Sui Generis

[dustbiter]

Git gud really. Don't get hit, hit your opponent when they are open.

Progression from quarterstaff to bill to best two-hander. Cover yourself in chainmail and the game gets really easy.

Yeah avoid novice though. There's a deadly fast shortsword at novice that really should be placed at adept instead. Unlucky double swipe in the face and you are dead.

 

[Scully]

Does arena really not take opponents rank into consideration with exp? My novice char killing full plate masters seem to give as much of a reward as some lvl 1 peasant.

 

[Scully]

Video is part of a guide I made on arena:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=689899347

 

[Mr.Milker]

This coming update will finally make shields not suck!

 

[Scully]

Eh I already found 1h+shield to be the most powerful and consistent setup.

 

[Vovolov]

Really? I found the game significantly easier with a powerful two handed weapon. Shields didn't seem to block attacks consistently enough. That's my experience from a few months ago though, so I guess that might've changed.

 

[Scully]

Never lost expert arena with 1h-shield, just did one now to confirm my memory is correct. No blocking feels consistent for me in close quarters regardless of setup, I use quick steps 90% to avoid attacks. I suppose I could try just going 1hander without a shield at all, but is there any benefit to that? Bots just can't deal with how fast 1handers are, 2handers they always seem to block.

 

[Mr.Milker]

Ever since the update which introduced "strikes into shield while not blocking hurt yellow HP", shields are a PAIN to use. Now, with this new skill of active blocking while attacking, this should change. But just the sheer inability to simultaneously block the opponent's weapon and strike at the same time spoiled it for me. 

 

[Moose!]

Really? I found the game significantly easier with a powerful two handed weapon. Shields didn't seem to block attacks consistently enough. That's my experience from a few months ago though, so I guess that might've changed.

That's been my experience as well.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

It's a shame too because onehanded weapons just arent as fun for me. The animations aren't satisfying and I can never gauge when I'm supposed to score a hit. It feels random.

 

[Scully]

1handers feel like **** don't get me wrong. I love 2handers and polearms, but 1handers are fast and the AI has a hard time blocking them. I'll make a video showcasing a few fights 2h vs 1h, brb

edit: here's a comparison video from what I would consider an average fight against the hardest enemy type to defeat (light armour sword & board user).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8ezynXjEs&feature=youtu.be
I usually don't lose that much life on the 2hander, but you can see the struggle to get through their defence is real. And I play 90% with the zweihänder, only recently did I start to test 1handers.

tl:dw 2hander fight takes about twice as long and was annoying as hell. 1hander was quicker and very simple.

Though you should definitely look at the end of the video, did a pretty sweet move totally on purpose

 

[Moose!]

Though you should definitely look at the end of the video, did a pretty sweet move totally on purpose

I've done that too in the past with two handers, but I am not good enough to pull it off reliably yet.

 

[Vieira151]

edit: here's a comparison video from what I would consider an average fight against the hardest enemy type to defeat (light armour sword & board user).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8ezynXjEs&feature=youtu.be
I usually don't lose that much life on the 2hander, but you can see the struggle to get through their defence is real. And I play 90% with the zweihänder, only recently did I start to test 1handers.

tl:dw 2hander fight takes about twice as long and was annoying as hell. 1hander was quicker and very simple.

Though you should definitely look at the end of the video, did a pretty sweet move totally on purpose

But surely the fact that 1h+Shield did better against 1h+Shield than 2h suggests that 2h just isn't suited to fighting against 1h & shield? Game would be kinda silly if it was a straight difficulty (1h&shield is hardest, such and such is easiest) rather than contextual to the fighting systems.

In other news, holy ****, the game looks much better, animation and fluidity wise, than I remember it. 

 

[Scully]

Which is the reason why I'm saying 1h+shield is the best setup and most reliable, as it's not bad against any kind of enemy setup.

 

[Vieira151]

Ah, I misunderstood you. Maybe they should add some setups that work well against it too.

 

[Mr.Milker]

My experience is the exact opposite. 2H sword keeps almost everyone away from me and is plenty fast.
Scully, you don't seem to be using crouching at all. On principle, or have you not tried it yet?  (and I don't mean for dodging blows, rather for changing height and angle of your own attacks)

I don't play the sequential arena anymore, I find it too easy at this point. (the Arena mode is a bit grindy, but the larger variety of opponent setups offers more opportunities and difficulties)¨

edit: Just did an experiment and I beat the red shield woman in 4 moves with the 2H sword. One left to right with bent knees to her body, one miss/parried, one riposte over her shield into the shoulder and chest and a final overhead to the head. I think I just have more practice with 2H weapons than 1h ones, so it's easier for me somehow.

 

[Scully]

My experience is the exact opposite. 2H sword keeps almost everyone away from me and is plenty fast.
Scully, you don't seem to be using crouching at all. On principle, or have you not tried it yet?  (and I don't mean for dodging blows, rather for changing height and angle of your own attacks)

I find it difficult to move fast (shift) and crouch (ctrl) at the same time and haven't really bothered to try other keybinds for it. How important is it exactly? Would you mind uploading an expert arena run where you use crouch+2hander?

I don't play the sequential arena anymore, I find it too easy at this point. (the Arena mode is a bit grindy, but the larger variety of opponent setups offers more opportunities and difficulties)¨

I'm the opposite and find arena mode to be very easy, especially the fully plated knights (though there's supposed to be a bug in their AI according to the devs).

 

[Mr.Milker]

I have crouch bound to C, since I have stabbing on SHIFT. Works fine for me. The nice thing about crouching is that it's kind of analog, so depending on how quickly you tap or how long you hold, the motion and positions vary. 

I'll see if I can record it.

 

[DanAngleland]

I use crouch in just about every fight, it works really well for attacking the legs. This is especially useful if the opponent has a small shield (larger ones reach further down the legs) or has poor leg protection. Many Adept and some Expert level fighters have simple trousers, which are virtually worthless against a sharp sword. I usually use it for side swings, though occasionally for stabs to the legs and groin too. A favourite way to start a bout for me is to wait half a second then lunge forward with an overhead strike against the opponent. I usually do this if I have a long weapon such as a staff or metal bar, and augment the attack by pressing crouch near the end of the swing to give the opponent less time to react, or simply to make sure it lands against a shorter fighter.

As Merklir says you can vary your point of contact quite a bit depending on when you press C and for how long. If you press it very early in an attack and hold it down, you are likely to just hit the ground. Until a patch made movements less drunken and clumsy, it was possible to stumble over by doing a wild swing and holding down C too long.

 

[Mr.Milker]

OK, first time using Shadowplay! I lost to the final guy, because I picked up the polehammer and I just don't like how tip heavy it is:



(also, I'm not being efficient at all, I'm using a lot of wasted attacks. Not too entertaining to watch, I know.)

Here's round 2 with the final guy, this time with a sword: