I have not played NW, so I can only go off of what you said about it. That said, I long rifle with a bayonet on it is a far better infantry weapon than a sabre. A lance is also a far more lethal cavalry weapon. If you are stabbed through by a lance or bayonet in the torso or head, you would likely die from that one wound. That said, as a sabre is a slashing weapon, and good depth of cut cannot always be easily achieved (for instance, in the chest, of you do not work your way in between the ribs, you will likely only give a flesh wound that will not be lethal. (unless it gets infected) Also, Thick clothing, gear, etc. protects much better against a sabre wound than a stabbing wound from a lance of bayonet. While I do not agree that it should take four hits for someone to go down, I think two would be reasonable. I definitely would not rebalance the bayonets though, I would rebalance the sabres. The bayonets are not over-powered, the sabres are underpowered.
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