Melee weapon balance (spears), and upcoming outfits

[MiTHMoN]

I've been a long-time player of this game (bought it in March 2015), and it's one of my favorite in the genre. I play it in bursts, and always come back to it. I've seen the game improve over the years. And now I guess it's time for me to make some simple suggestions/requests for future updates. 

Melee combat has always been one of the most fun aspects of 7DTD, and I love choosing a weapon type to commit to when doing a playthrough. The perk/skill/talent system is a lot of fun. I want each weapon type to have its own flavor and strengths, as well as weaknesses.

(The sledgehammer is great for knockdowns and big hits. The stun baton is great for stunlocking a single target. The club is great for stunlocking a single target that's already on the ground. The knuckles are a hybrid of attack speed and knockdown (with beer as a specific buff). Knives perform as a tool, as well as slowing targets while they bleed, and having excellent damage-to-stamina ratios for their power attacks.)

When it comes to spears, I think they deserve more. From my testing, and from what I can tell, the spear has a "throw" power attack (which requires accuracy, and requires you to collect your weapon after every throw, and they have a light attack that basically has more reach than the other weapons. The perk says that "range" is increased, but I think it means the thrown range. The spear just doesn't seem to have anything significant going for it. The only real use I can find for them is being able to stand further back while in a bunker style melee base for horde night. 

Honestly, what I think would be the coolest, is if "spears" were split into two categories, with two different names. 

There could be the "throwing spears" (maybe called javelins), and they would essentially be the current spears. (the advantage of these spears would be their ability to be thrown)

Then the second category ("new spears") could be "thrusting spears" or "light spears" or "mobility spears" or "long spears". These would essentially be a type of spear that would be focused on mobility and reach, and would give players their melee power attack. (the advantage of these spears would be extra reach and more mobility from the perk/skill/talent investment)

Currently in 7DTD (my opinion), the sledgehammers are just the best melee option, due to their extremely high knockdown power (including area-of-effect knockdown) with perks. What I'm proposing is that these "new spears" give players a very solid alternative in using long-reach high mobility melee spears for use in open fields, where we can backpedal very comfortably. You *could* put the knife's bleed/slow ability on these "new spears", but I think it would be more fun to get a movespeed boost (especially when backpedaling) while using the "new spears", so you can very effectively kite hordes and keep a safe distance. 

As for the outfits (that may be added in A21), I think the "padded armor" (you know, that light armor that has no stamina or movement penalties) could be the outfit that boosts the "new spears", solidifying the playstyle of mobility and reach. 

Alternatively, you could just add more melee reach to the spears, and add "+% movespeed while holding a spear when a zombie is within X distance from you" to the last spear perk/skill/talent. (This means spears don't become this "free movement speed" tool, but rather a good kiting/running away weapon.)

This could also help to solve those moments when you're out in the middle of nowhere, and a zombie dog horde rolls up on you. You switch to your spear, and run. 

[MiTHMoN]

Still in A20 the top melee weapons (by a large margin) are Steel Sledge, Steel Knuckles, Steel Club (honorable mentions to Stun Baton, Stone Sledge, and Steel Axe). 

 

I want to see spear be more than just the weapon you pull out to get a little extra reach when stabbing defenseless zombies while you're in a bunker-type setup. But I want it to be buffed in a way that doesn't just make it better at being in that bunker-type setup scenario. I think the direction is still mobility (something you don't need when you're standing there behind your blocks, stabbing). 

[GlyphGryph]

I think spears should have a "push" effect that interrupts the enemy and moves them out to the max range of the spear. Lean into the "controlling the terms of engagement" angle in that way, and let you do fun things like poking them off walkways, buildings, and cliffs.