Sadly the shovel has been nerfed pretty hard with this bugfix, the only thing that the shovel always had the advantage of was its mobility and it had some decent horde-clear.
The shovel went from a 10% dodge distance to a 3% max dodge distance (on an 80% mobility roll), this guts the shovel’s main strength it had.
Id take a 50% damage nerf if we got the old mobility back, and I’m not being hyperbolic with this.
As a long-ass-time shovel user, the mobility made it king now it’s just a discount axe.
I miss my old shovel now more than ever.
I don’t even know what to think. So it was bugged, but the bugged version felt nice? Not too crazy or anything, certainly not what I’d call broken overpowered.
Maaaan, in the words of the goblin spearmen “Dis stinks!”
the shovel has/had better control and horde clear, the slower attacks also help reduce carpal tunnel symptoms I’ve been having when playing Darktide.
combo that with the shovel special that is great against bursters / muties / dogs.
Shovel has more of a defensive playstyle with how nice the pushes are.
The mobility enables all of what I’ve mentioned above. out of position? swap to shovel and dodge towards the team, in a sticky situation? swap to shovel, push, and dodge out of it.
and the knife at least on the builds that I’ve tried can’t hold a candle to the shovel horde-clear.
Kinda shovel was loved only for its dodging and stamina cost in block and running.
in damage was kinda mediocre , scab/dreg melee wave makes you lose alot of ground until you kill them. Yet they nerfed the only good thing about shovel.
not sure if those % dodge distance values are normalised across all weapons, but if yes 10% dodge distance would put it ahead of duelling swords? I have to say I liked the “bugged” mobility.