On a related note, I think every dedicated shielder should have some throwing. Not just for Norse Horde but in general.
It's really a fantastic way of dealing with cavalry. A lot of cavalry will steer well clear of me just for the threat of seeing me with my arm held back, axe in hand, ready to throw. Really I should probably use javelins for the pierce damage on armored horses but I quickly got a feel for the aiming of throwing axes and can't bring myself to switch. And throwing axes do very well against the typical, low armor horses. There's also just something extra special about putting an axe in someone's head. Or really any part of their body. It can't NOT be funny.
They are also handy for archers that turn tail and run, or for archers that stand on top of a building, especially if they don't notice me. Throwing can also be handy for trying to soften up a tough opponent. If I see any of the big-name two-hander goons, I will usually chuck every axe I have at them before trying to fight them in melee. Once in a while I get lucky. I once beat LUBU in a 1 on 1 duel in about 2 seconds on the duel server. 3...2...1... THROWING AXE IN THE BRAIN, SLAMZ WINS. (After that he got a lot more dodgy....)
Throwing, especially axes, really is not great against an aware target. Kinda like archery, really. If they are looking at you, ready for the throw, then you might as well not even aim. Just throw it and hope they dodge their way into your shot.
Throwing also isn't really practical beyond about 10 meters unless you are really specializing in throwing. As a dabbler, though, you can hit people pretty well from 10 meters if they aren't looking and horses from 20 meters once you get a feel for how to lead them.
Another amusing use is backpedalers... the guy just won't commit to fighting you. So do your own backpedal, switch to a throwing axe and try to land one in his brain. Hey, now he's chasing YOU!
My #1 tip with throwing:
Try not to use up all your ammo early on by throwing at bad targets. It's awfully tempting to throw your axes at everything but it's a lot better if you play it conservatively. You don't want to find yourself harassed by a late match cavalry when you already threw all your stuff into some guy's shield in the first minute of the battle. Sure, you CAN break shields by throwing axes at them but you're better off just fighting the guy and saving your axes for later, when you might really need them.
