Quote Originally Posted by ReluctantSamurai View Post
That depends on how you use them. Spears and halberds have a longer reach than any other weapon and so you will get a "first strike" capability. By the time my character heads for Dagoth Ur, and all the way through Tribunal and Bloodmoon (Nord female, usually) I carry only four weapons in inventory: Spear of Bitter Mercy, Daedric Crescent, Sunder, and the Auriel Bow. With a spear skill of 100, and strength enhanced well over 150, I get a knockdown effect with Bitter Mercy at least 50% of the time and long before those wussy short-sword maniacs can lay so much as a finger on me. A quick switch to Sunder or the D. Crescent, and it's all over.

I agree with others......hopefully V will be a return to III in terms of immersiveness, complexity, and beauty.
Spears are only good on the thrust. Which you have to be walking forward or back to do. So beyond that first strike they are useless. Because the gap has been closed by then. And switching weapons in combat being such a pain in Morrowind, best to have the weapon you intend on using the whole slugfest equipped from the start. And great swords also have the range bonus. Hence polearms in an ES game are useless. Too dificult to use and completely redundant.