Ahh... Tier 2 Lockdown... Where (most) weapons are not blatantly overpowered, and where Trinkets don't define winning or losing! I have played my fair share of Lockdown games, and own/owned every sword, gun, and bomb mechanic in the whole darn game. So at least, you know, consider my opinion? Anyway, on to the show!
How I will organize is this. I will start with overall usage, and then go to more exotic weapons. (ex. Tempered Calibur, Brandish, Alchemer, Flourish, Spur)
[Name]
[Statistics]
[User-Friendliness]
[How to use it effectively]
[What it counters]
[What counters it]
[Recommended Class]
Now that that's done, here's the first clown to our freak show.
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Tempered Calibur
3.5-4.5 Bars Normal, 5 Bars Speed
This is the vanilla sword. Its damage might be overlooked, but is by far, the easiest sword to pick up. Not to mention you get it for *free*. It has a basic, bland smack, smack, thwack combo. The hits may not be amazing, but at least it's easier to use then other swords. (Cutter) Don't be afraid to try it out. It's a really reliable sword, straight down to the speed and damage.
It has a powerful charge that tends to hit people out of the range, and the invincibility frames tend to stop the majority of damage, but this sword does have a defining feature in it's charge- knockback. This is essentially a cap defender, to smack people off of no man's land and into your team's waiting clones. The interruption also covers up the worry for your comrades' safety, unlike some cases involving lots of CTR and a few Lumbers. Anyway! The charge should be prepped early while sitting on a point, and it can be like a blast bomb, almost identical except for the fact that it does more damage, and winds up slower.
The charge can easily be released to panic-attack, since you have 360 degree spin that makes you forget the definition of aiming. It is especially great against pesky recons, since it has a fairly large radius. It can also be used to annihilate cutter users, since your attacks reach farther than his, and deal more damage anyway. Also, it can be useful for retaliating against heavy swords (excluding hammers) because the charge is ridiculous when you dodge his second swipe and smack him in the a-
To deal with these guys, you just need a good gun. Really, or a toothpick. Just plow through him with combo attacks. He can be interrupted easily, and therefore can be interrupt locked with any source of constant damage. But watch out for surprise charges. Anyone who fights Darkfangs know what I'm talking about. If you see one holding a charge, bait him into using it, then attack him with all you got.
The most likely class for this weapon is probably the recon. The slower speed is made up for the +2 Universal CTR. This allows you to camp on a point cloaked and wait for someone to walk up to it or charge behind someone's back.
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So! My first post! Any thought? Constructive criticism, please! Remember, if you didn't find something helpful, please point it out!
P.S. Does this belong here or the New Player Guide?
2.5-3.5 Bars Elemental, 5 Bars Speed
The sword is basically a reskin of Calibur, 'cept for the damage and charge. Same concept as Calibur, blah blah blah. It deals Elemental, which for some reason no one makes gear resisting it, except for a very few people. (Reason: Clones) It provides for a bottom-screen assault and has fairly decent range for a sword. This is another decent sword, with a fast charge that lets you hit and run. The various types will be discussed in order, with oddball Nightblade coming last.
Fireburst Brandish: A powerful weapon, which provides high damage, and reduces chance of getaways, allowing for hit-and-run. This weapon provides a constant source of damage, but cannot impede movement, unlike the other two, who have less damage in return for better utility. Remember: Fire damage can only be reduced by fire defense, so don't be intimidated by Trinketmen.
Iceburst Brandish: Easily one of the most annoying weapons if used right. One can charge continuously and chain-freeze knights in place. Stop complaining. Yes, that is what Vanaduke has to deal with all the time. Be sure to go behind someone while shield cancelling when you charge them, since there's pretty much a 100% chance of Freeze on charge.
Shockburst Brandish: The most annoying status. One can die of shock when you hit them. Not only does Shock do *minor* damage, but makes the, shake water off like a dog, albeit spasmistically. This can provide for opportunities to swarm and eliminate the target, not to mention the good damage it deals on charge. It combines the aspects of the other two.
Nightblade: This one is odd. Like, really odd. It has no status, in return for shadow damage? Sure, in the clockworks it works well against the spam spinning Thwackers, but in Lockdown, it is basically the same other then looking like a Katana. I mean, it's not like people equip Shadow Defense any more rarely as Elemental Defense. Really, this is exactly the same as the other three. Except with no status. Weird.
These weapons easily destroy bombers, as they can reach them with their charge, and that two have movement-impeding effects. And do fine against any other weapon you'll see. Including guns.
Meep. The best class with this is guardian or Striker. They benefit greatly from damage upgrades, and can be easily be Charged->Shielded-->Charged--->Shielded, etc. The Brandish is more of a hit'n run type of weapon. Adapt! Goodnight, everybody!