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Weapons, Mastery and styles
Every weapon type has its own moveset, every family its own Mastery and four abilities. Fast, balanced and slow are choices of feel, never stronger and weaker.
The basics
- Attack chain. Click to swing your weapon's chain of hits; hold to charge a heavy attack.
- Block. Hold F for a frontal block that stops blows completely while the block meter lasts. An empty meter breaks your guard.
- Parry. Block at the very last moment (the first 0.15 seconds) to cancel the blow, refill part of the meter and stun the attacker. A swordsman who parries a bullet cuts it out of the air.
- Dash. Q dashes on the ground or in the air. Dashing clear of a blow already on its way is a slip, which also teaches Observation Haki.
- Stamina pays for dashes and abilities and recovers on its own. Health recovers without needing food.
- Dual wielding. One-handed weapons can be paired with a second in the off hand. Two-handed weapons (the hammer and the spear) take both hands.
Mastery and abilities
- Every weapon family has its own Mastery, earned by defeating enemies with that family.
- Each family has four abilities on Z X C V, unlocked at Mastery 1, 5, 10 and 15. The bar shows whatever you are holding; R switches to your race or fruit bar.
- Abilities are burst, not a second damage source: stamina pays for only part of a perfect rotation, so you choose when to cast.
- The first arc earns about Mastery 9: by the time you beat Higuma you hold Z, X and almost C.
- Open Skills from the menu wheel (M) to see every family's Mastery and abilities.
Browse them all on Every ability.
Damage types
Every blow is slash, blunt or pierce. Blunt scales with STR; slash and pierce with DEX; bows, crossbows and guns with INT. Some foes shrug off a type: the Bara Bara body ignores slashes, unless the attacker uses Haki.
Combat types
Every ability set (style, weapon family, fruit and race) belongs to one of five types, which shapes how its abilities play.
| Type | How it fights | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Heavy blows that also strike enemies close around the target | Fists, Three Sword Style, Axe, Blunderbuss, Crossbows, Mera Mera, Bison (hybrid), Fish-Man |
| Speed | Fast; a dash can cancel a cast's end into the next cast | Swords, Two Sword Style, Blades, Pistols, Longleg, Dwarf |
| Technique | Casts leave a mark or trap that a later cast pays off | Black Leg, One Sword Style, Spear, Musket, Slingshot, Bows, Bara Bara, Human |
| Sky | Fights in the air and keeps enemies there | Skypiean |
| Endure | Takes the blow and hits back; less damage and knockback while casting | Blunt, Bison (full beast) |
Sword styles
A style is learned, and it replaces the normal sword abilities while you hold a sword.
- One Sword Style (Ittoryu): a sheathed stance, a drawn cut and flying slashes. Slower and harder hitting.
- Two Sword Style (Nitoryu): lighter and quicker.
- Three Sword Style (Santoryu): a sword in each hand and one in the mouth; heavy and wide.
Black Leg
The first fighting style. It replaces the fists: with an empty hand a Black Leg fighter kicks, hands in pockets. Holding a weapon still fights with that weapon.
- A snap kick, a roundhouse from the other leg, a high roundhouse and a spinning back kick. Hold attack for a crane stance and a thrusting side kick. Guarding raises a shin.
- Four abilities: Tenderizer, Rising Shank, Whisk and Chopping Block.
- The same power as the fists, slower and heavier, with a little more reach.
- How to learn it: the Ship's Cook gives one short quest, A Cook's Hands, then the lesson. After that he switches you between legs and fists for free.
Guns, bows and crossbows
- No ammo. Guns hold one shot and reload by themselves; bows need no arrows; crossbows span themselves again.
- Guns and crossbows: tap to fire from the hip, hold to aim (tighter spread, harder shot), release to fire.
- Bows: hold to draw; the longer the draw, the harder and straighter the arrow.
- Headshots deal 1.5 times the damage. Range costs damage: steady fire from safety does less than a sword.
- Six ranged families, each with its own Mastery: Pistols (Gunslinger), Muskets (Musketeer), Slingshot (Slinger), Blunderbuss (Breacher), Bows (Archer) and Crossbows (Arbalist).
Every weapon
Generated from the game's weapon files.