Katana was never OP or overused, so why this final Nerf?
I guess the there is some kind of consesus about it among certain game-balancers that don't like it.. Or perhaps they just wanted to read my rage! :-)
1. Performance and limitations
It has suffered from some perceived speed problem with certain players that like to swing around huge european swords, players that like to walk backwards, spin and thrust, and keep the enemy at a good distance.. The facehugging and different fighting style of katana users might have confused them.
I've played with the Katana only for nearly a year, and it's a weapon that requires you to build your whole character around it. Because of it's short range (shorter than many 1-handers) it requires you to fight within the enemies zone, and thus learn expert blocking. It demands skill and experience, like very few other weapons.
It's only advantage was speed, but not nearly as much as some players propose. I've trained enough with the Ninjas to know it is completely blockable and counterable, even against the most obscene light armor/high agi/high wpf builds.
The thrust is laughable, and so many times I've bumped a thrust only to get slashed in two by a one-hit flamby.. Yes.. in a pure duel you might have to thighten your anus and concentrate a bit when fighting a katana user, but in battle it's a different story. (Where range is king)
2. The cost of "Exoticness" in performance and price.
Is IMO retarded to still maintain. Let's face it boys, cRPG is a multicultural multiverse (yuck!) game, where you can AND PLAYERS ALWAYS WILL try to make the most unique character possible. Forcing a general style on cRPG will kill its soul.
what it should and deserves to be
Is to be similar in power to the other high-end swords. The goal should, in my opinion be that the power of most weapons is more or less equal, but with emphasis on different stats, balancing each other out. As katana is the shortest of the 2-handers it should naturally be the fastest, which also fits well with that it is famous for its great handling.
The Ninjas and the Shogunate have made the katana earn it's place in cRPG history, and burned it's mark into cRPG soul.
Make it what it reflect that, and let it be a serious, usable weapon again.
Thomek