Welcome. This guide is designed to help people inexperienced with medieval combat learn how, why, and when to use more advanced fighting techniques. I have a lot of information to share, so there's a lot to read here... But you're reading a guide, so I assume you're okay with that.

This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of the game, but not much more; limited to "apply weapon to opponent; repeat". This guide will do very little of outright telling you what to do; instead, I'm simply giving you information and allowing you to apply it in your own unique playstyle. No two people play Blade & Sorcery the same way. On that note, though, this guide will focus a tiny bit more on the flashy than the practical, because that's just how I play the game. If you'd like to learn how to realistically fight with practical combat techniques, I wrote a historically accurate guide here.

Forewarning: I am not a real-life medieval combat expert. All of my real-life knowledge is limited to google searches, Wikipedia skimming, conversations with enlightened friends, and my own experience with sparring in real life. If I misname any techniques, or if there's a better way to describe it, please let me know in the comments.

If there's any techniques or weapons you want covered that aren't in here, let me know. This guide is still far from done! I just need ideas for different weapons to cover. (I will not cover things like lightsabers or other overpowered items.)

That being said, these techniques are somewhat exclusive to Blade and Sorcery-- obviously, the magic ones are, but do not actually attempt these techniques in real life without proper training or zero will to live.

Additionally, I will not cover any sort of techniques that exploit the game or its physics in some way, because that's really lame. I will also assume your mods don't add things like guns or overpowered weapons, because that makes things too easy (and therefore lame). If you want to know the big mods that I use (and you might see throughout this guide), here's a list of the major ones.

• Medieval Megapack
  
• Magic Plus
  
• Grab Anywhere
  
• Portable Books
  
• MoreSlots*
  
• Tools of the Trade

*I customized it to where the only extra slots provided are the slots on the lower back, because literally anywhere else is annoying.

Additional forewarning: Some, if not many of these techniques require actual physical exertion or basic fitness to perform. You cannot do them sitting down. Then again, why would you play a VR medieval combat simulator sitting down? You'd be missing the point.

Regardless, let's continue.

Regardless of your chosen weapon, stance, or combat style, there are still many things you need to keep in mind. Striking a balance between defense and offense are essential to staying alive, as well as good situational awareness.

While you're neither actively guarding nor actively attacking, it's good practice to still keep your weapon ready at all times. This is referred to as your "neutral stance". For example, with a sword and shield, you'd want to keep your shield still partially blocking your torso, and your sword by your hip or waist ready to strike.

While preparing to guard an enemy's strike, either counter their strike with your own or bash their incoming weapon with your shield. This is referred to as parrying.

While at first glance, this doesn't do anything, parrying with a weapon actually returns focus-- the resource you drain when you use slow-mo. This works even if you ARE in slow-mo, allowing you to (somewhat awkwardly) endlessly chain regaining focus.
Parrying with a shield, or a strong enough blunt weapon-- if you bash hard enough near the opponent's hand-- also has a chance to entirely bat their weapon away, forcing them to retreat and opening them up to a swift, lethal strike.


Remember that it's much harder to parry an attack from the opposing direction of the hand you want to use, unless you've got cat-like reflexes or are in slow-mo. You shouldn't try to parry a right-handed cross strike with a left-handed shield bash. I know I did it in the clip, but I was in slow-mo.


If you block or dodge your foe's strike, they are completely vulnerable while recoiling from your block/following through with their swing. In this small window of time, you can quickly attack-- generally with a thrust-- to capitalize on their mistake. This is called a counterattack. Learning to effectively and quickly counterattack is one of the most reliable ways to slay your opponents.


One of the biggest mental roadblocks in any game is knowing when to retreat. Blade and Sorcery is no different; it's impossible to fight effectively while surrounded and being attacked from different angles. Of course, there are certain methods to attacking multiple enemies at once, but generally, you can fight more effectively when you are not surrounded. Remember that using the Gravity spell downwards or while in the air will propel you in the opposite direction; you can use this to your advantage to leap out of a sticky situation (and, often, knock opponents around you down, potentially killing them), allowing you to retreat and find a more advantageous position to fight. Generally, you want your opponents ONLY in front of you.

