Anyone else feel that halberds are very underrated?
SharGuidesMyHand
Member Posts: 2,584
In my eyes, halberds are, at least at their core, arguably the best melee weapon in BG, but yet very few NPCs are proficient in them, and I see even fewer players talk about them.
Consider:
-They do the same damage as a 2-handed sword, and with a slightly quicker speed factor.
-They can do both piercing and slashing damage, whichever works better in a given situation. IMO, that's a significant advantage that sets them apart from any other melee weapon in the series.
-You can get your hands on a +1 halberd relatively early in BG1, and there's also a +2 weapon at some point later in the game. EE has also added a +4 halberd (though it allows for only 1 APR), which can also be gotten at a relatively early stage in the game.
It's hard for me to keep track of BG2's overflowing stock of magical weapons, but I seem to recall there being at least a few useful halberds in that game as well.
Anyone else share my feelings?
Consider:
-They do the same damage as a 2-handed sword, and with a slightly quicker speed factor.
-They can do both piercing and slashing damage, whichever works better in a given situation. IMO, that's a significant advantage that sets them apart from any other melee weapon in the series.
-You can get your hands on a +1 halberd relatively early in BG1, and there's also a +2 weapon at some point later in the game. EE has also added a +4 halberd (though it allows for only 1 APR), which can also be gotten at a relatively early stage in the game.
It's hard for me to keep track of BG2's overflowing stock of magical weapons, but I seem to recall there being at least a few useful halberds in that game as well.
Anyone else share my feelings?
Post edited by SharGuidesMyHand on
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Comments
I always liked that Kivan is proficient in them, although the times enemies get close enough to him to need a melee weapon are few and far between.
Where's the +4 halberd in BGEE?
If I intend on using Halberds, and I'm starting in BG2, I usually end up adding points as a go. There just doesn't seem to be many available early, and as Abi_Dalzim mentions above, there are many 2 handed sword options that are just better early on.
Rightly or wrongly, I know this always influences me against pole-arms in general (and crossbows).
I like using the less common weapons quite a lot!
Also, as @abacus said, halberds and crossbows were usually the weapons of a peasant conscript rather than a trained warrior, which I certainly think has an effect on my perception as well.
I actually used halberds on my bard last time I played Icewind Dale, and will probably do so again in IWD:EE.
The Spartan in me really wants to be able to use a spear with a shield though (did it in pen and paper), but I doubt the game will ever allow it.
"I'm pretty sure I'll be the main character. The people with swords usually are."
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroesPreferSwords
Blade on a Stick
"A polearm—such as a poleaxe, spear, halberd, or any other weapon that's a long stick with something sharp and metal on one end—is often the province of hapless Mooks: city guardsman, honor guard, angry natives, and so on."
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BladeOnAStick
The only really good halberd is the Ravager. But it's not available until mid-late ToB. I don't really want to build around using a mediocre weapon for most of the game just so I can use a great weapon at the end. If the Ravager was available in SoA you can bet I'd be using it.
That's one of the reasons I think the Flail of the Ages is so amazing. It's a great weapon AND it's available very early in the game.
It's better than the wave, because the instant kills of the Wave are against weak creatures and the bonus damage is 15% of 15, ie 0.15*15=2.25 on average. Dragon's breath does 5 on average and covers all the elements.
The problem with all but the most powerful two handed weapons (Carsomyr) is that dual wielding is vastly superior given the (disappointing) way it is implemented.
A polearm weapon, if anything, takes more training to master than those puny blades. Especially halberds, glaives, two-handed axes and warhammers are difficult to handle due to their unbalanced weight. In any case... I can proudly say that my characters (if given the chance) never wield swords, blades, or the likes in RPG's. I'm more of a bludgeon and piercing type of ooze anyway.
Your post oozes the truth.
Although you could make a similar point about the spears of a Greek Phalanx, the English Longbowmen, the Roman Legions with pila and scuta, or the Mongol mounted archers... among many others.
I think that when a particular fighting style becomes a way of life for almost an entire people, they'll usually represent a formidable martial force.
But *I* play RPGs for the romance... and that means a sword dagnabbit!!
Does anyone know details about whether lightly armored NPCs such as Kivan actually are protected from damage when supporting a Tank NPC Swordsman engaged in Melee because they are wielding from behind the longer-reach weapons of Halberd or Spear??
So long sword (or scimitar, im looking at you dark elf) enemies fighting Yeslick, can be hit by Kivan with a Harbelt or spear (maybe staff?). But Kivan can't be hit.
More on topic though, I also agree with the OP that halberds should take up more of the spotlight. I usually have my 2 handed fighters specialize in halberds after they finish specializing in two handed swords since the Ravager is one of the best weapons in the game. The Dragons Breath halberd is also great since it does so many different types of damage, which makes resisting its damage almost impossible.
I don't know about Kivan in EE.but in vanilla he had a spear.
But then again, if all weapons are thrown into such main proficiency categories (i.e. bludgeon, polearms, blades, bows, projectiles, ect.), then the whole character build planning would get watered down quite a bit.
Out of curiosity, where have you heard of Arthur using a greatsword?
This is all wildly speculative.. but you could assume Excalibur is short enough to be wielded with one hand, as in Chretien De Troyes, Percival, Gawain borrows it, and he has a shield (several actually in that book) which is described in detail in Gawain and the Green Knight.
I realise none of this preculedes the use of other weapons, or even just reasonable assumption that they used weapons available in whatever period you place them, I am curious where you have this from?
As an aside, in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, Arthur uses a spear at the battle of Camlann; Mordred, impaled, thrusts himself "up to the bur," for one last swipe at his father.