Difference between revisions of "Pila"

Revision as of 08:47, 30 October 2022

Pila are slightly heavier, thrown ranged weapons which deal a high amount of damage per pilum thrown. They have a very long time between throws, and slightly shorter range and slightly lower overall accuracy.

Note that pila, once equipped, can be thrown infinitely; they are not consumed by use.

Acquisition

Pila can be crafted at either a fueled or electric smithy once the Smithing research project has been completed. They require 70 Wood, 7,000 ticks (1.94 mins) of work, and a Crafting skill of 3.

Alternatively, pila can be purchased from neolithic war merchants, orbital combat suppliers, tribal and outlander faction bases, or found on the following raiders kinds:

Raider Kind	Chance	Average Quality	Health
Heavy Archer	50.71%	Normal	100%

Analysis

Pilum deal a great amount of damage per shot, matching the much more advanced sniper rifle. They also have a massive stopping power - not only able to stagger humans, but every other creature in the game except for following: Bulbfreak, Centipede, Centipede blaster, Centipede burner, Centipede gunner, Centurion, Devourer, Diabolus, Dreadmeld, Elephant, Megasloth, Nociosphere, Rhinoceros, Thrumbo, Tunneler, War queen. However, pila have the slowest fire rate in the game, at least for conventional ranged weapons. They also have the shortest range of neolithic weapons, only outranging both shotguns and all grenades. Overall, they have a very weak DPS thanks to their poor accuracy and horrible warmup/cooldown rate - even short bows are superior. Therefefore, pila are best used as support and hunting weapons.

Because of the immense damage per shot, pila are known to completely destroy body parts, which can maim or outright kill a pawn. And, as thrown weapons, pila have a tendency to strike internal body parts more often. A pila user in the back can fish for lucky hits while other pawns deal damage, while causing enemies to stagger. The per-hit damage makes them great for hunting, but problems can arise if the quarry turns manhunter. As a downside, pila are likely to dismember any enemies you might want to capture, yourself.

Due to their high research cost and low DPS, pila don't find much use outside of the Lost Tribe scenario, which starts with two of them. Most guns deal more damage, which is more generally useful. A higher-tech support weapon is the pump shotgun.

Against an unarmored human, a pilum can kill with 2 hits to the torso, 1-2 hits to the head, or 1 hit to the neck or brain; cripple or destroy limbs in 1-2 hits; and destroy eyes and digits with a single hit. It'll generally take around 3 hits (~39.8 seconds average) to incapacitate that human from pain shock. {ila are best paired with careful shooters up to level 6, then with trigger-happy shooters beyond that point.

Attack table

Ranged

Pila			Accuracy (Touch)	Accuracy (Short)	Accuracy (Medium)	Accuracy (Long)	DPS (Optimal)	DPS (Touch)	DPS (Short)	DPS (Medium)	DPS (Long)	Market value
Quality	Dam.	AP	Accuracy (Touch)	Accuracy (Short)	Accuracy (Medium)	Accuracy (Long)	DPS (Optimal)	DPS (Touch)	DPS (Short)	DPS (Medium)	DPS (Long)	Market value
Awful	22.5	9%	40%	56.8%	40%	25.6%	2.82	1.13	1.61	1.13	-	55
Poor	25	10%	45%	63.9%	45%	28.8%	3.13	1.41	2	1.41	-	82
Normal	25	10%	50%	71%	50%	32%	3.13	1.57	2.22	1.57	-	109
Good	25	10%	55%	78.1%	55%	35.2%	3.13	1.72	2.44	1.72	-	136
Excellent	25	10%	60%	85.2%	60%	38.4%	3.13	1.88	2.66	1.88	-	164
Masterwork	31.25	12.5%	67.5%	95.85%	67.5%	43.2%	3.91	2.66	3.76	2.66	-	270
Legendary	37.5	15%	75%	100%	75%	48%	4.7	3.52	4.7	3.52	-	545

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality. Values shown in Red indicate the weapon is out of range at the reference point for this range band.
The value is provided due to the interpolated nature of accuracy between range points.}

Melee

Feature	Toggle
Attacks

Pila			Shaft (Blunt)					Point (Stab)					Human: Left & right fist (Blunt)					HP	Value
Quality	DPS^[1]	AP^[1]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	HP	Value
Awful	3.98	11.6%	7.2	2s	10.4%	3.6	12.5%	7.2	2s	10.4%	3.6	12.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 37.5%	100	55
Poor	4.08	11.85%	8.1	2s	11.7%	4.05	25%	8.1	2s	11.7%	4.05	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 25%	100	82
Normal	4.4	12.75%	9	2s	13%	4.5	37.5%	9	2s	13%	4.5	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	109
Good	4.74	13.73%	9.9	2s	14.3%	4.95	37.5%	9.9	2s	14.3%	4.95	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	136
Excellent	5.08	14.7%	10.8	2s	15.6%	5.4	37.5%	10.8	2s	15.6%	5.4	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	164
Masterwork	5.92	17.14%	13.05	2s	18.85%	6.53	37.5%	13.05	2s	18.85%	6.53	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	270
Legendary	6.59	19.09%	14.85	2s	21.45%	7.43	37.5%	14.85	2s	21.45%	7.43	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	545

