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Is it just me or are Halberds a really lame weapon? It would have been much cooler if you could have 2 handed axes or even a big hammer thing. Does anybody actually use halberds?

i'm currently going through with a fighter using halberds. there aren't many good halberds, especially ones that have bonuses while equiped. but het gets the job done. right away he had the harmonium halberd which gives +1 strength and is a plus 3 weapon, so that was great to have to start off with. now he has the dragon's breath which is a +4 and does one point of just about every kind of damage. then once i move into TOB, he'll get the ravager +6.
halberds aren't as good as two handed swords, but they are a fun change.

Well, if you look at it in a more "real" way... Halbreds are the best possible 2h weapon. Two equal fighters facing each other, the guy with the halbred would easly win. A 2h sword in fairly 1. dimensional and have a poor center of gravity, when it comes to much else then a striaght slash. To make a 2h sword usefull you need to get alot of swing and power behind your slash.
A Halbred can be used in lots of ways. You can parry with it (ofcourse the halbred needs to be reinforced), you can pierce with it and by swifting your grip down, you have better reach with your slash, then with a 2h sword. Ofcourse this have absolutely nothing to do with the game... so why am I posting... hmm.. gonna go to bed now

Before I bugger off.. I would just like to state that Halbreds are the coolest weapons and I always use them. And some of the best weapons in the game are halbreds.

[ 08-07-2001: Message edited by: KaaZe ]

But halberds are infinately more slow than, say, a long sword. If there was a fight between two equally armored and skilled opponents, the one wielding the sword, or katana would most likely come out on top.

you forget about reach advantage...a long sword could only do so much from a certain distance, inthe mean time, a giant blade is gettign lodged in your head

The Ravager +6 is easily one of the best weapons in the game. It vorpal hits A TON! It has a speed factor of 3 which is faster than any 2 handed sword. It does a helluvalotta damage too. IMHO it is better than Carsomyr +6.

Originally posted by Meerlight:
<STRONG>The Ravager +6 is easily one of the best weapons in the game. It vorpal hits A TON! It has a speed factor of 3 which is faster than any 2 handed sword. It does a helluvalotta damage too. IMHO it is better than Carsomyr +6. </STRONG>

I agree with this 100% The Ravager +6 is my absolute favorite weapon in the game. Give Sarevok with 5 stars in Halberd and watch him destroy everything with this weapon. That said, I NEVER used Halberds in SOA.

Originally posted by Dúnadan:
<STRONG>But halberds are infinately more slow than, say, a long sword. If there was a fight between two equally armored and skilled opponents, the one wielding the sword, or katana would most likely come out on top.</STRONG>

Not essentially. After all, shouldn't heavy crossbows do alot more damage then they do in the game. Those things are as powerful as cannons. They can blast a foot wide hole in a person.
Anyway if a person with a halberd fought a person with a long sword and shield the battle would be close. It would be tougher for the halberd wielder in an open area, and tougher for the swordman in a closed area.
Battle:
Swordsman charges at halberd wielder, but halberd wielder keeps him at bay, because the swordssman can't get through the halberd, but if the halberd man swung too high, and the swordsman got under it, the battle would be over.

Only one problem with that.....(which is why polearms had problems in 1-1 combat). Mr Zweihander *breaks* the Halberd shaft (fairly easy to do actually). Then the poor guy with the polearm is SOL. Also it is easy to overreach with a Polearm.

Polearms really only came into their own in the late middle-ages when armor became so tough that no normal melee weapon could penetrate it. Even then (read period guides on training...there is one written for King Henry the VIII that is good IIRC), Polearms were much better used en-mass than as a replacement for the sword as a HtH weapon.

Of course Longbows, Crossbows, and Seige Engines changed everything.......

-Polaris

Cant stess enough how Sarevok is when he masters Ravager +6.. It's heinous, he storms into a fight with the biggest axe in the game, "death comes for you..", heads and souls go flying. Nothing is left standing!

