Tips for 1 handed/shield fighting?

[kinngrimm]

I decided to go pure shielder for now.

I´m 24 now, at 31 I could either be

...

I wonder what would be more noticable, the additional dmg and health from 21/18 or the additional speed and durability from 18/21?

plan for lvl 30 as with 31 you will retire and wouldnt play it that long, so half the time you are playing is in lvl 30. If you have your build ready there you have half the time the full power =)

If you are new to M&B / cRPG and your manual blocking skills sucks, i would go for more agi and shieldskill. You increase your durability and have a longer time ingame at least when you play battle not siege. perhaps even go for 15/24 or depending on what weapon you use 12/24 all at lvl 30. with 8 shield skill and 8 ath you can take a beating while also be prepared to hunt some archers ^^

[Turboflex]

Well with 5 shield and something like a huscarl shield you will be fine.

Go with 18 or 21 AGI for now, but as your footwork improves you will need less speed, and will probably prefer to move your STR up instead to improve your damage. Only having 5-6 powerstrike with a 1h slash weapon can be pretty tough against people with even medium armour. You can make up for your lack of penetration with a blunt or pierce weapon, although they are all a bit more advanced to use since they have shorter range. Military hammer isn't so bad, but length is just 80 which is still kind of low compared to full sized swords.

[Phew]

21/15 7if/7ps/5ath/5sh/5wm with a longer swing-only weapon is the best starting point for 1h/shield IMHO. So either of the scimitars, Liuyedao, Niuweidao, Military Cleaver, or Military Hammer. 1h thrust can be very powerful, but if you aren't very experienced with it, the constant glancing and wonky hitbox will get you killed alot.

I think Heavy Round Shield is the best all-arounder, but it's a tad slow, so if you fall for a feint the shield isn't fast enough to recover and block. The 100 speed shields are more forgiving to mistakes, but offer less coverage/durability, which you need as a novice.

[Alskaer_Alvari]

Well this is my setup atm:

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Although I almost liked my steel pick & plate covered round shield setup better. What really annoys me about the huscarl shield is the size of that thing, even in 3rd person it blocks visibility.

And I doubt I´ll retire right away at lvl 31, I´ve had enough of that damn lvling up by now and the thought of starting as a peasant again.... bah. Anyway, I´ll go 18/18 first and see what happens then...

[Spawny]

Well this is my setup atm:

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Although I almost liked my steel pick & plate covered round shield setup better. What really annoys me about the huscarl shield is the size of that thing, even in 3rd person it blocks visibility.

And I doubt I´ll retire right away at lvl 31, I´ve had enough of that damn lvling up by now and the thought of starting as a peasant again.... bah. Anyway, I´ll go 18/18 first and see what happens then...

Tbh, the warhammer is a bit of a specialists weapon. I'm using short weapons myself (picks, axes, hammers) with an 18/18 build and when I level I'm going for 21 agility and 7 athletics.
2 simple reasons:
- Short weapons mean I have to close more distance to get a hit in on someone, so I need to be fast on my feet
- Short weapons are short because they hit for a lot of damage. Especially when MW, the steel pick, warhammer and broad one handed battle axe all hurt like hell with 18 strength and 6 PS.

I need speed more than damage, because nothing is more frustrating than missing someone by an inch because you were too slow.

PS
I personally use the broad one handed battle axe most, as it's relatively high cutting power compensates for it being cut damage instead of pierce/blunt and it eats shields pretty fast. The warhammer is a close second, as it knocks people down pretty often and has 4 attack directions. Steel pick hurts like hell when you hit someone, is a bit harder to block for most people, but it's also the shortest and doesn't have an additional benefit.

[Turboflex]

Once you get familiar with short weapons, the disadvantage of their range wears off though. I have been using broad 1h battle axe for like 10 gens and know its range down to the pixel. I can actually effectively outrange people with longer weapons, cuz I know the range and timing so well I am a lot more efficient with my swings. It's very nice having a 1h that hits like 2h with 38cut damage.

I only have 5 ath too, but it's not a big deal, worst case I need to hold it up for a 2nd block while I get close. I also carry 2 stacks of heavy throwing axes incase some smart guy tries to kite me , after I pop him once, he turns around to close on me instead. I'm actually thing of going 24/12 next gen.

[Phazey]

If you're planning on using the shorter weapons (range 70ish instead of the 100 range swords), go agi. You'll need the extra athletics (acceleration / movement speed) to compensate for your lack of range. So i would recommend the 18/21 shielder build.

Also: how about bringing 2 one handed weapons?

Bring a nice, long sword with 100-ish range and that warhammer, pick or mace you prefer. That way, you have options.

You could fight the low and medium armoured guys with your sword and switch to the shorter warhammer to beat down those tin cans. Also, with the 7 athletics and the 100 range sword, you can (jump-)slash at those cavalry without being skewered... if you get the footwork right.

Also: knock down is fun, eh? 

edit: typo's

[Alskaer_Alvari]

But doesn´t carrying a second weapon considerably slow me down?

[RiPLeY_II]

But doesn´t carrying a second weapon considerably slow me down?

No. I usually go with a nordic champion's sword and an axe and you can¡t notice the difference from going with just 1 weapon. A shield in your back is what slows you down a lot.

Anyway, I'd suggest that if you go with two 1h-weapons, is because one of them is a special-counter (like an axe vs. shielder). Going with a sword and a warhammer, both have the same use about enemies (you'll end up not changing to the sword for light armored enemies).

[callahan9119]

My strategy is pretty much the same as kinngrimm's, but I am strength-oriented and he is more likely agi.

At 8 PS, hoplite rarely ever glances, unless you hit at the very tip, after most of the animation is over. It also hits like a truck and lets you sneak in kills more easily than 1h sometimes in a 2+ v 1.

San, I usually watch you when you're on and I'm dead. Epic last stand last night btw... But anyways, I never see you use your spear, You have it out a lot, but you seem to always switch to the pick when you fight. When do you use the thing?

[Vodner]

San, I usually watch you when you're on and I'm dead. Epic last stand last night btw... But anyways, I never see you use your spear, You have it out a lot, but you seem to always switch to the pick when you fight. When do you use the thing?

The spear is for discouraging / rearing cav. With the range bonus from using a shield, the warspear is somewhat decent for the role, in addition to being sheathable.

[San]

As Saul explained, cav will rarely even target you with your shield+spear out.

If you have your 1h out most of the time, when you need your spear the most, it may take too long to switch and then rear the cav. If a cav has a faster lance, hoplite is slow enough to lose a dual exchange if both players release at the same time.

Therefore, it's easier to have the spear out most of the time and simply switch when getting close to infantry.


Also thanks for the compliment. In this game, knowledge is everything (not much really lends itself to reaction time or twitch mechanics), so once you understand more of the game mechanics as time passes,  you will surprise yourself at times at the amount of things you will be able to perform.