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality.}

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Note: This is the actual base average derived from the melee verb system updated in 1.1.2610, it may sometimes disagree with the listed value in the in-game infobox.
It may also change depending on the stats and the melee verbs available to the wielder if the weapon is wielded by some other than a baseline human.
↑ Chance for attack to be selected, assuming the weapon is wielded by a baseline human. It may change depending on the melee verbs available to the wielder

Pila vs. Comparable Weapons

This section goes over how well pila fares against comparable weapons (similar value, tech level or similar characteristics) in 1 vs. 1 combat.

Methodology

All testing is semi-automated which allows for large sample sizes to be gathered per set of results with ease
All pawns have a skill level of 8 in shooting
No pawns have any traits that affect combat performance
All pawns are of 18 years of age and completely healthy
Pawns are divided by walls to prevent stray shots from skewing results in any way
Weather conditions are kept clear and no cover is used

Results in the tables below are the percentages of battles that pila either won or tied against the weapon listed in the first column of said tables, with a sample size of 2,000 battles per result. Higher percentages are better.

Unarmored

For the unarmored testing, all pawns wore normal quality plainleather pants and plainleather button-down shirts.

Pila vs.	3	7	12	18	25	32	40
Short bow	17.80%	22.40%	33.95%	35.50%	-	-	-
Pump shotgun	6.00%	6.75%	10.75%	-	-	-	-

Flak Armor

For the flak armor testing, all pawns wore normal quality steel simple helmets, flak jackets, flak vests, plainleather button-down shirts and flak pants.

Pila vs.	3	7	12	18	25	32	40
Short bow	9.85%	15.20%	25.35%	27.40%	-	-	-
Pump shotgun	2.50%	2.65%	3.95%	-	-	-	-

Marine Armor

For the marine armor testing, all pawns wore normal quality marine helmets, marine armor, plainleather button-down shirts and plainleather pants.

Pila vs.	3	7	12	18	25	32	40
Short bow	10.25%	16.55%	28.20%	29.15%	-	-	-
Pump shotgun	2.15%	2.55%	2.85%	-	-	-	-

Graphs

The graphs assume normal quality pila against an adult human that's out in the open in clear weather. For DPS, projectile speed has also been factored into the equation, with the weighting based on the base amount of attacks that it'll take to put the aforementioned target into pain shock.

Version history

0.4.460 - Damage nerfed from 45 to 30

Original pila sprite

Weapons

Melee | Neolithic: Breach axe • Club • Ikwa • Knife (Jade) • Spear

Medieval: Gladius • Longsword • Mace • Axe • Warhammer

Ultra: Eltex staff • Monosword (Persona) • Plasmasword (Persona) • Zeushammer (Persona)

Improvised: Beer • Elephant tusk • Thrumbo horn • Wood

Ranged | Neolithic: Greatbow • Pila • Recurve bow • Short bow • Flamebow

Medieval: Nerve spiker

Industrial: Assault rifle • Autopistol • Bolt-action rifle • Chain shotgun • Heavy SMG • Launcher (EMP, Incendiary, Smoke, Toxbomb ) • LMG • Machine pistol • Minigun • Pump shotgun • Revolver • Sniper rifle • Hellcat rifle • Incinerator

Spacer: Charge lance • Charge rifle

Consumables: Doomsday rocket launcher • Triple rocket launcher

Throwables: EMP grenades • Frag grenades • Molotov cocktails • Tox grenades

Mechanoid: Heavy charge blaster • Inferno cannon • Needle gun • Thump cannon • Beam graser • Charge blaster turret • Hellsphere cannon • Mini-flameblaster • Mini-shotgun • Slugthrower • Spiner • Toxic needle gun

Structures: Autocannon • Mini-turret gun • Mortar (Weapon) • Uranium slug cannon • Auto-mortar • Inferno cannon (Turret) • Light charge blaster • Mini-slugger • Tactical turret gun

Related | Body part weapons: Prosthetic arm • Bionic arm • Archotech arm • Power claw • Field hand • Drill arm • Venom talon • Venom fangs • Knee spike • Elbow blade • Hand talon • Flesh whip

Integrated weapons: Grenadier armor • Phoenix armor

[Actual-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Note: This is the actual base average derived from the melee verb system updated in 1.1.2610, it may sometimes disagree with the listed value in the in-game infobox.
It may also change depending on the stats and the melee verbs available to the wielder if the weapon is wielded by some other than a baseline human.

