Pheonix Monarch

[Ayliffe]

So i bet there's some really obvious answer to this, but why dont people use pheonix when it gives more ed than beastz, and adds a shield...

[dainbramage]

Because a beatz/griefz will deal more damage than griefz/phoenix, and any reasonable block with phoenix is a waste of time.

[Raven]

becuase good bbarb are built around SS or not around a shield at all. beasts fanat bonus is added after all of your damage add up where as pheonix only add ED. Given pheonix is great PvM, but SS is still a better route.

[saracen85]

..beasts fanat bonus is added after all of your damage add up where as pheonix only add ED.

err.. the ed adds up the same way.. both counts as off-weapon and will stack on top of your skill ed.

[Raven]

Nope fanat is calculated in after all of your other ed% and damage bonuses are, becuase its an aura.

[saracen85]

Nope fanat is calculated in after all of your other ed% and damage bonuses are, becuase its an aura.

i don't think that's how it works.. auras are considered skill ed. so they'll stack on top of other off-weapon/skill ed. that's why might mercs add only a little damage for you.

from http://www.mannm.org/d2library/faqtoids/faqtoids_eng.html ;
Physical Damage done via attacks is calculated with many components.
As always, item links lead to Atair's german d2wissen.

1. First component is weapon's base damage. This has a minimum to maximum range which can be averaged. Lots of people only calculate with maximum damage, which gives some weapons a non-existent advantage. Existing base weapons are in fact thoroughly balanced in terms of straying damage, average damage and speed.

2. An ethereal weapon will gain its 50% base damage bonus.
Shields and shoes won't gain a damage bonus to the respective attacks due to ethereality.

3. Now weapon damage is modified with Enhanced Damage - ED as weapon's item property. Up to 15% bonus granted by 'superior' quality count in here, too. All this you may call 'onweaponED'.
Special damage boni versus undead and/or demons are not figuring in here, even if the weapon itself has such a modifier!

4. All boni to minimum and maximum damage granted by items will be added. It doesn't matter if boni are on weapon itself, on other equipment, or on Charms in inventory.
Skill property '+ xx Damage' will add xx to minimum damage only.
Item property + xxx Damage will add xxx here, despite it was claimed to figure in later.

5. Percentage boni to Enhanced Damage not on the weapon are calculated, you may call it 'offweaponED'.
This contains
* - damage modification via status points in strength and/or dexterity
* - all special boni versus undead and demons which will of course only work against those species,
even those granted by the weapon itself, regardless of magical affix or blunt weapon bonus!
* - all percentage boni from equipment omitting the weapon(s)
* - all percentage boni granted by skills
* - all percentage boni granted by friendly aurae and suchlike
* - but also all penalties caused by enemy's Weaken or Decrepify curses as well as hostile Taunt and Battle Cry - those skills' diminishing effect to damage are calculated as negatives to offweaponED

6. This is total physical damage, which may have a chance to become a critical hit then.

[Habit88]

^^reasearch the way to go=D

[Omnicide]

Indeed...Fana and Phoenix both are counted as off-weapon ED...much like Fort and Rends. Beast gives more damage because it's an extra hit so the combo does more damage, total, than with Phoenix.

Pretty much what Dain said, damage output isn't as great as Grief/Beast and the blocking is about as good as Grief/Beast.

[SarG3]

Phoenix is great for PvM thanks to Redemption, giving you more health and Mana.

In PvP Beastz gives more damage and an extra hit like Omni said. Plus if you used Phoenix and killed monsters during a duel then you would be spammed with insults of how you suck and it would be pretty funny tho. ^^