I am playing a d32 fighter a bit in the low to mid levels and currently I can:
Rush a target, strike it, and get another free attack
Use assault to attack 3 times
Total combo: The target gets one action, you get to attack 4 times (one shield attack, one 120% dmg rush attack, and two critical strikes!)
I do not usually play fighters, but from my limited experience with them I feel that fighters can really use a 1-h weapon attack tree. this might help increase overall damage (while maintaining all the tactical options from the shield skills).
Why do they have the 2h weapon options anyway? They are completely incompatible with the two shield trees. Why do they have archery? It is completely useless (unless someone corrects me and tells me they actually spend a category point in it?).
I must say fighters are fun to play, with great tactical skills (repulsion daze is really nice with good positioning) and movement options like rush and especially step up. Bleeding edge seems to be the only good damage talent other than assault. Still, that does not mean rush and assault are balanced skills.
Off the top of my head, here is a potential idea to replace archery and 2h weapon with:
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Throw weapon
range=2+talent level. You throw your weapon at the enemy and it returns like a boomerang, doing 120%-150% weapon damage.
Go for the troat
You strike at the neck, damaging 120-150% and silencing the target for 1 turn
Go for the eyes
You lunge your weapon at the head, dealing a critical hit and blinding the target for two turns.
Leg smash
You swing your weapon at the legs dealing damage and immobilizing it for 2 turns.
Against archers that run, use rush+leg smash, add something more, if they run throw your weapon to finish them
Against warriors, use rush and go for the eyes.
Although it is clearly thematic, maybe we can remove the 10% attack speed penalty from precise strikes? -20% damage -10 attack speed seems like to much of a burden. (it is not like you will notice the 10% attack speed in terms of game mechanics, it just slows you down a bit => makes you take more damage, and that goes against everything fighters stand for)