The Two Handed Swordsman R.I.P.

[Gorath]

I don't see it at all.  I still see a ton of 2hers roaming everywhere, the great maul still makes a shield obsolete and most bar mace users have the str to remove your RMB as well.

Hell lately I've been playing my 2her rather than my shielder when I go melee because it's much easier to 1-shot everyone who fucks up a block than to take 2-5 hits with a 1h'd weapon to drop em.  Granted I hybridized myself into throwing as well (or archery/xbow depending on which 2her I'm playing) but frankly I think it's rather silly not to take some kind of anti-ranged measure: be that some points in shield, or a ranged weapon yourself to keep pressure up.

I also use the War Cleaver as well, and deal with the difficulty inherent in it being unbalanced and slow.

[DrKronic]

I do see more and more thrust slamming polearms than any other. Or polearms using the longer fast axes and maces they have access

Now that poleaxes use 2hand animation I imagine only the crazed like me will do 2hand

Add that to yet another round of weaken all 2hand swords(again) and buff them in polearm mode and you'll see at least the smart people bring out the horse rearing, shield using + all thrust spam.  (ats?), longer more damaging axes and maces

I mean compare the 9k katana to the bastard sword its funny

[Ozwan]

I used to play as 2h, it was pretty fun and satisfying considering the only worse hardmode possible is 1h without shield. Usually I was running around with a regular 2h - longsword or 2h sword - and great bardiche/axe to kill shieldboys, still though it was taking too long to kill a single guy who refused to fight. And Great Maul feels just wrong.

Problem solution: polearms. And 120 maul. ;)

PS. Oh, and the lolstab is just fine and still here.

[Rhuell]

i'm doing fine with my 2h, i probably should get some shield skill though...

[Cyclopsided]

What? 2h RIP?
Ok. I am a polearm, and my next retirement I am going 2h. 2h is not dead, nowhere even close to it, adapt to the changing battlefield and tactics. Just because it isn't OP SPAM SPAM SPAM does not mean it is dead. I am kind of disappointed people are spamming with polearms now just because they get a hard-coded pole arm stun though.

Oh well.

[RandomDude]

Man, I carry a pole without shield and I dont really feel owned by arrows and things like that...

maybe ur not a threat man?

all i have to do is literally move my finger from the block key and i have arrows fired at me

i am 2 shot by bows in the chest again now even with brigandine + mail mittens (no iron flesh)

maybe u always flank and play smart tho - i dunno

[Tungsten]

Two Handed Swordsman

IE. Not Barmace or Maul or Katana which is the vast majority of 2handers. (Katana is Ninja, not swordsman)

I rarely see any greatswords on the ground anymore. Not surprising since with Balance losing -3 speed they weren't godmode anymore and now they lost an additional speed. I switched to Polearm till I can masterwork Tears and it's a whole hell of a lot more fun than 2hander so far.

[Gorath]

Two Handed Swordsman

IE. Not Barmace or Maul or Katana which is the vast majority of 2handers. (Katana is Ninja, not swordsman)

Warcleaver.  All the other lolswords can suck a fat one.  You're not a real 2h'd swordsman unless you handicap yourself with no lolstab and an unbalanced cutting weapons.  \m/.

[Ganon]

Yeah archers seem to like shooting at 2handers alot more than at polearm users. When i play smart and flank are the games where i get most kills, obviously lots of archers, it's the only way to get them to stop shooting, hit them with a sword! I don't use barmace or katana or maul, but a simple nodachi and i carry a warmace only vs some annoying shield user.

[Ghazan]

Wait did they just nerf the great maul in the latest patch cuz I was playing with it yesterday and it seemed to do fine.

Was making a balanced 2 hander either 18/18 or 21/15, switching between a great maul and bastard sword or war cleaver.  Lure the shielders in with my sword then quick switch and loloverhead smash!!

I'm refraining from going barmace, cuz I had a feeling they were going to nerf that, but the great maul you cant really use all the time as its not versatile enough so you have to bring 2 weapons.

[bruce]

all i have to do is literally move my finger from the block key and i have arrows fired at me

You're a priority target. Plus, you fight in the frontlines...

[Gorath]

You know the Warcleaver should get a bonus vs shields since it's unbalanced, slow and has no stab.  Just sayin.

[Lt_Anders]

You know the Warcleaver should get a bonus vs shields since it's unbalanced, slow and has no stab.  Just sayin.

Buy a great axe....

Tis what I use.

[Gorath]

Buy a great axe....

Tis what I use.

Yeah, I could, but it doesn't look as cool.  Truthfully that's all the warcleaver really is though, a great axe minus the bonus to shields:

War Cleaver   5046   
weight 3.5
requirement 13
spd rtng 92
weapon length 120
swing damage 43, cut
thrust damage 0 cut
Can't use on horseback
Unbalanced

Great Axe   3247   
weight 3.25
requirement 14
spd rtng 94
weapon length 96
swing damage 43, cut
thrust damage 0 pierce
Can't use on horseback
Unbalanced
Bonus against Shield

Really it trades shield bonus and speed for a bit of extra reach.  I may just buy the great axe now that I stare at the side by side comparison directly.

[Kaelaen]

I like you Gorath.  I too use the warcleaver simply because it looks cooler.  Clearly people trying to engage me in melee get stunned by how awesome I (we?) look and that's the only explanation why I get more kills with it than something faster like the longsword.