Spiral Knights - Crafted an Arc Razor, any reason I shouldn't regret it?

Crafted an Arc Razor, any reason I shouldn't regret it?

10 replies [Last post]

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 12:01

Blippy

So I'm slowly working my way to 3-star gear, so I thought I'd start with my weapon. I had a Calibur and was thinking about upgrading it, but I saw the Spur and its upgrades, and it caught my attention. I bought a Spur for about 1200 crowns and gave it a few swings in Lockdown. It had a different feel, but that was to be expected, and I liked it. so I spent the next day saving up energy to craft it. I finally got it, and the morning after I took it into the Clockworks. It was then that I noticed all the issues it had.

The damage was a little low, but I expected that, since it was faster and a lower level than my Calibur. The biggest problems I have with it is the trouble hitting enemies. It has a high knockback, which is good if you're cornered, but this almost guarantees that one of the swings in my combo will miss unless the target's against a wall. Sometimes the first swingt won't hit at all, even if my enemy is directly in front of me. The charge attack seems very underwhelming. The projectile's range is too short to be of any use. Not only that, it seems that it doesn't even hit any targets that are close. Because of the backward movement, the swing itself will never hit unless my enemy is running into me.

These issues that I have make me wish that I had upgraded my Calibur instead. And since I'm F2P, it will take a long time just to make another 3-star piece of gear, since energy is expensive and I'm not very good at making lots of crowns. Is the Spur series of swords really that bad compared to other weapons, or am I just doing something wrong?

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 12:21

Juances

advice

"Is the Spur series of swords really that bad compared to other weapons, or am I just doing something wrong?"
What you're doing wrong is forgetting to check the wiki to plan your gear before starting to craft if money is a problem.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 13:27

Culture

Hmm

Spur series is so much fun to use! Too bad the damage is terrible and the Winmillion's projectile adds an unnecessary challenge to hitting dodging enemies. You might consider not upgrading it and just using it in T1, at least until there is a 5* version available. I recommend seeking out a new sword, but hold onto this one. When you finally get to the Unknown Passage in a few months the Winmillion is the best sword for running through the Seed... you'll see.

As for missing hits... If your second/third swing misses try this...
Press and hold the attack button for your first swing
Take a quarter step toward the opponent
Quickly release the attack button for your second swing
Tap the attack button for your third swing (should usually connect)

For lighter enemies like Chromalisks this is practically required since the first swipe pushes them too far away. This technique works well for Brandish and Flourish swords too.

Don't bother with the charge attack. If you really want to use it, be sure you are right on top of the enemy so that they are in range when you release.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 13:39

Icee

The Arc Razor is good.

Because of its wide swing, the Arc Razor is a decent sword in Lockdown and in the clockworks. At 3*, it wasn't terribly expensive to craft (it may feel expensive now, but it's really not). Although long-term a tempered calibur is better (because it's 4a dn 5* versions are better), you can use the Arc Razor well enough that you shouldn't have any major regret.

I don't know why you are having trouble hitting enemies, unless you are using mostly charge attacks (it does have a pretty terrible charge attack). The regular attack sequence is a trio of wide swings that does comparable damage to a tempered calibur's combo. It has good knockback and because it moves you forward with each swing, you can close the distance between yourself and your enemy even as you knock them back into a corner. If you're used to a calibur, this increased forward movement may be tricky to adapt to, but once you are used to it you'll find that the Arc Razor is a fine sword.

The Winmillion, unfortunately, is not as good and, like all 4* gear, is expensive for a F2P player to craft. It shoots a projectile with every swing, which makes it difficult to use against dodging enemies (especially teleporting wolvers). I own one and find it fun at times, but it's far from the best sword in my arsenal. I would hang on to your Arc Razor for use in Lockdown Tier 2, but avoid upgrading it. I would also consider becoming P2P (even $10 worth of CE will really help you get a more varied 3* arsenal and upgrade to 4 and 5*).

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 13:45

Blippy

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll be sure to hold on to it just in case.

"I don't know why you are having trouble hitting enemies, unless you are using mostly charge attacks (it does have a pretty terrible charge attack)."

