Meta-Physicist:Weapons

Weapons

Weapons of choice for the Meta-Physicist are one of the most hotly debated subjects. The best choices over the years have changed and are susceptible to change again in the future. Some weapons remain better choices than others in terms of IP cost and Attack Rating though. Before deciding for a type of weapon to equip, it is highly advisable to know why you want to equip a weapon in the first place and what, in terms of gameplay or overall advantages, you are expecting from your weapon. In that regard, Xtremtech's Choosing Weapons for the MP guide is the document of reference.

The Common Choices

Bow

General		There is a number of reasons why bows are popular among MPs. These weapons are quite IP friendly and can be maxed somewhat high for a non weapon profession. The init used to increase the speed at which arrows are fired is the one maxing the highest or costing the least too.
Rubi-Ka Bows		In general Rubi-Ka bows have a low minimum damage. They feature a generally good refiring rate and a good critical hit modifier. Some feature specials, such as fling shot or aimed shot. Rubi-Ka bows are efficient on Rubi-Ka and in PvP.
Bow of Ferocious Appetite		One of Rubi-Ka's good bow choices, the Bow of Ferocious Appetite has a somewhat high damage for a Rubi-Kan weapon and is a bit slow for a weapon from Rubi-Ka. To its serious damage, this bow adds an HP and a stamina modifier that varies with the QL of the bow. Although they're nice on Rubi-Ka, they're totally unsuited for hunting in the Shadowlands.
Schuyler Bow		A classical bow of choice for Rubi-Kan meta-physicists too. While not quite as damaging as a Bow of Ferocious Appetite, the Schuyler Bows are still very nice items, and faster too. In addition they're easy to aquire and to equip. Although they're nice on Rubi-Ka, they're totally unsuited for hunting in the Shadowlands.
Pow Bow		The bow that is most used in PvP both by martial artists and by meta-physicists for its Aimed Shot special recycle. Not really good damage outside of the critical hits. However, if your hit goes critical, some nice punch. Useful in PvP, the Pow Bow is a poor choice for hunting in the Shadowlands.
Superior Sapphistic Bow		The best bow for pvp due to it´s fast AS-recharge. The top ql is 181.
Shadowlands Bow		Shadowlands bows revolve around two principles: they are slow for one thing and they have excellent minimum damage for a second. On Shadowlands content SL bows will outdamage Rubi-Ka bows with a very large marging and on most QLs. On Rubi-Ka however, critical hits and lower ACs may make RK bows a wiser choice. On the whole though and except at low level, chances are making them your bows of predilection will get you further than RK bows. By the statement that these are slow bows, understand that you probably won't ever be able to reach 1/1 speed with them as a MP, even at level 220 on full defense. In order to reach any decent refiring rate, the Offensive Steamroller (or Physical Domination) buff is required. Even with this in your NCU, getting under 50% agg will sensibly slow your firing rate. Full aggro might be necessary, with the risk it induces for your frail MP bones. Use at your own risks. They pack formidable damage to compensate.
Bow of the Double Nimbus		The Bow of the Double/Triple Nimbus are most probably the slowest of all bows. Minumum and maximum damage are the same, which makes for a very reliable, regular damage output. The critical hit modifier is ridiculously low. You won't remember you critted with this bow, and if you do it won't become legendary. That said, damage isn't only when you crit and it's exactly what this weapon offers. Note: You need 1650 Physic Initiative skill to get to 1/1 with this bow. As described, chances are low you will ever get there. These are likely to be the first bows you will find in SL and might be the last ones you will use. Despite their continental drift speed, they pack good damage, and of course it does get better with the improvements you will do to your Phys. Init. They have somewhat low requirements for their QL. An excellent all rounder.
Inamorata Bow Sancrosanct Bow		The sided Sancrosanct Bow and the Inamorata Bow are the same weapon basically. One is for Redeemed factionned people, the other for Unredeemed factionned people. These bows are slightly faster than the Bows of the Double Nimbus. They also have higher maximum damage and a reasonnable critical hit modifier by comparison. That said, their somewhat low minimum damage can make the Bow of the Double Nimbus, which is easier to equip, a better solution. However, since those are the base to the profession's bows, having one or more or them is a necessity to later transform them. Artistic plus note goes to the Inamorata Bow.
Bow of Sympathy Sprite Bow		The Bow of Sympathy and the Sprite Bow are both evolutions of the Inamorata and Sancrosanct bows respectively. At QL 300 they change names to Bow of Solace and Seraph Bow. They are our profession locked bow obtained by combining the sided bows with Turn Spirits through a tradeskill. You need to use a Turn Spirit of the Comforter if you are Unredeemed aligned. You will need a Turn Spirit of the Shifter if you are aligned with the Redeemed. Bows modified with a Shere grey glyph are not eligible for the transformation. These bows are not easy to come by due to the rarity of the Turn Spirits. They have somewhat high skill requirements for their level, so at levels under 200 or if IP is tight, Bow of the Double Nimbus can be easier to get on for the same damage. However, despite the difficulties to find them, once you do have one equipped, the damage you will dish out is humonguous. The good minimum damage, the great maximum damage and critical hit modifier all make this bow an excellent choice.
Alien Invasion Bows		Last in the run and certainly not least to have to be considered is the Kyr'Ozch Crossbow. There is no other AI bow yet. Warning: contrarily to all other bows, this one uses ranged initiative to calculate the refiring speed, it does not use physical initiative. The crossbow is very fast, even at full defense. This means you still have a very decent firing speed at full defense. The minimum and maximum damage are not bad although they don't compare to that of a Bow of Double Nimbus and even less to a Sprite Bow/Bow of Sympathy with the same skill requirement. They are though a very decent weapon because of their speed. As the other Kyr'Ozch weapons, the crossbows can be modified with typed bio-materials to add special attacks. In the case of crossbows, you can add Type 2 to get Aimed Shot or Type 3 to get both Fling Shot and Aimed Shot.