1 hander no shield build. Help!

[Danlu]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and sorta new to crpg but still a scrub.

I have pretty much decided that after I retire for the first time I shall do a one hander but without the shield. The reason for that is that I love one handers but wanna get better at parrying and I dont really like shields. So hopefully you guys have some build I can do.

My current build is a two hander and I have mixed feeling about it. Mostly its boring with 2-handers.

Danlu

[jtobiasm]

24/15

8 Power strike
5 Iron flesh
5 Athletics
5 Weapon master

1h weapons are light so more athletics isn't needed as you won't be having a shield weighing you down.

[Rico]

tobias' build is very good for long weapons. if you prefer fast (short) weapons, you need higher athletics to compensate for the lack of range. then, go 15/24 with 5ps 8athl 8wm 2if. but a str-build is probably better for beginners

[korppis]

Maybe 21/18.

I had 18/21, but it felt like 6 PS was too low against heavy armors.
On the other hand I wouldn't go below 6 ath because it might be too slow to catch agi dancers with long weapons.

[Danlu]

Thanks guys. And what about the playstyle? I shouldnt be walking in and out of range, right? I should be all up in their face, no?

[ShinySpoons]

Depends on your playstyle.

I am fast and unarmoured so I run in and out of fights smacking unaware people, with the occasional duel if the opponent is similarly lightly armoured. You'll have to be  good with distance and awareness (or attempt to learn ) to play like that. A shorter 1 hander is better for this.

Some swashbucklers armour up and stand toe to toe. Longer weapons are better for this.


 

[Rico]

Thanks guys. And what about the playstyle? I shouldnt be walking in and out of range, right? I should be all up in their face, no?

Hit the zone with the lowest armor, and if all is about equal, hit the head. In close corners, look down to the ground to minimize the bounce rate on your sideswings. Making good use of the range of your weapon is important. When you decide for a high-STR build, don't overestimate your evasion and just try to keep optimal distance for the length of your weapon. When you go for the agility approach, you could even dodge a two handed weapon by running backwards, and reach the enemy with a stab of your short sword or an overhead of your pick/mace.  But you sacrifice a lot of damage potential for additional evasion, so think clearly before deciding for either one of the builds.

[Sandersson Jankins]

I did a very long generation as swashbuckler, and used a very gimmicky 30-15 build when I was high enough level. I used a masterwork nordic short war sword to overcome my relative slow attack speed; with that weapon I was able to actually double-swing people if I used proper footwork.

Don't forget to spam that nudge, one-hander sans shield has the best nudges in the game. They'll be very useful. Generally, I would bulldog on one opponent at a time and w-key into their face, being careful not to get kicked.

I don't necessarily recommend this playstyle, as it is very reliant on blocking every attack instead of using range and speed to your advantage, and you'll need to have rather good feinting/holding techniques to score hits on a person. I'm just letting you know what worked for me.

[HappyPhantom]

Personally, especially for new players who aren't super awesome blockers,  I think 15 str might be a little bit too squishy without shield. I would consider at least 18 str.

This ofcourse, only if you are going for a more balanced build, rather than super-agi.

[Tojo]

swashbuckler is one of the hardest builds in Crpg. You don't have a shield, and you have the shortest range weapon in the game. The only big advantage is that you can swing faster than everyone else.

If you must go 1h I would strongly suggest the 24-15 build for the survivability and damage. If you aren't used too manual blocking very fast, this build will be rough at the start. However, I found playing swashbuckler style to be very rewarding and extremely fun when played correctly.

I would suggest you go practice your manual block skill a lot for this build. I like to go to duel server sometimes and just block attacks only, seems to help for me.