How is it better to use rune covered trident for an archer, to wield it or to throw?

[mewmew]

My archer is lvl 19 at this moment and didn't train spears (uses bows and swords from the beginning), it can be quickly trained to a reasonable level of course. The trident doesn't add stats and other effects when it's wielded but it's two handed so it means I can use no shield, also as an archer I do not want to fight in melee with really dangerous monsters anyway and I don't need it for regular monsters. So, is throwing only viable?

[_Ln_]

I've won the game with a beastfighter who used melee & trident (and other thrown weapon except rocks) as only source of offense (maybe wands too a couple of times) and it was very straightforward. With an archer it would much more powerful.

[grobblewobble]

The trident also adds +16 dex when used as a melee weapon, which improves your ranged damage. So if you're really good with bows or you have the silvery arrow or something, wielding it is good too.

[sylph]

One of my best characters ever was a spear-throwing archer, and the rune-covered trident was her weapon of choice all the way up until a certain red trident came her way.

The most important effect of dexterity is catching returning items (which is 100% success at something like 20-25 dex). You can get that with moss and/or potions, the +16 for this trident is not worth missing out on such a crazy-powerful returning throwing item!

[mewmew]

Thanks, I'm trying it as a throwing weapon and I'm impressed, I just almost one shot the snake from beyond (took 90% of its hp) not even being in berserker stance (I mistook it for ordinary snake (those tiles are really misleading), hit with a sword in normal mode, got corrupted and poisoned and then threw the trident 2 times), and it trains fast too.