Polearms are HEAVILY under rated!

[Endgunner]

PROS:
+Deal as much damage as a Ketana, or more!
+Swing and block nearly as fast as a Ketana!
+Deal +DMG (Deal anywhere from +25% to plust %50!!!) to animals!
+Only one of them suffer from -Armor penetration! (the Naginata Katana.)
+Regular Polearms and Heavy Polearms have +30% armor penetration!
+All of them have more reach then the Nodachi and Naginatas swing nearly twice as fast!!!

CONS:
-The staff is nearly useless unless you are trying to incapacitate someone without them bleeding to death.
-Have nearly the same animations as all the other weapons but is held differantly.
-Are kind of rare, but you are almost guaranteed to find an MKIII Naginata or two in the Fog Islands

ENDING:
All in all this weapon class rivals the Ketana and puts the Hacker class to shame, i really have no idea why they get such a bad a bad rep, very good alt for if you don`t want everyone using Heavy weapons late game and using the method above i was able to get 5 people with MKIII weapons and combat skills in the high 20s going on 30s farming heads in just 30 in game days!

[Andromalius]

Had my squadmember using a Heavy Polearm stunlock an Inquisitor before. Absolutely destroyed him.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

<polearms heavily underrated>

I've never seen that. In most threads where there's a detailed and informed discussion of Weapons in Kenshi, Polearms are always at least a second choice tier of weapon.

For Melee:

Hackers
Polearms
Heavy Weapon Specialists
Katana-based "lockdown" weapon specialists

Crossbow:
A few Eagle's Cross Specialists
Old World Mk II Constant DPS
Toothpick/Ranger Stunlockers

As always, weapon preference should be paired with the character's Stats and adjusted according to their role.

ie: A Heavy Weapons Taunt Tank is... a bad chouice to create/play unless that character has very-end-game-stats and Heavy Lifter grade Robotics. But, Polearms can be wielded by just about any character to good effect with little or no danger getting reduced performance from the weapon due to combat damage/STR loss. The same can be said for most Hackers, like the great Paladin's Cross and various Cleavers. And, of course, Katana weapons are light as well, but not really used for damage ability as much as lockdown/stagger effects.

Fore melee, I generally prefer:

Hacker assortment - Paladin's Cross, first, Long Cleavers second, with some Short Cleavers on my Hacker Specialists as Secondaries.

Polearms - Regular Polearm, first, Nanjinata for relatively unskilled "farmer" types, a couple of Heavy Polearms just because, Katana secondaries

Heavy Weapons - Falling Sun Edge 1 for melee DPS specialists, Plank for a few Heavy Weapon Tanks... just because I like the idea, not for practical reasons.

Sabre - A few Desert Sabre specialists for that awesome Spider Damage multiplier and general speed/block/defense. (Secondary weaps are not an issue of countering penalties, here. Generally stick in Wakizashis, since that's the only thing that would get a preference.)

[Endgunner]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

<polearms heavily underrated>

I've never seen that. In most threads where there's a detailed and informed discussion of Weapons in Kenshi, Polearms are always at least a second choice tier of weapon.

For Melee:

Hackers
Polearms
Heavy Weapon Specialists
Katana-based "lockdown" weapon specialists

Crossbow:
A few Eagle's Cross Specialists
Old World Mk II Constant DPS
Toothpick/Ranger Stunlockers

As always, weapon preference should be paired with the character's Stats and adjusted according to their role.

ie: A Heavy Weapons Taunt Tank is... a bad chouice to create/play unless that character has very-end-game-stats and Heavy Lifter grade Robotics. But, Polearms can be wielded by just about any character to good effect with little or no danger getting reduced performance from the weapon due to combat damage/STR loss. The same can be said for most Hackers, like the great Paladin's Cross and various Cleavers. And, of course, Katana weapons are light as well, but not really used for damage ability as much as lockdown/stagger effects.

Fore melee, I generally prefer:

Hacker assortment - Paladin's Cross, first, Long Cleavers second, with some Short Cleavers on my Hacker Specialists as Secondaries.

