Short version at the top, details below for people who want to read more.

* Reworked distance skill.
- Minor buff to warriors
- Debuff to champions
- Minor buff to non-warrior non-champions who can wield polearms
* Two-handed weapons have a small benefit to bypassing distance
- This bonus is increased even more for Avenger paladins


The distance skill, used by polearm wielders as an extra form of defense, had a bit of a rework due to problems in it.

In reading the code, there were a few issues: people with pikeman's valor weren't getting the full benefit in all fights, warriors weren't getting any consideration that other polearm wielders were, and champions had their code misplaced in a way that was giving them the best distancing rate possible in all situations.

So let's hit each!

First, pikeman's valor. This edge helps you distance things, it's pretty great. It previously applied in most fights, but not all. Now it will apply in all fights, making the edge even more worthwhile.

Second, warriors. Warriors will find that they are going to distance slightly better than before.

Third, champions. Champions are unique because they neither get the DISTANCE nor SPIN skill, yet they are able to have those skills fire. Conveniently, the authors of this left a lot of notes in the code that made their intent clear. Spin was (and is) working fine - the rate is what it was originally meant to be. Distance wasn't. It was written to be exactly like spin, but due to how functions were clustered, it was getting applied at a point that was making it so Champions didn't have to worry about anything. Champions were reaching 163% in distance, meaning size didn't matter, you couldn't change their rate at all, etc.

As a result, champions will now distance similarly to how they would spin. This means you don't automatically, by virtue of wielding a polearm, distance better than anything else in the game. BUT you CAN still reach those rates - it just requires (as most skills do) that you maximize circumstance. Things of note to help you there so you don't feel lost: fend makes you distance better, and marshal phalanx makes you distance better. Other than that, all the usual distance improvements (like size) will modify you in a way as it would warriors or anyone else.

As a reminder, as champions never before had to think about this, the weapon of the person you are fighting will affect how well you distance. If they are also wielding a polearm you won't distance much, but if they are using hands/daggers or other "short range" weapons you'll be distancing more.

In all, the result is that you CAN still reach the max, but have to actually care about circumstances and details in the same way a warrior with a polearm would/does.