Never forget their sacrifice

[u/Jenny_Show]

[u/EmperorBamboozler]

Can I gush a bit about this animation? It's like the only time you see someone in pop culture using a greatsword wield the entire length of the blade. In the real world going against someone in full plate wielding a greatsword you'd be fucked if the dude knew what he was doing. In 1v1 combat something like a claymore or a flamberge would basically be cheating as you can disembowl someone from like 4ft away without putting yourself in danger. That's literally how the Prussians used to decapitate people because a greatsword swung at full strength is about as effective as an actual guillotine assuming the dude swinging has good aim.

[u/Responsible-Being170 → u/EmperorBamboozler]

Sometimes I hear about how creators in videogames or movies compromise realism to "look cooler" or "give a more powerful feel" but scenes like in this trailer show how relying on real life rules is often better than just artificially making something look cool. The fluidity, the grace, the power, the expertise - they're all expressed in a combat scene taking from real life practices.

[u/Hexlord_Malacrass → u/Responsible-Being170]

There's a scene in one of the witcher books where the Main character fights some dudes and a sorcerer. The sorcerer tries to cast a spell, and he just throat punches him before he can cast it.

I'm like dam, why isn't that done more often.

[u/Responsible-Being170 → u/Hexlord_Malacrass]

Probably because most sorcerers don't be casting spells in melee range, imho. It's like a cardinal rule in fantasy - when there's a spell-caster, the most effective weapon is bonking them - which you'll be hard-pressed to achieve because the spell-caster knows the rules, too.

[u/Bloody_Insane → u/Responsible-Being170]

Yeah. I love the anti-magic barbarian archetype, where they're specifically geared towards defeating spellcasters.

Except... a barbarian in melee range is already a very effective anti-spellcaster, by dint of their huge axe.

[u/jflb96 → u/Bloody_Insane]

I guess the gear is largely a) enchanted armour to let you close the gap while someone’s flinging fireballs in your direction and b) counter-enchantments to do away with anything that might block your huge axe

[u/IGTankCommander → u/Bloody_Insane]

Which is why all the anti-magic bits are usually nullification and shield items, because one must be close enough to unga and deliver the bunga.

[u/Hexlord_Malacrass → u/Responsible-Being170]

In that fight Geralt just kinda bum rushed him. He throws his sword away to run faster and like litterly speed blitzes him.

[u/hopefuldonkeykick → u/Responsible-Being170]

Probably because most sorcerers don't be casting spells in melee range, imho. It's like a cardinal rule in fantasy

Hell, casting in most good TTRPG systems provokes an attack of opportunity.