1H no shield help

[Rendar1970]

Hey Guys.

I have a 2H toon that I do really well with.  I can mblock fairly well and always tend to get alot more kills than deaths with my 2h.  I use a heavy bastard sword and 150ish wpf.

However on my Xbow toon.  I use an italian sword with 150ish wpf.  Im so slow I cant seem to do anything other than die.  I dont get it. Roughly same speed, same wpf.  With 1H i cant mblock to save my life.  Im always finding myself correctly blocking, correct angle, but the enemies weapon still hits me. 

Also with 2H I can see to just keep chaining attacks.  With 1H everytime I try to do more than 1 swing in a row, my weapon tends to just hang in mid air, doing nothing, then I die cause im just stuck in this half swing pose.

SO basically, any tips would be appreciated.  I thought same weapon speed, same wpf, would play the same.  Actually was expecting the be a bit faster with the 1H build. 

Ohh and BTW yes I know theres a range difference, all of these problems im having happen when I am well within range of the 1h sword.

Thanks

[rustyspoon]

Well as far as your blocking goes, I would say that it is entirely psychological. All weapons block the same. Perhaps you're just not used to blocking as fast as you need to with a 1-hander. If you're fighting a two-hander, they can hit you VERY early in their swing due to things like hiltslashing. So, block fast.

As far as your weapon not swinging, that sounds like weapon stun to me. When you're using a 1-hander and you block a heavier weapon and if the user has a lot of PS he will "weapon stun" you. At that point, you can't swing your weapon right away. If someone is weapon stunning you the only way to get around it is to block two attacks in a row. As you get used to fighting with a 1-hander you'll know right away weather you are stunned or not.

Spamming is possible with a 1-hander as I do it quite regularly myself and technically the italian sword is slightly faster than your heavy bastard. But, the animations between the two weapons are different. A 1-handed and 2-handed sword with the exact same speed will finish their swings at exactly the same time. A 2-handed sword is faster at the beginning of a swing and a 1-handed sword is faster at the end of the swing.

So, if you have two people with identical builds facing each other and one has a 98 speed 1-hander and the other has a 98-speed 2-hander and neither of them move but swing at the same time, the 2-hander will hit first.

Aside from these I find 1-handers to be stupidly effective. They're faster than most weapons in the game and are just fun to use. They also have the best left-swing around as it generally hits the head. Just remember the pro 1-hander motto: "Left swing all day, every day."

[[ptx]]

You will need to improve your footwork to fight efficiently with a 1h. You generally don't need such good footwork, when fighting with a 2h.

[rustyspoon]

You will need to improve your footwork to fight efficiently with a 1h. You generally don't need such good footwork, when fighting with a 2h.

Indeed. 2h is easy mode. Real men use 1h no shield.

[MrShine]

I want to echo rustyspoon and also mention that I actually feel more comfortable with a 1h no shield that a 2h both in blocking and quick swings, so it really is likely a psychological thing.  I also tend to have a harder time blocking when I have a shield on my back - weird I know.

But yes against heavier weapons the biggest thing to be worried about with a 1h is weapon stun, which feels like it happens fairly often.  As long as you can recognize that and master the art of 'left swing' (maybe sometimes feinting overhead) you should be fine.

[San]

Block stun takes a little getting used to. The other part about hitting past your block may be psychological, or the opponent may get you through your side/back at times without you noticing.

Also, remember that even though you're using 1h no shield, that doesn't mean you have to stay on the defensive. Shorter weapons slightly increase running speed, too. 1 block or a hold that makes the opponent hesitate and they're already in range. Understand the hesitation times when someone blocks you and don't be afraid to left swing when you see it.

[v/onMega]

Well well...

You most likely get stuned, yep, so block 2 attacks and fight back.

About this left swing myth..... This surely works against idiots.

1h has 4 effective attack directions,just master the range + positioning....

P.S Every single one of them can be aimed at somebodies head ;-)

[MrShine]

Well well...

You most likely get stuned, yep, so block 2 attacks and fight back.

About this left swing myth..... This surely works against idiots.

1h has 4 effective attack directions,just master the range + positioning....

