Well there we go. Here it is for those who don't want the link:
Encyclopedia of historical weapons - Footman's lance
The footman's lance was essentially a spear used solely for thrusting. Generally, lances were considered to be a cavalry weapon but foot soldiers used a smaller version of them during the iron age throughout the known world. The main difference between a spear-proper and a footman's lance is that spears were often designed such that the spear tip broke off upon impact with the target. Lances, conversely, were designed such that the tip would not break off in the hands of the wielder. Other than that, though, a footman's lance is a spear.
@ Ozmodan:
I dont' think it's any more ridiculous than a wizard throwing a fire ball. I mean, so what if Wizards have been throwing fire since "since". I don't see how that make it any more valid. I'm sure somene at sometime said "wizards throwing or shooting fire? seems implausible"
It's essentially a large thrusting weapon that can do some damage and keep the enemy at a distance. I imagine in order to explain it, one must assume it has to be reasonably light. Of course there is some suspension of disbelief but I congratulate them for thinking outside the box in a fantasy game.
Another example would be player rangers/archers carrying a lot of arrows. I imagine the truth is that most of them carried a quiver but not the hundreds or thousands that players carry in these games.
If their characters even require arrows for their bows.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Man is this genre of games crashing and burning hardcore. Pretty damn sad. (/sarcasm on) i love how the girls run like theres a stick up their ass and all bent over.. SO HAWT (/sarcasm off)
Man is this genre of games crashing and burning hardcore. Pretty damn sad. (/sarcasm on) i love how the girls run like theres a stick up their ass and all bent over.. SO HAWT (/sarcasm off)
Yeah, I'll admit that wiggling the hips while casting looks silly to my tastes but it is what it is.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Well if you look back at all the fantasy titles, I don't know one successful one that has deviated much from the medieval fighting style. Two handed weapons are usually two handed with exceptions for characters of great strength. Sure we see exaggerated sizes on some characters, but still it remains pretty much true to that fighting style.
Now along comes Tera with an aberration that allows the main tank class to carry a weapon only used on horseback and really would be completely ineffective in melee fighting. Sorry if I mock this game, but I just find that completely absurd. Trying to say that wizards throwing fireballs is just as bad is a pretty dumb comeback. Wizards have always thrown fireballs in fantasy. You don't find any melee using lances in fantasy games because the concept of that is silly. Imagine trying to melee with such, the opponent would have 5 hits on you before you could swing the silly thing and it would be easy to duck or avoid.
So that is why I am laughing at this design choice. Might as well give the main tank a mini ball gattling gun, that is how silly this will look in game.
Ok, so your problem is that a company decided to think outside the box for making a class design? Seriously, GTFO. If your so closed minded that you can accept certain aspects of fantasy but not cause a class weilds a weapon your not used to? No melee using Lances in fantasy games you say? Maybe you should be your research before shooting your mouth off cause you can't accept something for what it is without acting like a childish about it. Look up the Monster Hunter series and seriously, go away. Less people like you would be great for this world.
Hey if you want to get upset because someone criticizes a silly design decision, be my guest. The point being, the ridiculous design of the tank class is not going to help the game any and this this genre everything is important when you are trying to attract customers. So many of you Tera advocates completely forget how many people thought Aion was the next big thing and it hit the market with a thud.
I have yet to see Korean designers that can produce a game that appeals to the western market. Maybe this one will be the one. We won't know that until it becomes playable.
BTW that is no footmans lance he is carrying it is a huge cavalry lance.
in my books sure its cool the concept of a lance,but i think itd have been better n more visualy appealing and realisitc is make the tank use spears,pikes pole arms etc things that are bit more believeable size wise, tcause that pic of the female tank holdin that giant lance, MABYE the giant male vs of the class, but that lance is 3 feet big longer then female n like 400lbs more :P.
OOR ANOTHER SCTYHE CLASS LIKE GW. aoe scythe class etc, doe w.e but scythes look epics
Heh, that video was painful to watch, and I don't know if it was because of the dev/people working on Terra talking or if it was from the whole thing being awkward, or what.
