Poll: Polearms and shields

[staleturd]

Which do you prefer? Polearms with shields, or polearms without them? This is my second playthrough, and by chance I picked up a polearm and without having a shield. I learned that it makes it so its possible to "slash" with a polearm. Which in my opinion makes polearms much more effective, as I find myself doing ride by slashings to great effect (the damage is insane, high 100's - 300 normally). I kill more enemies, take out cavalry more effectively, and no longer charge into spears and lances. What do you think?

I wish if the shield was equipped in the 3rd or 4th slot, then it wouldn't be used with the weapon in the first slot. Best of both worlds.

 

[VincentNZ]

Doesn't that only work with glaives?
In any case, it is all part of the current balancing, which is all about compromise. So you gain a new attack mode, but you are also more vulnerable. I have also not yet used a shield with a polearm, because I am a Khuzait Horse Archer and I can not equip a shield.

 

[Pancakelord333]

Just unequip your shield (scrolling down on the mousewheel puts it on my back) and slash horizontally at neck height. Everything dies. I just keep the shield out if i'm charging ranged units.

Polearms are by far the most effective thing in the game. Doubly so if you find one that can also couch lance, then you can couch in to the enemies with the shield up, stow your shield and get to decapitating everybody.

Horse-on-horse collisions don't seem to impart force either [i.e. ramming other horses with your horse doesn't seem to do damage or have any ragdolling], so you can slam into enemy horses to come to an almost dead-stop (it really should throw both riders off if they're going fast enough), making it easy to line up decapitation swings.

 

[staleturd]

What's the closest thing to a bardiche in the game? I've yet to see one, was my favorite weapon in warband.

 

[Carnith]

You can make a Bardiche, I haven't seen one in a shop, but under smithing theres a Bardiche head.

 

[Ichon]

Warrazor is currently my favorite duel lance/polearm but I do feel like you need shields at the moment for most enemies. Maybe in a battle when you only face thrown weapons and it is balanced and chaotic enough few are targeting you and you have good armour.

 

[Empress Ira]

Archers and throwables are super strong atm. Without a shield I find myself getting knocked out quite often pretty quickly until I have late game armour.

 

[Major_Heartfire]

My issue with swinging polearms on foot is the slow speed. The enemy soldiers always move so much faster than I do (on foot at least), that I can't hit them before they are all up inside my 2ft COVID-19 quarantine bubble.

Regardless, there is nothing more satisfying than figuring out which enemy is the Lord, and hitting him square in the chest with a couched lance. The rag doll is so satisfying.

I'm still playing through my first campaign (haven't restarted despite all the patches). I've been keeping a bow as my secondary weapon, and mostly trying to remember to switch out my polearm when I am besieging a castle. Unless y'all got some good tips (yes, that's a polearm pun), I find them pretty mediocre on the walls in comparison to a good short axe.

 

[JackFrosty]

Warrazor is currently my favorite duel lance/polearm but I do feel like you need shields at the moment for most enemies. Maybe in a battle when you only face thrown weapons and it is balanced and chaotic enough few are targeting you and you have good armour.

Warrazor is my favorite too. I just have 30-40 heavy cav following me to soak up shots while I head for enemy cav. Then I tell the cav to charge and they'll engage the enemy archers while I single handedly wipe out dozens of enemy cav because I just dodge to side while splattering their faces and remaining mobile.

 

[Ichon]

My issue with swinging polearms on foot is the slow speed. The enemy soldiers always move so much faster than I do (on foot at least), that I can't hit them before they are all up inside my 2ft COVID-19 quarantine bubble.

Regardless, there is nothing more satisfying than figuring out which enemy is the Lord, and hitting him square in the chest with a couched lance. The rag doll is so satisfying.

I'm still playing through my first campaign (haven't restarted despite all the patches). I've been keeping a bow as my secondary weapon, and mostly trying to remember to switch out my polearm when I am besieging a castle. Unless y'all got some good tips (yes, that's a polearm pun), I find them pretty mediocre on the walls in comparison to a good short axe.

You can pick up new weapons on the walls fairly reliably so I often take polearm as a pike or glaive to swing over the heads of the attacks to hit the defenders and when actually only the walls mostly use a bow but I drop the polearm and pick up a shorter weapon before I start wall crawling.

As a defender I think glaives can work fairly well but I have an axe and shield with backup throwing weapon or another shield because sniping as a defender is much more difficult as the shields are facing you and the enemy ranged are pretty damn accurate.

Warrazor is my favorite too. I just have 30-40 heavy cav following me to soak up shots while I head for enemy cav. Then I tell the cav to charge and they'll engage the enemy archers while I single handedly wipe out dozens of enemy cav because I just dodge to side while splattering their faces and remaining mobile.

I still bring a shield and a bow/arrows with the war razor since it works very well as a lance and then to ride around once the enemy ranged are dealt with capping heads.