Note: This specific maneuver I performed is not a good idea unless you want to look cool. Don't be me.

It is considered chivalrous in a duel to finish your opponent as quickly and painlessly as possible. To do so, while an enemy is knocked down, target their right-upper torso (heart area) or their head with a forceful thrust to instantly kill them.
As a bonus, you get to strike a cool pose afterwards.


Remember; Blade and Sorcery allows you to interact with the environment just as much as your foes. Use that to your advantage. Knock enemies into walls, push them off ledges, throw breakables at them, or force your opponent to fight you in a location where you have the advantage. The strength of the mind is more powerful than the strength of the blade. Learn to get creative and have good situational awareness.


Obvious Star Wars references aside, having the high ground in a fight may be the most important consideration to your strategy. Not only does having the high ground allow you to see more of your foes at once, attacking downwards is much easier and stronger than attacking upwards, as well as giving you the option to leap over your foes and deliver a strike from behind.


Knowing what weapon and strategy to use and when is the key to dominating the battlefield as a one-man army. You don't have just one weapon, you have FOUR equipment slots on your body. It's important to use them effectively, and know when to switch. Generally, I like to have one light, one-handed weapon, one heavy, two-handed weapon, and either a shield or a bow.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you're a pu$sy concerned about keeping a healing potion on you, don't put it in an equipment slot. Instead, equip it over your chest; this puts it in your inventory. You can then press B (righthand bottom, or whatever equivalent for Vive/Index) while putting your hand on your chest to open your inventory; grip to select category/item.

Not always the flashiest, but they get the job done and allow for exceptional tactical flexibility. Any weapon that can be effectively used in one hand falls in this category; riding swords, sabers, falchions, handaxes, maces, to name a few.

This section will primarily focus on swords, but most techniques will apply to other weapon types as well. If you want more strategies for them, scroll to the bottom of this section.

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Undoubtedly the most cathartic way to wield one-handed weapons, this fighting style surprisingly requires skill and practice to be effective. Techniques like Florentine fighting (primarily defending with one weapon and attacking with another) and attacking with both weapons at once are necessary to justify the lack of defensive options.

"Being aggressive" does not constitute just going completely ham-- instead, you want to constantly be on the offensive, striking before your opponent can, and throwing defensive fighting styles to the wind in favor of dodging as much as possible. Use your two weapons to attack without letting the enemy do so first and do not let up.
Of course, this will tire you out quickly if you aren't careful. You need to be quick, efficient, and smart. Target weak points if possible, like the neck, head, and upper torso. Strike those until your opponent falls, then chain off unto the next opponent. Rinse and repeat until you're covered in blood and seeing red. Or black out.


Florentine fighting, also known as half-tempo, is the act of dual-wielding weapons, but only using one to attack, using the other to defend. This fighting style allows for good defense, but without compromising the power that comes with using two weapons at once, as the defending weapon is still a weapon. It also allows the fighter to exert more control in their fighting, as the fighting style naturally lends itself well to a more reactive fighter. This fighting style is a bit niche, however, as it requires the fighter to have good coordination, and requires lots of skill and practice to perform effectively.
Plus, half-tempoing is a scientifically proven way to improve your chances of getting laid sevenfold.

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Simple, useful, and easy to master. Using a sword and shield requires very little to learn, and it strikes a perfect balance between defense and offense. However, it's not nearly as flexible, as the shield's size could make fighting somewhat awkward if it isn't managed properly and requires dexterity and fast reactions to be effective.

Using a shield seems simple, but if you don't take advantage of its unique quirks compared to another weapon, you may as well be holding dead weight.
First, always hold the shield in front of you in your neutral pose, as mentioned earlier. This lets you sometimes guard against attacks you didn't even react to.
Second, hold the shield against an attack you do react to. You're trying to meet their weapon with your shield, not sit back and relax as it bounces off. In real life, this would help prevent the shield from being bat out of your hand, but in B&S, it helps you get in position to quickly counterattack.
Third, if in doubt, crouch and hold the shield above you. This will let you easily guard against most attacks the AI does. Fun fact; in real life, being closer to the ground would help you absorb the impact of the blow.


