Weapon sets and stances

Your paper doll holds two weapon sets, A and B. Press 1 to draw set A and 2 to draw set B. Press the key of the set you are holding to put it away. Switching plays a real sheathe and draw, so it is not instant.

• Click a weapon in your bags to put it in set A. Drag it onto a set B slot to fill set B.
• A two-handed weapon fills both hands of its set.
• Weapon keys do nothing while you are typing or casting.

Your stance comes from your weapons

There is no stance menu. What is in your hands decides your fighting stance: one-hander (with or without a shield), two-hander, polearm, staff, bow, crossbow or thrown weapon. Each has its own swings, reach and guard. A set with nothing in its hands raises your fists instead: see Fighting with your fists.

Spears and halberds: two footings

A spear or a halberd is held with either foot forward. Press X to step from one to the other. Some strikes change it for you: a sweeping cut or a wheel lands you with your left foot forward, and almost every strike from there brings you back. Your dodges, guard and hit reactions follow the footing you stand in.

Each press of Left Mouse strikes at once; there is no wind-up to hold. The mouse direction picks the strike, and so does how you move: standing, stepping forward, backing off, moving sideways or crouching each give different strikes. The strike decides the damage: a thrust pierces, a cut slashes.

Combos: press again while a combo strike lands to flow straight into the next blow. Stepping forward and thrusting starts a combo of up to four blows.

Hold Right Mouse to raise your guard; it drops the moment you let go.

A lone one-handed blade: fencing

A one-handed weapon with nothing in your other hand fights in a fencer's stance of its own, with its own footwork, dodges and hit reactions (a shield in the other hand keeps the shield stance). Every strike is a move of its own, picked by the mouse direction and by whether you stand, step forward or crouch.

• Tap Left Mouse for a fast strike. Hold it a moment for a slower, heavier one.
• Combos: press again while a blow lands to flow into a second cut.
• Right Mouse parries toward the mouse direction and holds the guard while you keep it down. See Blocking.
• Your one-handed weapon powers strike at once with a move of their own.

• A drawn weapon slows you by 5%. Sheathe to travel.
• Nobody can offer you a trade while your weapon is drawn.