As Lethal as it Needs to Be - Spears (Patreon)

 Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Axes

3. Bows 

4. Arrows and Quivers 

5. Clubs 

6. Daggers 

7. Grand 

8. Katar 

9. Shield

10. Spear

11. Sword 

12. Thrown

13. Whip

14. Twilight, Katana & Scythe 

Overview:

Spears are one of the weapon types that have become more and more appreciated as the community became increasingly more familiar with them, they are available at every portion of the game and they have one of the most unique and powerful weapon specializations, it's so strong that Spear is close to being the third 'must have' weapon mastery after Shield and Fist & Tooth. Spears were the place where the original 'trapper' builds came from and they were a key part in early victories against monsters with devastating traps.

Spears these days represent one of the easiest ways to 'refresh' the hit location deck without suffering too much punishment from the trap. As we can see from the text below, the spear has a 40% chance of ignoring the trap and creating a refresh of the HL deck. It is different to the Blue Charm in that you get to draw a new location, which can be the trap again, and you can once again have a chance of cancelling it for a new redraw (this is because it's not limited to once per attack the way that some of the other weapon proficiency abilities are.

Mastery has an incredible level of synergy when combined with your tank, it allows you to almost permanently lock in the monster so they attack your tank and lets you take advantage of any other benefits that the tank might get when they gain the Priority Target token (for example, Headliner). Oxidised Ring Whip is better than this at it, but that is a) campaign specific and b) can be tough to level whip at times

When we look at the average stats for the spears in the game, we can see there's a limited range of stats at which spears operate. They are all very similar to each other, varying only in small amounts, typically on strength or number of abilities.

What this net graph doesn't completely show is the following: All spears have 2 speed, typically between a 5+ and 6+ for accuracy, 0 to 1 affinities, Reach 2 and the only wide range between them all, is their strength and abilities - the design of spears is a very flat one. Likewise, while Spear has good progression from one tier to the next (early to mid to late), there is little breadth in selection, most campaigns are going to have the same spear choices throughout, with the only variations occurring in rare situations, or where the quarry choices limit it. The "optimal" progression is King's Spear -> Sky Harpoon -> Sky Harpoon with Dragon Armor -> Lantern Glaive with Dragon Armor.  Sometimes you'll see the Amber Poleaxe instead of the King's Spear, the Finger of God instead of the Sky Harpoon and Phoenix Armor instead of Dragon Armor when the Dragon King is not available.

Dragon Armor is the single best armor for Spears at the moment (yes better than Screaming in my opinion, Screaming has a lot of synergies with a huge range of weapons, but doesn't care that much about Reach stuff), the combination of its set bonus ability along with the way that it interacts with reach means that you're going to pick it wherever possible. Phoenix Armor has a similar interaction, but because of the higher movement Phoenix Armor inflicts on you, it's harder to "Square Dance" around the monster.

"Square Dancing" is where you set yourself up on a "corner" of the monster just in range (easiest with the Sky Harpoon as it has reach 3) and then you will Leap/Charge to another "corner" if the monster doesn't move, or keep pace with it as best you can if it does. Against really big monsters like the Sunstalker or Dragon King you don't even need to Square Dance, you can jump from one side of the monster to the other quite often, but Reach X still helps a massive amount in smoothing out a lot of awkward movement situations. So Dragon Armor is my #1 recommendation for Spear users as it has the highest synergy with them and the Sky Harpoon is my #1 choice for this playstyle because it has the highest reach in the game.  Interestingly, with the new 'Captain America' strain fighting style Shielderang, you can also now do this with a good shield.

Gorment Armor is also very good with the right kind of spears, because it allows for a strong kiting pattern that can be combined with Dash to mitigate a lot of damage. It's a little tricky because you find yourself wanting a Reach 3 Spear, but you can't easily help the Sky Harpoon get up to a respectable strength stat when you are using the Spear (Steadfast Potion is one way things can help here, but that takes time and means you're a tank/trapper hybrid).

Speed:

Because Speed is identical for every single spear released so far, I'm going to address the speed of Spears here, rather than go through each individual entry with exactly the same text. 2 Speed is a little on the slow side for Spears, as the one weapon in the game with inbuilt resistance to traps and reach 2+, higher speed is a lot less problematic on a spear than anything else. So creating builds that take advantage of Bone Earrings, Speed Powder or similar works very well with Spears (note: Only Lance of Longinus has the Bone Keyword for the earrings, despite the King's Spear being 100% bone).  Frenzy Drink unfortunately doesn't work so well, because it turns off your Weapon Specialisation, which is the whole point in teching for high speed.

In short, people who like to roll a lot of dice and spam attacks, should be doing it with spears. You just might need to help them get their speed stat higher somehow.

King's Spear - White Lion

Power Level: Early Game

Accuracy:  6+ accuracy is strong for a Catarium weapon and ensures that the average attack will hit with at least one dice more often than zero (Because your mean and median rolls on a hit dice is 5.5/5 to 6, you've got slightly better than 50% accuracy here per dice).