And it might just be me, but the lancer seems to handle just like the... well, Lancer from Monster Hunter. They got the same thrust and even damaging charging-to-stab flourish attack, with the difference being the huge glowing lance part, and health bars for enemies. Only thing left now is to give it a gun-tip that blasts the poor buggers... At least it doesn't seem to have the same evade-counters that the MH versions possessed, far as I can tell.
Oh well, long as the 2-handed axes don't fold inwards and slide out to switch into swords temporarily, I'll be fine. Can't really say much about the game, its really on the fence for me, visuals look strong, the combat looks good, but the requirements might be higher than I'd like, and there's no clue on just how much of a grind it might be. A fun combat system doth not remove tedium, not even Ninja Gaiden 1 or 2 could if you had to grind out something.
And, in the Lancers defense, the weapon isn't that big all the time at least, when not in use the lance packs itself inwards, like those cheap lightsaber toys you could buy in the 90s.
Yeah sorry I have to agree, this is Korean fantasy game art gone a little too far, would rather see smaller weapons and great combat animations than huge weapons with poor animations.
Well if you look back at all the fantasy titles, I don't know one successful one that has deviated much from the medieval fighting style. Two handed weapons are usually two handed with exceptions for characters of great strength. Sure we see exaggerated sizes on some characters, but still it remains pretty much true to that fighting style.
Now along comes Tera with an aberration that allows the main tank class to carry a weapon only used on horseback and really would be completely ineffective in melee fighting. Sorry if I mock this game, but I just find that completely absurd. Trying to say that wizards throwing fireballs is just as bad is a pretty dumb comeback. Wizards have always thrown fireballs in fantasy. You don't find any melee using lances in fantasy games because the concept of that is silly. Imagine trying to melee with such, the opponent would have 5 hits on you before you could swing the silly thing and it would be easy to duck or avoid.
So that is why I am laughing at this design choice. Might as well give the main tank a mini ball gattling gun, that is how silly this will look in game.
Ok, so your problem is that a company decided to think outside the box for making a class design? Seriously, GTFO. If your so closed minded that you can accept certain aspects of fantasy but not cause a class weilds a weapon your not used to? No melee using Lances in fantasy games you say? Maybe you should be your research before shooting your mouth off cause you can't accept something for what it is without acting like a childish about it. Look up the Monster Hunter series and seriously, go away. Less people like you would be great for this world.
Hey if you want to get upset because someone criticizes a silly design decision, be my guest. The point being, the ridiculous design of the tank class is not going to help the game any and this this genre everything is important when you are trying to attract customers. So many of you Tera advocates completely forget how many people thought Aion was the next big thing and it hit the market with a thud.
I have yet to see Korean designers that can produce a game that appeals to the western market. Maybe this one will be the one. We won't know that until it becomes playable.
BTW that is no footmans lance he is carrying it is a huge cavalry lance.
Your not criticizing, your flat out insaulting the game over one class. Also saying 'So many of you TERA advocates" is an ignorant generalization. So we like TERA that means that we thought Aion was going to be the next big thing? I sure didn't, I defend a game from ignorant children like yourself on here but I never say it's going to be the next great game. I played Aion in Korean and then in Chinese before it was even close to come out over here and I never said Aion was going to be the next big thing. People who say statements like that are just people on the opposite side of the spectrum of ignorant haters both who havn't played the game and assume more then they should.
As far as TERA being taken in by westerners, even I am unsure of it. I have played TERA and I have doubts if people will like it or not. It has issues like all games and I am fine with talking about things that need improved but saying statements like "Another Korean game = grinder" or "Big weapons = fail" bother me cause they arn't criticizing the game for what the game offers, its being ignoring the game and assuming its like every other game. That pisses me off, we have people who screamed for TOR and Rift without even seeing any game footage saying how great it will be but people who hear TERA is being made in Korea, it's instant Korean = Fail. Alls I ask is to give the game a freaken chance. It might end up sucking but western MMO track records don't impress me either but no one talks about them failing as much as a Korean game.
Its a FANTASY GAME. Wow.. first MMORPG guys? Mages shooting fire OK. Spawning mounts from your pockets OK. Weilding a lance WTF THAT AINT RIGHT! Really.. ?
