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I would appreciate some detailed info on the sword-fighting

Handel

Landlubber
Not the keys and the type "I like my heavy weapon most" but what is the practical difference between light/medium/heavy; is the light weapon usefull or it is too "light"; can I go drop the "power" skill if I go for light weapons etc etc...
 
The only real differences I've noticed is the energy/damage ratios. Light weapons use the least energy per strike but do the least damage overall, heavy weapons use the most energy and do the most damage. I haven't seen a single skill that relies on one weapon class nor any weapon class specific attacks.
 
Dropping the Power stat is a bad idea, as it determines how much you can carry and how many hitpoints you have.
 
Melee weapon range from - light (small damage/hit , faster hit and less energy consumption)
to heavy (big dmg, slower, more energy consumption).
Guns are another thing.

Mainly 3 types of melee attacks for 1 vs 1 (I mention keys to avoid doubts) :
1. faster - less dmg - good for interrupting slower attacks of the oponent - mainly the "up to down attack" (3rd). - mouse left click
2.medium fast - medium dmg - mouse right click
3.slow - big damage (up to down) - passes through defense (parry) with at least 1/2 dmg - to be interrupted with attack one or avoided , but not paryied - mouse middle button

My usual strategy :
a) parry the first 2 , interrupt the 3rd with a 1st.
b) observe pattern , try to get one 1st then a row of first - oponents can't recover (doesn't usualy have time) so it dies
c)if oponent engaged with someone else and I'm free a 3rd + parry after is best

parry - space

with shift modifier you get other things:
1)180-2xx degrees medium horizontal slash - for multiple enemies ( but is best to run in my opinion) (LMB+shift)
2)feint (RMB +shift) - pretend to hit (obvious) - I could not find much use for it - AI is smart enough
3)another feint I think

I think one of the last two will also hit too - but I'm not sure.

Advices:
Observe oponent patterns and take advantage.Use parry.Watch your energy.Interrupt the middle mouse button attack with a fast one.


Guns , for those you can carry , as can be seen in their description, mainly 2 types :
a)big average dmg and less accuracy and big reload time/bullet
b)smaller average dmg and good accuracy and rather small reload time per bullet

Worth mentioning that shooting n times in a row always includes n animations like this (sword off, gun on,shoot,gun off,draw sword - to shoot a 2nd time repeat the whole thing) -so takes very long.
 
The circular attack can be very effective once you get the "20% chance of critical hit" perk. With two or three enemies in range and two slashes per enemy you usually manage to score one or two and deal the usual damage to the other guys.
 
<!--quoteo(post=332197:date=Jun 24 2009, 09:00 AM:name=Sordid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sordid @ Jun 24 2009, 09:00 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=332197"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The circular attack can be very effective once you get the "20% chance of critical hit" perk. With two or three enemies in range and two slashes per enemy you usually manage to score one or two and deal the usual damage to the other guys.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


This is SHIFT-LMB, right?

And SHIFT-MMB is the parry for overhead hit, but what exactly is then SHIFT-RMB? The manual says it is "feint" - is this means you have a chance to score a hit through the block?


Also it seems to me the light weapons are next to useless in the game. Of course there are probably ppl which enjoy sword fighting and may feint, parry and block a long time but I bet most of the players are as me - they just want to kill the suckers and the sheath the weapon. As such most of the fights ends quickly and the light weapons simply do relatively small damage (compared to the others) so the advance is very slow.
I had a fighter which was with perfect stats for light weapons but soon was 3 levels behind the other fighters (with the same talent value)
 
<!--quoteo(post=334499:date=Jul 2 2009, 12:38 AM:name=Handel)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Handel @ Jul 2 2009, 12:38 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334499"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->And SHIFT-MMB is the parry for overhead hit, but what exactly is then SHIFT-RMB? The manual says it is "feint" - is this means you have a chance to score a hit through the block?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I read somewhere that the feint action works by baiting the enemy into attacking - if he attacks while you're feinting, he automatically misses and you score a hit. Doesn't seem all that useful and I don't use it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also it seems to me the light weapons are next to useless in the game. Of course there are probably ppl which enjoy sword fighting and may feint, parry and block a long time but I bet most of the players are as me - they just want to kill the suckers and the sheath the weapon. As such most of the fights ends quickly and the light weapons simply do relatively small damage (compared to the others) so the advance is very slow.
I had a fighter which was with perfect stats for light weapons but soon was 3 levels behind the other fighters (with the same talent value)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well their only advantage is that they don't consume much energy, which can come in handy in extended fights - a critical will take a sizable chunk of health off the enemy regardless of what you hit him with. It also seems to me that there is a smaller difference between the high level weapons than between the low level ones, Morgan's rapier is 18/65 while Haudegen is 25/70 - not that much of a difference, I'd say. On the other hand, the poleaxe is 35/120 - which is a very meaningful difference compared to Haudegen.
 
