[MattStro]

..Will people look down on me if I am using a spear as a warrior? I'll probably level warrior to 30 and then go dragoon is the only reason I'd use a spear..If this has been discussed I am really sorry...just point me in the right direction

[lionx]

Axe/GAxe preffered as WAR, you can lvl spear just fine in DRG without any lag.

[UnnamedGalka]

I would highly recommend that you don't use a spear when you level WAR. Use Axe and Great Axe.

Once you start leveling DRG, then use spears. Your spear skill will cap out every level very quickly...trust me.

[Tomatoes]

Ideally, it's nice to have all your weapons levelled as WAR. Practically speaking, going with spear won't matter if you're stopping at 30. The skill gaps between A and B or even C weapons aren't that dramatic. And you will be able to open the ever popular (and possibly overused) Distortion SC at those levels. Some people might question you. But like I said, it's not a huge deal.

People might be more concerned if you admit you're doing it so you can pick up DRG. j/k! ;D

[bikkebakke]

If you really want to level up polearm before you switch do DRG, I would just use axe and g axe up to the 30, then get a polearm and run around killing stuff in La Theine Plateau or Konschtat Highlands. Once it's up to about level 30 or so, you can stop. This will give you enough levels in polearm to take your DRG to partying levels where you will be able to keep your skill capped immediately after each level.

[Armando]

Ideally, it's nice to have all your weapons levelled as WAR. Practically speaking, going with spear won't matter if you're stopping at 30. The skill gaps between A and B or even C weapons aren't that dramatic. And you will be able to open the ever popular (and possibly overused) Distortion SC at those levels. Some people might question you. But like I said, it's not a huge deal.

The difference is quite noticeable when it comes to WS, though...Shield Break and Sturmwind are both incredible. Double Thrust is always good damage, but Sturmwind is always stronger. Double Thrust may outdamage Shield Break's damage, but Shield Break increases damage by more than enough to make up for the difference by decreasing the mob's Evasion by a lot. And for two-handers, most spears are relatively weak, and we can't use lances...

Honestly, noone's going to chastise you for it, but there's no reason for it. Like the others have said, it's VERY easy to take it up to 40-50 on too weak/easy mobs once you've hit level 30, and once you're partying it literally caps itself and keeps itself capped. Just bear in mind that WAR isn't a stepping stone for other jobs, it's a job all to itself. DRG's Staff skill is B, but you wouldn't want a DRG using staves in EXP parties to cap it for his mage jobs, would you? If I invite a WAR and he shows up with something that isn't an axe or great axe, I won't chew him up (that'd just be rude) but I WOULD be sorely disappointed. I highly recommend you use Great Axe...you'll be doing yourself - and your party members - a huge favor.

[Tomatoes]

Well, I can't really comment on Double Thrust vs Sturmwind up to lvl 30 on WAR, since I went only with Axe/Gax/Swd at those levels. But I still feel the difference to that point is marginal and less than the difference generated by equipment stat bonuses and food. Meh, maybe I'll try and test a little next time I farm anima.

A little OT here, but I've always felt the various breaks were a bit overrated. If you're grouping with competent DDs, they shouldn't need you to Break for them. The only times I've felt compelled to use Breaks were in crappy PTs where the other DDs couldn't hit effectively.

[lionx]

To me personally i find Sturmwind to be a very powerful WS, more powerful than just about any other WS at that time and i always champion WAR to be superior DD 1-30 if geared with GAxe. Closing Frag at those levels with a WAR is totally crazy.

About the Breaks...its like one of the quotes...

Good gear doesn't make a bad player good, it makes a good player better.

In this case, Breaks dont make a bad player good, it makes a good player better. No party needs Breaks, but it always helps, just like you dont need a BRD or RDM to have a party post 41, but it sure damn helps alot(maybe not to that effect, but analogy is the same).

[Armando]

Double Thrust and Sturmwind are technically the same thing, but a Great Axe will always have a lot more DMG on it than a Spear, and we can't use lances. And no, Breaks are rarely a necessity, but they're always extremely helpful. When you can bring down an IT mob that would normally high High Evasion all the way down to Low Evasion with a little help from Gravity, while everyone else is free to use meat dishes and Berserk, the damage starts racking up fast on everyone, and so does the TP. Plus, you can close Fusion with them.

