I've done some PBF searching and have seen that there are a number of svirfs that have chosen polearm as a spec. From looking at the Pikeman's valor edge, it seems as if bigger is better for distance. Is distance determine by the disparity in size, where a reduced svirf/gnome would be good at distance, or would that just make it worse?

Just another question while I'm at it.... how would Pikeman's valor stack with reduce/Autumns Harvest?

If said short svirf polearm fellow had chosen autumn harvest, which would make him most defensive, Ward, Fires, or Dance?

Any of the above could be, depending on other information and the situation.

At 100% HP and with a weapon in your hand, probably Ward will block the most hits.

Dance looks good if you're unable to parry (no weapon, etc.) In other words, it probably does less for you than Ward under optimal conditions, but it does a lot more for you under bad conditions. It also looks better if your other spec is dagger, since more dodging equates to more concealed attacks.

The more wounded you get, the better Fires looks. If you're hurt enough, Fires is as good or better than having both Ward and Dance. If your fights tend to go right down to the wire it's easily the best choice. If you're inclined to run for the hills when you're at half health, it's probably not a great choice. If the truth it somewhere in between it's harder to call.

For distance, bigger is always better. (And always has been.)

I'm not really sure what all of those small pole specs have been doing, except in the sense that they might want a defensive spec and they're not especially better suited to sword or spear, and hey, charge set.

Ok. Bigger is better for distance. Got it.

Question #2:

Would a reduced svirf with Pikeman's valor and Autumn's Harvest defend better or worse? Would you get the same dodge benefits, plus a small advantage to distance (due to Pikeman's Valor) or would the size gain from Pikeman negate the dodginess from Autumn.

Thanks for the assist.

You'd get the best of both worlds, so to speak.

Question #3 - Can I get your tat, an extra spec, and two extra legacies please? I'll buy 20 PBF's!

j/k.

As far as I know it's the disparity in size between you and the target. So pikeman's valor for svirf = counter productive.

Autumn harvest makes you more dodgy, but would not have any bearing on distance. However, if you took polearm you'd parry well, distance, and with autumn you'd dodge like a dream. Highly, highly defensive.

Might consider dagger as a second spec, and take whispers. You could solo a lot of mobs that way.

Don't you think the low dex on a svirf would make daggers a bit rough? You figuring the svirf could quickly maledict, change to polearm and just sit there and dodge/parry/distance everything?

Seems I had a svirf dagger once upon a time. The problem that I had was not so much that the spec skills didn't work well for me, but rather that failed ones usually meant a blunt hit from a mob. (Your vuln)

Additionally, when I'd str drop someone enough they'd go h2h, and that sometimes didn't do me any favors. Sometimes, other times it was fine. I do think you could prep around this though, and that at hero it might not be so bad.

I was wrong about distance, so I'm not sure a svirf pole spec would be at all the way to go. Let me ask you this, do you want a svirf, or do you want a pole spec?

... and why they used to be chosen often, but not so much anymore.

I still think with Autumn one can be pretty good defensively. I thought mace/axe would make a fair 2nd spec. I can see daggers as being viable if they are just used for maledicting, then switch right back to polearm... who knows.

I really thought it was disparity in size that made polearms work, I guess svirfs are just naturally good tanks and pole makes them slightly better. If you add that up, maybe at one time it made people think of svirfs as being good pole specs.

Chop is certainly size based, this I know first hand. The bigger you are than the target, the more damage chop will do.

I have heard cutoff and entrap being something better for someone bigger, but I have no confirmation on this either.

If it were me, pole svirf doesn't sound good, honestly. I think I'd prefer spear, honestly. You lose charge set and cutoff, but gain impale. Couple that with something like mace or axe, and your starting to look really sweet. Autumn harvest will make you dodge like a champ, and coupled with defensive spin your going to tank like a dream. For added kick, take fires of adversity - the lower your hp, the better you'll do.

Hour past midnight + Balance of Sisters, proceed to maledict with offhand while tanking with exotic.

And give up Autumn's Harvest? Is it really worth it? What midget gives up Harvest?

And not sure I'd want to do it as a svirf...