Heirloom Question (1h maces)

[Diomedes]

Why are heirloomed 1h maces slower than standard ones?  I use a 1-handed warhammer now and don't see much of a reason for retiring or using my 1 heirloom chit if it'll slow down my weapon.  Maces are short weapons without the extreme speed of similar length swords and the shield-tearing bonus of axes.  Without exceptional speed 1h maces are handicapped when fighting 1h swordsmen and two-handers with their generally faster weapons.  Without exceptional weapon length a 1h maceman's time mainly consists of charging past the many long, medium, and short ranged strikes of his opponents to try ang get a hit in.  Without the shield-tearing ability, a 1h macemen has a strong disadvantage against an axemen who can force the 1h maceman into manual blocking long before the axeman must - effectively coercing the maceman into letting down his guard earlier than he may otherwise want. 

So what's in a 1h maceman's favour?  Knockdown.¹  How does one get a knockdown?  A clean strong hit on a non-blocking opponent.  But without the length of most other weapons, the exceptional speed of other short weapons, or the coercive abilities of an axe, what can create an opening for a knockdown?  Circumstance and skill.  So if the main difficulty for a 1h maceman is getting to a hit/knockdown opportunity, why would someone compromise this by choosing to lower speed for the sake of damage?  Especially if the greatest danger to a 1h maceman with a shield are ultra-fast scimitars and short swords.  If the goal is simply to create a different weapon then I can understand the desire but not the method.  The whole concept of heirlooming is to pass something exceptionally valuable on to one's progeny, not to make a worse time of it for one's kids.


TL;DR: In short/non-rant form: 1h macemen are a tricky class supported mostly by the inherent virtues of fighting with a shield. Compared to lightning swordsmen and ravaging axemen they occupy a peculiar niche of 1-handers: doing more damage when already dealing damage.  This peculiarity isn't really bad, however, but becomes frustrating when it comes to heirlooming.  Slower heirloomed maces actually prey on the class' weaknesses rather than accentuating the weapon's weaknesses while augmenting damage (e.g. slowing down the draw speed on an xbow while giving it more power).



¹also blunt damage.  I'm ignoring this for because I find it doesn't really relate.

[zagibu]

I've loomed a flanged mace. It's 98 speed now, which is certainly not great, but not bad either. I basically have a winged mace with 1 more speed now. I wanted to loom a military sickle first, but the knockdown is more important than higher damage+speed.

[Mutant]

I agree. Slowing it down is horrible and mixed with extremely short length sucks.
I am a maceman/thrower and i usually have a 2 to 1 kdr with my war darts, heirloomed heavy iberian mace(used to have military pick) and i think i get most of my skills because either 2h spammers under estimate me or luck with war darts and hits  oh and of course skill because ive played 250 hours of this game, majority of which as a 1her:/

I think it would be cool, for all weapons, to have a choice in heirlooming it to become either one thing or the other for instance:

Maces>Heavy Mace>Scary Mace(or whatever), Deadly Mace           or Mace>Lightened Mace>Balanced Mace>Masterwork Mace.

----I also think it would be cool if archers could use light shields and bucklers on their bow holding arm adding some defence but sacrificing speed and accuracy: Why? Makes Archers want to be 1h+shield instead of 2h spammer and looks cool -- good idea eh?

[Diomedes]

No admins?  Sadface.  I guess this sort of thing will be worked out later in small updates and bugfixes.