u/Ramen_Hair

To preface I’ve played since CB2. I am far from the best at this game, but through all the balance changes I’ve generally agreed with Embark on quite a bit. I enjoy running off-meta picks since I don’t play ranked. I play a bunch of Deags and Minigun despite them being a bit weak, and love that they got slight buffs.

I also love the melee rework on paper. Precision is a great mechanic that I largely think just needs adjustments to damage. The lunge is ok but needs tweaks? Maybe needs to be on-command instead of automatic to prevent as many misses. On to my main gripe, though.

Spear has also been one of my main heavy weapons since around S6. I’ve hit good clips with it, and getting team wipes is one of my favorite things in this game. I was most excited for the rework to hopefully make it more viable and a lot less situational. S10 and the LTM really highlighted its issues especially against other weapons like Sledge. I’d like to go over a couple things - Damage changes and viability against sledge.

I wholeheartedly do not understand even slightly how they picked the new precision vs glancing damage numbers. One would expect glancing blows to do just that - glance off without much hurt on em. What we instead got was:

- Sword: One of the most common weapons before. Now barely does less damage than a usual M1 used to for glancing hits. M1 spam is now ridiculously strong at 110 dmg if you can aim even a little bit

- Sledge: Same story. M2 now does 200 damage if you can aim even a little bit (genuinely why the fuck), and to top it off heavy gets a 5m teleport lunge.

- Spear: One of the least used weapons outside of powershift. Glancing damage now does way less than a usual M1 used to. After the first hit, every hit in the combo does less damage than it used to. And overall, gets absolutely zero damage buffs despite being one of the least common weapons in the entire game.

I understand the M1 changes are a bit better for readability, though the whole combo feels like it suffers. On the contrary, my beloved, predictable spin to win now has the same dumb damage buildup that the M1 used to have. So what’s even the point of changing the M1? The cherry on top is that the lunge, arguably the only good component of the old spear, got nerfed to be the same as the sledge that can two-tap heavies. Why even have a giant long stick with a blade if you can’t outrange other melees?!

Previously in my experience, Spear v Sledge was maybe a 70/30 chance in favor of the bonk if they get the first hit in. Not much that can be done against M2-M2 and similar combos, when to kill a heavy I needed nearly 3 seconds, a full spin to hit, am locked in place with no movement, and then another M1. But now? Good effin luck and god forbid you don’t have another teammate also shooting the other heavy.

It even suffers against M and L. I lost a final round of cashout last night against 2 mediums and a light all grouped up. Got all 3 with a lock bolt, dropped in from above, spun, and died as the 3rd spin started. The old spin may have also lost, but the reliable 300 damage would have at least gotten a couple of them.

Again, I do not despise every change they made. Replacing Spear’s combo with stabs is pretty nice since it was generally only against single targets anyway. The stamina and cancellable animation on the spin I absolutely adore for balance and usability. Precision rewards skill, so less flak against melee M1 spam, hooray.

But I absolutely beg embark - please take a look at these damage numbers soon. Melee damage values were very delicately and precariously in balance before. But it seriously seems like yall rolled D20s and just went from there for every melee with this rework.

Curious to hear the perspectives of other melee players and spear mains as well