Petition for a change of stance for 1 hand/no shield.

[Formless]

Since it looks like 1 handers are the topic of the day. 

The play style of 1 hand no shield is currently greatly under represented, only a handful of players use this play style.  The reasons are simple to understand:   

1.)  The weapons are shorter then 2 hand and pole.
2.)  Because of the short size of their weapons, 1 handers usually have to give up on heavier armour as they need higher athletics to close to fighting distance.
3.)  On average 1 handers deal less damage and they bounce more often. 
4.)  Also,  the stab animation for 1 handers is currently a bit off, which is strange since logically it should be the classes major strength. 


All of these reasons make this play style less then optimal, so players choose classes like 2 hand and pole that give them a bigger bang for their buck. 
I think this could be changed with a change in the way that 1 hander's no shield guys stand.


The current 1 hand with shield stance is a very square stance with the torso squarely facing the opponent, this makes sense with a shield, but without a shield it really makes no sense to expose the whole trunk of the body to attack.  Instead of the square facing stance 1 hand no shielders should have a more "fencing" stance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38sVdx7nzhQ&list=UUSjXHeq8fuL-Je7cashCDqA&index=2&feature=plcp

This would have the following benefits. 

1.)  Make the reach of the 1 handers longer.
2.)  Allow 1 hander no shield to wear heavier armour.
3.)  Allow for a faster stab animation, making the stab a major option instead of a poor 4th alternative.   
4.)  Also would fix the stab animation so that the stab is from the center of the characters stance instead of to the side.

Overall, it would make 1 hand no shield more playable and more interesting, it would also add to the complexity of gameplay and make melee a bit more interesting for everyone.

   

[Dunecat]

I'm sorry to say it, but buffing one handed weaponry will spoil it, resulting in imbalance - and therefore - and influx of new players, attracted to "more or less optimal" style of gameplay, probably much like it occurred with two-handers.

[Bobthehero]

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[Huey Newton]

Honestly if 1h no shield is buffed, it will be nerfed eventually.
Thats just the pattern of weapon buff/nerf patterns.

It is not that hard to do well with. You will have to block one possibly two more times to close the gap, but when you do, its harder to see at close range than any other weapon.
Also all 1hers are 1 slot.
In our current slot system the 1her class was never based around taking a 1her alone into battle. Its designed as a backup weapon to xbow, throwing, archery and hoplite.
Theres no reason to buff it.
Just leave it and hopefully the devs won't nerf it either.

[Formless]

Honestly if 1h no shield is buffed, it will be nerfed eventually.
Thats just the pattern of weapon buff/nerf patterns.

It is not that hard to do well with. You will have to block one possibly two more times to close the gap, but when you do, its harder to see at close range than any other weapon.
Also all 1hers are 1 slot.
In our current slot system the 1her class was never based around taking a 1her alone into battle. Its designed as a backup weapon to xbow, throwing, archery and hoplite.
Theres no reason to buff it.
Just leave it and hopefully the devs won't nerf it either.

Why should 1 hand no shield not be a main class on their own? 

To be honest the change of stance would not be that much of a buff, it will still leave 1 hand no shield a less then an optimal playstyle but it would be more playable.  And that is the whole point, it would add variety to the game and a new dimension of gameplay to learn.

[dreadnok]

can we have shield bash instead of kick