Difference between revisions of "Swordmaster Guide"

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Foreword

Swords are the bread-and-butter of Spiral Knights, but to utilize them to their greatest potential, one must study them in great detail. Specializing as a Swordmaster is very fun due to the fact that you can easily deal vast amounts of damage. In most fights, swords are the fastest way of getting rid of single enemies or small groups. Using swords the right way will allow you to face nearly any danger in the game.

Introduction

A Swordmaster's most effective technique is the use of shielding. Swords remain the top damage-dealers in-game, but using them puts oneself in close proximity a wide array of enemies; this makes skillful use of the shield even more important for sword bearers. If one fights recklessly, one may find oneself quickly dying in many situations. Spiral Knights should familiarize themselves with the information in the Shieldbearer Guide, and especially with the technique of shield bumping.

It is equally important for a Swordmaster to keep attack patterns in mind. A Swordmaster needs to memorize the timing/rhythm of enemy attack patterns as well as how to break them. Doing so will enable a Knight to land as many hits as possible. Attack patterns are best memorized through first-hand experience.

Of course, it is essential for all Spiral Knights to familiarize themselves with the concept of damage. There are four damage types: normal, piercing, elemental, and shadow. Having three swords with damage corresponding to monsters is a great advantage for a Swordmaster. While good old Calibur and its big brothers are good enough to handle almost every monster in Clockworks, specialized swords are better against specific threats.

Control Scheme

Control schemes are important for every swordsman. Having quick access to weapon-switching and shielding is important. Here is an example of a good control scheme for a Swordmaster:

Techniques

A good Swordmaster should put evasion as his top priority during battle; remember, you can always land another hit later! You could also let your friends finish a monster by themselves. Health is important, especially when going up against a great amount of enemies. Defense always comes first, except in a few specific situations (such as killing healing enemies such as the Gremlin Menders.

When facing a huge mob of enemies, a good attack pattern would be to:

Wait for enemy to come in range -> Attack once -> Shield and retreat -> Repeat

You can avoid having to attack before charging your weapon by using this pattern:

Shield -> Hold attack key -> Un-shield.

(See shield charge for more information.)

Slow two-hit swords have a wide swing; so, before attacking try to position and angle yourself to hit as many enemies as possible. This is sometimes easier with auto-targeting turned off (so you can aim between monsters rather than at one in particular), so make sure you bind the toggle to a convenient key.

Cutters, Spurs, Flourishes and Thorn Blades make you move a lot while attacking which can be both a blessing or a curse. This allows you to dodge hits while attacking, but in some cases can put you in danger or make you run into spikes. Autotargeting is quite useful while using them (especially for Flourishes), as it makes it easier to follow enemies with consecutive attacks, but can make it difficult to target small enemies (such as Silkwings) that are nearby larger ones.

Advanced Techniques

There are several subtleties in the mechanics and controls for swordplay in Spiral Knights that can be exploited to your advantage with a little practice.

Beat

The final attack of a sword combo generally does more damage than the attacks leading up to it, and may also have a larger hit area or greater knockback. While you can always begin a new combo, sometimes you really want to get that finisher, and the enemy just isn't in the right place.

Well, you don't need to attack as fast as possible to perform a combo; you can wait a fraction of a second between attacks and still build towards your finisher. Most enemies try to move towards nearby knights. If you notice an enemy is slightly out of range when you are ready to perform your next attack, waiting a beat will often give the monster enough rope to hang itself, allowing it to blunder into your attack range just before you complete your combo.

This can be especially handy when you see the enemy charging an attack, if you have a finisher capable of interrupting them or knocking them out of range before their attack goes off. Alternately, many enemies move forward while making an attack, and waiting a beat may be the difference between missing them as you step into their kill zone and letting them whiff before you strike.

Lunge

If you hold down your attack button after making any sword attack, you will begin charging for a charge attack. If you release the button while you are charging but before charging is completed, you will perform a normal attack instead. If you release at just the right time, the release attack will continue your previous combo instead of starting a new one.

The trick is this: unlike while performing a combo, while charging an attack, you can move. If you continue a combo by holding the attack button and then releasing it with correct timing (rather than pressing it a second time, as normal), you can move up to one square in any direction between attacks without breaking your combo.

This can be done between any two attacks in a sword combo. However, because it relies on holding down the attack button when making the previous attack, a lunge cannot be performed before and after the same attack--you can do it at most once every two attacks.

Shield Cancel

Shield canceling is a general technique usable with all weapons, but sword users gain the greatest benefits, because they can use it to change which attacks are included in a combo.

