discussion Bear Spear (hype?)

[fauxjargon]

3 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

To be 100% clear -- I mean the Bear Spear will be added to Survival Mode in the next update...after Redux. 

But will it be available in Interloper?

[Mroz4k]

Another example comes to mind from the book Hatchet, as well as the movie - though that one is over-the-top. Never seen the Edge but Alec Baldwin is one of my favorite actors so I am definitely going to watch it soon. I know the principle behind the bear defense with a spear - but I am a bit sceptical here, as for a pike, the spear seems to be inadequately long. Still, I would suspect it would work that way. Also, I don't expect it would have a hundred percent chance of success, making it somewhat of a "better-than-nothing" kind of scenario. I would also like to see the bear spear be usable against wolves, but with an even smaller chance of success. Heck, it could even be used to stop a charge of a moose, though again, not at 100% success rate.

I do hope it has to be held in hands in order to work. Most players chose to hold a specific item while walking around - I would usually carry a bow, and in bear-country, I tend to switch over to distress pistol. I can see myself switching over to carrying a spear instead. The game really needs some defensive weapon, other than flare gun.

Here is a crazy idea - why not both? It is feasibly possible that the spear will have both functions - as a stationary weapon, or as something that is throwable. If we assume that the spear can be used to fight off the mauling by holding it in hands, then actually "using" it while holding it in hands can be a prompt to throwing it. Though, like I explained before, I dont think this spear would be an amazing choice for that, seeing as how it holds characteristics of the close-combat spear. If that is the case, I also hope the Hinterland will re-visit brandishing mechanic with torches, ALONG with throwing them.

[Mroz4k]

22 minutes ago, fauxjargon said:

But will it be available in Interloper?

Lets not ask that - you probably wont get an answer anyways - you know how folks from Hinterland like to keep things as a suprise.

My guess would be yes - because I also fully expect the spear to be craftable. The head for it would likely be a new forgeable item - in fact, if I were to guess, this is why you can learn about forging in Wintermute - so that you could craft more spears in the future. 

Thinking completely logically here - if the purpose of the spear in the game is to be a defensive weapon, it ought to be craftable. Right now, the only defensive weapon in the game is the rare distress pistol, which is most definitely not craftable. 

I would either expect that the crafting recipe will be a cured maple sapling, one or two cured guts, and an improvised knife for the head (seeing as how it looks in the game, it would make perfect sense to be a head for a spear, been saying that for ages) - or it will be a spearhead as a forgeable option on the furnace. Possibly the later, because of those two spikes on the sides.

That said, expect the weight to be somewhere around 1,5 to 2 kg.

(an amazing option, in my opinion, would be if the crafting recipe was the cured maple sapling, improvised knife, possibly scrap metal as well, and the cured guts - and if it did not require workbench. That way, it could be craftable in the wilds as an improvised weapon you would make in dire need of something to defend yourself with. Which completely screams "survival" - and seeing as how you can occasionally find improvised tools in HRV, it could be a weapon, craftable in that scenario without actually having to leave that region.)

 

[ThePancakeLady]

Wow. All of the times I looked at the picture of the spear, I missed the stops at the top of the shaft.  Without those, i would say i could still be a thrown spear, with very limited effectiveness and a great likelihood to just bounce off due to the squared spear head. But with stops... it doesn't have much, if any, effectiveness as a thrown weapon. Thrown spears do more damage because they penetrate deeply, and continue cutting and tearing as the person or animal keeps moving, moving the spear head inside of themselves. This would do damage, but the stops may keep it from sticking in deeply enough to not fall out. 

 

Planted or used to repeatedly stabby stabby through... death by flesh wounds (bleed out) with stabby stabby, planted- those stops would possibly keep the spear head embedded in the flesh, creating an anchor to hold the animal up off the ground, at least 2 of its feet, so it cannot get purchase to move forward or backward? (Honestly twitching thinking of how painful that death would be, and how long it may take... yikes...). But that would also mean that placing it properly to sink into a spot that would keep the animal's front feet off the ground would be essential.

 

Can't wait to see how it works, I've hunted with rifle, shotguns, handguns, bow & arrow and crossbow IRL... never hunted (or fished) using spears or any kind.

[Black_Bird]

For me it's gonna be the defensive option against bears/moose.

I think it as spear that is rare to found or hard to craft (lots of rare materials). The idea is that it can be used during the strugle with a bear to stop the strugling and apply a big bleeding effect on the bear who would die in 30min maybe ?

But to make this a balanced weapon it needs to have big cons to balance the pros (allows to kill a bear easily). 

My cons are:

-Rare to find/Hard to make  

-Only 1 or 2 utilisation by spear, the spear would be broke after those utilisation and unreparable. 

 

[fauxjargon]

7 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

Lets not ask that - you probably wont get an answer anyways - you know how folks from Hinterland like to keep things as a suprise.

That said, expect the weight to be somewhere around 1,5 to 2 kg.

 

 

Hah, you're probably right that I won't get an answer about Interloper availability.  I do hope that it is a craftable item rather than something you find, either way.

1.5 to 2 kg seems a little light for something so useful.  That's lighter than a heavy duty shovel, which I wouldn't trust to stop a bear ;).