OMG This is too funny! True too!
It would be funny if they weren't 100% deadly serious about weilding a lance.
Still all these comments make me want to play a lancer just because it will upset all the haters.
Well it all comes down to our psychological expectations. Right from an early age we are brought up on stories of dragons, knights, and Wizards...this dates back as far as we have writing in western culture. However, our mind does still have expectations and limits to the fantasy it will tolerate until it becomes absurd and ridiculous. A knight wielding an overly large lance before us can be a bit of a giggle as my mind expects him to fall face down due to huge size and weight of his weapon. I am sorry Garrett Fuller and others size isn't everything in fantasy weapons
If Superman was created by a Korean it becomes, in west, the most absurd fantasy guy.
Ppl discuss about how absurd is carring a huge lance with one hand. That guy doesnt seam human to me, and i have no idea the strengh of that fantasy race.
Well if you look back at all the fantasy titles, I don't know one successful one that has deviated much from the medieval fighting style. Two handed weapons are usually two handed with exceptions for characters of great strength. Sure we see exaggerated sizes on some characters, but still it remains pretty much true to that fighting style.
Now along comes Tera with an aberration that allows the main tank class to carry a weapon only used on horseback and really would be completely ineffective in melee fighting. Sorry if I mock this game, but I just find that completely absurd. Trying to say that wizards throwing fireballs is just as bad is a pretty dumb comeback. Wizards have always thrown fireballs in fantasy. You don't find any melee using lances in fantasy games because the concept of that is silly. Imagine trying to melee with such, the opponent would have 5 hits on you before you could swing the silly thing and it would be easy to duck or avoid.
So that is why I am laughing at this design choice. Might as well give the main tank a mini ball gattling gun, that is how silly this will look in game.
Ok, so your problem is that a company decided to think outside the box for making a class design? Seriously, GTFO. If your so closed minded that you can accept certain aspects of fantasy but not cause a class weilds a weapon your not used to? No melee using Lances in fantasy games you say? Maybe you should be your research before shooting your mouth off cause you can't accept something for what it is without acting like a childish about it. Look up the Monster Hunter series and seriously, go away. Less people like you would be great for this world.
No, I think his problem is that the company decided to think outside of the box and made a turn to Hanna-Barbera world instead. The ´design´ is too ridiculuous, not too fantastic, just too ridiculous... And, no, a wizard casting fireball is not ridiculous to this set, but this lance is ridiculous... By your comment it would be ok if the company ´thought outside of the box´ and decided to make chars with a coil in their feet to represent their ability to jump, our have all the weapons delivered in a box written ACME.... Clearly it would be something new and outside of the box, very different and fresh new... But ridiculous anyway...
If Superman was created by a Korean it becomes, in west, the most absurd fantasy guy.
Ppl discuss about how absurd is carring a huge lance with one hand. That guy doesnt seam human to me, and i have no idea the strengh of that fantasy race.
Er... the problem is not only the strength factor, but the ridiculous of it.. NO one would use a lance like this to fight because it just woudnt work!!! If the guy is so strong to hold this lance, certainly he would not use it to duel, due to the lack of balance, and many, many others issues...
If Superman was created by a Korean it becomes, in west, the most absurd fantasy guy.
Ppl discuss about how absurd is carring a huge lance with one hand. That guy doesnt seam human to me, and i have no idea the strengh of that fantasy race.
Er... the problem is not only the strength factor, but the ridiculous of it.. NO one would use a lance like this to fight because it just woudnt work!!! If the guy is so strong to hold this lance, certainly he would not use it to duel, due to the lack of balance, and many, many others issues...
I think people need to step back and get into the spirit of the thing. Sorry, but flying super heroes, wizards and dragons, The Force, and any other thing that people have created in order to go beyond the mundane all require a suspension of disbelief.
Superman picking up a bus? What's to anchor him? bionics not ripping out of the body (I've already stated this stuff earlier), And anything else all require people to just take it in fun.
My thought is that people are just picking on this because A, they don't like the art design and sensibilities of these games and B, are hankering for a real medieval game that sticks closer to reality.
