Got a Real-World Weapon or Armor Question? Mk. IX

[Spiryt]

When it comes to potential, yes.

I'm more of the "mass produced for the average soldier" paradigm guy when it comes to evaluating equipment, since conflicts are not decided by a handful of "heroes" and you probably have more barfights with accidental fatalities than duels.

The best possible combination of equipment and individual skill is a rather different question, I admit.

Battles through the a whole lot of medieval period and even well into the Renaissance and beyond were in fact being decided by a handful of "heroes" or maybe rather guys that had good idea what to do with their weapons.

From Huscarls of Germano Saxonic rulers, trough knights and heavy infantry, tercios, Swiss pike squads and landsknechts, Hussars and so on, battles were more often than decided by relatively small, at least on the bigger scale, group of professional or semi professional fighters.

Masses of levies, pages, peasants, camp followers and other guys with spear or some other stuff were in majority of cases filling up the field providing necessary numbers of opposing steel.

The best possible combination of equipment and individual skill is a rather different question, I admit

That's easy - best possible combination is best skills and best equipment.