Roleplaying games often Underestimate Spears and polearms.

[long.liam]

Too many games often treat Spears and Polearms like weak throw away Weapons. Swords and Axes are far too often given too much glory in games. The Spear was the most prolific weapon in Human History. Cheap, but very effective in battle. By extension of the Bayonet, the spear was used in warfare from the early evolution of Australopithecus to around 1951 in the Korean War. Soldiers are still trained in its use today.

The Spear and all Polearms are the Kings of the Battlefield. Swords, Clubs, Hammers, and Maces were mostly sidearms.

[Jibartik]

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[Reiwa]

pointy stick go brrr

[Jibartik]

It's just not as cool looking as a 1h slasher though.

[starkind]

Absolutely. It's really annoying. Thanks for the write up op!

Nice video jib. I recommend not holding the spear parallel or extended so your attacker has to guess at its reach. Strike parallel. When on the offense.

Maybe if only countering that's different.

That's like my observation man.

[Danth]

Original poster is very much right. The use of spears, hasta, and the like during antiquity is well-known but similar "long" weapons remained in common use into the early modern period.

During the late medieval period, plate-armored knights tended to use the lance (an evolution of the spear) in mounted charges and quite often favored the poleaxe for dismounted foot combat, especially duels. The sword was the symbol of the knighthood and a part of the knight's normal dress, and in battle always served as a trusty back-up weapon, but it wasn't necessarily the first choice. There's a similar tendency in Japan, where their samurai are best known for the various swords they carried, but in full-scale battle often started out with various polearms first before reverting to swords once something got lost or broken.

From the above, it should be possible to divine why "long" weapons become slightly under-represented in the public mind: They mostly came out only in battle, never a daily occurrence, while the knightly classes (and later on, noble civilians more generally) were going around wearing their swords seven days a week.

Danth

[starkind]

 

Tbh. I just think that powerful people don't want us to know proper military tactics and martial defense! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Tunabros]

in diablo 2 theyre OP on the act 2 mercs lol

[unsunghero]

..

[Gravydoo II]

Ultima online doesnt. The spear is feared. It paralyzes and does massive dmg. The short spear is not commonly used but its faster and can be poisoned.