It's all just supposed to be fun. Not put under the microscope for dissection.
There is no Santa Clause, Spider Man couldn't exist and it would generally be impossible to wield one of these Tera Lances. But here we are and people enjoy the myth of Santa Clause, Spider Man has been going on for years and to some people it looks very fun to wield a large punching stick.
If people think it's ridiculous, well fine, nothing wrong with that. But at least take it in the spirit which it was given.
Not any more ridiculous than the large chain whips I've seen characters use or any other large weapon that a video game has devised. Dante's Inferno's large Scythe comes to mind. God of Wars' Chains or whatever he uses.
The list goes on.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Wait...we're playing videogames where we have to suspend disbelief and people are actually going on about the functionality of a lance in a...videogame?
Wait...we're playing videogames where we have to suspend disbelief and people are actually going on about the functionality of a lance in a...videogame?
/facepalm
The way I imagine the thing working in the context of "it's not real" is that it's a punching weapon, more weight at the hand which is grasping a handle to form a fist. The item itself is made from special fantasy metal so that the rest of it is extremely light with a sharp tip.
That's my mental excuse for making it work. And I get to sleep at nights.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Wait...we're playing videogames where we have to suspend disbelief and people are actually going on about the functionality of a lance in a...videogame?
/facepalm
The way I imagine the thing working in the context of "it's not real" is that it's a punching weapon, more weight at the hand which is grasping a handle to form a fist. The item itself is made from special fantasy metal so that the rest of it is extremely light with a sharp tip.
That's my mental excuse for making it work. And I get to sleep at nights.
Dont forget the magic, Sovrath, the magic.... otherwise the weapon needs batteries for all that lighing beams around it when doing a "charge" attack .
And magic is a mistery that our simple minds cant understand yet...
Wait...we're playing videogames where we have to suspend disbelief and people are actually going on about the functionality of a lance in a...videogame?
/facepalm
The way I imagine the thing working in the context of "it's not real" is that it's a punching weapon, more weight at the hand which is grasping a handle to form a fist. The item itself is made from special fantasy metal so that the rest of it is extremely light with a sharp tip.
That's my mental excuse for making it work. And I get to sleep at nights.
Dont forget the magic, Sovrath, the magic.... otherwise the weapon needs batteries for all that lighing beams around it when doing a "charge" attack .
And magic is a mistery that our simple minds cant understand yet...
It's magic that I can get up in the mornin'
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Question. If the lancers have a charge ability that's as fast if not faster than riding horseback then why is a lance a silly weapon to you people? It would work similar to the bo staff as a defensive weapon intended on keeping a distance between you and your opponent. The tank charges in initially, deals pinpoint damage to a mob while still keeping a little bit of a distance away and holding aggro. The shield kicks in if the monster is able to get around the lance. It seems sillier to me being able to take down a monster the size of a mack truck with a 25inch bladed sword.
I forgot about a Tera trailer I saw a while ago. The lance would work well on the opposite end of things against a charging mob. The tanks in the video stuck their shields in the ground and brought out their lances to both defend and possibly incapacitate a boss readying a charge.
Comments
Well there we go. Here it is for those who don't want the link:
Encyclopedia of historical weapons - Footman's lance
The footman's lance was essentially a spear used solely for thrusting. Generally, lances were considered to be a cavalry weapon but foot soldiers used a smaller version of them during the iron age throughout the known world. The main difference between a spear-proper and a footman's lance is that spears were often designed such that the spear tip broke off upon impact with the target. Lances, conversely, were designed such that the tip would not break off in the hands of the wielder. Other than that, though, a footman's lance is a spear.
@ Ozmodan:
I dont' think it's any more ridiculous than a wizard throwing a fire ball. I mean, so what if Wizards have been throwing fire since "since". I don't see how that make it any more valid. I'm sure somene at sometime said "wizards throwing or shooting fire? seems implausible"
It's essentially a large thrusting weapon that can do some damage and keep the enemy at a distance. I imagine in order to explain it, one must assume it has to be reasonably light. Of course there is some suspension of disbelief but I congratulate them for thinking outside the box in a fantasy game.