Remember: shields are effectively still blunt weapons. They aren't only used for defending. Learning how to add shield bashing and poking into your combos allow you to continue to strike your opponent without them ever fighting back.
Striking hard enough with the shield in the right situations can even send the victim flying. I find it's the most consistent to pull off while/just after sprinting, or by bashing with the shield as you rise from a crouching position.

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Perhaps the most flexible way to wield a one-handed weapon is to keep your offhand free. Unlike dual-wielding or holding a shield, the fighter chooses to only wield a single one-handed weapon, opening up their offhand for various supportive tactics. Of course, that means you lack the defensive capabilities of a shield or the offensive capabilities of another weapon.

Are you tired of that one annoying mage that wouldn't stop spamming fireballs at you, then tickled you with electricity as you got closer? Just grab that little funker and give them hell's wrath.
Make sure to grab their mouth or neck, as this will prevent them from fighting you while you grab them. With enough effort, you can even yEET throw them.


Using magic in your offhand is a great way to deal lots of damage quickly. The best for damage is Fire, but Gravity can stagger or even launch opponents if you position it correctly.


If you're not confident about your aim, or feel like Gravity is too cheap, imbuing your weapon for a powerful strike works well and feels great to pull off smoothly.

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Rapiers are similar enough to swords, but primarily focus on reacting to enemy attacks rather than being proactive. They are designed to capitalize on your opponents' mistakes as effectively as possible, hence why they are designed for thrusting. However, combat rapiers, which most rapiers in Blade and Sorcery are, can also slash somewhat effectively. This allows you to slash at your opponent's arms and head. While this doesn't deal much damage, it doesn't require the enemy to be vulnerable to perform-- just not guarding in the direction of the slash.
A technique commonly associate with rapiers is Riposting-- the act of counterattacking after parrying. Remember parrying from earlier? Combine that with a solid thrust to your foe's heart, and you can quickly slay their will to live, and their life-- in that order.

Unlike swords, maces do not cut. They bludgeon. While from the surface, this doesn't seem much different, it can greatly affect the outcome in a fight. Most notably, bludgeoning weapons are highly effective against armor[neutralhistory.com]. Bludgeoning weapons also deal much greater knockback than swords, allowing you to send your opponent flying if you hit them correctly. Note that this all applies to your fists, as well. More on that later.
Axes are generally stronger than swords, but are heavier, have shorter range, and have sourspots along the shaft. Most strategies applying to swords apply to them as well, just make sure you aim the head of the axe into soft, supple tissue.

Big weapons for big men. I hope you're not compensating for something.

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As with one-handed weapons, this section primarily focuses on swords, but most strategies will also apply to similar weapons.

These weapons are big, and generally require two hands to effectively fight with. They're much heavier; and, by proxy, much more destructive. While not as simple as one-handed weapons, they're still fairly straightforward. The key to offense with two-handed weapons is to smoothly swing from one attack into the other, using your entire body to swing the sword.

Guarding with two-handed weapons isn't as easy as a one-handed weapon. It requires dexterity and faster reactions, as it's harder for you to bring the weapon to where the enemy will strike. Even in VR, where technically all weapons are weightless, your actual in-game character has to deal with the weight of their weapon, making it slower to reach where you're trying to guard. This means two-handed weapons are better suited for more defensive and reactive fighting styles. Of course, since these weapons are heavy, that means parrying with them will knock them off balance for longer; Riposting and counterattacking will be your primary form of killing enemies, since thrusting with two-handed weapons-- especially the bigger ones-- is much harder to do at close range, where trying to pierce your enemy would be too awkward.


Although in most cases, you need two hands to effectively swing your sword, it's possible to attack in such a way that the very weight of the weapon will compensate enough for you to swing with just one hand, briefly opening up your hand for more creative tactics. For example, punching the enemy with a quick center-mass strike, knocking them off tempo, allowing you to swing overhead and bring the hammer of death down.


Everybody and their mother knows about this technique. Grip the sword upside down and it'll be a makeshift mace, providing you with a quick and easy way to deal with armored enemies. As a bonus, it looks and sounds badass.


