My review of spear:
After playing 80 hours of using only spear in Bannerlord, I think I have the right to say that it sucks. You will have a better time using any weapon other than 2 handed spear or a spear and shield. Playing as a spearman requires you to learn mechanics that other weapons doesn't have to learn or doesn't have to utilize as much as you do. For example:
-Being a spearman requires you to learn footwork or else you suffer from swords,axes, or any other weapon that just hugs you. If they do hug you, you have to shove or kick them back. In my experience kicking is not a good strategy because if you miss you get locked in your position and they just slice you down, it's much more easier to block and then shove.
-You have to learn your spear length and how to aim. With swords and axes, you can just go to your enemy's face and hack them away with a swing, which is fun and exciting. Meanwhile with a spear, you have to use your spear length, too far and you'll miss, too short and it'll bounce off and/or deal absolute garbage damage, but when you get that sweet spot, you get to stun and deal good damage to your enemy. Since the spear only has 2 attacks (above and below), your weapon is very easy to read and you have to feint while backing away, while they try to close in on you or else they just block your attack and slice you dead. This is worse if you're 2 handing a spear and go up against a sword and shield enemy, since they can just hold block and hug you (and you can't shove them while they have a shield up), in this case you have 2 choices either kick them or wait for them to open up and then shove them. Aiming is important when using a spear, because you're not slicing with 180 angle, you're attack goes where your reticle is pointed at, this is not a problem most of the time, but it's really a problem when there's a fast naked dude armed with a 2 handed sword/axe that can 1-2 shot you, that sidesteps and circles you which makes you miss your attack/shove/kick. Your enemy (against a 2 handed sword/axe) is allowed to make 3-6 mistakes against you (assuming you have the same skill against your enemy), while you're (1 or 2 handed spear) only allowed to make 1-4 mistakes.
If you do manage to learn and utilize the length of spear, timing, footwork, blocking, shoving and kicking, you will have a great time like I do. But why learn all that, if you could just use any other weapon and learn only some of them? You're just gimping yourself by using a spear on this game, just use a 2 handed axe/sword and learn how to 1 shot people with it. Or maybe I'm wrong? Maybe there's a small quantity of good spearmen on this game, that people don't know how to go up against them? Maybe you did learn everything about how to play a spear perfectly on this game? Nope, you can apply these same skills on a 2 handed axe and have the ability to 1 shot people with it lol. If you do want to main a spear like I do, you have the advantage of "people not knowing how to deal with you, because nobody else uses the spear except you" and be on the top of the leaderboard, that is until you go up against a fast naked man with an axe and just 1 shot you with it. Using the spears and swords on this game is the exact opposite in real life:
Spear vs swords
So TLDR for my review: spear sucks, use other weapons instead.
Now for my spear mechanic proposal:
Spear sucks, I have an idea to make it not suck.
My proposal (can't post image for some reason)
I have thought of a way to balance my proposal and would continue to try balancing it:
On Red zone: Spearman has a very low damage as it should be, since the spear is next to useless once you get too close to the spearman.
On Yellow zone: Spearman has the ability to push the enemy to green zone.
On Green zone: The spearman has the range advantage, but the enemy can block the attack and get to red zone, before the spearman hits him on the yellow zone.
So the gameplay for and against the spearmen would revolve around in a triangle:
Spearman must try to stay on Green zone and harass the enemy.
The enemy must try to get on the Red zone and hack down the spearman. A shield will be a game changer (as is irl) since the spearman must either use 2 hand for the spear to push back a sword/axe and shield user (for gameplay reason) or change to a sword/axe instead. I propose this idea to make the people who like using spears (me), to atleast have a reason to use a spear, instead of having to must use either a sword/axe to not be in a disadvantage. The must should not be a thing.
The Yellow zone is where the spearman can push back the enemy when they succeed on push kicking/shoving the enemy from the red zone.
Sidenote:
-About the Yellow zone, I think it would be better if the abilty to push back enemies (last point on yellow zone) could only be used if the spear is used 2 handed and not like on my proposal.
-I think this mechanic would also work well on SP.
Please discuss and thanks for reading.