Another example would be player rangers/archers carrying a lot of arrows. I imagine the truth is that most of them carried a quiver but not the hundreds or thousands that players carry in these games.
If their characters even require arrows for their bows.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Man is this genre of games crashing and burning hardcore. Pretty damn sad. (/sarcasm on) i love how the girls run like theres a stick up their ass and all bent over.. SO HAWT (/sarcasm off)
Make a difference!
Yeah, I'll admit that wiggling the hips while casting looks silly to my tastes but it is what it is.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Hey if you want to get upset because someone criticizes a silly design decision, be my guest. The point being, the ridiculous design of the tank class is not going to help the game any and this this genre everything is important when you are trying to attract customers. So many of you Tera advocates completely forget how many people thought Aion was the next big thing and it hit the market with a thud.
I have yet to see Korean designers that can produce a game that appeals to the western market. Maybe this one will be the one. We won't know that until it becomes playable.
BTW that is no footmans lance he is carrying it is a huge cavalry lance.
in my books sure its cool the concept of a lance,but i think itd have been better n more visualy appealing and realisitc is make the tank use spears,pikes pole arms etc things that are bit more believeable size wise, tcause that pic of the female tank holdin that giant lance, MABYE the giant male vs of the class, but that lance is 3 feet big longer then female n like 400lbs more :P.
OOR ANOTHER SCTYHE CLASS LIKE GW. aoe scythe class etc, doe w.e but scythes look epics
Heh, that video was painful to watch, and I don't know if it was because of the dev/people working on Terra talking or if it was from the whole thing being awkward, or what.
And it might just be me, but the lancer seems to handle just like the... well, Lancer from Monster Hunter. They got the same thrust and even damaging charging-to-stab flourish attack, with the difference being the huge glowing lance part, and health bars for enemies. Only thing left now is to give it a gun-tip that blasts the poor buggers... At least it doesn't seem to have the same evade-counters that the MH versions possessed, far as I can tell.
Oh well, long as the 2-handed axes don't fold inwards and slide out to switch into swords temporarily, I'll be fine. Can't really say much about the game, its really on the fence for me, visuals look strong, the combat looks good, but the requirements might be higher than I'd like, and there's no clue on just how much of a grind it might be. A fun combat system doth not remove tedium, not even Ninja Gaiden 1 or 2 could if you had to grind out something.
And, in the Lancers defense, the weapon isn't that big all the time at least, when not in use the lance packs itself inwards, like those cheap lightsaber toys you could buy in the 90s.
Yeah sorry I have to agree, this is Korean fantasy game art gone a little too far, would rather see smaller weapons and great combat animations than huge weapons with poor animations.
OMG This is too funny! True too!
Your not criticizing, your flat out insaulting the game over one class. Also saying 'So many of you TERA advocates" is an ignorant generalization. So we like TERA that means that we thought Aion was going to be the next big thing? I sure didn't, I defend a game from ignorant children like yourself on here but I never say it's going to be the next great game. I played Aion in Korean and then in Chinese before it was even close to come out over here and I never said Aion was going to be the next big thing. People who say statements like that are just people on the opposite side of the spectrum of ignorant haters both who havn't played the game and assume more then they should.
As far as TERA being taken in by westerners, even I am unsure of it. I have played TERA and I have doubts if people will like it or not. It has issues like all games and I am fine with talking about things that need improved but saying statements like "Another Korean game = grinder" or "Big weapons = fail" bother me cause they arn't criticizing the game for what the game offers, its being ignoring the game and assuming its like every other game. That pisses me off, we have people who screamed for TOR and Rift without even seeing any game footage saying how great it will be but people who hear TERA is being made in Korea, it's instant Korean = Fail. Alls I ask is to give the game a freaken chance. It might end up sucking but western MMO track records don't impress me either but no one talks about them failing as much as a Korean game.
It would be funny if they weren't 100% deadly serious about weilding a lance.
Still all these comments make me want to play a lancer just because it will upset all the haters.
OMG This is too funny! True too!
It would be funny if they weren't 100% deadly serious about weilding a lance.
Still all these comments make me want to play a lancer just because it will upset all the haters.
