Everyone quotes a weapon's ratio, and it's the right first number to look at. But in EverQuest Legends the ratio alone doesn't crown the best weapon: the damage bonus, haste, procs, and your own class skills all move the needle. Here's how to actually judge a weapon.
A weapon's ratio is simply its damage divided by its delay. Higher is better: it's how much damage the weapon puts out per unit of time before anything else is factored in.
A 10-damage weapon with a 25 delay is 10 ÷ 25 = 0.40. Bump the damage to 12 and it's 0.48, a clear upgrade. This is your baseline comparison, and for two weapons of the same type it's usually the right call. Where it gets interesting is comparing different types, because a raw ratio hides three things: the damage bonus, procs, and how your class swings.
| Weapon | Dmg / Delay | Ratio | Why it's notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| TornEar Thumper | 16 / 30 · 2H | 0.53 | High ratio and a big damage bonus, the classic two-hander case. |
| Ghoulbane | 15 / 34 · 1H | 0.44 | Great 1H ratio plus a proc, strong all-rounder. |
| Short Sword of Ykesha | 9 / 24 · 1H | 0.38 | Lower ratio, but the aggro proc is the draw. |
| Flaming Fist | 6 / 18 · H2H | 0.33 | Fast: more swings, more haste value, more proc chances. |
| Bladed Thulian Claws | 5 / 19 · 1H | 0.26 | Low ratio, but very fast for stacking procs and double attacks. |
Ratios computed from item stats on the site. Find any weapon and its numbers in the Item Finder.
EQL adds a flat damage bonus to your hit that the raw ratio never shows. It scales with your level and is larger on higher-delay and two-handed weapons. That's why a slow two-hander can out-damage a better-ratio one-hander even though its ratio looks similar, each swing carries a bigger bonus on top.
Because the bonus is added per swing, weapons that swing slowly (2H, high delay) get the most out of it. The faster a weapon is, the smaller its per-swing bonus, so a great ratio on a very fast weapon is partly offset here.
The bonus climbs with your level, so a two-hander that looks even with a one-hander at low level can pull ahead by the time you're capped. Archery uses the damage bonus of the weapon in your primary hand, so it benefits too.
Haste lowers your effective delay, so you swing more often and your auto-attack damage goes up, straightforwardly good. But here's the catch most people miss: haste does not increase your procs per minute. Proc rate is budgeted per minute, so when you swing faster the game simply lowers the chance per swing to keep the same procs-per-minute. More swings, same proc uptime.
The practical upshot: haste rewards raw ratio and damage output, while procs are governed separately (by DEX, below). Stacking haste makes a high-ratio weapon shine; it won't make a proc fire more often.
A weapon's proc, its chance-on-hit effect, can matter more than its ratio. A modest weapon with a strong proc (a big nuke, a lifetap, an aggro burst) often beats a higher-ratio weapon with none. Proc frequency runs on a per-minute budget driven mainly by Dexterity, not by how fast the weapon swings.
This is the choice that decides your whole weapon setup, and it depends on your class more than on any single item.
Two weapons means two proc sources (main plus offhand at half rate), more swings for haste to amplify, and double-attack chances. Best when your class has the dual wield skill, you have haste, and you have a proc worth doubling up on. Fast, proc-heavy, haste-hungry.
One slow, heavy swing that milks the damage bonus and hits hard per blow. Best for classes without strong dual wield, for big burst, and it scales up as you level. Simpler to gear: one great weapon instead of two good ones.
Whether you can dual wield, and how often you double attack, comes from your class's skills, so the right answer changes with your trio. Check your primary class on the class reference.
Get the baseline. For two weapons of the same type and hand, higher ratio usually wins outright.
2H leans on the damage bonus and burst; 1H opens up dual wield and more procs. Match this to your class's skills.
A strong proc can outweigh a chunk of ratio. Remember you can move a proc with Exaltations, so a great proc is worth grabbing even on a lesser weapon.
Worn haste boosts your ratio output; DEX raises your proc rate. A weapon carrying either does double duty.
Dual wield, double attack, and your DEX all shift which weapon is best for you. There's no single best weapon, only the best for your build.
Melee and proc mechanics are sourced from the community EverQuest Legends wiki (eqlwiki.com); the exact damage-bonus and proc-rate formulas are community-documented and still being refined, so treat the numbers as a strong guide and confirm in-game.