After playing 80 hours of using only spear in Bannerlord, I think I have the right to say that it sucks. You will have a better time using any weapon other than 2 handed spear or a spear and shield. Playing as a spearman requires you to learn mechanics that other weapons doesn't have to learn or doesn't have to utilize as much as you do. For example:
-Being a spearman requires you to learn footwork or else you suffer from swords,axes, or any other weapon that just hugs you. If they do hug you, you have to shove or kick them back. In my experience kicking is not a good strategy because if you miss you get locked in your position and they just slice you down, it's much more easier to block and then shove.
-You have to learn your spear length and how to aim. With swords and axes, you can just go to your enemy's face and hack them away with a swing, which is fun and exciting. Meanwhile with a spear, you have to use your spear length, too far and you'll miss, too short and it'll bounce off and/or deal absolute garbage damage, but when you get that sweet spot, you get to stun and deal good damage to your enemy. Since the spear only has 2 attacks (above and below), your weapon is very easy to read and you have to feint while backing away, while they try to close in on you or else they just block your attack and slice you dead. This is worse if you're 2 handing a spear and go up against a sword and shield enemy, since they can just hold block and hug you (and you can't shove them while they have a shield up), in this case you have 2 choices either kick them or wait for them to open up and then shove them. Aiming is important when using a spear, because you're not slicing with 180 angle, you're attack goes where your reticle is pointed at, this is not a problem most of the time, but it's really a problem when there's a fast naked dude armed with a 2 handed sword/axe that can 1-2 shot you, that sidesteps and circles you which makes you miss your attack/shove/kick. Your enemy (against a 2 handed sword/axe) is allowed to make 3-6 mistakes against you (assuming you have the same skill against your enemy), while you're (1 or 2 handed spear) only allowed to make 1-4 mistakes.
If you do manage to learn and utilize the length of spear, timing, footwork, blocking, shoving and kicking, you will have a great time like I do. But why learn all that, if you could just use any other weapon and learn only some of them? You're just gimping yourself by using a spear on this game, just use a 2 handed axe/sword and learn how to 1 shot people with it. Or maybe I'm wrong? Maybe there's a small quantity of good spearmen on this game, that people don't know how to go up against them? Maybe you did learn everything about how to play a spear perfectly on this game? Nope, you can apply these same skills on a 2 handed axe and have the ability to 1 shot people with it lol. If you do want to main a spear like I do, you have the advantage of "people not knowing how to deal with you, because nobody else uses the spear except you" and be on the top of the leaderboard, that is until you go up against a fast naked man with an axe and just 1 shot you with it. Using the spears and swords on this game is the exact opposite in real life:
Spear vs swords
So TLDR for my review: spear sucks, use other weapons instead.
Now for my spear mechanic proposal:
Spear sucks, I have an idea to make it not suck.
My proposal (can't post image for some reason)
I have thought of a way to balance my proposal and would continue to try balancing it:
On Red zone: Spearman has a very low damage as it should be, since the spear is next to useless once you get too close to the spearman.
On Yellow zone: Spearman has the ability to push the enemy to green zone.
On Green zone: The spearman has the range advantage, but the enemy can block the attack and get to red zone, before the spearman hits him on the yellow zone.
So the gameplay for and against the spearmen would revolve around in a triangle:
Spearman must try to stay on Green zone and harass the enemy.
The enemy must try to get on the Red zone and hack down the spearman. A shield will be a game changer (as is irl) since the spearman must either use 2 hand for the spear to push back a sword/axe and shield user (for gameplay reason) or change to a sword/axe instead. I propose this idea to make the people who like using spears (me), to atleast have a reason to use a spear, instead of having to must use either a sword/axe to not be in a disadvantage. The must should not be a thing.
The Yellow zone is where the spearman can push back the enemy when they succeed on push kicking/shoving the enemy from the red zone.
Sidenote:
-About the Yellow zone, I think it would be better if the abilty to push back enemies (last point on yellow zone) could only be used if the spear is used 2 handed and not like on my proposal.
-I think this mechanic would also work well on SP.
Please discuss and thanks for reading.
