Now that rare is revisiting adding new weapons to the game, I have some suggestions in hopes they will be considered.
Firstly, I want to address the state of weapons in the game as it stands, and the incoming weapons. The throwing knife is an exiting and hopefully healthy addition to the game, providing more variety and tools, however, it has no block mechanic. The double barrel pistol also will not be able to block (obviously).
This will inevitably lead to the block mechanic on the sword becoming somewhat redundant. This is meant to be a pirate game after all, and there is a thrilling charm to having a naval hand to hand duel. My following suggestions will be melee weapon ideas that all have blocking mechanics that I believe will help improve the overall health of the combat system despite the balancing challenges. Balance is important, but Rare needs to continue to take the risks they are taking in the upcoming seasons to continue to improve the foundation of the game. After all, with time, the developers will know what is needed to balance the weapons.
The Boarding Axe:
We need to have another look at the boarding axe. It has models in the game and it’s been suggested since launch, and constantly shot down. It’s time Rare has another look at it. The ability to pry boards off of a ship hull would be fun and helpful for solo players who don’t have a crew that can continuously pump holes. The time it takes to pry a board off can be tweaked and balanced of course. The axe should also be able to chop the destructible ship parts (mast, helm, and capstan). The amount of chops/time required can also be tweaked. The axe would swing a two hit combo, and have slightly less range than a cutlass but more damage and a wider arc. It would also be capable of a charged overhead cleave by holding the primary attack input, similar to the cutlass lunge or the throwing knife heavy attack. This heavy attack would break the enemies guard, again similar to the cutlass lunge. The axe would not be able to hop like the cutlass when blocking. Finally, as a suggestion which may or may not have any relevance, it might be interesting if the axe pulled enemies closer after they block a combo, rather than knocking booth players back as the cutlass does. This would be unique and might spice up melee combat.
The Boarding Pike:
A more accurate name for this would be the anti-boarding pike (explanation below). Again, this has been suggested before but it is another weapon that could help bring unexpected and exiting combat sequences to the game. The pike would stab with a single long range attack (possibly long enough to hit a player on the bottom of a galleon ladder)(no combo), and have a secondary heavy lunge like the sword, the difference being that the pike is unable to perform a leap by blocking before lunging. By holding block on the pike, the player will drive the but down into the ground and either slow or disable their movement (depending on balancing). While in this guard, they can block attacks (the animation would show the spear redirecting the attack similar to an epee fencer rather than holding it to the side as to prevent unnatural animations). Also while in this guard, any enemies that walk into the pike will take damage, and take increased damage if they are sprinting when they hit it. Depending on the capability of the code, it would be interesting to add a momentum based damage system for this ability similar to the way fall damage works. Finally, the pike would deal increased damage to players while they are on a ladder or walking on a harpoon line. This will help the pike find its place as a ship defense weapon, adding more flavor to the game, as currently the blunderbuss is by far the best ladder guarding tool.
The Naval Dirk and Buckler:
This is a suggestion I haven’t seen anywhere before, but I’m sure someone has thought of something similar. The naval Dirk would be held in an ice pick grip behind a buckler shield in the same hand, similar to the style that a Scottish highland soldier would have held their highland Dirk and targe. The Dirk would deal less damage than a cutlass and have less range but have a higher attack speed and a 4 hit combo. The heavy attack would differ from the others in that rather than a single attack being thrown after the charge time, the Dirk will be swung wildly for about 6 fast stabs/swings before the cooldown (or maybe the heavy attack would be the same as the throwing knife. I’ll explain below). When blocking with the Dirk and buckler, the buckler will block bullets that hit a certain zone in front of the player, similar to a keg being held. The players can hit the keg, or shoot the feet and back to bypass the keg and hit the player hit box instead. The Dirk would be able to hop like the cutlass. Finally, the Dirk would deal more damage to players who are interacting with objects such as the wheel, raising/lowing/angling sails, using a harpoon or cannon, or inside or a barrel inventory. This would allow players to pull of assassinations on unsuspecting enemies, although, this mechanic might be more fitting for the throwing knife, which leads me onto my next point…
The Throwing Knife rework:
I know how ridiculous a throwing knife rework sounds considering how new the knife is, however, this would be a very healthy change for the game. The throwing knife should donate its heavy attack to the Naval Dirk and Buckler, and instead of aiming its throw using the block button, the throwing knife holds up a block like all of the other weapons, and yes, knives should be able to block. Parrying daggers are evidence of this, and it’s a game anyway. The throwing knife can be thrown by holding the attack button and releasing the button like a trident of dark tides or ashen winds skull. And again, the knife might also inherit the mechanic allowing it to deal extra damage to enemies that are interacting with objects.
How the Weapons fit in the Meta:
The cutlass will retain its movement superiority and crowd control, the boarding axe will provide utility in boarding ships, the boarding pike will be utilized primarily in ship defense, the naval dirk and targe will be useful for personal defense and buying time, and the throwing knife will become more useful for stealthy tucks (something rare wants to address soon) and assassinations.
