What are the benefits of a talon?

[AdinoEznite]

As the title says.

it seems like talons have a pretty low dps compared to other weaps their lvl
so why use them?

[XchilangopwnX]

Yes I agree dmg is low but the benefit I like is the armor.
And with my talon set I can solo roach motel in sewers so me likey :p

[Slush]

Because it's a mix of a bow and a dagger, since you get the extra armour from a wing, and the range of a bow, but sacrifice some damage for it.

[Fatpigwarrior]

Bow-bear= Custom Recurve or Talon

[Gaddy]

Better armor, better total crit, slightly faster attacks, one extra slot of gear to add stat bonuses.

The talon/shield config is very good in some scenarios, the bow or blaster is better in others.

[Suntv]

As the title says.

it seems like talons have a pretty low dps compared to other weaps their lvl
so why use them?

Don't use them, it's like shooting at a tank with a pistol.

[JaytB]

Don't use them, it's like shooting at a tank with a pistol.

+1

If you have to resort to a talon, you might as well make a warrior or so. I mean, the big deal about birds is their dmg dealing ability. With a talon, you take that away IMO

[Otukura]

I don't like wand mages or talon birds -- used to be both, but now I view them as tanks(endgame) Sorry! At lower levels you can deal almost as much damage with a talon as with a bow, eg. 10-12 twinking and level 30 elite gear. Not 100% sure but I think that applies to level 25 twinking too.

[noobmigo]

I don't like wand mages or talon birds -- used to be both, but now I view them as tanks(endgame) Sorry! At lower levels you can deal almost as much damage with a talon as with a bow, eg. 10-12 twinking and level 30 elite gear. Not 100% sure but I think that applies to level 25 twinking too.

It does. In fact, sometimes, my DC used to surpass my Onyx Bow with rage in damage. Not sure how that is possible.

[Otukura]

DC is .6 speed and the bow is .7 I think -- going from memory. Actual damage dealt will still be less, probably. I assume you're refering to DPS?

[Fyrce]

Yeah, low level wands/talons aren't bad, but I admit to not like seeing high level talons in my groups. Wands don't seem as bad to me -- mages still do their skill damage. But birds seem to work better with better weapons. Anyways, if your role in the group is damage, you should be maximizing your damage :p

[Riccits]

The Sentinel Talon set is awesome too. Buffed u have almost 50% dogde and a quite good dmg. I use it all the time in Sewers for clearing.

[Raulur]

Um, you ppl do realise dps is worthless, right? You do not lose much skill damage with talon vs bows because different weapon speeds get different skill damage modifiers. The tank with a pistol comment is entirely misinformed, imo.

Truth is, the best birds carry BOTH, and switch depending on situation.

As far as maximizing damage - its a team game. If you can't do your job and keep aggro off of the bird suffciently enough that they change to talon, then you need to look at YOUR game for ways to improve.

[Tamino]

Bow-bear= Custom Recurve or Talon
Agreee on Custom recurve, my bear's weapon of choice. Wing/Talon... I do prefer Raid Roach, damage loss customizing them (28 DMG !) isn't worth the set bonus (+24 H/s, +2 armor). IMHO, of course.

<edit> And yes, impact on skill is different from bow to talon. However, I loss about 35-40 points on bear damage skills from Custom Recurve to RR Talon/Wing...

[JaytB]

Truth is, the best birds carry BOTH, and switch depending on situation.

Who are these 'best' birds then if I migh ask? I'm just wondering, because all the people I consider the top birds in the game (100k+ kills) rarely, if ever, use a talon. Only when in a weak party they whip out their talons. As for skill dmg, have you even compared skill dmg with a talon vs a bow? If memory serves me correctly (at 55), you loose about 30+ dmg for each of your skills. Personally, I think that's a lot.
On top of that, your auto-attack becomes pretty useless, making the comparison of a tank with a gun perfect IMO

[lUp3]

Depends on the situation. I mostly use recurve but if I'm getting a lil lag or always gaining aggro I shift to talon.

[Unxtoxic]

I use talon and wing more because it's gives you more armor also it helps you stay alive. You can'tdeal out damage if your dead :)

Edit: meant can't

[JaytB]

I use talon and wing more because it's gives you more armor also it helps you stay alive. You can deal out damage if your dead :)

I use recurve, so the enemies die faster. They can't deal out dmg when they're dead :p

[Raulur]

Who are these 'best' birds then if I migh ask? I'm just wondering, because all the people I consider the top birds in the game (100k+ kills) rarely, if ever, use a talon. Only when in a weak party they whip out their talons. As for skill dmg, have you even compared skill dmg with a talon vs a bow? If memory serves me correctly (at 55), you loose about 30+ dmg for each of your skills. Personally, I think that's a lot.
On top of that, your auto-attack becomes pretty useless, making the comparison of a tank with a gun perfect IMO

Ok, forgive me. I must not know anything since I have only racked up 33k kills in the few months I have been playing. (sarcasm) If the entire party is doing their part, a talon bird will hardly slow anything down while clearing trash. I started carrying around a talon set for groups that do stupid things that tend to get everyone killed. I suppose you would rather have a weak paladin around?

I am not advocating using a talon on bosses by any means, but I will on GF if the party is weak enough. Weak parties are the reason I quit running sewers at 55. Too many players that think they are pro because they are high level, but in reality are not that hot.

[JaytB]

I started carrying around a talon set for groups that do stupid things that tend to get everyone killed. I suppose you would rather have a weak paladin around?

I will refrain from being sarcastic, as it doesn't contribute anything. That being said, you basically agree with me. You started using a talon because of crappy teams.
I don't understand how the Pally remark has anything to do with this topic though.

[Tempest]

About 90% of the talon's base dmg is added to your skill dmg, while bows give about 70%.