This "CoAS fencing strategy guide" could be of great use on the wiki <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=334510:date=Jul 1 2009, 05:30 PM:name=Sordid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sordid @ Jul 1 2009, 05:30 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334510"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=334499:date=Jul 2 2009, 12:38 AM:name=Handel)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Handel @ Jul 2 2009, 12:38 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334499"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->And SHIFT-MMB is the parry for overhead hit, but what exactly is then SHIFT-RMB? The manual says it is "feint" - is this means you have a chance to score a hit through the block?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I read somewhere that the feint action works by baiting the enemy into attacking - if he attacks while you're feinting, he automatically misses and you score a hit. Doesn't seem all that useful and I don't use it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also it seems to me the light weapons are next to useless in the game. Of course there are probably ppl which enjoy sword fighting and may feint, parry and block a long time but I bet most of the players are as me - they just want to kill the suckers and the sheath the weapon. As such most of the fights ends quickly and the light weapons simply do relatively small damage (compared to the others) so the advance is very slow.
I had a fighter which was with perfect stats for light weapons but soon was 3 levels behind the other fighters (with the same talent value)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well their only advantage is that they don't consume much energy, which can come in handy in extended fights - a critical will take a sizable chunk of health off the enemy regardless of what you hit him with. It also seems to me that there is a smaller difference between the high level weapons than between the low level ones, Morgan's rapier is 18/65 while Haudegen is 25/70 - not that much of a difference, I'd say. On the other hand, the poleaxe is 35/120 - which is a very meaningful difference compared to Haudegen.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Definently light weapon work only with critical otherwise you'lle get bored.But good light weapon( >=german rapier) +elite fencing , that's extremely powerful.Like in big melees (like boarding) you can keep on killing and killing <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />.
 
SHIFT + RMB is feint, but this works only when opponent tries to hit you with power attack.

To me this move (dodge) is quite useful especially in situation when you are in confined space and you can not strafe and move.
I usually use parry (SPACE) and this feint (SHIFT+RMB) a lot and with this tactic I rarely get hit.
 
<!--quoteo(post=334576:date=Jul 2 2009, 05:32 PM:name=Marinx)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Marinx @ Jul 2 2009, 05:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334576"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->SHIFT + RMB is feint, but this works only when opponent tries to hit you with power attack.

To me this move (dodge) is quite useful especially in situation when you are in confined space and you can not strafe and move.
I usually use parry (SPACE) and this feint (SHIFT+RMB) a lot and with this tactic I rarely get hit.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Sorry, I've mistaken the combos - SHIFT-RMB is usefull indeed - it is parrying the overhead hits (not the SHIFT-MMB as I wrote previously); actually the question is of the usefullness of SHIFT-MMB...
 
Tried all fighting weapons. For 1v1 heavy weapons are best, but if you're boarding, light weapons with master fencing does wonders. You swing, and keep swinging, and few can touch you. A really good pistol will even out the 1v1 fight. Medium is a balance, but won't excel at either roll.
 
Personally, I feel superhuman in fights now that I have the fencing skills, 75 heavy weapons (not including my +20 heavy idol) and berserk. In situations where I'm literally surrounded by enemies and I trigger beserk and do the roundhouse slash, doing upwards of 400 damage going and coming. I've killed 6 men with it before and had enough energy left to do it twice more, so if you like fighting crowds I'd definitely say get heavy weapons and berserk. I actually find the 1 on 1 captain battles quite amusing now and do the whole Errol Flynn dancing about because I know I can kill them in two slashes from berserk <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />.
 
<!--quoteo(post=334573:date=Jul 2 2009, 06:55 PM:name=PeterWillemoes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PeterWillemoes @ Jul 2 2009, 06:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=334573"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This "CoAS fencing strategy guide" could be of great use on the wiki <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I agree with you Peter. Sounds tough enough to need a guide <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />
 
I like it in PotC. Advanced? HELL NO! But at least it's simple and works. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
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