I love polearms, can I just say? So the spear's appearance in manhunts and the way Dream uses them got me so so hype. And clearly he likes them and is good with them, which had me considering making him a primary spear user in my head, but then in 6hunters he only made and used one in maybe the last third of the manhunt (this post absolutely inspired by this one and the discussion in the replies +addition to it, he never actually crafts a spear in 6hunters! He finds it in the end ship!)
So why would that be? It's a cheap weapon that's extremely effective for picking off hunters very quickly (as in, in one-ish hit) and can be used in a few different ways. It expands a player's hitbox, which makes it easier to use when moving very fast, and meshes well game play wise with both being chased and having better/faster movement than your opponents. The damage bonuses from momentum are devastating, and really hard to block against because the player (either one) is moving so fast. It can hit multiple targets and can hit through non solid blocks like cobwebs and grass (cobwebs which have become a standard in manhunt pvp, and grass/seagrass/etc. which have historically prevented hits that would've killed. Mostly on Dream, but still) Also it's rad as fuck
BUT there are a few reasons why the axe gets a permanent spot in Dream's 1 slot
I've been trying to figure out how Dream arranges his inventory and hotbar because it's fascinating to me, so here's a general overview.
The axe is a tool firstly, so it's automatically a lot more versatile. It quickly breaks all things wood, and with wood being a common building/parkouring block that little bit of extra speed helps. The spear can't be used to break at all because of the jab action
The only thing that can break shields (which are almost always used) are axes
Dream's an inventory stuffer, and having a spear takes up a space he could be using for something else. If he's not planning on doing combat, having a dedicated weapon on top of his axe and sword(which has become common) and bow is a bit of a waste. If he does have a spear, because it doesn't have a dedicated hotbar slot he has to take a second to move out of his inventory. It's a whole set up required, so it can be slow
There's more commitment with the spear. Not just with the inventory stuff, but because it requires the wielder to either jump for it, or stand their ground (plus all the other variations of how to build momentum)
A lot of manhunt combat is close quarters, or even underground/in tunnels. Spears are not good for that style. They require movement of some type, and work best in open areas/from height. It has a stationary attack, but the jab is not good (they do barely any damage and have a cool down). Plus, with a minimum range for hits, hunters can avoid it by getting close, and that helps them in fights
Related, but if you're dropping with it, you have to have a way to break your fall as it doesn't cancel fall damage when you hit with it. Dream took a lot of fall damage when doing the spear-boat clutch because he failed the boat clutch the second time
Dream is really really good at axe+shield combat. Not only that, but he's really comfortable with it. One of the biggest reasons that he's able to do a lot of his really cool plays is because he knows and trusts his skill set. He doesn't have to think through the motions of the stuff he has in muscle memory. Anytime you introduce something new, it'll take longer because you have to think about it more (I'm thinking about his crafting-a-boat clutch. Dream started falling, knew he didn't have anything to clutch with, knew he had wood in his inventory and where it was, knew or at that moment saw that there was a crafting table that would be within reach, and is so practiced and comfortable with all of the actions that lead to the clutch that his brain basically only needed to yell "BOAT" for his body to do the rest. muscle memory is a crazy thing man)
Overall, an axe and even a sword offer a lot more flexibility for the duration of a manhunt, whereas the spear is more niche. They shouldn't be banned despite the hunters' griping, in fact they should use them more themselves, there's 6 of them, surely one of them can spare an inventory slot. However, a lot of the reasons Dream didn't use them are gonna be the same for the hunters, as well as their personal fear-of-Dream factors. But still. keep the spear