Polearms - Regular Polearm, first, Nanjinata for relatively unskilled "farmer" types, a couple of Heavy Polearms just because, Katana secondaries

Heavy Weapons - Falling Sun Edge 1 for melee DPS specialists, Plank for a few Heavy Weapon Tanks... just because I like the idea, not for practical reasons.

Sabre - A few Desert Sabre specialists for that awesome Spider Damage multiplier and general speed/block/defense. (Secondary weaps are not an issue of countering penalties, here. Generally stick in Wakizashis, since that's the only thing that would get a preference.)

My team (Remember my PC sucks so no more then 5 ppl) is 2 Sheks one with 91STR (75STR but has a master work Lifter Arm) using an MKIII Fragment Axe, one with 50STR using a Plank or Failing Sun. The one using the Fragment Axe is my outpost`s only guard but is more then a match for even the largest of raids. The other goes off on raids and they both have the same combat stats. DEX, Toughness, ATT, DEF, etc etc.

Then i have 2 Hive Princes one is me and he has 25STR and uses a MKIII Polearm and has 80 DEX as well as ATT and DEF in the high 80s he raids and gets research with my Failing Sun Shek. The other works as a scientist at my base and has a F-Sabre so he can help defend if need be.

And last but not least there is Beep, He uses a crossbow and has stats in the 60s, he raids sometimes but his stats are mainly from his past life of killing, now he stays at my base and farms. My base is safe thanks to my Fragment Axe shek who has not fallen down once so he does not really shoot in less while my shek is fighting one manages to break the gate. But when they do 100s of toothpicks rain upon them.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

My team (Remember my PC sucks so no more then 5 ppl) is 2 Sheks one with 91STR (75STR but has a master work Lifter Arm) using an MKIII Fragment Axe, one with 50STR using a Plank or Failing Sun. The one using the Fragment Axe is my outpost`s only guard but is more then a match for even the largest of raids. The other goes off on raids and they both have the same combat stats. DEX, Toughness, ATT, DEF, etc etc.

Then i have 2 Hive Princes one is me and he has 25STR and uses a MKIII Polearm and has 80 DEX as well as ATT and DEF in the high 80s he raids and gets research with my Failing Sun Shek. The other works as a scientist at my base and has a F-Sabre so he can help defend if need be.

And last but not least there is Beep, He uses a crossbow and has stats in the 60s, he raids sometimes but his stats are mainly from his past life of killing, now he stays at my base and farms. My base is safe thanks to my Fragment Axe shek who has not fallen down once so he does not really shoot in less while my shek is fighting one manages to break the gate. But when they do 100s of toothpicks rain upon them.

You have a very eclectic setup compared to most Kenshi players, but it really sounds pretty darn awesome!

Congrats on your "Hero Class" characters! :)

It's inspiring! Time for a "Cape Mod." ;)

[Endgunner]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

My team (Remember my PC sucks so no more then 5 ppl) is 2 Sheks one with 91STR (75STR but has a master work Lifter Arm) using an MKIII Fragment Axe, one with 50STR using a Plank or Failing Sun. The one using the Fragment Axe is my outpost`s only guard but is more then a match for even the largest of raids. The other goes off on raids and they both have the same combat stats. DEX, Toughness, ATT, DEF, etc etc.

Then i have 2 Hive Princes one is me and he has 25STR and uses a MKIII Polearm and has 80 DEX as well as ATT and DEF in the high 80s he raids and gets research with my Failing Sun Shek. The other works as a scientist at my base and has a F-Sabre so he can help defend if need be.

And last but not least there is Beep, He uses a crossbow and has stats in the 60s, he raids sometimes but his stats are mainly from his past life of killing, now he stays at my base and farms. My base is safe thanks to my Fragment Axe shek who has not fallen down once so he does not really shoot in less while my shek is fighting one manages to break the gate. But when they do 100s of toothpicks rain upon them.