[Chance-2] Chance for attack to be selected, assuming the weapon is wielded by a baseline human. It may change depending on the melee verbs available to the wielder

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 == Analysis ==
-There are two notable features of a thrown pilum.  The first being its high damage amount (a double-edged sword in some cases), being higher than any other neolithic weapon's projectile and matching the [[sniper rifle]]. The second is their massive stopping power, only surpassed by shotguns and thump cannon, and not only able to stagger [[human]]s, but every other creature in the game except for following: {{#ask: [[Body Size::>2.5]]}}
+Pilum deal a great amount of damage per shot, matching the much more advanced [[sniper rifle]]. They also have a massive stopping power - not only able to stagger [[human]]s, but every other creature in the game except for following: {{#ask: [[Body Size::>2.5]]}}. However, pila have the slowest fire rate in the game, at least for conventional ranged weapons. They also have the shortest range of neolithic weapons, only outranging [[pump shotgun|both]] [[chain shotgun|shotguns]] and all [[grenades]]. Overall, they have a very weak DPS thanks to their poor accuracy and horrible warmup/cooldown rate - even [[short bow]]s are superior. Therefefore, pila are best used as support and hunting weapons.
-Thanks to their aforementioned damage amount, as well as their tendency to strike internal body parts more often than other weapons, pila can easily maim (one hit can shatter a radius, femur, spine or cripple the pelvis) or even outright kill whoever's unlucky enough to be struck by them. This is a trait that's shared with the sniper rifle and the infamous [[charge lance]]. A thrown pilum's velocity is also very slow as to be expected, but the impact on overall DPS is relatively low in this weapon's case due to its extremely long warmup/cooldown cycle.
+Because of the immense damage per shot, pila are known to completely destroy body parts, which can maim or outright kill a pawn. And, as thrown weapons, pila have a tendency to strike internal body parts more often. A pila user in the back can fish for lucky hits while other pawns deal damage, while causing enemies to stagger. The per-hit damage makes them great for hunting, but problems can arise if the quarry turns manhunter. As a downside, pila are likely to dismember any enemies you might want to capture, yourself.
-The Achille's heel of pila is undoubtedly their aforementioned warmup/cooldown cycle; missing a throw can be costly not only because of the long time between throws in general, but also because that colonist will be unable to perform any actions for the entire 4-second cooldown duration. As a result, pila are the worst neolithic weapons in terms of damage output, and even the [[short bow]] bests pila in head-on fights. On top of that, a pilum has the shortest range out of all neolithic weapons, and only outranges [[pump shotgun|both]] [[chain shotgun|shotguns]] in-game as well as [[frag grenades|all]] [[molotov cocktails|grenade]] [[EMP grenades|variations]]. Armor penetration and close-up accuracy are also both very poor, with the latter making it less-than-ideal to equip low-skilled shooters with pila.
+Due to their high research cost and low DPS, pila don't find much use outside of the Lost Tribe scenario, which starts with two of them. Most guns deal more damage, which is more generally useful. A higher-tech support weapon is the [[pump shotgun]].
-Pila are also the heaviest neolithic-tier ranged weapons, rivalling even somewhat heavy rifle-class firearms. However, this weapon's mass should still be low enough to not have any significant effect on the wielding colonist's ability to carry items in a caravan.
+Against an unarmored human, a pilum can kill with 2 hits to the torso, 1-2 hits to the head, or 1 hit to the neck or brain; cripple or destroy limbs in 1-2 hits; and destroy eyes and digits with a single hit. It'll generally take around 3 hits (~39.8 seconds average) to incapacitate that human from pain shock. {ila are best paired with careful shooters up to level 6, then with trigger-happy shooters beyond that point.
-Pila are more suited towards being supporting weapons in combat due to their stopping power and ability to disable targets, since their DPS is simply insufficient to effectively assume a head-on engagement role. Hunting's also a bit of a mixed bag: while the per-hit damage is great for this purpose, the pila's long cooldown along with its short range means that problems could arise if the quarry turns manhunter.
-Against an unarmored human, a pilum can kill with 2 hits to the torso, 1-2 hits to the head, or 1 hit to the neck or brain; cripple or destroy limbs in 1-2 hits; and destroy eyes and digits with a single hit. It'll generally take around 3 hits (~39.8 seconds average) to incapacitate that human from pain shock.
-Overall, pila are best paired with careful shooters up to level 6, then with trigger-happy shooters beyond that point.
 {{Weapon Quality Table}}