[Suggestion] Okay hear me out. Spears.

[OtterOfToast.5612]

So there's this new expansion coming out, yeah? Something about birds and stuff and I'm stoked. This is the perfect opportunity to add something new, either to the base game, expansion, that's up to the devs, but what GW lacks is a good, fleshed out spear weapon and skillset, and so I've got a few ideas to pass around.

 

I understand spears are already in the game- underwater weapons. This is great, but real water missions are rather few and far between, and it's a shame spears don't get any action on land. In my experience, the water is.. Lackluster compared to what's out there. Not to say it's bad, but the spear shouldn't be relegated to stabbing fish and getting rid of risen at sea. there's so much more that can be done with them, instead!

 

Spears are a fantastic weapon, and excel in either a defensive, distance-based role, or one that focuses around versatility and critical strikes. Perhaps one could use a stance system to decide how their character uses a spear-- like what we already get with swords.

Imagine a defensive spear build- keeping enemies at a distance and jabbing at them, getting some good critical hits by sinking your pointy bit into the open parts of their armor.

Imagine a faster build, centered around charges, and then finishing them off with a good pike chop to the face.

What about a versatile build, where half the moveset is dedicated to longer range strikes with greater defense, and then switching to close range moves that deal more damage?

And just imagine a phalanx build- shield and spear together as it was always meant to be, in a skillset that focuses on standing your ground and being more resistant to status effects.

See how many spots a spear could fit right into? Imagine the possibilities.

 

This is all thanks to a special attribute of the spear- that is to change the way you hold it.

Few other weapons have this kind of versatility. Guns have you hold then a certain way, swords have a hilt you have to grab onto- maces and axes are too short to do anything too terribly special with-- but with staves and spears, the possibilities in their application leave so much room to work with, and it allows the spear to carve out a niche that other weapons can't or won't.

 

(Quick edit: I would also like to add Darth Maul type swords and spears for greater speed or defense or something. Those are awesome and would look great in GW.)

 

And for you fashionable few out there, imagine how many wonderful spear skins one could collect and utilize. grand, glowing, golden spears of virtue, or a polearm plucked form the very ground of the underworld, wrought with dark energy, each standing beside its user like a standard.

The spear brings an air of loyalty and a stalwart nature. It's hard to dislodge a spear wall. And skins aren't limited to spears! Keep in mind, there are pole hammers, the bardiche, the halberd and pike- there are boar spears for the forested soldiers, billhooks, and fish hooks for the oceanic among us. And hey! Why stop with Western polearms? The East has a plethora of glaives, staves, and clubs. Let's go further-- standards and banners! Spears with decorations- ribbons, flags, tribal beads and bones n' stuff. And, in GW fashion, why not make our own? Fragments of metal and volcanic rock shaped into a crude blade fixed atop a pole- a spear that's ALSO A TORCH- tie it into the lore and have it be the standard weapon of a special force of tengu, or-- better yet-- the actual Sunspears'.. .spears. Riding our raptors WITH SPEARS. The possibilities are endless.

 

And with all this, what classes would be eligible for this? Well.. I am, alas, not familiar with every class- I have only been through a couple so far, but the warrior, revenant, and guardian come to mind. Their heavy armor and melee focus is great for a good polearm to sling over their shoulder.

Dare I say, even the elementalist and mesmer could find use with it. Like staves, but pointier and more attack based.

 

So I humbly submit to you, and implore you to consider the spear as a more fleshed out weapon in the game- something to equip on land- breathing life into this proven and time-honored weapon. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.