You have a very eclectic setup compared to most Kenshi players, but it really sounds pretty darn awesome!

Congrats on your "Hero Class" characters! :)

It's inspiring! Time for a "Cape Mod." ;)

Thanks! And that would be so cool! You could make it fit in the belt slot even tho it would not go there! Meybie give some elemental resistances!

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

...Thanks! And that would be so cool! You could make it fit in the belt slot even tho it would not go there! Meybie give some elemental resistances!

It all would depend on PhysX and the other physical/collision engine, can't remember atm, that Kenshi uses and how it implements "Cloth" if at all. It may not deal with any proper cloth effects and I wouldn't be surprised - Those are often resource intensive and difficult to fine-tune.

For instance, would you want a cloak that looked awesome billowing in the wind, but then got tangled up and virtually hidden in knots forever and ever or that only one character could ever wear because the engine set itself on fire if there was more than one dynamic clothing item on the screen at a time?

Lanterns have a dynamic animation property similar to cloth and so do injured limbs, but they're "not quite cloth" given that they obviously have to maintain volume. (Bodies do as well, but that's packed into PhysX I think and I don't know if the devs hijacked that for Lanters/Limbs, too.) So, they're likely just kinda "hinged" on a null point. That could be done with a "cape" but it'd look like your character was wearing a board on their back. :)

Unless the faces, themselves, can be clothified/given cloth effects and it hasn't just be restricted to an entire group moving as one (like a lantern or the upper/lower portions of a limb), neato dynamic capes wouldn't be easily possible.

With a new rig, though, one could probably get something somewhat passable. I don't know how easy rig-substitution is for Kenshi's engine and or how well it handles "extra" rigging on items, if at all. It could be very well hardcoded for "characters" as far as I know. But, a multibone physics-enabled "cape" with rotation limits would be doable from what I've seen in-game, I would think.

Sorry for going OT. :)

Anyway, Polearms are great! :) They can really clean out a lot of space, too. AOE/Reach is a "thing" in Kenshi and weapons are worth considering for those effects, alone. It's quite possible for a Polearm wielder to clear out half a Bandit group in one swing. Or, at least put many of them down and set a bunch of limbs flying around.

[Endgunner]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

Originally posted by ♫Endgunner♬:

...Thanks! And that would be so cool! You could make it fit in the belt slot even tho it would not go there! Meybie give some elemental resistances!

It all would depend on PhysX and the other physical/collision engine, can't remember atm, that Kenshi uses and how it implements "Cloth" if at all. It may not deal with any proper cloth effects and I wouldn't be surprised - Those are often resource intensive and difficult to fine-tune.

For instance, would you want a cloak that looked awesome billowing in the wind, but then got tangled up and virtually hidden in knots forever and ever or that only one character could ever wear because the engine set itself on fire if there was more than one dynamic clothing item on the screen at a time?

Lanterns have a dynamic animation property similar to cloth and so do injured limbs, but they're "not quite cloth" given that they obviously have to maintain volume. (Bodies do as well, but that's packed into PhysX I think and I don't know if the devs hijacked that for Lanters/Limbs, too.) So, they're likely just kinda "hinged" on a null point. That could be done with a "cape" but it'd look like your character was wearing a board on their back. :)

Unless the faces, themselves, can be clothified/given cloth effects and it hasn't just be restricted to an entire group moving as one (like a lantern or the upper/lower portions of a limb), neato dynamic capes wouldn't be easily possible.

With a new rig, though, one could probably get something somewhat passable. I don't know how easy rig-substitution is for Kenshi's engine and or how well it handles "extra" rigging on items, if at all. It could be very well hardcoded for "characters" as far as I know. But, a multibone physics-enabled "cape" with rotation limits would be doable from what I've seen in-game, I would think.

Sorry for going OT. :)

Anyway, Polearms are great! :) They can really clean out a lot of space, too. AOE/Reach is a "thing" in Kenshi and weapons are worth considering for those effects, alone. It's quite possible for a Polearm wielder to clear out half a Bandit group in one swing. Or, at least put many of them down and set a bunch of limbs flying around.

