There's a lot of poor balance in bannerlord.. Recently I learned I can be kick slashed with a menavlion, a big-ass heavy weapon, and I get one-shot without being given the chance to even block it, though I'm holding the block button. Menavlion's disadvantage is usually close quarters, and they're extra op with big distance in-between (short weapons can't do anything to them). But, this trick (I'd really call it a bug at this point) negates that disadvantage, and it's low risk high reward (small useless weapons which your opponent might have takes 3-4 shots to kill you, while you one-shot if you succeed the kick. So, even if you somehow get tricked into failing the kick, the other player still has to hit you like 3 times to win, which is very improbable most of the time). So this whole sphil forces other player to keep distance against good players and again, twohanded one-shot weapons are king, and backing up and bopping people on the head is encouraged... Guaranteed kill mechanics are just terrible ideas, no matter their form. And they make 0 sense in this case. There should be more mechanics, like grappling someone, charging at them, hitting them and knocking them over, making them drop their weapon etc. Small weapons should get some sort of advantage, they should be replacements to big weapons if you lose the big weapon. But no, everyone is just spamming heavy two-hander one-shot weapons and that is all they need, their weapons never break, they never slip, they're never knocked out of their hands. Each experienced player only plays one-shot weapons as well, then the casuals try it out (because hey, if those people can why can't we?), then they complain about getting killed by ranged weapons (when in reality it's next-to-impossible to hit a good player with a two-hander that just spazzes out in serpentine movements and back and forth when you're aiming at him), so TW also nerfs throwing weapons which were a good counter to two-handers... morale of the story is, everything gets buffed and nerfed to accommodate one-shot weapons, which bad players think are not good enough, while pro players laugh in "I'm impossible to kill, but I can one-shot you. Look at my kick-slash, and my spinny move, I'm a f-ing ballerina!". So lance is just one of the problems but those other ones are no less bad, and it's because TW is listening only to pros that want to be invincible, and to casuals who never will be but still enjoy the occasional insta-kill they get...
Any mechanic that isn't counterable in some way is plain bad. Why can't I do a "perfectly timed block" to avoid an attack which is atm unavoidable? Or press a button to quickly get on my feet and negate a few miliseconds of that kick stun, to give me an opportunity to also block the attack? Or press a button to counter the kick, even. Or perfectly time a block to even counter a couch-lance? If I got the skill to do that, is it fair that I am instead forced to play defensively just to not be kicked and insta-killed, or hug walls because couch lance coming through! oh but wait my teammate died anyway, guess even if I avoid it my team is still at a disadvantage. For kick-slash, In sieges and other high-stakes scenarios when it's not 1v1's, you have to take rash decisions, charge in to save your teammates from being bopped on the head by this menavlion sucka. Get close to him and take him out or keep him occupied at least, block his attacks. But then, kick-slash. Where are the needed counter mechanics...? Also, I thought it was a good idea to make couched lance blockable, after all a looter with a knife can block a full speed horseman hitting him with a heavy menavlion no problem. And people can swing two-handed weapons on horseback like they're light-weighted sticks.. so many flaws in the combat atm, really, and they're deliberate design decisions. Oh but god forbid crossbowmen can crouch while they reload, now that's a bug! Good thing we were really quick on solving that one! Ranged can't have fun, throwing weapons can't deal damage anymore either, no-no-no... all must be, two-handed! No tactics, just raw power. See you at esports, can't wait to see naked two-handers duel it out again... Oh but don't get too close to each other, or you might get kicked and insta-killed and you can't do anything about it since two-handers deal over 100 damage no matter your armor...
I'm sure those things will be sorted out in the future, but it is frustrating. Just some of the things that make multiplayer frustrating and unpleasant to play, apart from the general faction unbalance (battania still beats all). Factions need a second layer that balances them out, like a culture bonus/perks. Because as it stands, the faction with the better equipment just wins, and some factions wear pajamas for armor and swords that take 10 hits to take someone down, and it makes for some unwinnable scenarios.
