The current dominant Spear meta in Throne and Liberty is soon going to face its demise with the introduction of Tier 2 gear. If you've been following the game's community closely, you may have noticed the recent surge of tryhard guilds stacking Spear users as their main damage dealers. In group PvP, this meta has been dominating, with many guilds opting for compositions consisting of two healers, two tanks, and two Spear damage dealers. However, this trend will likely come to an end as Tier 2 drops, bringing new gear and new challenges. Let’s break down why the Spear build, particularly in its current state, is about to face a significant setback, and what this means for your gameplay strategy.

Why is the Spear Meta Dominating in Tier 1?

Before diving into the specifics of how things are going to change, it’s important to understand why Spear is so powerful in the current Tier 1. The Spear heavily relies on key abilities like Javelin Inferno, Thunder Spirit, and Lightning Infusion, which synergize to deliver insane multi-target damage. However, there is a catch: these abilities depend on hitting your primary target. If you miss your target, you won’t deal any damage, and the multi-target bounces won’t occur.

Other classes like the Staff or Longbow don't have this limitation. Their multi-target abilities will hit everyone in a designated area, regardless of whether or not they land on the primary target. In contrast, a missed Javelin Inferno results in zero damage, making Spear dependent on accurate targeting. Even with five Spears to throw, a single missed Javelin can render the entire attack ineffective.

However, in Tier 1, this is manageable. With the right gear and a high hit chance, players can stack a hit rate that gives them a significant chance to avoid missing their target, especially if they’re stacking buffs and items that boost hit chance. Many players opt to stack hit chance with Enforcer buffs, allowing them to reach impressive numbers like 1,700 hit chance, mitigating some of the risks of missing their attacks.

But there is a counter to this: Melee Evasion. By stacking melee evasion, players can significantly reduce their chances of being hit by Spear attacks, forcing Spear users to stack even more hit chance to compensate. In Tier 1, evasion is not as much of a problem because it’s harder to reach the required evasion thresholds to counter Spear builds effectively. But with Tier 2 gear, everything is about to change.

The Shift in Tier 2: New Gear, New Challenges

When Tier 2 drops, everything changes. Tier 2 will introduce new gear that allows players to stack hit chance and evasion to previously unachievable levels. Here’s where Spear users will run into trouble.

In Tier 2, hit chance is going to skyrocket. You can easily stack hit chance to around 2,000, and with the right gear, it may even be possible to push this number to 2,500. However, the real game-changer will be the amount of Melee Evasion that can be stacked. As of now, Melee Evasion is already a formidable stat, but Tier 2 will allow players to stack over 3,000 melee evasion, making it extremely difficult for Spear users to land their Javelin Inferno on the primary target.

The problem is that this doesn’t just hurt Spear builds; it also affects all other physical melee damage classes that rely on landing consistent hits to deal damage. However, for Spear users, this is especially devastating because, unlike other multi-target abilities, missing your primary target means missing your entire ability chain. If your Javelin Inferno doesn’t hit, you won’t get the multi-target bounces that are the hallmark of the Spear’s effectiveness.

Moreover, while other classes, like Greatsword or Crossbow, have better options to stack hit chance with passive skills and gear (such as 400+ free hit chance from passive skills), Spear builds simply don’t have that luxury. Without this extra layer of accuracy, Spear users will often find themselves at a severe disadvantage when facing players with high evasion stacks.

The Spear’s Decline in Tier 2

With the upcoming Tier 2 gear and the ability to stack over 3,000 evasion, the chances of a Spear user hitting their target are going to be much lower. It’s not uncommon for Spear builds to miss up to 50% of the time, especially against well-built evasion-focused players. When this happens, the Spear user’s entire ability is effectively mitigated, rendering them much less effective in combat. To enhance their chances, players may need to invest in Throne and Liberty Lucent, which could provide essential boosts to accuracy. While Spear builds will still shine in mob clearing and open-world dungeons, their performance in group PvP will suffer significantly. The ability to deal large multi-target damage won’t be enough to compensate for the inability to reliably hit the primary target in battle. Group PvP will become far more difficult as enemies stack evasion, and your chances of landing your critical multi-target damage will plummet.

Alternatives to Spear: What to Play in Tier 2?

If you’ve been using Spear and are concerned about the upcoming changes in Tier 2, it might be time to consider other builds. Greatsword and Crossbow are viable alternatives, particularly for players looking for high single-target damage. These builds can stack additional hit chance and still perform consistently well against enemies, even those with high evasion stacks. In fact, Crossbow + Dagger is expected to become a dominant build in Tier 2 due to its ability to rapidly clear enemies with high burst damage.

For those considering making the switch, Greatsword offers reliable burst damage against single targets, with the added benefit of scaling hit chance more effectively than Spear. Crossbow, on the other hand, is extremely effective in both single-target and ranged combat but will require specific gear like the Arch Boss Weapon to truly shine. These builds might lack the raw multi-target damage of Spear, but they make up for it with their versatility and effectiveness in both single-target and AoE situations.

Conclusion: Is It Time to Reroll?

Should you reroll your character before Tier 2 lands? It’s ultimately up to you, but it’s clear that Spear will become less viable once Tier 2 introduces more evasion stacking and improved hit chance gear. Spear users will need to adapt and find ways to overcome the new evasion-focused meta, but it will be tough. If you’re enjoying Spear now, you should definitely take advantage of its current power, but be prepared for a shift in the upcoming Tier 2. For those considering a reroll, you may want to look into cheap TnL Lucent from MMOEXP to help bolster your new build. If you’re more focused on long-term performance, you might want to consider switching to builds like Greatsword or Crossbow for a more reliable PvP experience in Tier 2. Regardless of your choice, one thing is for sure: Tier 2 is going to shake up the meta, and it’s up to you to stay ahead of the curve!

MMOexp Throne and Liberty Team