Hesperus and Phosphorus - worth it? Options

[Zarathustra]

My party has exited the Underdark and defeated most SoA enemies, with the Ranger stronghold stuff, Orcus and the Twisted Rune up next.

I did not forge Phosphorus in Chapter 3, and am wondering whether it would still be worth it. If I do forge it, it would replace FoA+4 as my Vagrant protagonist's off-hand weapon (main hand is The Truth); however, no one else in the party needs FoA. Is the Strength bonus worth the investment at this stage?

Also, while I have yet to defeat Orcus, I'm thinking that improving Anomen's shield maybe more worthwhile than creating Hesperus. After all, and if I remember correctly, there are only two difficult battles involving the Undead after Orcus; on the other hand, Anomen could use Supreme Shelter. Noe that Phosphorus would be used by the protagonist, or possibly Valygar, but that both are well-equipped as it is.

So, what are your opinions? Hesperus and Phosphorus - yay or nay?

[Frazurblu]

Hesperus is a nifty but minor weapon considering that you have to beat Orcus to get it. It is pretty good against Undead but I prefer other weapons against skeleton lords and the Sunray effects are useless against them for the most part. It is very good against the various Vampires in the game but you dont need to worry about them if you can beat Orcus. I would pass. It might have been better if you could forge Hesperus before beating Orcus but would have to beat him in order to keep it (a la JD sword quest). that way it could be utilized in the fight that it was made for.

As to Phosphorous - it is an excellent +4 weapon with a great strength bonus but at this stage of the game I would save my money. After Treefolks Arm it is the best early game weapon both for its easiness to forge and its abilities and for me it is a must have. However at this stage of the game unless you have a lot of spare coin and permanency scrolls (unlikely I would think) you should be saving up for Judgement Day sword , Dragon halberd , FODAW , Hammer of Thor etc which give you a lot more bang for your buck.
A 24 strength of course is always a boon but at this stage of the game your tanks should have access to the various girdles in the game as well as Crom Fehr which can mitigate this loss somewhat.

This post has been edited by Frazurblu: Oct 27 2008, 04:21 PM