Tips for polearms? (specifically spears)

[NJSQRL]

Admittedly my experience with the polearm class of weaponry is pretty much limited to lances... they can still because they are still fatal even with low proficiency (when crouched anyway).

However I decided to try something new, I want to play a character whos main weapon is a spear. As far as mounted combat goes I am so far doing ok but eventually my horse does on occasion get taken out from under me and I find myself resorting to a sword on foot rather than my spear because I just cannot seem to get it right.

So anyone care to share their worldly wisdom of fighting on foot with a spear? Use a shield? Ditch the shield? Anything?

 

[SpittingLlama]

Ditch the shield, and get something like a poleaxe or heavy great long barchide.  You can pretty much one shot someone even at mid levels, and as long as you have ok athletics skill you should be able to backpedal-swing and hold off most enemies with the odd block

 

[Caba`drin]

Well, you could do as Llama suggests, but then you'll largely be playing as if you had a two-handed cutting weapon, not a polearm...if you want to have a character that primarily uses a spear/thrusting polearm, my suggestion would be to ditch the horse in battle and play an infantry character.

With spears/pikes, the name of the game is distance management and unit cohesion. You're going to want to fight very near your other infantry and in formation with them. Possibly even in the second row. Otherwise, with the face-hug/gang up nature of the AI vs the player, you won't be able to maintain the distance you want to be able to use your spear effectively and you'll have to resort to a cutting or blunt sidearm.

By riding around, you don't know when or where you'll get cut down on the field. But you do know that it won't be in formation with your other infantry, so you'll be swarmed and your spear will be useless.

 

[Ludial]

Let me reiterate on the two previous posts - if you fight with your infantry, you need something long and very pointy, preferably something that doesn't have a side swing and has high base damage for the thrust. Awlpikes seem to be the best thing when it comes to that. Another would be the ashwood pike, also the military scythe(these last two cut on the overhead swing instead of bludgeon). With these weapons you'll be stabbing away at the enemy(of course, distance management is essential).

If you fight often alone, you'll need something that can hit from any side and will take care of the enemy quickly. That means either big choppeh things(long axes, bardiches, voulges, glaives), or fast and light sticks that you can use to stun and beat up individual enemies(spears and staves). The disadvantage of the former is that they are always fairly heavy and quite slow. Only use them if you have an insane proficiency and want to quickly kill large numbers of enemies(in order to improve your proficiency, first spend some time fighting as a pikeman in your battleline). The disadvantage of the latter is that they're kinda weak. Mostly good for taking out single enemies that separate themselves from the main fight to go specifically after you(being light and fast, they're a good sidearm but not a good main weapon).

now, there's a weapon that seems to combine the best of both worlds - the balanced iron staff. Blunt damage close to 30 both on swing and thrust, as light as any pike, fast as a spear and long as a war spear. It still takes a good deal of skill though. Long hafted spiked mace is a similar weapon, only a tad shorter and slower(I think balanced it would deal slightly more damage than the iron staff).

You can actually use your lance as a pike on foot. Only you have to dismount when battle starts and join the footsloggers.

there's one little thing about light sticks - some of them are fast enough to warrant your enemy won't be able to land a hit on you just because of being showered with hits. namely, I'm talking about balanced shortened spear and balanced quarterstaff. Both weigh only 2 kg and have somewhat low damage, but I've had situations where they saved me from a shieldman just by being fast. The balanced shortened spear is also an awesome little thing for the confines of urban combat - not too long, not too short and fast as a devil

 

[NJSQRL]

Thanks for the tips... as I said I am only going to be using spears (for primary weapon) or spearlike weapons for this one so things like the long bardiche or long great axe are out of the question.

Lances, pikes, spears, glaives, hafted blades, ect...  are in question though.

I have already kinda taken the advice about ditching the horse, that became the first thing I did at the start of every battle, I really dont like the awlpike, not sure why just dont but I will trade in my war spear for a ashwood pike or something like that and give it a go.

I also have a question about the Khergits, or rather fighting them as I know it will be inevitable (currently under contract to Swadia) should I get my horse back for them? I don't have horse archery so my recticle is fairly large but I do have throwing spears at my disposal.. unfortunately my skill in that is fairly low so it takes 2-3 shots to bring down things like hunters... dont even want to know what it takes for warhorses and chargers. Yet I knwo a well timed thrust when on foot will either stop a horse or kill it... but the problem is with their archers.

And any advice for non-spear secondary weapons?  I liked the idea of a short spear for that but I think I would like something one handed weapon wise for the face huggers. Currently I have a heavy dagger.. seems to work well for me if I hide behind my shield for the right moment.

 

[Dellivis]

I wouldn't worry too much about the archers. If you are raising swadian troops just train some to be cav and that should take care/chase down those pesky archers.

As for a secondary I almost always go with a short sword. Small, fast, and decent reach to go with your long pointy stick.  could also use a  1h axe (not nearly as much reach but will destroy shields  )

 

[Ludial]

Fighting Khergits on foot - archers, archers and more archers. You need them, you won't survive without them. If the horsemen decide to charge, tell your archers to stay closer - they should be able to absorb the charge. If it's horse archers circling you, tell your guys to spread out and shoot! For yourself the most appropriate weapon would be the war spear(at least for close combat). For facehuggers take either a balanced short sword of some kind or some sort of pick, axe or mace. Add the javelins and you're pretty dangerous.

Fighting them on horseback - heavy cav. They're the only thing the Swadians have that can take care of Khergits effectively, and only if in fairly high numbers. On horseback, javelins are a great assault weapon. close range shots to the front, at high speed, tend to throw most people off the saddle, if you get what I mean. take some quick and fairly long 1h weapon(cavalry sword, 2h sword, spiked club) and use it to swing in close combat. With the javs aim for the rider, with melee weapon aim for the horse.