Why run with a spear and shield?

WhiteAsIce

WhiteAsIce

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2008

R/

When I observe some battles, I notice that many players, when running between fights, switch to a spear & shield combo. Are there reasons why specifically a spear is held with the shield? I understand running with a shield, but I don't understand why a spear and not a sword or axe.

miskav

miskav

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jun 2005

None

Mo/

Range, doing 1 dmg helps :3

Panais

Panais

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2008

Binge And Purge [HET]

D/W

GW is all about how u look, they like spear, they use spear

Unreal Havoc

Guest

Join Date: Dec 2007

Zealous defensive set for regaining energy at range (Assassins use this to good effect when paired with high Critical Strikes).

Furious defensive set for building up adrenaline at range.

Some specific builds may use a specific spear head to lengthen the duration of a condition, like cripple from Hidden Caltrops for example.

Also you obviously benefit from more health and armour while doing so.

Artisan Archer

Artisan Archer

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2007

Free Wind

R/

mainly for range attacks, if the enemy monk is dazed you can keep hitting and thus interrupting him.
And also for cosmetic reasons

Niila

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2006

I find it funny that no-one has mentioned the +8 armor you get from the shield, even when you don't meet its required attribute. It is also rather useful when it gives +30hp and +10 armor vs slashing damage.

N1ghtstalker

N1ghtstalker

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2007

E/

running with a spear just of some benefits, like ranged damage to trigger certain hexes like [mark of pain] or something
you can run with a sword of axe if you have no hexes to trigger
i dunno how it works like that but i think it's kinda like that

Lady Raenef

Lady Raenef

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Feb 2007

Oregon, USA.

Zero Mercy [zm]

W/

Personally, I believe it's all part of costume. Voltiac spears look awesome. No sword matches it's power! Except maybe the Eternal blade as there's hardly any about.

GaaaaaH

GaaaaaH

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2008

W/

I'd say for the range (casters are squishy don't forget).

Axes/swords will still trigger barbs etc., but a spear means tat you dont have to be close.

Icy The Mage

Icy The Mage

Forge Runner

Join Date: Apr 2008

Canada

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady Raenef
Personally, I believe it's all part of costume. Voltiac spears look awesome. No sword matches it's power! Except maybe the Eternal blade as there's hardly any about.
Ahem, Crystalline Sword, Ahem...

buckscrib

buckscrib

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

COL

Some of the spears are really cool looking.

jiggles

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2007

N/

mai necro uses a voltaic + she also has a chaos axe. The main reason i use a spear is because i can trigger things like [barbs] and MoP without actually taking more damage than i should be. Which is good.

sixofone

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2007

P/

A spear lets you use the shield benefits w/o getting into melee range. NF has a +5 e spear, and you can add +hp as well.

anonymous

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jan 2006

Because it is a ranged attack, if you accidentally press space or something on an enemy you won't start running into melee range.

HawkofStorms

HawkofStorms

Hall Hero

Join Date: Aug 2005

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymous
Because it is a ranged attack, if you accidentally press space or something on an enemy you won't start running into melee range.
That.
Its mostly about not accidentally moving out of position and screwing up your kiting. Posts talking about this and how spears would become the new caster weapon of choice appeared within hours of the first NF PvP preview event.

Sai Rith

Sai Rith

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2006

W/

It is generally because of looks, however in the case of Warriors, it is because that Warrior has a Hammer. With a Spear and Shield (assuming they both have +30 HP), that will lead to having 30 more HP than just having a Hammer equipped. A Spear is also used to build up adrenaline, although a Wan can do the same. All in all, it is just visual preferance, as a Wand can pretty much do the same thing.

Savio

Savio

Teenager with attitude

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sai Rith
A Spear is also used to build up adrenaline, although a Wan can do the same. All in all, it is just visual preferance, as a Wand can pretty much do the same thing.
Wands are slower than spears and can't have +5 energy unconditionally or +30 health.

moriz

moriz

??ber t??k-n??sh'??n

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada

R/

nor can it have the all-important furious mod for warriors, nor the crippling mod for casters using epic return madness.

Tyla

Emo Goth Italics

Join Date: Sep 2006

You can spear from range to hopefully hit RoF or something.

Guna

Guna

Banned

Join Date: Jun 2008

W/

they use a shield and a spear for 3 reasons

1) more armor
2) more hp and extras 30 on shield 30 on spear double adren/zealous/reduce cripple/blind/any other condition
3) keep meleeing. it may not do a lot of damage but its constant pressure for casters while dazed

Calista Blackblood

Calista Blackblood

Permanently Banned

Join Date: Oct 2007

Northern Ireland

Nowhere To Run Nowhere To [Hide]

N/

great for triggering [mark of pain] + [barb's] in 4 man areas with a lack of real space for other physicals

other than that voltaics and similar skins =fashion accessories imo

Yawgmoth

Yawgmoth

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2005

Swords or Axes as caster weapons are better than Spears only in solo farming, when a simple 1 key action of coming into close range with a mob matters.
For everything else Spears do the same or better and there's a lot of ways to mod them for various uses.