Most people like the amount of damage and aesthetic value polearms and swords give. Sword and board isn't the most heroic looking playstyle too most i'd imagine.
Quoted for epic god loving truth. Large 2h'd weapons get all the glory in pretty much every major media; Movies, Comics, Anime, Games, etc.*1*
However I've always been a fan of sword and board aesthetically. In MMO's I've only ever enjoyed playing the tank, and whichever tank dons his trusty shield and grabs a 1her to soak hits from whatever boss chooses to stand in front of me. In DarkFail I was one of the very very very very very few players that specifically went out of his way to use a sword/axe and shield and provide beta feedback to the devs asking for some kind of viability improvements (in DarkFail sword and board is absolute trash for everything except mounted combat only because it was the only thing usable on a mount).
Many airbound fist pumps whenever I see a movie like 300, Troy, Gladiator or whatnot when someone gets beat down by a shield. Not just blocking with it and finished off with the sword, but shield bashed, punched, slammed and otherwise pummeled to shit with the shield itself. It's why I originally wanted to play a shielder here. I love the look, even though the shield is just an arrow catcher with RMB instead of a fluid weapon, but meh. Take what we can get I reckon. I love PA, and can top the boards far more often and easier with my trusty 2her (MANCLEAVER!) but from a pure aesthetic standpoint I do enjoy being a shielder again this generation.
*1 : Though movies are pretty good at showing that most '1hers are and were capable and often used with 2-hands during combat, fluidly switching as desired when the off-hand is free to do so. Wish it was so in this game. Instead of 1h/2h skills it would make far more sense to have 'swords, axes, maces, ect' wpf skills imo allowing for knowledge and capability for both 1h/2h usage with those weapon types*
/offtopic
On topic: John/Destin/Fedor I'm still a fan of the olden days.
