Today I got my sealed sword and at first it seemed awesome but now I know its less than stellar. When I use it on mobs like jelly's I can never get to the second swing before I get hit. When I try to kite with it, it just plain sucks. Worst of all I can't fight more than one enemy at a time with it. Usually I can get through Jelley King palace with barely a scatch or no damage what so ever. This last run I came out with like 1 bar left. One of the people on my team said that it gets faster once its upgraded to Gran Faust or Divine Avenger. Is this true? Or will it always be this way? Should I spend the time and energy on the materials to make the Gran Faust?
Sealed Sword
Mon, 09/05/2011 - 23:56
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 03:22
#2
I disaggree
Sorry actinium, i'm going to have to disaggree with you. If you think you can get the second swing in before an enemy attack then do, its how you learn when to and when not to use it, if you never use the second swing of a heavy sword then you may as well not use the sword, as most of the damage lies in the second hit. (and no, it doesn't get faster when upgraded)
Also bear in mind that the second hit does atttack-cancel any enemy (except lumbers mid-swing) so the second hit can be for safety. Also bear in mind you have a half second in which you can wait between the first and second swing (you'll get used to the timing) in which you could spin round 180 and hit something behind you. The knockback from the first swing also knocks enemies out of their attacking range most of the time so can save you.
Another point, always have auto-target turned OFF. As with heavy swords the best place to aim is often in the middle of two enemies. Auto-target can easily get you killed when using a heavy sword.
As to your jelly problem, hit them once then take the second swing as they dive in to hit you, I remember being able to do that even before I had ASI, the heavy swords can be great at keeping many enemies at bay at once.
Now onto the final point. ASI.... get it :P If you want to be effective with heavy swords you need some kind of asi as it MASSIVELY reduces the lag time at the end of the second swing (down to near nothing with ASI max). The way I have ASI max is through a vog set and an elite quickstrike trinket, but there are many other ways to get decent ASI.
Finally (i nkow I said that last time but this is the last tip), you'll either love or hate heavy swords, they won't generally make an addition to your arsenal, they will either BECOME your arsenal or won't.
*side-note* I completed a solo "dauntless delver" run last power surge weekend using just a Gran Faust, a Divine Avenger and a Khovord, ending on full hp with 3 of each tier of healing pill. So yes, heavy swords can control crowds and are extremely effective :P
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 06:10
#3
http://forums.spiralknights.c
http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/13083
Here is a thread dedicated to the techniques of heavy swords, it should be a big help.
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 14:32
#4
After about two runs of
After about two runs of practice I think I got the hang of it now. I no longer have a problem using the second swing and as long as I attack the backs of lumbers the knock back is enough to help me run away. Although I am not sure that I see much need for an asi do the mobs get faster in later tiers?
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 17:11
#5
I prefer caliber or brandish
I prefer caliber or brandish line.Sealed sword alone sucks a bit.Upgrade it to a avenger or faust it becomes one of the best sword lines.
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 19:38
#6
ASI on a heavy sword?
ASI is so you can swing faster and shield faster as a result.
It can help only marginally after the second swing, so you are still screwed if you miss the second swing.
Mobs (other than Jellies) don't move/attack faster from T2 to T3 I think, but there are more projectiles and teleporting wolvers so the chance of a stray random hit is greatly increased.
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 22:19
#7
With that in mind I guess
With that in mind I guess I'll just go the full damage route instead with skolver and barbarous thorn since I'll be screwed if I still miss the second hit. If I make the second hit I don't really need to be sheilding...
I'm going to be primarily using my cold iron carver now and my sealed sword as a secondary. Especially in congested areas so that I dont get hit by stray projectiles/ wolvers.
I guess the only time I'dd use my sealed sword is for when I'am surrounded or need to take out enemies quickly. Its really nice to be able to smack down lumbers in seconds.
I don't know what do you guys think? When should I switch between my cold iron carver (soon to be vanquisher duh :P) and my sealed sword (soon to be Gran Faust)? I just really love both swords their both really awesome and powerful. The only problem is that sometimes I get confused on when to use which sword for what.
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 22:44
#8
IMO
You'd be using your faust against those weak against shadow anyway.
Cold Iron for turrets (charge attack) and anything that resists your faust like undead...
But wait, if you went full damage Skolver Set + Barbarous Shield then your sword damage bonus is max and Cold Iron won't have any increased damage on undead!
Of course there are times you'd want to be on owlite or dread skelly so CIV would cover one of faust's weakness...
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 06:33
#9
Are there any times where I
Are there any times where I would need a 3 swing sword swing over a 2 sword swing?
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 11:19
#10
sort of
I solely use heavy swords and I struggle a bit against T3 wolvers, other than that 2-swing dominates :P
I think you may reconsider on the ASI after you'v seen the difference though, my IGN is Lewiss, meet up with me in ATH some time and i'll show you how MAX asi compares to no asi for the sealed sword line :)
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 12:12
#11
I have a snarble barb for
I have a snarble barb for wolvers and iceburst brandish for constructs and undead... wow more and more I feel like the calibur line isnt neccesary.
Alright I usually play around 6- 10 I'll try and PM you around then.
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 13:05
#12
Gunpuppies, sniping
Gunpuppies, sniping healers..and i guess some other enemies like cats are better handled with a 3 swing sword (imo)
I'm actually considering dropping my DA for a glacius and going glacius + gran faust, opposite of the norm but i really feel that those swords are better suited to there purpose than the other way around (the only aside being sniping menders with GF, not the most capable sword for the job)
Also, i was really on the fence about ASI when i came to upgrading my armour..but decided that 1000s of people cant be wrong and went vog - totally worth it, even with just VH its much better, especially for shield cancelling
If it does get faster it's not noticeably so. Coming off faster attacking lines can make heavy swords tough to get used to but something to keep in mind is you rarely ever want to hit anything with the full combo if you can help it. Turrets you want to interrupt and lumbers who have already whiffed their attack are generally the only exceptions to the rule. You should either shield cancel your first hit and back up and then shield cancel another hit over and over or get far outside the range of what you're kiting then attack the space between you hitting nothing so that you come in with the big heavy hitting knockback second swing as your first hit, then shield and back away. Heavy swords are about careful application of big slow hits when it's safe, you never want to carry yourself forward on a second swing into the middle of some mobs to be left high and dry unable to shield for a second and a half because your big animation is still winding down. If you cant get used to the style by the time the sealed sword is heated to lvl 10 the heavy lines might not be for you, but they are very solid additions to any arsenal if you can.