Reach is the quiet half of every melee exchange — the weapon with more of it threatens and lands first, and forces the shorter weapon to risk a step in to do anything at all. Gloria Victis measures reach in in-game "units", and the spread is wide: the longest two-hander out-reaches a dagger by more than four to one.
Most weapon styles cover a range of lengths rather than a single figure, because higher [tiers](/wiki/crafting-guides) of the same weapon run longer. A larger number always means a longer weapon.
Reach by weapon
Arranged short to long. Where a weapon shows a range, the lower figure is its earliest tier and the higher its longest.
| Weapon | Length (units) |
|---|---|
| Dagger | 2.9 |
| One-handed mace | 4.2 |
| One-handed axe | 4.2 – 4.6 |
| One-handed sword | 5.3 – 6.4 |
| Two-handed sword | 6.0 – 7.6 |
| Two-handed hammer | 7.1 – 7.5 |
| Glaive | 7.8 – 8.2 |
| Two-handed axe | 8.2 |
| Guisarme | 8.3 – 8.9 |
| Bardiche | 8.9 |
| One-handed spear | 9.5 |
| Lordly Haven Halberd | 11.0 |
| Two-handed spear | 10.3 – 11 |
| Hordun Spear | 11.0 |
| Two-handed lance | 13 |
Two rows are specific named weapons rather than whole styles — the Lordly Haven Halberd and the Hordun Spear — and both sit at the long end of their class.
What reach buys you
- Length controls spacing. The longer weapon sets the distance; the shorter one has to close through the danger zone to land at all. See Dueling & Footwork.
- Reach trades against speed and the side cut. The longest arms — the spears and the lance — swing slowly and barely cut to the left and right (×0.5); they live on the thrust. See Two-Handed Weapons.
- Short means fast. The dagger is barely 2.9 units, but it's the quickest weapon in the game — its game is to get inside a long weapon's guard, not to out-range it. See One-Handed Weapons.
- The polearm wall. A rank of long spears and halberds can strike — and brace charging cavalry — before the enemy ever reaches them, which is what makes the shieldwall hold.