difficulties with my 1h/shield char

[kinngrimm]

@Diomedes
i agree that rushing in can be a good tactic, making pressure and getting the 2h off guard once or twice. But if he uses a crushing/knockdown weapon, you are mostly gone for good soon,  ATM i got the feeling i even more suck with 2h, i read somewhere that they got a faster animation and they seem to get arround me more often, which leads to insta death as i am using mostly light armor because i like my speed of my high athletics. With a slower animation or if you get to a more strength based 2h player it is possible to get out of range of his weapon,  so you can time it and hit him afterwards, terrain here is also crucial, all that is not an easy thing to do.

@Thomek
i use higher armor only if i know the map has lots of tight spots and i intend to go there or have no other choice, like often in siege maps or the map where both parties go into center of town to war on each other in a castle situated there. Youre maneuverbality is bad and you cant outmanouver every strike as in the open. Otherwise i allways go for light armor and meanwhile mostly for a huscarl if lots of archers or steel buckler if not. The steel Shield i put on when lots of weapon with shield bonus are there, but still 2-4 strikes often breaks even a steel shield 0_0.

@Ironclaw
agreed mostly, "Also you have advantage when fighting in tight spots, bottlenecks and clusterfucks. For instance most 2h cant sideswing in corridors." It is true that the sideswing is hamperd but again if they have chrushing/knockdown especially the overhead attack is a turtels doom.

@balbaroth
agreed completly, i had a session shortly ago for a few hours with merc_viciouss666, nice guy and a deadly swordman, he has shown me some neat tricks, but to keep up with him i definitly need more training.

@Gorath
i will definitly not , in my eyes it lacks elegance. I allways loved the old sword&dagger films from the 50's and 60', fencing with honor and pride.

@Lordark
after loosing again massivly against the allover tincans 2h(specially knockdown/chrusher), i just upgraded my weapon arsenal and will have a go this night with it . I don't like it very much that i have to do so, but if not i am less usefull for the team. As i mostly play on smaller servers i can recognise my nemesis and try to stay away or gang up on him.(latly it was Slegg the Ogre with his Chrushing/Knockdown weapons, there even is a player called Sleggs_Handler )

@Ishar
i got 2 IF,  6 shield, 8 athletics 8 wpm, for the next gen i will go with your tip with shields 5(as i rarly use the steel shield but the buckler on several occasions), no IF but 3 PS, i defenitly need the high wpm and athletics its the way i love it.

[Thomek]

"I allways loved the old sword&dagger films from the 50's and 60', fencing with honor and pride."

This definitely puts you at a disadvantage ;-)

[kinngrimm]

@Thomek maybe so, but don't we have all different ways to gain joy and btw my Thrower is a backstabbing s.o.b. 

[Rendar1970]

I feel your same pain.

People swear if you left swing the second you hear the sound of your shield hit you will get a hit in on a 2h, but it just doesnt seem to work at all for me.

Perfect example tonight I fought some dude named SPicey_enema.  He had a German greatsword I think.  Every single time i waited for the actually shield hit sound, then immediately left swinged and turned with it to make it hit faster.  EVERY single time he was able to recover from his first swing, and hit me before my swing even started after pulling back.  Every time it was in that window where my sword stopped pulling back, i would be hit a second time.

So im not buying this "1h will always be able to get a hit in".  Yeah maybe if your full AGI and have a spammitar.  But for the rest of us, just aint happening, sorry.

[Ishar]

(click to show/hide)

I feel your same pain.

People swear if you left swing the second you hear the sound of your shield hit you will get a hit in on a 2h, but it just doesnt seem to work at all for me.

Perfect example tonight I fought some dude named SPicey_enema.  He had a German greatsword I think.  Every single time i waited for the actually shield hit sound, then immediately left swinged and turned with it to make it hit faster.  EVERY single time he was able to recover from his first swing, and hit me before my swing even started after pulling back.  Every time it was in that window where my sword stopped pulling back, i would be hit a second time.

So im not buying this "1h will always be able to get a hit in".  Yeah maybe if your full AGI and have a spammitar.  But for the rest of us, just aint happening, sorry.

Three possibilities:
-You have very-very low agility (something like below 9)
-You were going up against an incredibly agi- and wpf-stacked ninja. This in unlikely now with the softcap.
-You are doing something wrong.

[Rendar1970]

Three possibilities:
-You have very-very low agility (something like below 9)
-You were going up against an incredibly agi- and wpf-stacked ninja. This in unlikely now with the softcap.
-You are doing something wrong.

AGI is currently 16

And how could I possibly get "listen for shield hit, then left swing" wrong.  Unless im supposed to develop psychic powers and to swing the millisecond before the shield hit sound.

I wasnt waiting for the sounds to end either, sometimes I was letting go of block and starting just slightly before the sound, still blocking it, and when i say every time, i mean 2 a round for 6 consecutive rounds, his second hit would hit before my swing started after the pull back.

