Pikeman Archive
Thread: New to Pikeman
ok guys, jsut found a holocron and now i gotta master PIKEMAN!! lol any suggestions cause im uber lost when it comes to this profession
EX MASTER BH 
Not a holo-Pikeman... just a glutton for melee punishment - and I want to be something different than all the TKA's out there (though I am going to swipe the TKA Meditation tree 
I think it could be very rewarding to be a Pikeman, and to get good at it - I look at it as a challenge to overcome, because I've heard so many awful things about Pikemen (accuracy issues, speed issues)... so I thought I'd give it a spin and see how I did.
So far I stink... but I'm not even a Novice yet. I bought an LVA and VP in anticipation of getting high enough to use them... got both sliced, but they both came out damage slices...
So are pikemen most disadvantaged in pvp, or are they equally hard to play viably in pve? I'm not a pvp'er, so I'm looking for a good adventuring melee class.My LVA is speed 4.4 (I think), damage up to about 460. My VP is damage 360 or so, speed 4.0, but that lightning damage seems nice. The thing is, the LVA has a -50 hit at ALL ranges... what the hell is up with that? No wonder hitting is such a chore!
Anyway, any input would be appreciated. LVA's vs. VP's? PvP vs. PvE? Pikeman vs. TKA? ~J
Damage slices (welcome to pikeman, by the way) are preferrable by far at master. A 4.4 speed LVA swings at nearly a second per at master autoattack, so I don't worry much more about speed, really. I buy extra LVAs just so I can make sure I get a damage slice, actually.
And, a word of advice, if you are not novice yet, do not exercise your certification for the LVA at polearms II yet, stay with the basic lance until you get to novice, then try out the VL and LVA to see which you prefer, i.e. if you can handle the accuracy issues with the LVA.
PvE is where pikeman shines, we do really well because of our armor piercing weapons, especially the LVA with medium piercing. Large hits and bleeds and nice area attacks make PvE very nice for pikeman, and it gets better as you get closer to master (especially with pets helping to tank for you). PvP, we are limited somewhat. After last month's patch, we are much better, we can use specials from 14-15m and we can use them while moving, so this helps tremendously. Center of Being helps a lot, as well.
The damages on your LVA and VL are very nice, 460 is a great slice on that LVA. And yes, the -50 range mods come standard with most LVAs, although sometimes weaponsmiths can cut that down to the -30s, at the expense of speed and damage. Also, the electricity is sometimes outweighed by the medium armor piercing of the LVA. So sometimes it may appear that electricity attack may be best, but the higher damage plus higher armor piercing of the LVA oftentimes overrides any benefits you might get from using electricity. Sometimes. You'll have to experiment around and see for yourself.
Pikeman vs. TKA? eeeh...let's not talk about that. It's still not comparable, really. TKM vs. MP...
antares
master pikeman
I'm new as well. I have one character I am going to go to Pikeman with. Curious, what is recommended to wear for armor, and what is recommended to kill for Pikeman? Those are really the only questions I have so far.
Thanks in advance!
The little FAQ doesn't have much.
Anyway, I was wondering which tree to do first.
Some say defensive first (like me), some say stances for speed first. Whatever you choose, get sweep1 from Defensive I before anything.
antares
master pikeman