This technique is a bit situational, but useful if you're ever surrounded. Holding a weapon with two hands prevents you from quickly sprinting or using magic. If you find that enemies are coming at you from all angles, bend backwards and swing your weapon around in a circle; this is called a Molineo, allowing you to attack and bat away enemies surrounding you.

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Often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and downright ignored, polearms can be one of the most powerful weapons a warrior can wield. Able to simultaneously slash and pierce at long ranges, most polearms work best when you keep your distance and falter up close.

As simple as it seems, thrusting in B&S isn't straightforward. You'll end up severely limiting your range and power if you don't do it right.
When you thrust with a polearm, make sure you hold the trigger of your top hand while you do. This allows the weapon to slide, increasing it's effective range and letting you effectively thrust with only one hand, just using the other to stabilize it.


Although polearms are pretty useless in close quarters, it's possible to sweep the legs of your foes, opening them up to summary execution. Be careful, as this won't always work in every situation.

This technique does work with any two-handed weapon, but I find it most consistent and useful with a polearm.

Polearms, more than any other weapon, require you to maintain your distance from your foes. This means you'll have to strafe backwards as you fight. Remain environmentally aware so you don't accidentally back yourself into a corner.


Polearms are perhaps the hardest weapon to guard with. While maintaining proper range, most enemies can't hit you; if your polearm is short enough, you might be able to swat away their strike using the tip of the blade. Otherwise, guarding requires exceptional dexterity and practically clairvoyant reactions, as you need to guard with the handle of the polearm.

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I'll be honest here, hoss, I don't use bows enough to enlighten you with super-cool advanced techniques. I'll instead tell you what I know based off the few times I do use them.

Any military LARPer can tell you that it's much better to aim for center mass. This is especially true for bows. Hitting headshots on a stationary target is hard enough, and people tend to move around in a fight. Instead, aim for center mass, or if you really need them to die, the upper torso area. You might just find you'll hit a headshot on accident.

I swear, I'm not missing on purpose here.

I've played Blade & Sorcery for nearly 100 hours before I knew you could imbue while holding a bow. Literally just press trigger while holding one, and you'll imbue an arrow when you fully draw it back.


Bows suck at close quarters. You may have noticed AI tend to put their bows away once you get close, and this is why. Aiming a bow at a rapidly moving, nearby target is much harder than a far-away, completely predictable one. In close quarters, it's best to switch to a one-handed knife, your best bet being a dagger or shortsword.


Although using a bow in close-quarters is ill-advised, if an enemy manages to get close to you before you can react and you find yourself on the business end of a blade, remember that the bow is still able to guard, even more effectively if you use the arrow tip to parry.

Sometimes, using nOrMaL weapons for nOrMaL people just isn't your style. This section is about unconventional weapons and strategies; ones that are niche, peculiar, less effective (but flashy), or just downright useless.

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Sometimes, using a weapon just doesn't cut it. When you have a personal grudge against that one archer in the corner, you need to end them with your own two fists.

A powerful, downward punch is called a haymaker. This will always knock an opponent down as long as you him them hard enough, opening them up to a grounded beatdown.


Who doesn't love sending their foes to the stratosphere? Uppercutting an enemy hard enough will knock them up into the air-- and of course, straight down afterwards. Very flashy and hard to underestimate.

Pro tip: For the absolute bonkest launch, crouch down, briefly enable slowmo, then rise and uppercut with both hands. I call this technique a Hypercut.


With both hands free, grabbing enemies is easy. Once again, grab them by the face or neck, and they're open for you to relentlessly pummel, and once you're satisfied, you can throw them.

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Undoubtedly the most useful strategy in the game. This powerful maneuver has no counter. Only use this if you can handle its power.

Pet the chicken.
Do it.
You know you want to.
DO IT.


hold him gently, like hamburger

These are just a few of the many different strategies when it comes to fighting. In the end, Blade and Sorcery is a sandbox game, and you can do any stupid strategy you want. Be creative, be smart, but most importantly, be brutal.

As I said in the beginning, if there's any techniques or weapons I haven't covered here that you want covered, let me know in the comments and I'll add them. I've already been writing this guide for 2 days now, and I want to post it so I can get feedback.