Just my opinion, on smaller hordes they seem to do just fine - but they’re nowhere on the level of powersword/chainsword/axes
I feel like shovel needs something akin to brutal momentum, savage sweep, rampage or even headtaker/slaughterer.
Decimator is too easy to lose charges on - the penalty is absolutely savage
Uncanny Strike doesn’t mean much against pox walkers/groaners
Thrust feels mandatory - which is fine imo
Hammerblow and Trauma don’t solve the lack of cleave issue at all
Skullcrusher/thunderstrike feel pointless when you’re facing a horde large enough where you struggle to hit the same mob to get a debuff on them
All or nothing, limbsplitter and take a swing all feel like pointless memes.
Right now, a horde climbing up from below can be kept at bay with easy using a powersword. There is nothing a shove can do that compares to that.
Respectfully disagree. On no character do I feel safer in a horde than on my VoC vet wielding the standard shovel, spamming fast heavies with strong stagger and great dodges. My alts are Ogryn and TH Zealot too, and I absolutely stand by that statement.
It’s not the best for killing, which I feel is the point you’re trying to make, but I still manage to get plenty of stacks for plasma juice so I can’t complain
This was with Decimator/All or Nothing in Ye Olde Locken Days, so not like I’m used to using an optimal setup. I agree the Decimator punishment is there, but so’s the power so I think it’s fair.
It’s CC abilities fail once there’s more than 15 pox walkers pressuring you, it just doesn’t have the cleave to be able to handle large hordes. I just want to feel actually competitive, it honestly doesn’t.
Well thrust has always been terrible on the human shovel and I will never not stand by that. The latch and pull out is enough time wasted, throwing 2s of charging + folding and sticking for one enemy is yike. Skullcrusher activates on the strike going in, benefitting the pull out which applies the other 4 stacks for a couple free hits at +80% damage since the stagger from a fold strike is long. It also benefits horde clear with liberal pushes and heavies, and skullcrusher can even be applied to a boss on a stagger. Its not much but you’re a simple guardsmen.
The shovel packs dodges like an axe without the brutal momentum tax. It hits 6 enemies in its wide swings which are very fast on the Mk1 with no attack speed buffs from vet’s tree. Its not supposed to be an amazing killing weapon, it just packs high crowd control, stagger power and high mobility. At one point it actually had 6 dodges but they removed that when they added the folders.
And nothing is going to stack up well to dueling sword, that thing is so getting a nerf unless fat shark gave up on the game balance.
Decimator and uncanny on a regular mk1 shovel is great for hordes. With all the extra power you start cleaving with light attacks and rending takes care of whatever is mixed in with the trash. Stacks well with brittleness from your talent tree, so if you have the time you can shovel crushers as well!