Weaponry

Generally, swords have either Normal or split Normal and other damage. This prevents swordsmen from taking as much advantage of damage types as gunners can, but the bonuses are still quite significant. The only exception are the Flourishes and Thorn Blades which deal pure Piercing damage which allows them to greatly outdamage other swords while fighting enemies vulnerable to Piercing.

Still, it is a good idea to carry three swords with different damage types and alternate for different enemies.

Slow Swords

Slow Swords are ones that have 2 hit combos: Divine Avenger, Gran Faust, Sudaruska and Triglav. These swords have wide attacks with long range and good knockback, but they are very slow. Attack speed increases, be it from UVs or gear, will help greatly when using these swords. The second strike of these swords have a moment afterwards when the player is vulnerable and cannot shield. Attack speed increases can shorten this time, however there are some situations where it will always be better to use the first strike only and shield cancel.

Divine Avenger

Probably the most popular and impressive endgame sword, DA is a split Normal/Elemental Sword. Its charge is very useful for a Swordsman because it gives them a powerful ranged attack, great for crowds of enemies or distant Gun Puppies, but the swing itself deals even more damage (nearly doubled 2nd hit damage).

• Divine Avenger

Be Aware

• Is able to hit otherwise inaccessible enemies/blocks by charge attacks
• Projectile blades from charge attack make some enemies dodge or shield

Gran Faust

Gran Faust is a Normal/Shadow damage version of the Divine Avenger. It is currently the only weapon capable of dealing Curse, the most powerful status effect, with its second strike or charge. Unlike the Divine Avenger, then Gran Faust's charge shoots one large blade instead of three smaller ones. This makes it more useful on single enemies or tightly clumped groups, but far less effective at crowd control. The charge also has an approximately 1/3 chance of cursing the user. While the curse time (usually 40 seconds) and amount of weapons cursed can be reduced with curse-resistant gear, the charge attack is often not worth using unless you are confident that the curse will wear off before needing to attack again.

• Gran Faust

Be Aware

• Can Curse both opponents and you (with charge)
• Undead and Fiends (excluding Greavers and Silkwings) are immune to Curse

Sudaruska

The Sudaruska deals pure Normal damage. While slower than the Divine Avenger and Gran Faust, its swings provide more knockback. Its charge attack is an overhead swing with good AoE range and massive knockback, and may also stun struck enemies. It causes rocks to erupt from the ground around the area you strike, but they do not appear to deal extra damage.

• Sudaruska

Triglav

Triglav is the final form of the alternate Troika (Grintovec) line, and freezes enemies instead of stunning them. It can cause freeze with both the second hit of the combo and the charge attack. Its charge attack is similar to Sudaruska, but creates a patch of ice instead.

• Triglav

Be Aware

• If an opponent is frozen by an attack, it won't be knocked back.

Average speed Swords

They follow 3-hit combo pattern, with third hit usually knocking enemies over and/or interrupting attacks.

Leviathan Blade

The Calibur is a good choice for beginning knights - they deal Normal damage and have the same attack pattern that Proto Sword does, with the addition of a powerful 360 spin attack charge with great damage and knockback. Normal damage makes them equally good against all enemies. Its charge attack is useful for dealing out damage or dispersing a crowd of enemies, and can deal heavy damage to stationary monsters such as Gun Puppies. The Leviathan Blade is recommended over the Cold Iron Vanquisher as a general use sword, as it deals more damage overall, and the charge attack provides far more knockback.

• Leviathan Blade

Be Aware

• Charge attack will strike static enemies three times
• Charge attack has huge knockback and may throw enemies at your allies

Cold Iron Vanquisher

The Cold Iron Vanquisher, compared to the Leviathan Blade, provides a damage bonus against Undead in trade for less damage against every other monster type. The charge attack also provides far less knockback than the Leviathan Blade, however, this can be useful in some cases as it is far easier to strike enemies with every hit of the charge attack.

• Cold Iron Vanquisher

Be Aware

• Deals less damage than Leviathan Blade despite appearing to have the same attack power
• Charge attack strikes enemies multiple times in exchange for poor knockback

Combuster/Glacius/Voltedge

The Brandish is a versatile sword, able to be upgraded into various different alchemy paths. The Combuster, Glacius, and Voltedge deal Normal/Elemental damage and may inflict their respective status effect with their charge attacks. The charge attack consist of explosions which number and chance of triggering increase with each upgrade. There is no clear "best" choice between the three, as they only differ in which status effect their charge applies. Some users will opt to use a Brandish as alternate to Divine Avenger for Firestorm Citadel, in which case either Voltedge or Glacius is preferred.

