In terms of weapons for a swordsman what is deemed more important ssi or leech i know both is a plus and also what is the highest ssi you have seen in the game

The answer will really depend on your template . No matter what, a weapon can't swing faster then 1.25 seconds. Most of the time ssi works out the same if you have 5 or 30 . Leaches will vary between zero and max calculated percent with each hit. So if you are low on dex the ssi may keep you swinging faster. If your template is regen dependent the leach may be of more help.

Hope that helps some. Your template and play style will be the determining factor.

Vepl

Highest SSI would prolly be on the Soul Seeker, 60% isn't it?

30% is highest for weapons not using Ash wood, then 40% is highest on weapons that are not artifacts.

There is a 10% SSI minor Tokuno arty helm, and I think some crafted armor using heartwood can get the SSI property also (not 100% sure, could be wrong on that one).

highest artie SSI is 60%
Highest magic item natural is 30%
highest enhanced wood weapon (carp or fletcher) is 40

For leeches, it appears this "may" depend on weapon type. faster weapons have 0-50, while slower weapons are being seen with 0-100.

The current favorite is soul seeker, as it has 60 ssi, and all the leeches, PLUS repond.

SHort Answer: High swing speed / moderate leeches should do you well.

long asnwer:

Vepl is correct, SSI is only effective up to a certain stamina level, because there is a hard cap on fastest swing speed. However, my spin on it is that too much SSI is not bad. My reasoning is due to stam loss from damage. If you tweak your weapon/template so that you are swinging at fastest rate only when at max stamina, what happens when you lose stamina? You swing slower, and die quicker.

So for swing speed, another consideration would be jewels and armor that add stamina or dex to your template. If you do not have chivalry for divine whirlwind to restore stamina, stamina regen on armor is a + as well.

from the FOF by Luerocian,
"Post the formula for determining swing speed...."
Leurocian dug this up and translated it for us non-coders:

1. Figure out Weapon Base speed in ticks. Take whatever speed in seconds your weapon says on the tooltip and multiply that number by 4. If you are barehanded, you swing at the fastest weapon rate (10 ticks = 2.5 seconds). Example: The Halberd (4.25 second base speed) has a base speed of 17 ticks.
2. Figure out Stamina Ticks (Current Stamina / 30). Example: Current Stamina = 50. So Stamina Ticks rounded down = 1.
3. Figure out Swing Speed Increase modifier from equipment. Example: 20.

Here is the formula:
a. Hit Start = ((Base Weapon Speed - Stamina Ticks) * (100.0 / (100 + Swing Speed Increase)))
ex. Hit Start = ((17 - 1) * (100.0 / (100 + 20)))
c. Make sure minimum swing time is never less than 5 ticks (1.25 seconds).
ex. The calculated Halberd Hit Start speed = 13 ticks (3.25 seconds)

And use stratics weapon calculator

A note on damage per second. DPS calcualtions pre-suppose that you are standing there swinging away. Many a fighter knows this is not always the best strategy. So, DPS really depends on what you are fighting. If you are jousting, DPS is not really a factor, except you have to wait a little longer befoe you charge back. Of course, even with a halberd, by the time you run away and back again, usually a couple of seconds have elapsed anyway.

Depends on the weapon too. A real slow wep like a Halberd or Bardiche needs some SSI, imho. But something like a Dagger only needs SSI if the person using it has like 50 Dex...

I have about 120 Dex on my Fencer but I still like SSI to be on a weapon. Swing time, unlike bandage time, is based on Stamina, not Dex. So if you are getting hit by something like an Ogre Lord that can drop your Stam down to nothing really quick, its nice to have SSI to combat it and keep swinging.

Course, Divine Fury helps with that too if you are a Pally. The downside is that it drops your DCI by 20% for aruond 10 seconds, I think...

To me, Leeches are a nice bonus but nothing I actively look for. Mana leech heads the field because I have 55 Mana and GM Focus so it can get a bit on the low side in some situations...

Hope that helps a bit...

Thank you for all your help will definitly come in handy

kingtony, what are your current stat/ skills? Wish you were on LA with us, could gget yu ALL hooked up. DiP and Ben are tired of dragging us non PvP'ers! (jk)

current
120 swords---11 with jewelery
120 tactics---15 with jeweley
97 heal--working to 100
57 resist--working to 120
100 anotamy--locked
97 chiv--working to 100
97 parry---working to 110
40 focus---droping

133 strenght
143 dex
49 int

and thanks for the offer greastly appreciated

okay, so you want legacy or ML weapons. Most of the UOSE one handed weps require bushi or ninja.

Well, good news is MOST of the one handed weapons will be at capped sppeed for you with 30% SSI.

Of course, one must also consider using UBWS items. (I wonder what would happen if EA made an artifact armor/jewel/ cape/boots/earrings that gave UBWS?)

Looking at your template, you will want mana leech at the highest amount, then life leech, then stamina leech.

Based on the assumption that you will find yourself with less than perfect stamina, this list is all the weapons that would still be at cap speed at 70 stamina, with 30 SSI.

Butcher knife
Cleaver
katana
skinning knife

1.5 speed (still fast)
cutlass
elven machete
radiant scimitar

This has been posted in several places, but I will repost here as well. As a merchant, I can say pretty definitviely that anyone hunting swoops is hunting only for high end items. We look for 20%+ SSI, and 30+ leeches. (the norm for an uber item is 3+ properties (depending on which ones) at 75% or higher of max intensity) (an exception would be 25% SSI and hit lightening or fireball over 35%)
So, your chances are REALLY good of finding a weapon other than soul seeker on the corpse of a swoop that will give you an edge.