[Erasmas]

Well, my friend, if the date in your nick is your birth year, then it is also a matter of reflex. If I am right, no offense, none intended, I know what I am talking about, I know this problem from my own experience. You will meet a lot young/very young guys out there on the battlefield, guys who were born with mouse&keyboard in their hands. It really matters, the neurokinetic reflexes need training, and got weaker with age. Life is sad. Sorry. 

[zagibu]

This might also be my problem, because with agi 18 and 154 wpf I still can't always get a hit in against some 2hers after they have hit my shield. I'm not sure if it's only reflexes, though, because blocking with shield seems to slow down your counter strike more than blocking with weapon.

[AirPhforce]

I find myself further and further disadvantaged the more I play my 1 handed plus shield build. I have severe problems with long ranged melee weapons, most 2 handers and polearms. I cannot 1v1 them, as they out-range me, and move fast enough to stay out of my range. I've had my Huscarl shield broken many times now, because, even with 7 athletics, I can't move with my shield as fast as they can just back up, while constantly smacking me. I'm simply never in range for a hit.

Not only that, weapons with reach that I can use deal hardly any damage, compared to theirs. I feel that shields might mostly be dead.

[Erasmas]

blocking with shield seems to slow down your counter strike more than blocking with weapon.

My observation is exactly the same. For that reason I always try to use high-speed rated shields, although I totally agree. Anyway, I'd like to hear the opinion of someone who have enough experience with 1h and 2h weapons....

[zagibu]

I find myself further and further disadvantaged the more I play my 1 handed plus shield build. I have severe problems with long ranged melee weapons, most 2 handers and polearms. I cannot 1v1 them, as they out-range me, and move fast enough to stay out of my range. I've had my Huscarl shield broken many times now, because, even with 7 athletics, I can't move with my shield as fast as they can just back up, while constantly smacking me. I'm simply never in range for a hit.

Not only that, weapons with reach that I can use deal hardly any damage, compared to theirs. I feel that shields might mostly be dead.

Yeah, there are a lot of ninjas out there cooking a very special kind of meat. The only chance you got against them is also go light armor, so that they can't back up faster than you're closing in (get a different shield, huscarls is too heavy and slow), then get them with your left swing while you push past their left side. Works for me, except against real ninjas like Thomek or Khorin. They can block, and are much higher level than me, so I'm screwed facing them anyway.

[Rendar1970]

Well, my friend, if the date in your nick is your birth year, then it is also a matter of reflex.

Actually its the year of my car.  1970 Mustang Mach1.

But yes, it would seem that some of the 2h'ers are just going pure AGI and leave little to no room for a counter strike.

I use knightly heater shield with 100 spd, and its still too slow to fight alot of these 2h sword users.

[Wiglaf]

first: thanks a lot guys, you're helping out more than one person here. i would suggest to condense all the essential information and make a complete guide.

Ironflesh is a luxury. If you play a pure sword and boarder, imo you should just get PS, Athletics and WM as high as you can, shield skill to whatever you/your shield desire (personally, I go with 5), and turn as many skill points into attributes as possible. If you can squeeze in another level of the aforementioned skills by level 30, you will have an undeniable advantage.

so the build you are suggesting here would look like this?
Level 30 (4508158 xp)

    * Hit points: 59
    * Strength: 24
    * Agility: 15

    * Converted: 8
    * Ironflesh: 0
    * Power Strike: 8
    * Shield: 5
    * Athletics: 5
    * Riding: 0
    * Horse Archery: 0
    * Power Draw: 0
    * Power Throw: 0
    * Weapon Master: 5

    * One Handed: 165
    * Two Handed: 1
    * Polearm: 6
    * Archery: 1
    * Crossbow: 1
    * Throwing: 1

[AirPhforce]

Yeah, there are a lot of ninjas out there cooking a very special kind of meat. The only chance you got against them is also go light armor, so that they can't back up faster than you're closing in (get a different shield, huscarls is too heavy and slow), then get them with your left swing while you push past their left side. Works for me, except against real ninjas like Thomek or Khorin. They can block, and are much higher level than me, so I'm screwed facing them anyway.

I used the huscarl as an example of a strong shield that gets broken anyway. The other shields i've used give me no chance as they are half-broke by the time the round is in the 1v1 state, so they do me nothing.

Plus, at least on the US servers, the guys with reach weapons and light/medium armor top the boards, and a shield doesn't help fighting them. I've found im better off just dropping the shield 1v1 and manual blocking, as it's faster.

[ShinySpoons]

If fighting an agi spamming 2hander you need to do more then turn your body into the swing, cause he's doing the same thing. You must physically move ,as in, CIRCLE him as you swing. My 1hander uses a huscarl and a nordic champions, I only recently got 15 agi. I am not able to return every attack, instead I wait for a pause in his atk pattern or when I am in a better position to strike.

If you have a fast shield using it like manual blocking will help your swing speed even better, that is, only pressing block when the atk is coming rather than holding it the entire time.

Though facehugging is viable, a good 2hander/polearm dude won't be glancing at short range. They'll atk you feet or turn properly. I find 1hander's to be far more finicky with their perfect range, its up to you to find out what it is and stay in that range when striking.

edit-circling also has the added benefit of sometimes getting past his block animation, causing him to glance on you, or straight up dodging his atk.