I've seen a lot of requests on these boards regarding the implementation of spears and I'd like to take a minute to actually discuss the notion with other players.

Personally, I don't really see the point from a purely pragmatic perspective.

1) First and foremost, consider the tactical use of a spear. It is a mid-range weapon. Swords are for close range, arrows for the long range, but a spear can reach out and touch someone potentially up to ten feet away. An enormous advantage if there's an idiot with two and a half feet of steel standing 5-8 feet away from you. Consider, however, that in order to maintain penetrating power at that range, you would need two hands. Using a shield and shield would drastically decrease the effective range. One hand thrusting a spear whose tip makes contact six feet out likely means a glancing blow and enemy who's now slipped inside. Tactically, spears were most effective when employed in unit formation. Think of the spartans, the phalanx. One man with a spear might be somewhat intimidating but a sword and shield can deal with such a threat. A wall of spears... well. In this game, at best, you're rolling two strong. You're not exactly King Leonidas there, buddy.

A spear and shield, frankly, might be great for... A DRAGON SLAYER. Gives him a bit of range to stay away from the teeth and a shield to deal with the flames. A quick precise strike to a soft spot. And you win the day. However... When you're not fighting a dragon (this is a majority of the game, after all) a spear and shield is much more limited. Would you hold it at your waist or over your head, both are completely different tactics and would affect damage, range, and accuracy. Should there be a function to switch that position?

2) Consider the combat system. The melee system is divided into One-Handed and Two-Handed respectively. Where do spears fit in? Should they get their own skill tree or should they be slots in the One-Hand/Two-Hand trees?

3) Would it really make a difference? I'm not sure that it would... Both the third person and first person camera systems wouldn be a hinderance for gauging the range of your spear. Using it as a two handed weapons is the only thing that makes sense given that it would actually give you a noticeable boost in melee range. But given the lack of mobility, what the hell are you gonna do when someone closes in on you with an axe?

4) With spears, wouldn't you expect other polearms? How about javelins/throwing spears? What about throwing axes? Throwing knives? Ninja stars? How about shoes? Do you want to throw a shoe at a dragon? Okay, fine. I kinda want to do that. My point here is generally that melee combat holds its own in this game and without a serious overhaul that adds a myriad of weapons, and likely a whole new system of skills and perks.

Would spears be cool? Yes. Are they really going to add much to the game? I'm not so sure. For me the implementation is the biggest question.

How would you implement spears? Do you even want them? Does Skyrim need them? Or is this just another "hey wouldn't it be cool if..." request. (Not that there's anything wrong with those.)

Having polearms in general would be nice. Right now, the variety of different weapon types is a little poor.

I say no because they weren't exactly commonly used in Morrowind, so why add them back again when they removed them in the last game?

I'm sure they'd offer a very nice new shade of gameplay.Long ranged thrust attacks.The difference between an axe and a spear is greater than an axe and a mace.So yes,it'd add to the game.But,this difference in gameplay is the reason they are ditched of.And I don't see them returning for TES V.

They will be there in TES 6 though.Write my prediction somewhere.

I really don't care. I'm always for more content. But spears are just .......boring and useless.

I think it's a great idea for a mod or in a future dlc or expansion , not only spears but also halberds and polearms in general .

Either you put spears and halberds into the "Two handed" tree , or you create a " polearms" tree ,

It's probably best to put them in the "two handed " tree . I think it would be a good gameplay addition , it would bring more variety in heavy weapons , not just warhammers and axes .

I'd also love to see crossbows , but that'd be more difficult to implement and we'd have to add the bolts .

Yes. They need to add spears. As well as crossbows and throwing weapons.

The spear is such a classic horseman's weapon that even though I know there aren't spears in the game I can't help envisioning a bunch of horned-helmed Nords running by with spears in hand.

And as far as not being used as much as other weapons, why would that matter? More options is always a good thing.

I hit yes and as their own skill tree but what i would rather have is a pole weapon tree for spears, halberds, pikes and the sort.

Can it be implemented: Yes, definitely not an issue.
Should it be: Yea, they're nice to have.

@JohnnyCaps Crossbows were added to Oblivion, they will not take long to join Skyrim once the CS is out.

Yes one handed with the addition of a long questline that includes similar to Spartan armor that has giant shields with different symbols for every race.

