Originally posted by lordfadooboo:

i feel ive been misunderstood. im not really talking about whether its viable or not. im talking about the idea that given its gameplay functionality, should this really be a "spear", and not have a different model and name that would be more fitting of its functionality.

Other than the problem of terminology, pedantics, issue how language has evolved that what qualifies as spear and related concepts or variants thereof that exists in various forms all over the world throughout different eras and whatnot (and human habit of wanting to categorise everything on top of how things do not necessarily translate directly to something and problems of translating ye olde languages too), there is nothing wrong with the concept of spear itself in Valheim other than musing the concept hybrid of javelin that sacrifices some of javelin functions to work as better melee weapon was not necessarily the most common, but hardly impossible either. Same goes with the whole under\overhand problem. Both are perfectly valid means of using spears, it is really question what kind of spear it is exactly and whatnot that how suitable it is, since you sure wouldn't use a pike with one hand but you definitely could use (lighter) lance with one hand regardless is it on horseback or on foot.

I mean would you say left foot braking is invalid in motorsports just because it's not exactly something most people would use in civilian traffic?

Mechanically the issue is mostly it ironically hits worse below you than atgeir does in spite of what its animation suggests.