Pikeman Archive

Hi, X_SilverSurfer here. Add all major concerns to this post. I will be closely monitering this thread, and I ask that you be thorough and list all that you can to explain your point. I do not mind if you put your opinions in the reply,make sure to explain why you think any change should be needed and/or any other affect to be implimented. Adversly, any oposing threads will get the same treatment as the ones they are arguing against, and I will also include them in my talks with SOE.

On a side note, I ask that you keep only one major concern/thought/etc. to each thread. It will make it easier for me to read, and it will insure that I read it through (lol, 10 pages of one msg is not my idea of fun... after all, isn't that what we are all here for?)

Keep it clean, and have fun pikeman!

Khrim Charan

Gorath.

Well, i ran into a concern today. Today, someone challenged me for the first time so i thought "why the hell not?" I started dueling, went up close and within 2 hits the pistoler I was fighting was down to 1/2 health and I was still close to full. Then he started running. As I tried to catch up he kept shooting blindly behind him and hitting me. After a while I went down and was completely unsatisfied. I should have clobered him. 1/2 of his life in 2 hits. But, since he can basically declair himself invulnurable to me by running, he clobbered me. This leaves me a little annoyed.

Toughness would be the issue.

Toughness and a /stick option with combat strikes while chasing.

An option to autofollow an oponet so that all skill is taking out of pvp. No thanks! Here is what you dont get you are obiviolsy a farely small fish on the totem pole or you have a bad weapon. I am only an expert almost a master polearm specialist, and with polearm hit 1 i can one hit ko any ranged person when they are holding there gun. Get a new weapon get some more skill, but dont make pvp as easy pve it is supposed to be hard.

But yeah toughness issues are a big deal we get shafted!

My issues in no particular order:

1) The toughness problem.

The +4 instead of +10.

2) Toughness point distribution

If it turns out the devs meant us to have lower toughness overall, perhaps it can be redistributed so that we just get less toughness bonuses at the higher levels so that beginning pikemen will have an easier time.

3) Block issues

As a novice pikeman I've never seen my character block. Also, why do pikemen only get +20 to block when swordsmen and fencers each get +25 to dodge/counterattack.

4) Advanced Vibro Unit

Actually a weaponsmith issue, but it is gating us: the advanced vibro unit has a mispelling in one of its component types, so it is impossible to build which is probably why we aren't seeing any lances/vibro lances/long vibro axes that are any better than a reinforced combat staff.

My main concern has to go with blocking. Staffs have great defensive characteristics, so as 1handed gets Dodge a lot (if my memory serves me correctly), then Polearm should get a lot of Block, because block would relate to fending somebody off, or blocking their attack. Though when fighting with a staff, the defensive characteristics are more concerned with fending off and keeping somebody at distance, then actually blocking like one would do with a sword.

i think a this point my bigest concern is the huge nevative accuracy mods on the weapons. what is a master pikeman supposed to be like when compared to other melee lines when their best weapon takes away over half there accuracy bonuses? look at other high lvl weapons and you seethey have a much smaller loss of accuracy. for example my ryyk blade has -15 but a long vibro axe useable a the same skill lvl has -58. somthing seems a bit wrong with that. even if you swap the LVA with a vibro lance you still have over double the accuracy penalty.

with these frustrations i have started looking at other brawler lines and right now TKA is looking good but im withholding my decision untill i get to master brawler so i can say i have seen everything equaly to that lvl.

Makarish, I wouldn't get too worried. I just have Advanced-Master Offensive and Master Support Abilities left (which is +20 to accuracy), and with my Long Vibro Axe, I'd say I probbably miss 5 out of 25-30 swings? Which isn't bad seeing I will be getting +20 to accuracy from Master Support Abilities along with the +10 you get from being Master Pikeman, so don't get too discouraged yet.

I agree with romeoisdead. I think blocking would be beneficial. But I would take it a step further and say maybe block based on HAM status. If in battle, my mind health is taking a beating, I think it would be a great defensive maneuver to block (or reduce) damage to the mind health bar. I guess it could be a percentage for complete blocking of an attack, or a reduce percentage of damage for the area. of course, the other stats would be more vunerable to attack as well.

as it is now, if I find myself in a fight where my target's health is about the same as mine, the only option I have it load up my queue with the most powerful attacks and then it's just a race against time (which is mostly weapon based anyway).

I think it would bring interesting tactics in melee PvP as well.

The Weapon Certification order seems to be out of sequence for Pikemen.

Currently Pikemen gets them in this order...Wooden Staff, Reinforced Staff, Lance, Long Vibro Axe, Vibro Lance

Weaponsmiths can make them in a slightly different order....Wooden Staff, Reinforced Staff, Lance, Vibro Lance, Long Vibro Axe

Here's the problem, after getting certified for Lance a Pikeman (well Polearmsman at this point) must find a Master Weaponsmith to make the very highest tier polearm for a Brawler skill. Then once Novice Pikeman is reached you can drop back down to a Master Melee Weaponsmith (more common, theoretically) to make the Vibro Lance you just got certified to use.

Upon reaching the Novice level in all other weapon skill trees you get a weapon certification requiring a Master Weaponsmith to craft.

What ends up happening to Pikemen-in-training is that once they get certified for Lance there is no realistic upgrade path for weapons until they reach Novice Pikeman and can hopefully find a Vibro Lance.

I suggest changing the Pikeman Weapon Certification order to the order in which they can be crafted by weaponsmiths.....Wooden Staff, Reinforced Staff, Lance, Vibro Lance, Long Vibro Axe.

And on a related note...where are the player crafted metal staves? Seems like they should fall between Reinforced Staff and Lance. I think Polarmsmen get certified for it (not online so I can't quickly check) but there is no recipe for it.

What we're all saying here is that in all forms it seems that the other brawler classes get the better defensive bonuses in every way. We'd like to at least be on par with them. Hell i've seen tera kasi's tank just as well as me wearing no armor. (I wear full ubese)

Personally my only complaint about being a pikeman is the apparent imbalance of ranged vs melee in pvp. Now maybe this is a problem with all melee classes, but I can only speak for pikemen. I have my stats adjusted for pvp (high mind and health, slightly lower action) but try as i might I cant seem to beat ranged classes.

If im doing something wrong please tell me. I have tried to use lunge and sweep with very little success. I have enough medic skills to make and use stimpack C which helps a lot but it only prolongs the pain really. I have a rancor pet who has as much trouble hitting that rifleman on the run as I do. I have a great lance 25-236, 3.1 speed. I have a nice set of chittin armor. I always keep spices like nuetron pixie around just in case. I even have a few nice shield generators. None of this gives me enough of an edge to beat even 1st tier ranged fighter. That doesnt seem balanced.

Ranged classes can shoot through walls...this is perhaps the biggest problem. If I could use my surroundings to my advantage (such as luring my opponent into a building to fight, or ducking around a corner to avoid fire) then I would at least have a fighting chance.

I love being a pikeman, and versus mobs I have no complaints really. Its only in pvp that i become angry toward my class. I though having CH as a secondary skill would take care of all my pvp problems but it didnt really help at all.

I would like to see this addressed in balancing first. I really dont think that they will change polearm toughness. Our weapons are clearly more powerful that any other melee classes. Giving more toughness would be imbalanecd.

On a side note I highly reccomend to ALL pikemen to get at least some basic medic abilities. The stimpacks I make heal me for between 300-500+ each use. I can solo very well with little down time. I find it fun to make stimpacks, and im always trying to eek out a little more power per use.

Anyways thats my post on balancing.

Valco

Gorath server