Should have polearms. Spears, halberts and staves. (Morrowind)

Also flails. Also ability to kick in doors or break them with weapons. (Daggerfall)

If they were in once, it's just lazy to remove them. Makes no sense lorewise either: why would all armies suddenly abandon a perfectly good, if not the best, weapon? (spear)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEUmHM

NO!

Don't just say yes.

How would this work in terms of gameplay? How would you implement spears?

To me it seems like just another one-handed weapons (perhaps) that would merely require a set of new animations.

The reason all armies would have used spears at the time is because in certain situations they are incredibly effective. Like... as I stated.... in formation. You're only one man in this game. At best you have one follower. You and your buddy, does not a formation make. Spears were effective in neutralizing those pesky calvary charges, particularly when an army lacked a calvary of its own.

These particular uses dont' find their way into Skyrim if I'm not mistaken.

....Though I'll admit a jousting mini game would be pretty fun. But not as a skill.

It would be nice to have spears and pikes.

I think one of the biggest problems game designers face when coding and animating weapons is most of them have never really been in a fight, or used those weapons. Take a look at the spear; many people think it's just a stabbing or thrown weapon. But in the hands of someone who knows how to use one, it's more. For instance, you can use the but to pull back a shield, throwing the fighter off balance for a quick reverse and stab. Halberds were designed for that reason; as were lockbar axes. Hook the top of a shield (especially in a shield wall), pull back, stab the opponent. Or, hook over a shield and crush someone's skull. Of course, up close they svck. But then again, up close enough and a longsword isn't much use either.

Should they implement spears? I'd like to see them, but I think it's to late for this game.

I'd definitely like to see them return. I'd contend that the reason they weren't used in Morrowind was because there were a very small number of spears available - in a game with seven or eight weapons skills you kind of had to pick whatever skill was more likely to always have its chosen weapon available to you, and easily upgraded. Spears were not that weapon. Ever since reading The Fall of the Snow Prince, I've been fantasizing however...

Given that spears had an even greater part on the battlefields of Antiquity, Medieval, and even Renaissance, it's really a combination of laziness and silliness on the developer's part to not include them, in my view. Hollywood shows the swords, so that's what we all have to use I guess.

No perks. Really, any design that requires perks or their own tree will require them to be fully implemented. And it's too late for that. A couple of ebony/daedric, no perks, and that'd be fine.

Put it stand alone in two-handed, with perks and all, I would really love to see what a daedric spear would look like, and I wouldn't mind using them, also you'd have a phenomenal reach advantage, but if implemented, should be the hardest two-handed weapon to stun an opponent with. Personally, I'd love to see it, but maybe not spears, perhaps pikes or halberds, but maybe not spears. I don't know hard to decide.

There are only a few people in the world today who have "really been in a fight" that involved spears. Most of them aren't game developers.

In terms of the functionality of polearms for neutralizing shileds, that's a great point... but again that is a really strange thing for a game developer to approach. Your asking the player to swing, catch a shield, pull the enemy off balance and then stab him. Is it a neat idead? Yes, absolutely. But we've broken combat down pretty far to get to this level.

All in all, I think we agree that its too late for this game.

I think spears are an advanced technology that has been lost with time. The art of tieing a pointy metal bit to a wooden pole takes a lot of research. Not to mention then having to master the art of aiming the pointy end at one's foes.

Should be two-handed only, and as a (small) bonus feature in a much larger DLC. If they did a Hircine DLC they'd need to add spears just so you could use the Spear of Bitter Mercy.

I'd have it benefit from the axe perks in the 2H tree.

I'd also want them to add crossbows, also as a small bonus feature in a much larger DLC. Those would basically be the same as bows except for minor tweaks and cosmetic differences.

Waiting for a mod to add them before I pick the game up anyways, might as well see them done right.



Spear of the Hunter, bro. Bitter Mercy is Sheogorath's.

In Battlespire Hircine was involved with it. Plus, Wabbajack is Sheo's thing in Skyrim. Since the Spear was made while Jyggalag was still Sheo, who knows what it's current status as an artifact is.

But you're right, the Savior's Hide is really the Hircine thing. So nevermind about a Hircine DLC.

They should be in and have respective perks under the one and two handed trees. There is no reason to give them their own perk tree.