[TheHunter280]

@Mroz4k Sorry, haven't seen the pic before, but by the pic it's clearly a boar spear with the broken tip and a thick shaft. You can throw that kind of spear with a very mild penetrating due to the broken tip but I can't tell if the shaft is wood or steel, I would prefer the former or else it will make one hell of a clumsy spear.

Boar spears have specifically wings because boars really fight back when impaled and to avoid them to closing up the distance, but yes it would limit the penetration when throwing.

Javelin are also used in spear hunting but broader spear heads became more prevalent when available, because they create bigger wounds.

Pikes are still very effective to dissuade the charge of any big mammals, any moose won't try to charge at their death but solo you'll prefer to have a 10 ft (3m) poll.

If it is a purely defensive I would not even bother to get one if it is to not take the initiative to throw it to hunt deers, unless if it's relatively light but a least we don't want to see it to be just a fending off reskin of torches with a poke.

[BESt]

47 minutes ago, TheHunter280 said:

@Mroz4k Sorry, haven't seen the pic before, but by the pic it's clearly a boar spear with the broken tip and a thick shaft. You can throw that kind of spear with a very mild penetrating due to the broken tip but I can't tell if the shaft is wood or steel, I would prefer the former or else it will make one hell of a clumsy spear.

Boar spears have specifically wings because boars really fight back when impaled and to avoid them to closing up the distance, but yes it would limit the penetration when throwing.

Javelin are also used in spear hunting but broader spear heads became more prevalent when available, because they create bigger wounds.

Pikes are still very effective to dissuade the charge of any big mammals, any moose won't try to charge at their death but solo you'll prefer to have a 10 ft (3m) poll.

If it is a purely defensive I would not even bother to get one if it is to not take the initiative to throw it to hunt deers, unless if it's relatively light but a least we don't want to see it to be just a fending off reskin of torches with a poke.

After googling it out, I found many boar spears which have a striking resemblance with the bear spear which will be implemented...

[Pillock]

I kind of hope this bear spear means they're going to fix the deer AI to stop them running at/through you when they're fleeing. 

If you're going to be able to hold up a spear to impale a charging bear or moose or wolf, it'll bring what is already a pretty dodgy behaviour in deer into sharper focus. 

[Ice Hole]

48 minutes ago, Pillock said:

fix the deer AI to stop them running at/through you when they're fleeing. 

The devs could allow the deer to make contact and cause damage, knock you down. 
It is a little less real because not too many deer take a run towards people trying to murder it.  From what I know they need to be a little frisky first. 

[TheEldritchGod]

I'm gonna stab me a bar'. I'm gonna stab thah bar' and cook'er up. That bar' gonna be in my belly.

Get in my belly, bar'. Get in my Belly.

[Fuarian]

On 12/7/2018 at 1:02 PM, BESt said:

I believe it will replace the rifle in story mode. And I am also hyped about it!

Most likely the case, but I do think that Jeremiah will give Mackenzie his rifle. 

[RossBondReturns]

On 12/10/2018 at 6:58 AM, fauxjargon said:

My guess:  Same mechanic as the rifle in the Old Bear hunt.  Click to brace the spear at the right moment as the Old Bear charges you.  If it works, he gets injured and runs, if not he mauls you.

No more mountain goating to a safe spot on the rocks and sniping the bear like a coward .

A coward?!

That's a sane hunters tactic. That's how hunting is supposed to work.

 

[Ice Hole]

8 hours ago, RossBondReturns said:

No more mountain goating to a safe spot on the rocks and sniping the bear like a coward .

As a professional Long Dark Mountain Goat this comment makes me offended!

The idea that we climb to snipe and we are cowards.  We LDMGs take to the mountain's knife edge to just get away from everything.  Not really hunting.  In our territory we never put up with predators either. 

I am hoping that the spear can be used like the fire brand and scare off the killers.

Happy Yule Tide!

[RossBondReturns]

I don't know why it quoted me as saying Mountain Goating was cowardly....Jeremiah's hunting tips are suicidal...Icehole you and I Mountain Goat all over the place.

I'll chalk it up to Quoting gone bad.

 

[ThePancakeLady]

Now I want the Cougar in the game even more... thinking the bear spear might be a somewhat effective defensive weapon against one as well, if you carry it while traveling, and are attacked from above.

And looking at the header for the update (look at the studio accounts on Twitter...), it looks like the spear may not be replacing the rifle in Wintermute, as suggested in this thread. You see Will's back, obviously his Jackrabbit Transport coat, with a spear and a rifle slung over his shoulders.And one really Grumpy Old Bear on a rock to the left, wolves to the right. I get the feeling that we will need both for the bear quest, possibly? We should all know that bear attacks in Survival Mode usually result in a rifle being dropped or lost, perhaps we finally get to have something to fight back with...

[Black_Bird]

I predicted, if you look in the trailer that just when out, the bear spear is used as a defensive option I WAS RIGHT 

[Ice Hole]

On 12/15/2018 at 10:31 PM, RossBondReturns said:

I don't know why it quoted me as saying Mountain Goating was cowardly....

I looked for the source of the other quote and could not find it.  Then I quoted the quote in your post and that one tube got mixed up with the other tube.  Even though they are the same tubes.  How can they be mixed,  if they are all the same tubes?

Intertubes. Everywhere!

- T. Stevens

HAPPY   YULE  TIDE ! !