Pikeman melee rebalance proposal.

[Lanseril]

At this point, most players would agree that skirmishers have rather underwhelming melee damage, especially at the pikeman tier (Tier 4). Using the raw damage rate methodology explained in my NI 0.4.2 Ranged Damage Comparison, here is an illustration of exactly how bad pikeman damage currently is:

Calculations

Pikeman equipped with Swadian Halberd (60c, 88 speed)
T4+1 Pikeman: Pikeman + Infantry
T4+2 Pikeman: Pikeman + Heavy Infantry

Sharpshooter equipped with Dragon Axe (52c, 101 speed)
T4+1 Sharpshooter: Sharpshooter + Infantry
T4+2 Sharpshooter: Sharpshooter + Heavy Infantry

Commando equipped with Dragon Axe (52c, 101 speed), Butcher (56c, 101 speed), or Volundr (62c, 95 speed)
T4+1 Commando: Commando + Crossbowman
T4+2 Commando: Commando + Crossbowman + Militia

As you can see, pikemen even get beat out by sharpshooters (whose melee capabilities have been vastly underappreciated) in terms of raw damage rate, and suffers far worse armor than either sharpshooters or commandos to boot. It has been suggested a number of times (for instance, in this thread) to raise pikeman power strike as a solution, but I have a different proposal to make pikemen melee more competitive.

Pikeman Melee Rebalance Proposal for NI 0.4.3:

1. Move the power strike gained by crossbowmen at Tier 1 to Tier 2.
2. Increase polearm proficiency gained by skirmishers by 10 per tier.

The following chart illustrates the combined results of these changes:



As you can see, under this proposal pikemen now enjoy a lead over sharpshooters and one-handed commandos, and are competitive with two-handed commandos without overshadowing them.

An explanation for each part of this proposal:

1) Move the power strike gained by crossbowmen at Tier 1 to Tier 2.

Currently the Commando/Crossbowman/Militia build (i.e. the “4/1/1”) is the build that virtually all informed players choose, because it provides commandos with both maximum damage (8 power strike) and maximum shielding (8 shield skill). This allows commandos with this build to “have it all” without making any tradeoffs. The proposal will change this dynamic with minimal disruption elsewhere, since crossbowmen are already the strongest class at Tier 1 due to how powerful their crossbows are relative to other weapons at that tier. As slashers,  pikemen will be more competitive with commandos once commandos can no longer reach power strike 8, and commandos can choose from the following builds, each with tradeoffs (note that all builds will be equal in the 2H slasher role):

• ”Lone Barbarian” (2nd tier Skirmisher): Highest mobility. Good for 2H users to help them maneuver while soloing or running/kiting with small groups.
  
• ”Shield Waller” (1st tiers Militia + Crossbowman): Highest shield blocking, small 1H proficiency boost, only level 49 required. Good for team players in organized groups and/or houses.
  
• ”Foot Knight” (2nd tier Heavy Crossbowman): Highest 1H proficiency for best damage and attack speed. Good for regular public server players who like to wade into crowds (especially in normal mode) and kill stuff.

As the above chart shows, this is a very small nerf overall – a reduction of 4.6% raw damage rate in the case of a Volundr-wielding commando – and commandos still retain the overall damage lead over pikemen. However, this brings commandos down far enough to allow pikemen to reach competitive levels with their buff, rather than simply giving pikemen a huge buff.

2. Increase polearm proficiency gained by skirmishers by 10 per tier.

Increasing polearm proficiency by 10 points per tier results in a total gain of 40 proficiency at Tier 4. The most obvious possible concern with a change like this is how whether this makes their proficiency too high. Keep in mind, however, that typically polearms are slow weapons already: for example, the Swadian Halberd used in this comparison has a swing speed of 88 compared to speeds of 95 and 101 of the other weapons compared. Also, despite this significant proficiency boost, their proficiency remains reasonably close to those of other classes. To illustrate:



While pikemen will indeed have the highest melee proficiency, they hold a very small lead over commando 1H proficiency (which also feature much faster swinging weapons), and this lead is not reached until Tier 4 and later.

In addition to finally making pikemen melee damage competitive in a slashing role, increasing their proficiency also has a number of additional benefits:

• Improves low-level skirmishers. Currently, skirmishers don’t have proficiencies comparable to other classes until Tier 3. Under the proposal, they’ll reach a comparable proficiency level to other classes at Tier 2.
  
• Allows polearm benefits to be applied more liberally. Polestun is a significant advantage with polearms, and a faster swing speed makes this a more compelling reason to use pikemen slashers. It also allows them to use their reach and swingthrough to nab annoying enemies like Valkyries and Jotnes more effectively.
  
• Makes the skirmisher class feel faster and more enjoyable to play. Trying to skirmish using the fastest class while attacking with the slowest melee attack speed is a strange disconnect. This helps make playing pikemen a less disconcerting and more dynamic experience.

Feedback and suggestions are welcome!