• Combuster
• Glacius
• Voltedge

Be Aware

• Combuster can ignite Oilers with the charge attack
• Glacius can refreeze Ice Cubes with the charge attack
• Voltedge can electrify Quicksilvers with the charge attack

Acheron

Unlike the other 5* Brandishes, Acheron inflicts Normal/Shadow damage and lacks a status effect. Otherwise, its attack patterns are identical. The Acheron is a popular choice to use against the Royal Jelly as its speed will allow great damage and quick shielding. Unfortunately, it lacks the Curse status so Gran Faust can still be more useful than Acheron in the battle despite being riskier to use.

• Acheron

Be Aware

Cautery Sword

The runt of the litter, the Cautery Sword is a pure Normal damage Brandish that does not upgrade past 3* and lacks explosions or status effects during the charge. Its only apparent upside, the high damage bonus against Slime, is made completely useless as even the 3* Nightblade will deal more damage on Slimes. It is highly recommended to avoid this sword completely.

• Cautery Sword

Be Aware

• This sword's one use is done far better by the Acheron

Fang of Vog

Currently the most difficult sword to obtain, the Fang of Vog has a chance of causing Strong Fire with all three hits and its charge attack. The Fang of Vog deals Normal/Elemental, and its normal attack is both slower and weaker than all other 5* average speed swords, making the Combuster outclass it for normal use. However, where the Fang of Vog truly shines is its charge attack. Similar to the Leviathan Blade, it is a 360 swing with great knockback. While risky to use due to the chance of setting the user on fire, it provides both better range and far more damage than the Leviathan Blade's charge. The damage is so great that it can one-hit many enemies, especially solo, and can make boss fights much easier. The Royal Jelly in particular is made a breeze with the Fang of Vog.

• Fang of Vog

Be Aware

• This sword's charge attack is incredibly powerful, but may set fire to the user
• Avoid this sword if you do not plan on using the charge attack, as its normal swings are outdone by other 5* swords

Fast Swords

Fast swords have various patterns, but the common feature is their exceptional speed. If you are using a fast sword, it is adviseable that you turn off auto-aim because this feature can cause you to be thrust into floor hazards by your own attacks. With auto-aim off a fast sword is much safer but it also requires some skill at aiming. I would reccomend that former (or hybrid) gun users use this technique if they wish to use a sword.

Cutter

This sword is second (after Calibur) most popular beginner sword. It has low damage, but hits very, very fast, and the Vile Striker and Dread Venom Striker, it's 4* and 5* versions, are capable of poisoning enemies which increases damage they receive. It is a very good sword for T1 and T2, but in T3 it's overly aggressive playing style requires much more skill to use safely. It is not recommended to take the Wild Hunting Blade upgrade because Poison is far more useful and the attack gain from the blade isn't really worth the status sacrifice.

• Cutter

Be Aware

• Can make you walk into Floor hazards.
• Dangerous to use in endgame

(These issues can be counteracted by player skill)

Flourish

Flourishes are excellent swords for every Swordmaster that has trouble with Fiends or Beasts. They have the same damage as their Calibur counterparts but are faster. Their attack pattern allows you to follow enemies as they dodge, and enabling autofire helps you dance around the battlefield decimating whole groups of Devilites. Their second attack is able to interrupt Greavers, third even Trojans. It is not recommended to upgrade it to Rigadoon or Flamberge because they have nearly 20% less damage than pure Flourishes and the chance to Stun or Fire is below 10%. Flourishes charge attack is extremely powerful, but rarely useful - it's main use is against a group of devilites or single Trojan which can barely survive such attack.

• Flourish

Be Aware

• Thrusts have long range and can make you enter Floor hazards.

Snarble Barb The Snarble Barb is identical to Flourish, except for the charge attack. Snarble Barb shoots multiple spikes which makes it better for crowds, but worse for single enemies (unless all spikes hit a single enemy). It is also harder to obtain good UV's because it is a boss reward.

• Snarble Barb

Be Aware

• Thrusts have long range and can make you enter Floor hazards.

Spur The Spur line has a basic combo which is similar to the Calibur or Brandish lines, except that each slash will propel the user forwards a fair distance. At 4*, each slash also causes a small projectile to appear. The charge attack of the Spur line is a backstep followed by a strong slash which fires a projectile that deals low damage; the charge attack can have it's aim adjusted at any point until the slash occurs, and can be shield cancelled.

• Spur

Be Aware

• Each attack causes a high level of movement and can easily throw the user into traps.
• Once the line reaches 4*, the projectiles that are added cause enemies that have reactions to bullets to use said reactions. This is a minor drawback when fighting those enemies.
• There currently isn't a 5* form of this line.

