Feat: Fend is Flawed

[Spoor]

Currently using Fend(Spear Guard) is actually disadvantageous compared to Attack(Spear Guard), simply because you can't maintain 100% uptime of Fend(Spear Guard) and you can't override it with Attack(Spear Guard).

"Math" using my character stats (assuming 100% Block chance, 1 melee hit):
Attack(Spear Guard):
16 Blocked Amount * 95% uptime (Based on melee hit chance) = 15.2 Blocked damage per turn.
Fend(Spear Guard):
40 Blocked Amount + 50% uptime (maintained every other turn ==> (100% Block chance+0% Block chance)/2*100% activation rate)) = 40 * 50% * 1= 20 Blocked damage on average.

As you can see Fend(Spear Guard) only offer 25% more Blocked damage compared to Attack(Spear Guard) on average, which is a negligible increase, and at what cost?
- Fend does no damage, lowering your damage output.
- Cost 1 feat.
- Huge blocked amount is wasted against small hitting enemies.
- Even against big hitter, the turn when Fend is used may be wasted (enemy missed, attacks didn't crit, used non/small-damaging attacks..etc).
- Every other turn will leave you completely vulnerable to melee attacks, big and small.
- Attack(Spear Guard): faster kills = less damage.
- Cost 20 AP (or 10 AP+5 Specialization Points) while Attack(Spear Guard) is technically free.
- All other forms of blocking are free too (if I'm not mistaken), most of them can reach the same effective blocking chance as Fend, e.g. Riot Shield:
   Riot Shield 35% + Shield Arm 15% * 100% uptime(0AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.
   Fend(Spear Guard) 50% + Spear Guardian 30% + 2 SP (Spear Guardian) 20% * 50% uptime(20AP cost) = 50% effective block chance.

IMO, it's a complete waste to acquire and incredibly risky to use (locks you out of Attack(Spear Guard)), I advise Spear Builders to avoid this feat (unless there is huge benefit from it I somehow missed...).


3 Solutions (maintaining Fend(Spear Guard)) :
- Allow Attack(Spear Guard) to override Fend(Spear Guard):
Smart override or not, "smart" checks type/duration and override accordingly otherwise it doesn't care and it will be dependent on the player to use it probably (Fending last), this solution will alternate the 2 spear guard buffs, but the benefit is still small (why bother? might as well stick with Attack(Spear Guard)).

- Reduce Fend cooldown by 1 turn:
Constantly Fending every turn is a huge decrease on damage output, may requires 5 SP alone to reduce it's cost so you can weave it in each turn.

- Extend Fend duration by +1 turn:
Best solution, allows full uptime of Fend(Spear Guard) every other turn or more, it has to be like this IMO, since we already have a "free" source of Spear Guarding that is better in many ways AND can be maintained indefinitely.

[ciox]

I never could figure out why this ability costs action points. I prefer to just use something like a riot shield along with the spear which is always active, even during surprise attacks, and doesn't cost action points, or other sources of block that are always active.

[Spoor]

The reason it has a cost is because the potential of achieving 100% block chance which is reasonable, but here is the issue.. if you can't have it "all the time" then you really don't have 100% block chance...very misleading , the fact that it's buff (you need the initiative, this is true even for the normal spear guard) and has an AP cost (while others blocks don't for the "same chance"), makes it much worse.

I think the devs wanted it to work along side Riot Shield, but even then, just stick with normal spear guard and save yourself a feat.