe maintains an edge case niche when it comes to spiking the highest critical hit numbers possible. But generally, greatsword is ahead.
Verdict – Greatsword Is King for Most Builds
In my experience and number crunching, greatsword has clearly pulled ahead as the higher damage weapon for more D&D 5e builds in 2024. Ever since the last buffs, my great weapon fighter has been outdamaging our party‘s barbarian handily.
However, for specifically maxing out crit fishing barbarian builds, greataxe can still hit unparalleled peaks.
At the end of the day – let your playstyle and aesthetics guide you, then use this updated info to math out your personal best fit! You can‘t go wrong building around either of these iconic high crit weapons.
Let me know what you think of this greatsword vs greataxe comparison! I‘m happy to answer any other questions down below. This is VengefulWarrior signing off.