Armor

While these are not all the options available, sword specialist or simply those who favor swords will often choose either a full or mixed Wolver set, which provides a low sword bonus on each piece. This is fairly simple up until 5*, where one must make the choice between Skolver and Vog Cub. While it is ideal for a sword specialist to possess both full sets, those who cannot yet afford this should conider the pros and cons of each.

Skolver

Skolver is the straight upgrade of the Wolver line, it protects against normal and piercing damage, gives resistance to Freeze and offers a medium sword damage bonus on each piece, offering a very high bonus when both pieces are equipped. When used with the Barbarous Thorn Shield, a maximum sword damage bonus will be obtained. While very good offensive armor, and excellent armor all around for the Royal Jelly Palace, its lack of elemental defense, attack speed increases, and fire resistance can make you much more vulnerable than Vog Cub users, especially with heavy swords and in Firestorm Citadel. However, remember that player skill can make this set shine anywhere by simply avoiding attacks, and Elite Quick Strike Modules can be used to make up for the lack of attack speed increases.

• Skolver Cap
• Skolver Coat

Vog Cub

Unlike Skolver, Vog Cub trades out medium sword damage bonuses for medium attack speed bonuses. It protects against normal and elemental damage, gives resistance to Fire, will give a very high attack speed increase with both pieces. Of the two sets, Vog is more defensive than Skolver, speeding up swords for faster shielding and also providing increased DPS. Vog Cub is considered the best armor choice for Firestorm Citadel, providing both relevant defenses for the stratum, and being a great complement to heavy swords such as the Divine Avenger. Elemental defense is much more important than Piercing in tier 3, which usually makes this set a better choice than Skolver unless you are confident in you ability to dodge. To make up for the lack of sword damage bonuses, one could equip two Elite Slash Modules to obtain both Very High sword damage (max with Barbarous Thorn Shield) and attack speed, essentially providing the same bonuses as the Skolver set while also keeping Vog's Elemental defense and fire resistance.

• Vog Cub Cap
• Vog Cub Coat

Mixed Vog/Skolver

The hybrid set will provide both a medium sword damage bonus and medium sword attack speed increase, some Fire and Freeze resist, and mediocre Piercing and Elemental defense. You can still reach the maximum bonus for either damage or attack speed using trinkets.

While spreading out your defenses is helpful due to defending against multiple damage types, it is usually far more helpful to specialize against the more threatening damage type, which given the choice between Elemental and Piercing, will almost always be Elemental. Having a split defense will hurt you more overall if, for example, you get hit by a Wolver once for every ten times you get hit by a Gun Puppy, which is frequently the case.

Note that preliminary data^[1] suggests that UVs may matter as much as your armor's inherent defense for mitigating specific damage types.

• Skolver Cap
• Skolver Coat

• Vog Cub Cap
• Vog Cub Coat

Barbarous Thorn Shield

This shield and its predecessors are the best shields for a Swordsman, offering good piercing defense a medium sword damage bonus, much like a piece of Skolver.

• Barbarous Thorn Shield

Swiftstrike Buckler

This shield greatly increases your attack speed, but can only be used for real blocking in T1 and T2, because on T3 it is far too weak to withstand most attacks. Unless you are very confident in your skill, it is better to use a different shield that will actually withstand attacks, and obtain attack speed from Vog or trinkets instead.

• Swiftstrike Buckler

Trinkets

The trinkets received for PvP play are extremely powerful, and allow for a lot of customization, so obtaining them can allow to max sword statistics without using UV's. As defense UV's don't work yet, it is recommended to obtain one of those. Try to cover the bonuses you don't have from your armor - eg. with full Vog, you won't benefit that much from Quick Strike, while Slash module will make a significant difference. By the time you can afford those, you will know which of them suits your playing style the most. Just remember that bonuses can be maxed, so taking two 5* Quick Strike Modules while wearing Vog Cub armor is pointless.

• Slash Module

Sword damage bonus: Low

Useful for every swordsman, if you don't know which trinket to pick, choose this one.

• Sword Focus Module

Sword Charge Time Reduction: Low

Useful especially for swords with spammable charges, like the Divine Avenger, Calibur or Brandishes

• Quick Strike Module

Sword Attack Speed Increased: Low

Great for slow swords, not yet tested with medium/fast swords

Tutorials & Guides
Starting Out | New Player Briefing | User interface | Useful Links
Bombing Guide | Gunslinger Guide | Swordmaster Guide
Shieldbearer Guide
Hybrid Guide