Without going into talk about balance and power, I think we can all agree on that Kruber’s and Saltzpyre’s greatswords aren’t terribly interesting. Their attacks have a singular purpose, to cleave hordes, and they do it with just swings to left and right. As someone with a certain fondness for historical sword-fighting, I see this as a major shame. So, without further ado, on to my proposed rework:
(Disclaimer: While I am interested in history, and inspired by it, I don’t claim by proposal is 100% historical. I do attempt to keep it internally consistent, however.)
First of all, let’s define what qualities should define the greatsword. It has a long reach, and can perform wide swings. The long handle allows for great handling, and as such all attacks should have a generous window to cancel into guard.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss attacks.
With the aim of making the light attack more interesting, but without making it too awkward to use for it’s intended purpose, I suggest making a three-part light attack chain, starting with a
- Wide horizontal sweep to the left with a bit of a windup, followed by
- A quick diagonal cut upwards, finishing with a
- a heavy down-swing, armor penetrating and with an increased headshot modifier.
The push-stab should visually tie in with the light attack chain, making it a swift high horizontal cut.
With the heavy attacks, I wanted to give the weapon some mobility to contrast with the executioner sword, making it a
- a low thrust with a dash component and high armor penetration, followed by
- an upwards swing with free movement.
The light attack slowdown and stamina would be fine as they are now.
With these changes, I think some would find the greatsword a more appealing and distinct option, more visually impressive and with more utility. Consider this, and comment.