The Infantry Problem 2

[TerrorBite]

well if we're talking about semantics then sure, inf are very versatile, just bad at lots of thing.. oh wait if we start taking this into consideration they're still not as versatile as the others... you say inf can:

shield - so can everyone else (not necessarily lasting ages but lasting long enough til a certain time)
slash - so can every one else
tank - if you try tanking as inf you die, even in 1 hit
throw/xbow - so can everyone else, doing a much better job

what they cant do that just about everyone else can:

outrun nords - survival perspective
use projectiles at a proper distance
kite - offensive perspective
use distance based melee (using speed to go in and out of melee combat)


Now regarding what is actually done 'well':

inf shield, slash
others: shoot, slash, kite

the thing is the mixture of shooting and kiting allows for much more versatility in combat than shielding and slightly superior slashing.
Having a shield and armour is nice in surviving support roles like healing, but you dont need high enough shielding skill if you can just outrun the nords instead. We only see the inf healing because everyone else has something better to do.