P.S Every single one of them can be aimed at somebodies head ;-)

Well yeah 1h has 3-4 attack directions use them when the time calls for it blah blah blah...

left swing should still be your bread and butter.  It's fast it rarely glances and it naturally is in the head range.  When I'm fighting multiple people I can whip around and left slash the person behind me and I can usually 1-2 shot them with the head hit and the speed bonus.

honestly I'd say 50% of my swings are left swings, 25% are overheads, and the remaining 25% is a mix of right swing and stab. I've enjoyed success as a 1h shielder with this formula.

[[ptx]]

If you are good at range control and have at least 4-5 athl, without heavy gear, then right swing should be your best friend, outrange anything below 120 range. Which reminds me just how much i hate scimitars, when playing on my 2h alt.

[Dezilagel]

I have an 1h no shield alt - and it's both a fun and a very powerful playstyle (granted, you need to know how to block).

The mere speed and confusing amimations of 1h gets through people in a way 2h/poles can only dream of.

Also, as people said, use lighter armor, movepspeed from short/light wep + light armor + nice range rightswing/stab = raep. (I assume you'll use a sword, lolscim is just... well...)

1v1 is where you excel, pick your fights. '

Also, about blocking and such: I am mainly a polearm user and I can tell you that the first days of playing 1h I couldn't block for shit either simply because I wasn't used to the animations. It'll come with time

[Spawny]

If you want to make it really hard on yourself:

Use a warhammer or steel pick without a shield.

[Rendar1970]

I never knew about the stunblock.

Ive been doing alot better now that Im starting to realize when im stunned.  Also left-swinging more (i was a right swing whore, a carry over from 2h i suppose to get more distance).

Im doing much better now.  However I had 1 more question.

Against 2H overhead swings.  Whats the trick?  I would say 90 percent of the time im hit from an overhead, its well after the swing.  What I mean is, Enemy overhead swings, their swing misses, they pause at the ground for a minute, then as they are re-raising their sword back to neutral, they turn towards me and somehow I get killed from that.

Do you need to just block every overhead and never attempt to dodge them, cause it seems like the animation is wrong and its more lethal way after the swing while returning to neutral, same with 2H stabs, usually dont die from the stab, die from them turning into me way after the animation finishes and there going back to neutral..

[rustyspoon]

I never knew about the stunblock.

Ive been doing alot better now that Im starting to realize when im stunned.  Also left-swinging more (i was a right swing whore, a carry over from 2h i suppose to get more distance).

Im doing much better now.  However I had 1 more question.

Against 2H overhead swings.  Whats the trick?  I would say 90 percent of the time im hit from an overhead, its well after the swing.  What I mean is, Enemy overhead swings, their swing misses, they pause at the ground for a minute, then as they are re-raising their sword back to neutral, they turn towards me and somehow I get killed from that.

Do you need to just block every overhead and never attempt to dodge them, cause it seems like the animation is wrong and its more lethal way after the swing while returning to neutral, same with 2H stabs, usually dont die from the stab, die from them turning into me way after the animation finishes and there going back to neutral..

Unfortunately dying from upswings and swords slowly waved in your face is quite common. Just gotta watch where you move after you dodge. Another reason why 2-handed animations are retarded.

[v/onMega]

Still.

If you left swing 75% you miss the best, most satisfying part, the stab.

And like ptx mentioned, you miss the 2nd best part...outranging folks with the right swing.

Left swing only works against idiots.
Will repeat that over and over :-)

[MrShine]

Still.

If you left swing 75% you miss the best, most satisfying part, the stab.

And like ptx mentioned, you miss the 2nd best part...outranging folks with the right swing.

Left swing only works against idiots.
Will repeat that over and over :-)

Of course if you want to be a truly successful 1 hander you need to know when/how to use all of your swings.  I agree that right swing and stab have their uses... right swing is great when you can sidestep charging cav and when you are trying to keep people at range, stab is awesome against tin cans etc.

But show me a 1 hander who spends the majority of their time using right swings and thrusts and I'll show you a 1 hander who would be more effective if they used more left swings and overheads (exception if you are using a 'stab oriented' sword like the espada eslavona).  Left swing is the fastest swing, naturally hits near the head, and alternating left feints, parries, and overheads makes it very challenging to determine where to block because of the animations.

I tend to glance a fair amount when I use thrusts and even occasionally with right swings due to people's usual rotation over to that side.  I glance MUCH less with left swings and overheads.

I still am convinced left swing should be your 'bread and butter' swing, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the others when they are more effective given the situation.