SPEARS

[DwellarDaelhin]

why do i need to be so close to use a spear
this make no sense

[blankitosonic]

People still confuses the spear of this game that is a javaline type with a pole spear ...
Atgeir is the pole spear/axe of the game , spear is the throwable weapon of the early game
But has a really nice dps in flat grounds
Pretty good for parry players

[Gisbert]

Originally posted by Isaac_Clark:

It's especially good when paired with a buckler. Bucklers have a much higher crit bonus than other shields but also lower block armor and block force. The spear's attack speed allows you to take full advantage of the slightly smaller counter-window from bucklers and you can also cancel out of spear attacks quickly if you need to parry again or roll under an attack.

This is not true at all.

Parry bonus is just a multiplier to block armor.
That means, if you parry with a buckler you can block "more damage" as with a regular round shield with similar stats. If you fail your parry timing and just execute a normal block for example, you will have a lower block armor as with a normal shield.

So using a buckler instead of a round shield means buying a higher block value for successful parrying, but at the same time taking the higher risk of taking more damage or likely dying if you fail.

Not more / not less.

For the rest of the unbelievers, spear is in many situations one of the strongest weapon in the game if used correctly. Therefore, it is not an S-Tier weapon, because the emphasis is on "IF." Spear is not easy to master, that's true.

I'm sword/spear main since the last 700 hours - I use both weapon types equally and no bow.

The spear in Valheim is not meant for throwing at a long distance, although it is possible for taking out one fuling shaman for example (one hit if shaman is unaware).

Spear is the perfect midrange complement to another melee weapon with a combo option for ground control. But even in melee only you have a huge advantage because you always reliably do the same damage without charging a combo and have higher attack speed. In addition, you can act very flexibly, because after the spear attack hardly any cooldown time is needed until you can dodge or parry again or switch weapon.

Example for a correctly used very powerfull spear attack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gra0rvnxvKo

Best regards/

[bacon]

this thread is full of people whiffing over the head of necks in the water in the first 30 minutes and drawing sweeping conclusions about the weapon. spear is actually *the best* weapon for overcoming the elevation differences in this game, with a point-blank short range throw.

this short throw is also a great opener. throw, stagger, auto-pickup, primary spam.

[bacon]

Originally posted by queen's gambit:

hold your broom at the tip of the handle and strike something with it. now hold it halfway up the handle and strike something with it. see the difference?

the length of the haft is to allow leverage for throwing or bracing into the ground against a charging opponent (inb4 add polearm bracing mechanic) not necessarily poking from a greater distance than a sword. the range of a spear comes from it's ability to be thrown accurately. you cant get much more range in melee than a sword or what have you with a spear without losing a lot of power on your strikes or foregoing a shield to two hand it at the furthest end away from the pointy bit and good luck blocking with it while both hands are at the same far end of the pole. it's all physics and leverage that this game thankfully doesn't account for completely.

spear is kinda janky, but no more than any other weapon. it's arguably op once you learn how to use it.

well said.

[Tiom]

On my first character I made the fang spear when i got to the mountain because it was a super cheap silver tier weapon. After noticing that i could 1 or 2 tap wolves with a throw and thrust, even when they are above or below me on crap terrain, I never looked back.

4 playthroughs later and its still one of my most used weapons. I only have 1 character where spears aren't my highest weapon skill.

[Gisbert]

Originally posted by Tiom:

On my first character I made the fang spear when i got to the mountain because it was a super cheap silver tier weapon. After noticing that i could 1 or 2 tap wolves with a throw and thrust, even when they are above or below me on crap terrain, I never looked back.

4 playthroughs later and its still one of my most used weapons. I only have 1 character where spears aren't my highest weapon skill.

Well said.
i have also used the spear incorrectly for a long time, but when i got into it and learned how easy it is to get dragons out of the sky without using extra inventory space for bow ammo, I too threw away the bow and never looked back.

Just like the "tapping" you described. You don't even have to wait for the swing from the sword combo, because the spear always reliably delivers the same animation very quick and and 100% reliability.

I just use the sword for enemy groups for example, because it's easier to hit more of them at once / for groundcontrol overall or bosses/big enemys or piercing resistant enemys.

[XTazmanianDevilX]

Originally posted by Gisbert:

Originally posted by Tiom:

On my first character I made the fang spear when i got to the mountain because it was a super cheap silver tier weapon. After noticing that i could 1 or 2 tap wolves with a throw and thrust, even when they are above or below me on crap terrain, I never looked back.

4 playthroughs later and its still one of my most used weapons. I only have 1 character where spears aren't my highest weapon skill.

Well said.
i have also used the spear incorrectly for a long time, but when i got into it and learned how easy it is to get dragons out of the sky without using extra inventory space for bow ammo, I too threw away the bow and never looked back.

Just like the "tapping" you described. You don't even have to wait for the swing from the sword combo, because the spear always reliably delivers the same animation very quick and and 100% reliability.