I don't know why, but my first swing will sometimes fail to hit at all, although the follow up swings will still hit. As for the charge, it seems to pass right through enemies and do no damage unless it's nearing the edge of its range.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 14:02

Bopp

choose 5-star, then work backwards

In choosing a weapon (or armor piece) for play in the Clockworks, look at all of the 5-star items on the wiki. Once you figure out which one you want, look back in its alchemy tree, to figure out how to get there.

For example, you're thinking that you should have gone with Calibur, which ends up at Leviathan Blade or Cold Iron Vanquisher. While these swords have their fans, you might have ended up regretting *that* choice too. People who are into swords tend not to use normal-damage swords at all. Perhaps you would find my Sword Guide helpful.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 14:23

Ween-Bot

The problem with the Spur

The problem with the Spur series is that when you swing, the damage zone is created from where you were standing, rather than where you lunge forward. This means that when you're chasing enemies down, you may need to swing past them. However auto-aim does help a little there. Also when charging, you can actually aim the swing during the step back (but don't shield or the projectile will be cancelled). I don't use the charge much, but you can run into some enemies backwards or sideways, release the charge and then point at them. The projectile is a little iffy though.

The Lunge technique is extremely helpful with the Spur line. Hold Attack for your first swing, plus the direction you want to move in. When you've moved almost a square, release and the combo will continue. The same can be done with the second swing instead (tap for first attack, then hold for second). You'll find this technique actually works with every sword, but the distance you can move is dependent on the sword's speed - Cutter gives you very little time to lunge, while you can almost move two squares with Troika.

The Winmmillion has a few ups and downs. The projectiles on every swing make dodging enemies ...dodge. A lot. Because of this I wouldn't use it at all against Wolvers or Devilites. While Gremlins will dodge, they always dodge backwards and slightly counter-clockwise, and you can dodge-lock them (which means they're not attacking or healing). It combos very nicely with a Spine Cone or upgrades, though.

Another thing I've found out (having gotten a Winmillion recently) is that you can lunge EXTREMELY far compared to other swords. When carrying forward a combo (using the above technique) you can move about 3 squares, which gives you a pretty insane reach. However its low damage means you shouldn't expect to knock down anything but Gremlin Menders. If you have a good sense of time you can avoid melee attacks (from Zombies and Retrodes especially) and still continue your combo. The Winmillion also recovers very slowly from melee attacks (probably the reason that you can lunge so far). You should shield cancel to cut the animation short.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 14:45

Blippy

Thanks again. But I have

Thanks again. But I have another question. When it comes to arenas, how does the Arc Razor fare. The Calibur is amazing because the 360 swing allows me to clear enemies easy, but I won't get that with the Arc Razor. Any tips, or is it just greatly inferior in general?

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 15:35

Bopp

Spur line is bad; but is Calibur line good?

Yes, the Spur line is inferior in general to the Calibur line.

What I'm trying to tell you is that maybe the Calibur line is inferior to other swords, that you're not even considering. I'm concerned that you're choosing a bad sword *again*.

Of course, Leviathan Blade (the popular 5-star Calibur) is not a bad sword, per se. But depending on the rest of your weapon setup and your play style, which you haven't told us yet, it may not be one of the best swords for you.

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 16:48

Blippy

Right, I should probably

Right, I should probably explain that.

I'm a lone wolf. I almost never join or create parties, and I love taking on arenas and danger rooms by myself. I take a sword and gun for general purposes, unless it's an arena level or the level contains a danger room, with which I swap the gun for a freeze bomb for kiting. I usually wait for enemies to group up, then run into the middle of them and use Calibur's charge attack for easy clears (being able to one-shot gun puppies is nice too).

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 17:33

#10

Dark-Flare

How do you do anything without joining or creating parties?

^ That aside, in Danger rooms and Arenas it may fare better, depending how good the knockback is (i don't have one so i don't know -__-) But the projectile would be interesting and somewhat usefull if you don't have a gun (though i hear the projectiles are significantly weaker, but they probably add to knockback, right?) Thus said, if you are too reluctant to give it up, use it as a side weapon; however, get a different damage type because 2 normal swords are redundant and near useless, especially in later tiers.

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Crafted an Arc Razor, any reason I shouldn't regret it?