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Is Primary Stat Worth More Than Weapon Damage?

So I'm in Act 1 Nightmare right now, playing as a Wizard, and I'm having a hard time killing some of the mooks. My killing speed is just not where I want it to be, and my question is, how do you increase the damage that the signature spells do? I noticed that the skill tooltips say that the damage is based on the amount of weapon damage I do, so is it more practical for me to carry a weapon with high damage/dps vs one that grants high bonuses to int?

Here's a quick rundown of my stats:

Level 37
Strength: 98
Dexterity: 55
Intelligence: 638
Vitality: 242

I'd be happy to provide more info if needed.

  • 1
    To summarize the existing info; yes you should prefer a weapon with high DPS more than +Int - other properties like +Int, CritDmg etc. are all secondary to the importance of high dps/damage – Alok Jul 26 '12 at 9:45

Just as @Alok wrote, you should give priority to the weapon's damage.

If you cannot try other weapons (say, you see them in the Auction House), you can always make some quick calculations too see if your damage is going to be increased. Every point from your main stat (intelligence in the case of Wizards and Witch Doctors) increases in 1% the damage you deal (always based on your weapon dmg). This means that if you have a weapon that deals 100dps and you have 100 intelligence (from other equipment pieces, i.e.), you will deal 100 + 100*100% = 200dps.

Following this example, if you now get a weapon that deals 70dps but gives you an extra 100 int, your new dps will be 70 + 70*200% = 210dps.

As you can see, a weapon with lower dps could grant you higher damage. However, it is not so common that the extra attribute (int, str or dex, depending on your class) makes it up.

Like I said, have a look and make some quick numbers to find what fits you best. You should be able to find very good and cheap stuff for your level. Remember to order the items by "buyout" price and you will discover some nice bargains =)