Strength:   3 Strength is nothing to sniff at in the early game, it results in wounding most L1 early game monsters more than half the time.

Affinities:  The right red is kind of useless on this weapon, it's rare that you'll be able to take advantage of it. Typically you want an up red, down or a left red over anything else.

Ability:   Reach 2 is the bog standard minimum that a spear is expected to have. However it is also worth noting that this weapon has the heavy keyword, that matters at times because it can be a disadvantage for the wielder. It is not always bad though, in contrast, that keyword is useful very early on in People of the Stars.

Summary: Baby's first spear is almost everything you want it to be, the stats are perfectly balanced for the portion of the game you use it, and it's capable of being used for a long time if the survivor who has it has sufficient strength to back it up.

Amber Poleaxe - Spidicules

See the Axes entry in this post. It's in essence a better variant of the King's Spear, but from a harder monster. Certainly a great choice if you're playing the Gorm/Spidicules no White Lion challenge.

Lantern Halberd - King's Man

Note: This weapon has been officially issued errata from Poots to give it the Lantern Keyword, that is why I have the CE "version" here because it has the correct keywords.

Power Level: Mid Game, Late Game with the right armor

Accuracy:  4+ is very high for a spear, this is one of only two spears with this level of accuracy. It's an impressive stat.

Strength:   7 strength is the 3rd highest for spears (behind the Lantern Glaives and Lance) and considering that you can gain this weapon quite early on, it is very impressive and can scale well for a long time - especially with support from Dragon/Phoenix.

Affinities:   N/A

Ability:   Unique and Irreplaceable are the main downsides to this weapon, you have to enjoy it while you have it, because if you lose your spear wielder, then this weapon is going bye-bye as well. But like the Steel Sword, it is worth the time spent with it.

The second ability promotes the dancing theme of the King's Man, by having you moonwalk after you attack. This can be stacked with stuff like Dancer Armor or Gorment Armor to really build a survivor who can dash-cancel many monsters and prevent a lot of damage as an elusive "tank".

Summary:  The one part of the King's Man experience that I always have time for and part of the reasons why you always try to rip the guidepost innovation out of the ground, this spear is quietly impressive. Though one has to question why this halberd isn't also an axe the way that the Lantern Glaive is.

Finger of God - Weapon Crafter (Phoenix)

Power Level: Mid Game

Accuracy:  Slightly better than standard, and it has the ability to be as accurate as the Lantern Halberd.

Strength:   5 strength climbing to six is very solid, and that is why the Finger of God sits as one of the more popular weapon crafter choices after the Zanbato. 5 strength is a great level of progression up from the previous tier of 3.

Affinities:   Up Red is often an awkward affinity to use, left red would (always) have been the optimal choice here, but it's better than nothing.

Ability:   Having bonuses tied to your survival level is a great mechanic and one that should be remembered for those of you who are looking to make your own weapon designs. It's space that hasn't been heavily explored yet.

Here it's a marginal bonus, the accuracy gain is great, the strength gain is kind of not as impressive. It makes the Finger of God conditionally as strong as the Zanbato, but it falls off when the fights drag out a long time and your survival reserves dwindle. Has strong synergy with survival regains (Abyssal Sadist) and is by no means anything to sniff at. 

Summary:   The second best weapon available from the Phoenix (behind the Arc Bow and ahead of the Rainbow Katana), this weapon is thematic, fun, strong and well designed for when you can get it. It is a great mid game spear, and in core games only you will be wanting to craft it. However, when you have the Sunstalker available it is almost completely overshadowed by our next entry.

Sky Harpoon - Sunstalker

Power Level: Mid game, climbing into late game when combined with the right armor set.

Accuracy:  5+ is standard for a spear of this level and power.

Strength:   5 strength puts it behind the Finger of God's 5 to 6 strength, but it is compensated for that well in other areas.

Affinities:   Left Red is a great affinity for a weapon like this because of that direct link to the monster tooth necklace. It is not hard to put this weapon to baseline 7 strength in combination with an activated necklace as a consequence.

Ability:   Savage is a nice little bonus ability, it's nothing to write home about a lot of the time because it's a weaker version of devastating, but this is the only spear that has any form of critical wound interaction. The other two abilities are huge, reach 3 (because of this weapon's hybrid thrown design) is a massive increase from reach 2. The increase may only be +1, but the total number of extra squares covered is large.

Reach 1: 4 squares

Reach 2: 12 squares

Reach 3: 24 Squares

Being able to hit monsters 3 spaces away is such a huge boost for abilities like Charge and Leap and that's why I highly recommend Dragon Armor with the Sky Harpoon. You essentially have a (2/3+/10/Savage/Reach 3) spear at that point. It is however awkward and survival intensive to attack with Leap/Charge multiple times in a round.

On top of that we have the once per showdown ability, which harpoons the monster and drags it over to you. This can be used at absolutely any time because of how its worded, but even if you limit yourself to using it only during flow steps you can cause it to miss its target while also dealing an auto-wound. The 50% chance of success is fair for such a powerful ability.

