Halberds are long-reach polearm weapons. They appear in pre-release gameplay material as a two-handed option for keeping enemies at the end of the Druid's reach. Halberds favor patient play: poke from beyond an enemy's swing range, punish the windup, and pivot to defense when crowded.
Swing Profile
Long reach. Strikes from outside most enemy swing ranges.
Two-handed. No off-hand, no off-hand spell. Use slot 2 for ranged or magic flexibility.
Wide arcs. Sweeping swings catch grouped enemies more readily than a focused thrust.
Build Roles
Patient bruiser. Stay outside the threat zone, punish wind-ups.
Crowd control. Sweep arcs through groups before they can close.
Hybrid. Halberd on slot 1 for reach, daggers on slot 2 for tight-quarters cleanup.
Limits
Halberds are slow on recovery and clumsy in tight rooms where their reach becomes a liability. Spacing discipline is the skill that separates the class from a generic two-handed weapon. Halberd Druids should think carefully about which biomes and encounters reward the reach.
Spacing Discipline
Halberd play is a spacing puzzle. The reach lets the Druid strike from outside most enemy swing windows, but the recovery is long enough that a missed read leaves the polearm waving in open air. The class skill is reading enemy approach angles, walking the spacing line, and committing only when the enemy is fully exposed.
Sweep Arcs Versus Groups
The wide sweeping arcs of a halberd heavy attack catch grouped enemies more readily than a focused thrust. Against patrols of husks or skittering shortlings, a single sweep can land on several targets at once. This is part of why the class earns its keep against numbers despite the slow recovery.
Tight Quarters Weakness
Halberds are clumsy in tight rooms where the reach becomes a liability. The shaft hits walls, the sweep arc gets interrupted by columns or door frames, and the Druid loses the spacing advantage entirely. Halberd Druids should think carefully about which biomes and encounters reward the reach: open ancient battlegrounds yes, narrow crumbling sanctuaries interiors maybe not.
Two-Handed Trade
Like all two-handed weapons, halberds lock the Druid out of mid-combo spell-weave from the off-hand. Spells require a swap to slot 2 or a hand-free moment between strikes. A halberd Druid who wants ranged answers carries either a staff or a throw-dagger build on slot 2 instead of trying to cast through the polearm.