Author's Foreword
Hello, fans.
Some people say to me: "Random, i truly want to emulate you but this flamberge thing is unlike any other 2-handed sword out there, it's so different as to be almost in a new weapon class of it's own."
In response i say to them "Yeah, well the flamberge isnt for everyone. It's slow. Can be unwieldy. It's a bitch for tk'ing friendlies who're behind you when you do an overhead and if you think you can duel with it as well as a cookies or tears, you're very much mistaken."
If the above doesnt deter you, then get your reading glasses, put the kettle on, and get those crumpets buttered cos dammit, this is gonna be the best read your two little tit-checkers ever got to see.
Disclaimer :
The Path
So, you've got your extremely large bag of gold jingling in your pocket and you've made your way through smelly streets and peasant-filled cess pits to find an overweight, slightly bored weapons dealer who's more interested in itching his arse than making an effort to sell to you.
In his place, I shall answer your questions;
Q What are the benefits of the flamberge?
A Simply put - Damage and reach, damage and reach. I can't count the number of times i've whacked people over the head in one or 1-hit horse and rider with my trusty blade. I also couldn't tell you how many times i've caught an opponent out by hitting him when he thought he was outside the "danger zone" of combat with a (directional) right slash.
It's very possible to take cav out with your reach, especially when they ride past you thinking they're also out of the "danger zone".
It's also just fucking big. Any two-handed melee lover must be awed by the sheer beauty and scale of the thing. It's like wielding a finely carved sky scraper. Also, no weapon can match its sheer greatness when it's covered in blood.
Q So what are the downsides then?
A It's slow. I mean really slow. Currently you can increase the speed to 87 via heirlooming. 87 speed is among the slowest weapons in crpg at the moment. Devs constantly tweak item stats so this may not be true in the future.
Q But dude, u spam my 1h char like a bitch, how can u say it's slow?
A Like I said previously, young flamberger, it's an art.
Q Anything else?
A Yeah, it's a lot harder to duel people for me using my flamberge than with my other 2 handers, mainly because of the speed and the loss of your reach advantage when face-hugged. It's also not a shield-breaker. Oh and its length means fighting indoors or near walls can really screw you over, because the blade catches and doesnt swing.
In saying this, my guide can now smoothly turn over to "The Art"
The Art
Q So teach me, great Flamburger-King, the art of the flamberge.
A There's no question mark so is that really a question? Nvm - here goes.
How do we kill? Preferred method is an overhead to their unprotected back. Nearly always 1 hit 1 kill with the head-hit bonus (and often archers wear no head armour at all). Recent changes to player builds (heavy str) and armour soak values have reduced the 1-hit kill potential drastically. It's still a good finisher though, especially in groups.
Best results tend to be within the outer-reaches of the flamberges blade. Too close and it can be easy to miss or fuck it up so you only scratch them. Then the game is up and you have to do some actual fighting to kill them.
You also do more damage for being in the "sweet spot" of the weapon too.
Soloer or Group? The masters will usually try to flank the enemy a little (and so hit their unprotected backs), but with some team work (especially from cav) you can do a frontal charge and slaughter the enemy by the dozen.
How do I beat shielders? You may see some flamberges repeatedly hit a shield until it breaks. This takes time and the more time it takes for you to kill this guy, the less time you have to kill everyone else.
With your high athletics you will be constantly strafing either left or right, trying to get the shielder to make a mistake so they are at least side on, and then whack them over the head or use the correct side slash.
I still sometimes spam a shield or enemy, but also use them as a human body shield (as they backpedal) so i can get to an unaware opponent behind them or easy archer kill etc.
Some 1hs like to face hug, especially steel pick users. They really hurt and are annoying, but try to learn when and how to kick and you can score an easy hit (as well as making them more wary).
The romans used to fight in pairs and at the end of their combo they would thrust into each others opponents (totally unexpected and very deadly) - there's plenty of opportunities like this in melee as they can suffer from the same "tunnel vision" of archers, focusing only on a single opponent, especially maps like Nord Town where the melee are funneled into tight packs. Just be careful to not team kill and be aware that the enemy may be looking to do the same to you!
