Game Mechanics Drills vs. Pickaxes: What's the Difference?

[Ezel]

It's a good idea, but I usually prefer pickaxes. The only drill I used was the Laser Drill which has a +10 range. The other one was a Drax someone gave me on a MP server.

When mining with a pickaxe, I can see what I've mined and what not. If I use a drill (except Laser Drill), some of the blocks are obscured. I wish if drills would have like +2 for range to compensate the lack of knockback, because I dislike when I can't see some blocks. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Verestóy jános]

Drills are bad, we know it as a fact. But we can make ti equal to the pickaxe but for an 0ther usage. This will be like the shroomite digging claws vs. D.C.U. the S.D.C mines faster but the D.C.U can mine larger areas faster. I think the drills must to mine a 3×3 area at the same time but for a lot slover. It will make drills better for building farms, and pickaxes for mining.

 

[CellarDoor96]

Bro this thread is 5 years old and drills already got reworked in 1.4.

 

[The Elemental Storm]

I think drills should be faster than picks (but not 2x faster) but picks should have more knockback and have +1 range (or drills should have -1 range.)

That would be cool.

 

[ppowersteef]

That would be cool.

That's actually how they behave right now.

 

[Exodus Starlit]

That's actually how they behave right now.

I would say yes and no, from what I know that part is true but pickaxes can still be faster because drill aren't affected mining speed of Mining Potion and Mining set and it was made on purpose.

 

[Mr_Lampy]

Many miners prefer drills over pickaxes once they reach Hardmode. Why? Because they look cool. Obviously. However, sadly, most (if not all) drills are inferior to their pickaxe counterparts. Why? Good question. Let's look at the comparison as it stands today.

Pickaxe/Drill Similarities: Assuming they are the same type (cobalt pick/cobalt drill)...
The following things are the same: mining speed, pickaxe power, range, crafting recipies, and damage.

Pickaxe Advantages:
Pickaxes actually have knockback, meaning you can actually repel enemies while mining, unlike drills, which only do damage. This also means they can acquire modifiers specialized for melee weapons, increasing damage as well. In addition, pickaxes are affected by melee speed boosts, which increase mining speed. All of these factors can even cause the things that are the same to be unbalanced.

Drill Advantages:
You look like a boss when using them. Anything else? Uh, nope.

Proposed Changes:
It makes sense for a drill to break blocks faster than something you actively have to hit blocks with, so drills should have 1.2x (120%) of the speed (not power) of pickaxes, more or less. Also, to make up for the OPness of that speed boost, drills should have -2 range. I mean seriously, they are tiny.

Other suggestions are appreciated!

It probably doesn’t fit as well in the game but I thought it’d be cool if they were the combat variant of pickaxes. Them and chainsaws, this post is about drills though so I won’t go over them.

My idea is that not only do drills do a substantial amount of damage to enemies (unlike pickaxes and their pathetic, wimpy swing) when pressing and holding right click, you can drill through blocks and backgrounds pepper grinder style (if you’ve ever seen a trailer for that game you’ll know what I mean). Though it doesn’t destroy blocks in its wake, when you emerge from this state, an aoe eruption will happen around you that deals big damage. The drilling state only lasts for a few seconds before going on a cooldown, can only drill through blocks that it has the pickaxe power to destroy and can end whilst inside blocks causing you to suffocate. Despite being unrealistic, it’d put a big wedge between drills and pickaxes, that’s for sure.

 

[ItsMeMounir]

Many miners prefer drills over pickaxes once they reach Hardmode. Why? Because they look cool. Obviously. However, sadly, most (if not all) drills are inferior to their pickaxe counterparts. Why? Good question. Let's look at the comparison as it stands today.

Pickaxe/Drill Similarities: Assuming they are the same type (cobalt pick/cobalt drill)...
The following things are the same: mining speed, pickaxe power, range, crafting recipies, and damage.

Pickaxe Advantages:
Pickaxes actually have knockback, meaning you can actually repel enemies while mining, unlike drills, which only do damage. This also means they can acquire modifiers specialized for melee weapons, increasing damage as well. In addition, pickaxes are affected by melee speed boosts, which increase mining speed. All of these factors can even cause the things that are the same to be unbalanced.

Drill Advantages:
You look like a boss when using them. Anything else? Uh, nope.

Proposed Changes:
It makes sense for a drill to break blocks faster than something you actively have to hit blocks with, so drills should have 1.2x (120%) of the speed (not power) of pickaxes, more or less. Also, to make up for the OPness of that speed boost, drills should have -2 range. I mean seriously, they are tiny.

Other suggestions are appreciated

Many miners prefer drills over pickaxes once they reach Hardmode. Why? Because they look cool. Obviously. However, sadly, most (if not all) drills are inferior to their pickaxe counterparts. Why? Good question. Let's look at the comparison as it stands today.

Pickaxe/Drill Similarities: Assuming they are the same type (cobalt pick/cobalt drill)...
The following things are the same: mining speed, pickaxe power, range, crafting recipies, and damage.

Pickaxe Advantages:
Pickaxes actually have knockback, meaning you can actually repel enemies while mining, unlike drills, which only do damage. This also means they can acquire modifiers specialized for melee weapons, increasing damage as well. In addition, pickaxes are affected by melee speed boosts, which increase mining speed. All of these factors can even cause the things that are the same to be unbalanced.

Drill Advantages:
You look like a boss when using them. Anything else? Uh, nope.

Proposed Changes:
It makes sense for a drill to break blocks faster than something you actively have to hit blocks with, so drills should have 1.2x (120%) of the speed (not power) of pickaxes, more or less. Also, to make up for the OPness of that speed boost, drills should have -2 range. I mean seriously, they are tiny.

Other suggestions are appreciated!

Take for example bone pickaxe and the hell stone pickaxe, bone pickaxe doesn't have that much of mining power unlike the molten pickaxe, but the bone pickaxe is MUCH faster
I think the drills should be similar, faster than pickaxes, but not as(strong?) as the pickaxes

 

[Solarpower]

Many miners prefer drills over pickaxes once they reach Hardmode. Why? Because they look cool.

Judging from [almost] every Terraria's let's play on YouTube and over 9000+ comment under those videos it's not because "they look cool". I'ts because "they are faster !!!!!!!1111". And there is literally nothing you can do to make these people think otherwise. Even if you'll show them a page from Wiki, they would think the Wiki is wrong and Drills still faster ! (I know I've tried it many times. You simply can't convince them...)

 

[Noobiescrubpleb]

Judging from [almost] every Terraria's let's play on YouTube and over 9000+ comment under those videos it's not because "they look cool". I'ts because "they are faster !!!!!!!1111". And there is literally nothing you can do to make these people think otherwise. Even if you'll show them a page from Wiki, they would think the Wiki is wrong and Drills still faster ! (I know I've tried it many times. You simply can't convince them...)

Well, are we talking about base speed? Or modified speed?

If we're talking about base speed, what wiki are you using that says drills aren't faster? Because the only one I found, this one, states that their base speed is indeed faster than the pickaxe counterparts.

 

[Naimeon]

Is it wrong to bump this ages old thread like this?
Anyways, There are no use-case for drills over pickaxe in this current state beyond challenge playthrough.

 

[zenithspeed]

I do want drills to be on par with picks, they definitely need a buff for that in some way
But really, the only thing I want is for the Laser Drill to have axe power again