You could make a scarf using the existing system, that would look pretty dope :L

[Hobo Misanthropus]

Polearms are a crowd control weapon and force multiplier. You don't want to completely rely on them, especially against stronger enemies, but they can stun lock fodder enemies and keep the swarm off your heavy hitters. If you play with larger enemy squad multipliers, using Polearms as the backbone of your squad is almost mandatory.

[Endgunner]

Originally posted by Hobo Misanthropus:

Polearms are a crowd control weapon and force multiplier. You don't want to completely rely on them, especially against stronger enemies, but they can stun lock fodder enemies and keep the swarm off your heavy hitters. If you play with larger enemy squad multipliers, using Polearms as the backbone of your squad is almost mandatory.

I have completed most of the end game stuff with one heavy weapons shek and one polearm using prince. You can solo for a very long time with a polearm. And with 80+ combat stats switching weapons at this point just seems useless. Can`t tell you how meany time my heavy weapons shek got knocked down while my hive prince just kept trucking thru 5, 50s+ Holy nation units. You can 1v1 almost anything and tho combat speed only effects move speed during combat it help the polearm so much!

Tho when it comes to killing waves if i had to fight my Fragment Axe Shek i would die in one hit XD he got SOOO strong just from fighting with it and he KILLS most everything humanoid in one hit. And i mean literally KILLS droves of HN men in one swing!

[Hobo Misanthropus]

There's some misunderstanding about Combat Speed, it affects you attack speed, but literally, the speed you swing your weapon, not how often you attack (that is determined by your Attack Score)

This means you recover from swings faster, and can ready your next attack

[Endgunner]

Originally posted by Hobo Misanthropus:

There's some misunderstanding about Combat Speed, it affects you attack speed, but literally, the speed you swing your weapon, not how often you attack (that is determined by your Attack Score)

This means you recover from swings faster, and can ready your next attack

No i am talking about this:
Combat Move Speed

Combat Move Speed is how fast your character moves around while in combat. It is often confused with the Combat Speed above, but is a distinctly separate and independent value. It is often modified by your Race, providing bonuses or penalties depending on which one your character is.

There is currently no know way to increase Combat Move Speed, beyond race selection. Though it is not impossible there is one that simply hasn't been discovered.

Hive Prince/Worker - 1.2

Hive Soldier Drone - 1.1

Greenlander/Scorchlander - 1

Shek - 1

Skeleton - 0.9

[Locklave]

If anyone has seen my post history in this game you'd know I rate Polearms as top tier weapons. Specifically the standard Polearm. Likely they've even seen me post the following before in some form.

Reach (multi-hits in a single swing are common)
High attack bonus (higher attack speed & higher hit chance)
Blunt/Cut damage (blunt is best anti armor, cut keeps them down)
Low weight (no stat req's)
Blunt/Cut damage makes it a good stat training weapon (blunt builds str, Cut builds dex)
+30% armor pen (makes it viable for top tier armored enemies)
+50% Animal damage (as the OP said that is just amazing)

All the above make it a new recruit friendly weapon.

The standard Polearm specifically is the most versatile weapon in the game. The other polearms are also great, but lack the versatility.

[Wanted111who]

Their advantage is stun locking enemies, and if use in large numbers, it's very good.

[Juan The Hidalgo]

I tested the effectiveness of all weapons in combat. I gave every three members of the squad the same weapon. It turned out that in the battle against the Paladins of the Holy Nation, fogman/ cannibals, reaver, the polearm shows the maximum efficiency and survivability of the owner. Speed like katana, dmg like hacker, bonuses vs animal, bonuses vs large parties. Absolutely universal weapon. It should be nerfed.

[Fryskar]

I'd say they're ok.
Their biggest drawback is their medicore dmg. +50% vs animals is nice, but not exactly needed unless you try to melee elder beakthings or leviathans for some reason.

Also its a fairly old necro and idk how much the weapons changed, if at all.