[Tomatoes]

Hmm, well, I think the highest consistent damage you can get up to then is SA-Fast Blade. I still have my doubts about Shield Breaking being "extremely helpful."

1) Nobody should be fighting something that cons IT++ at those levels.

2) The BRD or RDM analogy is off. A single WS doesn't compare to the host of buffing/debuffing capabilities of an entire job slot.

3) Breaking should be done early on in the fight, and is a little pointless when the mob is half dead already. Unless of course it took 2 min to get it down halfway, because the party was unwisely fighting high IT. High raw damage on the other hand is almost always useful. Things may not always go accordingly. You may have enough TP at the start of some battles, and you might not on others. And there's also the issue of missing. Miss Sturmwind? Ok, that sucks, but you can build up and do it again. If your PT is relying on you to Break to help bring the mob from "taxing" to "manageable," then there's a problem.

Edit: Anyway, back to the OP. Yes, people mightl look down on you. Me included, but that's because WAR is my favorite job (although I have personally witnessed Spear WAR used effectively by highly experienced players, so it's still best to observe before judging). However, most people will not mind greatly or hold it against you in the long run, especially since there is already a precedent for less than ideal setups. I like to call it the Valkurm Precedent (tm). bikkebakke gave pretty good advice. I suggest you follow it.

[sanjito]

so as you can see you need to use what the others said or else you may get dropped from a party. but i say use what you want. no need to be a cookie cutter war. yeah i know that those weapons (axe/Gaxe) are better then a spear/lance. but if thats what you want to use try them out. no reason you cant expirement the best weapon for you.

[Armando]

1) Nobody should be fighting something that cons IT++ at those levels.

2) The BRD or RDM analogy is off. A single WS doesn't compare to the host of buffing/debuffing capabilities of an entire job slot.

3) Breaking should be done early on in the fight, and is a little pointless when the mob is half dead already. Unless of course it took 2 min to get it down halfway, because the party was unwisely fighting high IT. High raw damage on the other hand is almost always useful. Things may not always go accordingly. You may have enough TP at the start of some battles, and you might not on others. And there's also the issue of missing. Miss Sturmwind? Ok, that sucks, but you can build up and do it again. If your PT is relying on you to Break to help bring the mob from "taxing" to "manageable," then there's a problem.

People LOVE ITs at those levels. They either don't know their limits, don't understand that chaining is better, or simply want to see big numbers in their EXP after each fight. What's the problem with using Shield Break early on, anyways? Besides, missing a Shield Break is ridiculously hard. And, the thing is, even if you stick to high VTs and low ITs, they still have a good deal of evasion over your accuracy. Shield Break will always help unless you're chaining Ts. In fact, Shield Break helps the most on ITs, as you can hit them reliably for good damage. Of course, it's not the end-all WS, if you've got a DRK to skillchain with and a BLM to MB Thundaga/Thunder II, of course Sturmwind for Fragmentation will be overkill too. The thing is, it'd only take two more hits from you for Shield Break to match the damage from Sturmwind, and if Evasion -40 can't grant you enough accuracy to hit an extra two times, something's wrong. Not just that, but the other two melees will also be hitting more often, bringing the total damage done as a result of Shield Break higher than that of Sturmwind's, bursts aside. Again, I'm not saying it's the solution to everything, but you'd think with such an enormous debuff (that also carries some decent damage) it'd be used more often.

[Sevv]

War with spears hit hard people dont look down on em

[Kagerou]

The dmg/accuracy is a issue, but the big issue of using spears for a War is that well, when u decide to lvl War seriously, you are gonna be finding yourself in trouble skilling up BOTH your gaxe and axe.

[Jenifa]

when lfp put that use use spear in your search comment. The PT leader may be wanting a warrior as they usually use axe or great axe. If you turn up for PT and dont have the 2 main weapons for warrior skilled - that could mean no SC for the BLM and therefore a mediocre PT rather than a good PT.

@ level 30 you will lose 4 attack and accuracy by opting for spear over axe or great axe also. So you may have to spend extra money on your equips so that you can keep up TP gain with your SC partner.