Spear build just not worth it?

[TheFigment]

First off, I will start by saying I consider myself to be a pretty damn good gamer. That out of the way, I am really struggling with this game and think I may be missing something.

I created a spear build, as a ranger, and am REALLY struggling. First was the dwarf games, which had no reward or xp payout, and am currently stuck where I have to protect the fishermen (then the workers).

I can't seem to deal more than 4-6 damage, so those little 22hp lizards take forever to kill when I spam feint, which seems to have no drawback for a skill. Meanwhile, NPCs are hitting my armored up characters for 10-13 and one shotting peasants I need to protect. WIthout numbers, I can't tie down all those spear chuckers in melee to keep them from murdering NPCs. (not to mention leaving melee gets my ass attacked, wish that skill was open to my characters, but I guess cannon fodder lizard folks with sticks are more skilled than my Blackguards.)

I swear I think I am missing something very very important to core gameplay, as all I can really justify doing is walking up and hitting things with a weapon, everything else seems to be a very poor choice in comparisn, save maybe a spell or two.

I -really- was enjoying this game at first, that talent tree and AP system looks amazing, but it doesn't seem to do a whole lot and I believe it's far more based on luck than tactics. I WANT TO LOVE THIS GAME BECAUSE IT'S SO UP MY ALLEY. :(

[Alkylhaul]

Spear build on a Hunter? Hmm.. sounds interesting!! To make that work you are going to have to increase things like Base Mellee attack, Agility, possibly Strength etc etc.. keep your melee attack abilities up to a decent level as well! Would love to see that build work for you!

[Alkylhaul]

Oh, I haven't even mentioned keeping your points up in Spear weapon skills...

[tomjo66]

I have never really use the spear. I know Half-elf has one. But in that fight. I had her, my own hunter with bows, one longbow, that killed like crazy. And my mage that just lobbing first firespell, healed, and rare times fireball. I just moved up the dwarf to soak damage.
I think those missions, going on until you rescued enough fishermen.

But in crystal mission, I saw lizard advantage with spear. Since they can hit you 2 squares away. So a spearwielder behind the dwarf or other cover would do good damage with out getting hit your self I think.

[TheFigment]

I -do- use the spear very well, it just doesn't seem to do much damage at all, even with that fleet of foot spell the elf casts (I see no difference in average damage).

I guess, since I thought I had to protect them all, I should have just said screw it and just played really safe instead of moving out to protect the fishers like I was told. I'm all for difficult games, but when it's nigh impossible, due to numbers and ranged enemies, to hold all your enemies in melee to keep them from one shotting NPCs, that is frustrating.

[tomjo66]

Im think like you. But I think this game is abot hard choices. And your are not the paladine or knight in shiny armor who save the world like Kn.Commander in NWN2. And in war you cant save all ppl, even if you want to. And you cant save ppl if you are dead. This and baroness mission is about get a feel of I tried my best, but that is not always enough. And the commander say before those battle try to save as many as you can. I tried to heal the fishermen, to have them to stay alive. But You cant have that much mana. And you need the heal for your own troops. And except for the fishermen two bowmen did also die from the garrison.

Im thrilled to see what adventures lies beyond the border. And how my choices fromchapter one inpact the next chapter.
I did not agree for example to kill the twin. I refuse that quest. And that can seem rather daft since I lose xp. Same I did not turn in the staff to the merchant, not of greed, since I got the feel he was a bad person, and had even more evil boss. Why give them a staff;)
And I did not kill the goblin shaman, and freed the goblin at my Tortures house.

[tomjo66]

Reg spear, maybe as for bow you be able to get better spears. Since the longbow kick...

[76561198094445049]

Hey thefigment,

spears can be really good weapons, especially with some skills you can learn later on in the game. The advantage they have really is, that you can stand two spaces away, with Naurim between your spear-wielding character and an enemy and you're still able to hit him.
As far as I know, Feint gives you a higher hit chance, but with reduced damage, so it's more useful against enemies who seem to dodge and parry a lot.

[Tharsonius]

While I don't know how skills like Feint have been translated from the P&P rules, it should probably reduce your hit chance but also reduce the enemies parry and evasion which can be situationally very valuable (but it could work differently in the game also)
So if used with the appropriate skills spears should excel in both battlefield control and bypassing enemy defence and armor

[TheFigment]

Ah, it never actually showed me where it lowers my damage. That, or I could just be blind.

[Cozy]

I liked making the mage have secondary spear skills. Since they will run out of mana in many battles, the spear was nice to get in behind the fighter and plug away with some melee, getting that two squares away ability puts the mage in a fairly safe place.

[Muttley]

"I -really- was enjoying this game at first, that talent tree and AP system looks amazing, but it doesn't seem to do a whole lot and I believe it's far more based on luck than tactics. I WANT TO LOVE THIS GAME BECAUSE IT'S SO UP MY ALLEY. :("

You captured my feeling in here. Tactics don't matter. Random luck does. I was enjoying the game, at first, but then... You have no access to skills, stats doesn't matter and all the game is about is reloading and expecting more luck on your attack rolls and less luck on enemies'.

Suck.

[imminence]

Spear and the smaller piercing weapons (rapier, florett etc.) are always weak in TDE-games at the beginning. But there are really powerful skills to learn especially for these weapons.

So it might look like it's not worth the while in the current game, but this is only because we just have a small part of it. For now I'd recommend to stay on the save side, as the needed skills can't be learned yet, but don't forget about these weapons later.

[Catz-O-Logy]

lol spamming my %60 chance sword/shield... it seems pure luck needed to win this game lol.