Pikeman Archive

I am primarily a PVE player. I don't have a lot of desire to do the PVP thing for a lot of reasons. However, I am at a stage where I am conflicted about my character's future. I had been working towards Bounty Hunter, but that whole train wreck is starting to become less and less attractive to me. I picked up Brawler on a whim and have really enjoyed it. However, I don't really know what direction to head for my advance profession. I know there are several things stacked against Melee's in PVP, but how do the different advanced professions do in PVE? Are all equally competent or does one really shine above the others. I primarily group w/ 2 other people. The first is a Creature Handler/Pistoleer and the other is a mishmash of all kinds of stuff. I will be backing up my skills with some ranged compentency, but I really will choose that based on what type of melee I end up doing.

Anywho, longwinded story. So....what are your thoughts?

Cheers!

Okkam

I am primarily a PVE player. I don't have a lot of desire to do the PVP thing for a lot of reasons. However, I am at a stage where I am conflicted about my character's future. I had been working towards Bounty Hunter, but that whole train wreck is starting to become less and less attractive to me. I picked up Brawler on a whim and have really enjoyed it. However, I don't really know what direction to head for my advance profession. I know there are several things stacked against Melee's in PVP, but how do the different advanced professions do in PVE? Are all equally competent or does one really shine above the others. I primarily group w/ 2 other people. The first is a Creature Handler/Pistoleer and the other is a mishmash of all kinds of stuff. I will be backing up my skills with some ranged compentency, but I really will choose that based on what type of melee I end up doing.

So....what are your thoughts?

Cheers!

Okkam

I can't really speak for the other melee classes as well as I can for pike, so...

Pikemen do really well in PvE generally. Higher level pikemen do very well.

Upsides: powerful hits, best animations in the game, really fun area attacks.
Downsides: lowest defense of all melee, expensive HAM costs, accuracy issues (compounded by HAM costs and low defense), area attacks are currently suicidal (see low defense).

The road to pikeman is frustrating and difficult, but there are rewards once you get to higher levels.

antares
master pikeman

From what I've seen, swordsmen and TKA's are a bit better off then us in both PvE and PvP. Fencers seem to be worse off in both. This is all subject to change from patch to patch, natch.