The Spam
Usually choose the (directional) right slash, and keep doing it until there's nobody to do it on any more. This is possibly the most famous skill of The Way. I also tend to make lots of tk's using it :(
Then again, if everyone is dead and you are last man standing, you win, right?
The Feint
Can't believe i nearly forgot to put this in; feinting is key vs anyone who has more than one hand. You need to be FAST with your feints because your flamberge is SLOW and this is the only way you can make people panic and fuck up enough to give you an opening - obviously this is harder to perform vs good duellers. Changing swings from horizontals to verticals are best as it's easier to make manual blockers mess up.
The Chamber
The upwards chamber block (attacking an enemy with your overhead, a fraction after they attack you with an overhead or thrust) is the basic method of killing shielded spearmen. Dont use it vs fast melee because they can hit you with a slash even after you chamber them (ITS TRUE!). Doesnt always work, but often catches them unawares. Can result in your death if you fuck it up, as always.
For safety, It's recommended to block the first thrust to get an idea of his timing (its not uncommon for them to slightly hold their next attack though, so watch for it or you'll be raging in *Dead* chat.
Once you've become proficient at chamber blocks, its quite useful in battle/siege (side swing chambers + thrust chambers) as most people dont expect it.
The Footwork
Athletics is a must, even if you use light armour. The ability to circle around enemies, making them team hit or present their arse to you, is possibly the strongest ability of The Way.
If you wear heavy armour I cant stress the importance of athletics too. It's too easy for a slow tincan to be surrounded and slaughtered.
The Block
Yes, we do block. Rule of thumb is - if they block your swing and then attack, you block them back. Then you either backpedal and choose The Spam/The Feint/Directional attack, OR you use the Footwork.
The Warrior
I was trying to avoid telling people how to make their 2h characters, but as more and more new players play, i'd rather just say it once than keep telling them in-game;
Currently i like an 18/21 build, with 6 ps, 7 athletics and either 7 wm and 3 IF or 6 IF and 4 WM. At lvl 31 you can max all the skills.
Directional attacks
The (directional) left swing is the least used but once you've learned its arc of death you can aim it quite well and it often disembowels an oppenent to your left side who thought they were not in danger.
The overhead is the most used in groups in The Way, and can cleave horse and man with one mighty stroke (once you've sidestepped the lance, that is). It's also the most precise and efficient way of killing a large group of foes who are unaware of you.
The (directional) right attack is used in The Spam, and is used when facing aware opponents. Often you can kill multiple opponents with this as they come into range, trying to avenge your previous attacker, one by one.
The thrust. Has become necessary in siege now and in tight spaces anywhere. Very possible to 1 hit kill with this + speed bonus + pierce damage.
As the first rough guide to The Way of the Flamberge, in written format, I will make changes over time so as to fully reveal the true power and teachings of the flamberge.
Other tips and tricks
Try standing behind a friendly stationary, friendly 1h while he blocks and swing thru him. I get so many kills on siege doing this. The same tactic can be used in moving fights but its a lot easier to tk doing this (yeah if i tk'd you then there's probably a 25% chance I was trying to use this technique and failed. invalid as of latest patch
A similar but safer method is to jump slash. Imagine your team mate is fighting an enemy and just made an attack, the enemy will now probably make his attack. Now is the time to run forward, jump and slash the guy in the face. Your team mate will take your enemy's blow (by either blocking it or just taking the full force) and your enemy will have no time to block your jump slash. As long as you remember to aim your slash at your enemy you cant go wrong. I dont think ive ever tk'd someone using this move.
Another trick that any melee can use is this: In any 2 v 1 situation where you are part of the "2" you should time your attack so yours lands while your ally is "recovering" his stroke. You truly can spam someone to death using this and the only way they can survive is via footwork or outside help.
Another pro tip - never fight an enemy from the front when you can backstab him.
Remember, keep swingin' it!
Tried and tested builds (usable)
18 Str 21 Agi, 6 Ps 7 Wm 7 Athletics 3 IF (good for plate users)
21 Str 18 Agi, 7 Ps 6 Wm 6 Athletics 4 IF
24 Str 15 Agi, 8 Ps 5 Wm 5 Athletics 5 IF (powerful build and not too slow)