1 WORD xbows are OP! u wont even need any wpf do deal a OK amount of dmg to a heavy/ Medium armored guy, had to hit a guy with lamellar 2 times with the normal xbow, when im going archer 6 PD 165 wpf and MW strongbow i need like 3, maybe 4 bodyhits to kill a guy with a lamellar...
6 PD is average, Strongbow is cut damage. Xbows are pierce, aren't they? That makes sense to me. That's why you aim for the head as an archer, body shots are for team support with stuns.
As a dedicated polearm player (with a 2hander alt), I suggest that higher tier polearms/2handers are made THREE slots. That would get rid of shotguns, at least paired with the top tier melees, and would still leave room for Xbow + bolts + sword + board builds, which is pretty classic. It would also allow for mid to low tier 2hand/polearm melee sidearms, which I don't feel is unreasonable. If you're dedicated 2hand/polearm you don't really need any other sidearm anyhow, and you'd still be left with a slot for a shield to approach, but I still expect a great deal of backlash to this idea.
I honestly see no problem with crossbows as they are. Is it my preferred play style, to lug around an xbow and faceshoot people? No, it isn't. But if that's how people want to play, I don't care, and, playing fairly often, I've never had an issue with it more than anything else. The only thing I would add is a proficiency investment requirement on all but the weakest one. I do not at all think that making the regular Crossbow 2 slots is the right way to go about balancing it.