Finally we have the "hidden" ability of the Sky Harpoon, which is its interactions with the Sky Fishing even (which is why we have the Sun Lure and Hook shown above). I've written about how powerful and interesting Sky Fishing is in the past (here). So I will not retread it too much except to say it's fun, powerful and worth the risks.

Summary:   My personal favourite of all the spears here, the combination of hunt phase utility, automatic wounding and reach 3 means this one is a package that is hard to pass up until you get the Lantern Glaive.

Lance of Longinus - Level 3 Screaming Antelope

Power Level: Late Game

Accuracy:  I think 6+ is a bit underwhelming for this weapon, you've got to beat the L3 Screaming Antelope with Legendary Horns in play (16 toughness monster effectively), 

Strength:  Very solid, with the highest static strength out of any spear.

Affinities:   N/A

Ability:   Handing out a -1 toughness token and give everyone on the board an effective +1 strength is absolutely massive. It means that this weapon is almost a strength 10 one (more so if you use it in multiples across several survivors). However the irreplaceable ability is a huge problem, you need to be confident that you're not going to lose the survivor wielding it too easily, because it's an expensive buy to just lose on a whim. 

Summary:   There is no argument that this spear is good on the stats front, but despite its clear use for stabbing messiahs, I tend to avoid this one unless I am looking for a pure bone build and stick with the Lantern Glaive which has a similar strength, the axe keyword and can be oxidized. Irreplaceable is just too much of a risk for a conservative player like myself.

But if you find yourself swimming in legendary horns, this one is fine to craft - outside of my distaste for irreplaceable gear and the weapon being behind the Lantern Glaive in power (but more consistent), there is nothing wrong with this one and it is a great weapon to use with the bone earring build!

Lantern Glaive/Oxidized Lantern Glaive - Blacksmith

See the Axes entry in this post. As an aside, Glaives are considered to have probably originated from the country of Wales. This is why there are no Watchers in the entire place.

This weapon is absolutely the end game destination for spears and it's a wonderful example of how Early Iron can be balanced and fine as long as the weapon is good enough.

Celestial Spear - People of the Stars

Power Level: Mid game, transforming to late game.

Accuracy:  High/standard

Strength:   4 Strength is an unusual number for a spear, it's a little awkward as it sits right between the two thresholds (3 and 5 strength). However, this weapon climbs up to 9 strength in the hands of a constellation survivor and that puts it on par with the Lance of Longinus above.

Affinities:   The up blue may occasionally be useful for some builds, but it's nothing special.

Ability:   Outside of the standard Reach 2 and strength gain on this weapon the main "ability" it has is that you get it for "free" by defeating the L2 Tyrant (which you should manage handily most campaigns). That can make it a lot more desirable and usable than 

Summary:   Getting this one for free, in combination with its solid stats and high strength in the hands of a constellation does a lot for the Celestial Spear. It's not as impressive as the other options in this list, but it gets the job done.

Hope Stealer - Halloween Stan Promo (via hunt event Test of Courage) 

(Excuse the image, I've not sorted out a better one yet)

Power Level: Late Game

Accuracy:  Right in the average camp. Nothing to write home about, nothing to complain about.

Strength:   Varies, this one can be anything from zero up to dozens or even hundreds if you get very good at 'churning' (where you turn useless survivors into endeavors to make new survivors). Typically it is going to have a higher strength than most weapons though.

Affinities:   N/A

Ability:   Sentient on this one is a pain in the butt (aka good design), because the objective with this spear is to reach spear mastery with someone else and then take the Hopestealer out on a 'red shirt' each year. You sacrifice gaining weapon proficiency on one of your three survivors in exchange for a getting a single use Trapper DPS who is completely disposable. It's an interesting trade-off and it results in the spear rapidly hitting 2+ to wound vs. anything.

There are also some meme builds you can pull with the Hopestealer, Hunter's Heart and Green Charm (both of which have a chance of bringing you back from death).

Summary:  Hopestealer is an interesting weapon, though it absolutely sucks when you get it on a survivor who matters because they are going to die at the end of the showdown, but once you're past that you have a very powerful weapon with a unique playstyle - it's up to you if you use it.

Conclusion: 

Despite the very limited range of statistics that spears have, their unique traits of reach and the weapon specialisation, plus dependable speed, accuracy and good vertical progression on strength means that spears are arguably the third most useful and important weapon type for any settlement behind Fist & Tooth and Shield. Being able to complete Spear Mastery means that you can bring out a late game Axe weapon user to train up and have them still be very useful and powerful because of the Lantern Glaive spear/axe hybrid combo (and to a lesser extend the Amber Poleaxe). There are always stronger, faster, slower or more powerful options in other weapon types, but they are never as dependable as the spear and outside of the Blue Charm there is no weapon with an ability like spear specialisation.

Trappers are easily my favourite class of survivor in Kingdom Death (just ahead of debuffers who don't really work right now because of issues with bombs) and they will remain that way until the new expansions shake up the weapon meta.