The Ravager is a nice weapon, granted. How many other really good halberds are there in the game? I can think of one: The wave...and it wasn't all that great.

To each their own, however. I am quite sure that Sarevok with 5 dots with a *kitchen* *knife* would be an awesome killing machine

-Polaris

Originally posted by polaris:
<STRONG>The Ravager is a nice weapon, granted. How many other really good halberds are there in the game? I can think of one: The wave...and it wasn't all that great.

-Polaris</STRONG>

I am creating new chracter, and seriously thinking about some stars in Halberds. Can you tell me why you think Wave "is not all that great?" The description is good...

Path,

The description is great, but I found that in practice (once I had it), it did far less damage to fire type creatures than the description advertised....that was just in my experience.

In addition, the wave is an artifact weapon which means you simply won't have it until chapter 6.

Finally, in order to get both parts....

Spoilers below....


You have to get the shaft from the planar prison (not so bad), and you have to get the head from the Sahaugin Prince's body. That means the only *good* way to get the Wave is to pickpocket the head off the Prince. Otherwise you have to side with the King (not good IMO) or slaughter the entire city (definately not good IMO) to get the Wave. [The one time I got the way, I inadvertantly attacked the Prince thinking he was one of the royal guards. I had to kill the whole city...but I got the wave ]

-Polaris

Hmm... IIRC from my previous runs, Prince gives the Wave's head as a reward?

Path,

**SPOILERS**

I have played several games helping the prince. He does NOT give the wave head as a reward. He lets you loot the king's treasury giving you the rod of lordly might.

-Polaris

dragon's breath is better overall than the wave, unless facing fire related creatures.
and the harmonium halberd is a REALLY good weapon that you can get at the very beginning of the game.

Originally posted by polaris:
<STRONG>Path,

**SPOILERS**

I have played several games helping the prince. He does NOT give the wave head as a reward. He lets you loot the king's treasury giving you the rod of lordly might.

-Polaris</STRONG>

Oh, well, then I am sorry, probably just forgot. It well may be I pickpocketed it, just love do it with Jan for his funny comments.

Is dragon breath really a better weapon than the wave?
Does it have anything more than acid, fire, cold damage?

dragon's breath does +1 cold, fire, electrical, acid, and poison damage
so it is great against anything. and just liek the flail of ages, if the creature is immune to the actual hit, they still take the extra damage points.
but given the amount of fire things you face in TOB. the Wave is priceless

Nice to see im not totally alone in my love of Halbreds...

There is also the Dragons Bane +3.. but when fighting dragons its a +6 weapon! Not too shabby.
The Wave is a kick butt weapon and I get that special feeling in my tummy when its forged.
The Dragons Breath is a nice weapon, you just get it a poor time in the game (underdark, and there for you are cloese to riding the wave).. but what the hell, its free!.
Then there is the Blackmist, I cant really comment on it since I have never given the demon the egs. But again you get is like 5min before you assemble the wave.
The Halbred Duskblade is a nice weapon. It will help you over untill you get the dragons bane (Cult of the unseing eye).

About breaking the shaft of the halbred. It would be easy to do if you just had a standard issue one. But if the weapon was reinforced with Iron, it would be able to take a good beating.
About fighting long sword + shield. Well, I said 2h sword. IMHO, long sword and large shield are the best possible combo a kinght can have. If you hit the shield with pretty much anything, chockwaves will put you out of balance and the guy with the shield would gut ya!.

On a note, to all of you who are considering Halbreds. GOT FOR IT!... you will soon see just how cool these weapons are and they look great ingame... BIG and NASTY!
My favorite Halbreds wielder was my Bounty Hunter/fighter. Wearing the shadow dragon armor. This small elf woman covered in black, with a hood. Just look absolutely great standing with a big Halbred... real wicked looking... like death comes to you!

[ 08-08-2001: Message edited by: KaaZe ]