Well it all comes down to our psychological expectations. Right from an early age we are brought up on stories of dragons, knights, and Wizards...this dates back as far as we have writing in western culture. However, our mind does still have expectations and limits to the fantasy it will tolerate until it becomes absurd and ridiculous. A knight wielding an overly large lance before us can be a bit of a giggle as my mind expects him to fall face down due to huge size and weight of his weapon. I am sorry Garrett Fuller and others size isn't everything in fantasy weapons/eyeroll
How ridiculous. Why not just use a spear, or a pike, this whole lance thing is absurd.
If Superman was created by a Korean it becomes, in west, the most absurd fantasy guy.
Ppl discuss about how absurd is carring a huge lance with one hand. That guy doesnt seam human to me, and i have no idea the strengh of that fantasy race.
No, I think his problem is that the company decided to think outside of the box and made a turn to Hanna-Barbera world instead. The ´design´ is too ridiculuous, not too fantastic, just too ridiculous... And, no, a wizard casting fireball is not ridiculous to this set, but this lance is ridiculous... By your comment it would be ok if the company ´thought outside of the box´ and decided to make chars with a coil in their feet to represent their ability to jump, our have all the weapons delivered in a box written ACME.... Clearly it would be something new and outside of the box, very different and fresh new... But ridiculous anyway...
Er... the problem is not only the strength factor, but the ridiculous of it.. NO one would use a lance like this to fight because it just woudnt work!!! If the guy is so strong to hold this lance, certainly he would not use it to duel, due to the lack of balance, and many, many others issues...
I think people need to step back and get into the spirit of the thing. Sorry, but flying super heroes, wizards and dragons, The Force, and any other thing that people have created in order to go beyond the mundane all require a suspension of disbelief.
Superman picking up a bus? What's to anchor him? bionics not ripping out of the body (I've already stated this stuff earlier), And anything else all require people to just take it in fun.
My thought is that people are just picking on this because A, they don't like the art design and sensibilities of these games and B, are hankering for a real medieval game that sticks closer to reality.
It's all just supposed to be fun. Not put under the microscope for dissection.
There is no Santa Clause, Spider Man couldn't exist and it would generally be impossible to wield one of these Tera Lances. But here we are and people enjoy the myth of Santa Clause, Spider Man has been going on for years and to some people it looks very fun to wield a large punching stick.
If people think it's ridiculous, well fine, nothing wrong with that. But at least take it in the spirit which it was given.
Not any more ridiculous than the large chain whips I've seen characters use or any other large weapon that a video game has devised. Dante's Inferno's large Scythe comes to mind. God of Wars' Chains or whatever he uses.
The list goes on.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Really?? I thought i had saw some videos where it works.
Man, we cant trust in what we watch on web....
Wait...we're playing videogames where we have to suspend disbelief and people are actually going on about the functionality of a lance in a...videogame?
/facepalm
The way I imagine the thing working in the context of "it's not real" is that it's a punching weapon, more weight at the hand which is grasping a handle to form a fist. The item itself is made from special fantasy metal so that the rest of it is extremely light with a sharp tip.
That's my mental excuse for making it work. And I get to sleep at nights.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Dont forget the magic, Sovrath, the magic.... otherwise the weapon needs batteries for all that lighing beams around it when doing a "charge" attack .
And magic is a mistery that our simple minds cant understand yet...
It's magic that I can get up in the mornin'
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Question. If the lancers have a charge ability that's as fast if not faster than riding horseback then why is a lance a silly weapon to you people? It would work similar to the bo staff as a defensive weapon intended on keeping a distance between you and your opponent. The tank charges in initially, deals pinpoint damage to a mob while still keeping a little bit of a distance away and holding aggro. The shield kicks in if the monster is able to get around the lance. It seems sillier to me being able to take down a monster the size of a mack truck with a 25inch bladed sword.
I forgot about a Tera trailer I saw a while ago. The lance would work well on the opposite end of things against a charging mob. The tanks in the video stuck their shields in the ground and brought out their lances to both defend and possibly incapacitate a boss readying a charge.
+1 LOL
Just when I thought that the weapons couldnt get any bigger in MMO's.