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The lances of the Dark Ages were designed to be flung as well as couched, and one occasionally hears of lances being thrown as late as the 16th century. Spears may also be thrown, even if the weapon in question isn't exactly built for it unless magic is involved, but if this is their primary use, you're more of a Javelin Thrower. Ordinary spears, and pikes as well, are better used in close formations, and can be used well by poorly-trained troops provided they don't break and run, and in the hands of skilled and disciplined troops, make a formation almost unbreakable in a head-on fight. Glaives and halberds - and even the Chinese spear ("Qiang" in Chinese), with its leaf- or dagger-like blade - are well-suited to it, but all of these are "individualistic" weapons, requiring a lot of space to be employed effectively and needing a lot of conditioning and experience on their wielder's part.
![mount and blade wiki aiming couched mount and blade wiki aiming couched](https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/3174/1296376-1603077107.jpg)
When a hero uses a polearm, he'll generally wield it "open-fashion", swinging it around almost like a staff. Primitive shortspears, such as the African Iklwa, evoke similar imagery as swords for the time period, and thus are often wielded in a similar way by The Hero. Due to the nature of these settings (where swords haven't yet been invented), the character wielding the spear is much more likely to be The Hero than a mook or supporting character. In older or more primitive settings, early spears with tips made out of stone, bone, or obsidian will likely be seen in the hands of the Noble Savage. The stereotype of a polearm being the Weapon of Choice for stoic, collected individuals such as guardsmen likely comes from the discipline required to maintain formation in face of the apparent overwhelming odds. A long, heavy shaft can be cumbersome, and a thrust can only threaten one opponent at a time, so a pikeman outside of formation is in danger of being outflanked. Many longer spears - and especially the pike - are not terribly suited for single combat or individual feats of heroism.
![mount and blade wiki aiming couched mount and blade wiki aiming couched](https://mountandblade2bannerlord.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Mount-and-Blade-2-Bannerlord/bow_expert-m&b2-bannerlord-wiki-guide.png)
This may be caused by the fact polearms are often Boring, but Practical. The reason you may not have heard of the importance of polearms is that our cultural obsession with swords is at least a thousand years old.
![mount and blade wiki aiming couched mount and blade wiki aiming couched](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UiK0-SbLUt4/maxresdefault.jpg)
In medieval combat, the sword was more like a sidearm, while the polearm note Or axe, but generally the axe was long enough to count as a polearm anyway was used as the main infantry weapon on the battlefield (similar to how modern soldiers use a pistol as a sidearm, but generally some kind of automatic rifle as their primary weapon). This is due to their reach-an advantage either on horseback or on foot, as well as one which makes it possible for multiple ranks or files in formation to offend the enemy at the same time-and the fact that they're more effective at penetrating armor. They are highly suitable for massed battles, much more so than the sword. The polearm has killed more people in the history of battle than any other weapon (although explosives are rapidly catching up), and are arguably the easiest one to wield for beginners. Polearms are extremely effective weapons, being among humanity's first inventions.
![mount and blade wiki aiming couched mount and blade wiki aiming couched](https://media.moddb.com/images/mods/1/46/45357/Gardes_Suisses.png)
When not in the hands of mooks, they are the Weapon of Choice (its Super-Trope) for calm collected individuals, the Lady of War, or The Lancer. Anyone who needs something long to cross over a portal to prevent someone from entering will use a polearm. A polearm-such as a poleaxe, spear, naginata, or any other weapon that's a long stick with something sharp and metal on one end-is often the province of hapless Mooks: city guardsman, honor guard, angry natives, and so on.
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