I just use the sword for enemy groups for example, because it's easier to hit more of them at once / for groundcontrol overall or bosses/big enemys or piercing resistant enemys.

Well was also using a spear as a very strong and fast weapon until the moment when I throwed it, walked over some stuff on the way to getting it back with my inventory already full and could not autopickup it :). I will not throw it again under no circumstances.

[Tiom]

Originally posted by XTazmanianDevilX:

Well was also using a spear as a very strong and fast weapon until the moment when I throwed it, walked over some stuff on the way to getting it back with my inventory already full and could not autopickup it :). I will not throw it again under no circumstances.

First time it happened to me was while i was fighting a Golem. I threw the spear at a wolf that decided to visit. When i went to pick it up I ran through some trees and rock that the Golem had busted up. I panicked a little bit but then i just switched to my axe.

(yes, yes i know slash and pierce are bad against golem.... it was literally my first character from like a year and a half ago)

Nowadays I usually dont even bother with using the axe. Its happened to me enough that i just reflexively open inventory and ctrl click out some junk, then go pick it up.

[Sardonic]

I remember the first time I used a spear i felt like a hummingbird with t-rex arms jabbing it forward. I think my knife had more reach. I looked at the way my viking was griping it and said to myself "why are you holding it that way doofus?" Felt like I was spearfishing the air.

Fast forward more hours then I care to admit later and I think it's still not perfect but definitely capable when used correctly. Aside from the obvious deer and boar killing early game it also makes for good exploitation of derpy NPC game logic. Hilarious when used in crypts, excellent when combined with a buckler, potent when aimed correctly at drakes (miserable when not. bye bye spear) and my favorite is when used in conjunction with the Epicloot mods "recalling" modifier. It then becomes meme worthy.

[WingT74]

Originally posted by Isaac_Clark:

Ok yes, I hear you, I feel you, I get it. Buuut..
I've been a spear main for most of my 500 hours into this game so let me try to sell you on some of the advantages of using a spear.

It mainly comes down to attack speed. Slower than knives, but noticeably faster than swords or maces; it hits a sort of sweet spot in terms of it's damage output that favors a very defensive and technical playstyle. It's especially good when paired with a buckler. Bucklers have a much higher crit bonus than other shields but also lower block armor and block force. The spear's attack speed allows you to take full advantage of the slightly smaller counter-window from bucklers and you can also cancel out of spear attacks quickly if you need to parry again or roll under an attack.

But the hit box can be frustrating while you're getting used to it. It can hit things that are at a higher elevation which can be nice in the mountains, but not being able to hit things lower than you can be frustrating in the meadows or black forest. If you have to attack below you, use the throw (middle mouse button). It takes some practice, but at point blank range the spear will go directly back into your hand making it more like a long thrust. If you can just move below them though it's often more practical.

The other main drawback of the spear is with it's damage type. There are some tough enemies that are weak to it like Trolls and Lox, but also several that are resistant to it like oozes, skellies, and creature spawners. For this reason you might want to carry a blunt weapon as backup for these encounters. I like using the two-handed hammers as they're also useful in dungeons for attacking around corners.

TL; DR
Spears have a high skill floor and cieling, but can be uniquely rewarding. When mastered, spear mains can have the highest damage output in your party.

100% agree, to me they're almost cheating, I like blunt weapons, so use those, luckily it's paying off late game ;)

[Bersek_ITA]

Originally posted by DwellarDaelhin:

why do i need to be so close to use a spear
this make no sense

so true. The hitbox is bugged, can't hit wolfs, nixes, boars most of the times. Also the animation and the way he uses is more of a gavelin. you HAVE to use the secondary attac in order to hit something

[The Great Cornholio]

Yep spears are awful. Sword is fast, good range, hits multiple enemies, more forgiving of elevation. I use sword most of the time, bow against big slow enemies and flyers, mace on golems.

[Zombits]

The chinese who made record beat the whole game including queen in under 8 hours . He used spears for practicality . So he had a weapon for both range and melee at same time .
For normal playing style, spears are terrible in this game and not fun because of very small hit box, i find knives and anything else more useful

[Leiraion]

Originally posted by Zombits:

The chinese who made record beat the whole game including queen in under 8 hours . He used spears for practicality . So he had a weapon for both range and melee at same time .
For normal playing style, spears are terrible in this game and not fun because of very small hit box, i find knives and anything else more useful

It's pretty gross that this was a complaint 3 years ago and they haven't changed it though.
Yeah, Spears basically have the lowest range and the worst hitbox. It's pathetic.

[Trojan]

Historically spears can be broken down into 2 very broad camps. There is the long war spears or infantry spear that most people would find familiar Then there is the short spear which is usually used one handed w/ a shield by skirmishers. This game uses the later which makes sense as the nordic geirr tended to be 5 foot or less and didnt really extend reach like the more familiar infantry spears from mainland Europe.