Attributes

MAX:

VIT / END / MND cap at 90.

• 0-30: +5 per point
• 31-60: +4 per point
• 61-90: +2 per point

STR / DEX / AGI / INT scale differently depending on each weapon’s main attribute and ACV. They are also split into the 0-30, 31-60, and 61-90 brackets, with diminishing returns at each stage. Decimal values are involved, and in the final bracket, 1 attribute point is worth roughly 3.3 points of main-stat ATK.

Weapon Ratings

Sword ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Excellent balance across the board. Its core damage comes from canceled movement Light Attacks, while Sword Skills are mainly used as timing tools for Down and Daze. It depends relatively heavily on positioning.

Rapier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Its normal attack moveset is not great, but flexible Sword Skills make up for it. The weapon’s real foundation is whether you can use Sword Skills fluidly.

Dagger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The best weapon moveset for mobility, and currently the highest burst DPS weapon. The key is finding openings and repeatedly using Heavy Attack 1 + Heavy Attack 2 into a Guard cancel.

Two-Handed Sword ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Its unique cooldown reduction makes it the weapon type that triggers Sword Skills most often. Its Sword Skills also come with strong control values.

Mace ⭐⭐⭐
For new players, Mace + Shield is recommended. It has a slower rhythm, strong recovery tools, frequent Combination Skill triggers through Daze debuffs and parries, and the demo’s only high-burst Sword Skill.

Two-Handed Axe ⭐⭐
A clumsy weapon. Honestly, what were the devs thinking?

Shield
A mechanics-dependent equipment choice. Going without a shield increases standard attack speed, but in practice, Mace is basically the only weapon where the shield/no-shield decision really matters.

Core DPS Mechanics: Cancels and Sprint Attacks

As everyone knows, almost every offensive action has a lot of recovery. However, command overwrite inputs and Guard can skip or cancel a large part of those recovery animations.

Command Override Cancel, Not Recommended

At the final timing point of an action, enter Focus and trigger any command, preferably a Sword Skill slot.

Pros: It has no stopping force and can frequently trigger movement attacks.

Cons: It is easy to misinput commands. You may even need to spend a Sword Skill early just to put it on cooldown so it cannot be triggered by accident. The input is also cumbersome: attack -> Focus + command -> attack. The timing is hard to control perfectly in real combat, and mistiming it can leave you unable to act.

Guard Cancel

Hold Guard and repeatedly tap Attack.

Pros: Extremely easy to perform. Before your attack speed reaches a certain level, you can basically mash it. Once attack speed gets higher, you need a bit more rhythm. Since you are guarding during the gap between canceled attacks, it often gives you useful accidental protection.

Cons: Guard has strong stopping force, so it is hard to trigger movement acceleration at the correct timing.

Movement Attack

At the final timing point of an attack, press Guard, then tap Attack in sequence. Do not press them at the same time, and remember to release Guard. This triggers almost 100% of the time.

The mechanic comes from the brief acceleration you get when attacking immediately after an animation cancel. The direction can be controlled.

Sprint Moveset

About 0.1 seconds after the sprint input, the character is already considered to be sprinting. At that moment, there is no stamina consumption yet, and the character’s animation has not visibly changed, so you can input an attack directly.

 

Practical Demo Link & Weapon Notes

The video link includes demonstrations for all weapons. The preview only shows Sword.

 

Sword ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The weapon itself has fast startup and fast movement. With movement attacks, it can respond quickly to almost any situation. You can even cancel lock-on and move out of AOE attack ranges while attacking. Sword Skills are not its main damage source. They are mostly used for enemy control and spacing.

Rapier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Its startup is fast, but the moveset is stiff. Attack 1 and Attack 2 are also spaced too closely, which can cause them to chain during cancels and make you miss openings. However, Rapier Sword Skills are the most adaptable. Even in the demo, they show traits such as dodge counters, hit-and-run options, guard counter knockdowns, and focused burst damage. Because of that, choosing when to use Sword Skills matters more than normal attacks.

Dagger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dagger has the fastest attack moveset, but its short range and extremely high attack speed make movement attacks awkward and difficult to trigger frequently. For DPS, it currently has the strongest loop: Heavy Attack 1 + Heavy Attack 2 + Guard cancel, then repeat. As long as your party can maintain enough control, Dagger can deal huge damage. Its Sword Skills are also mainly functional, since their damage struggles to keep up with Heavy Attack 1 + 2.

Two-Handed Sword ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Its excellent range and slightly slower, long-lasting hitboxes give it strong control over the battlefield and good mob clearing. The weapon’s built-in double Sword Skill cooldown reduction also lets it control enemies frequently.

Mace ⭐⭐⭐

Its rhythm is slow, making it the most recommended weapon for beginners. Cancels do not improve it much, so it is best suited to stationary offense and defense switching. Mace also has the demo’s only high-hit, high-damage Sword Skill burst.

Two-Handed Axe ⭐⭐

Not recommended for anyone. It attacks slowly, has short reach, few hit checks, extremely long Sword Skill startup, and unimpressive multipliers. Cancels barely improve it at all. Since it has little self-protection, it needs to rely on Jump Attacks for mobility and battlefield response.

Shield, Special

Mechanics-dependent. Use it according to preference and matchup.