Swordmaster

Swordmaster is a specialization in Dune Awakening focused on close-quarters combat, parrying, and swift attacks. You start with the Deflection ability and a +15% melee damage bonus. This class excels in direct combat, defense against projectiles, and is quite accessible for beginners. Proper attack timing and stamina management are key for maximum effectiveness.

What is a Swordmaster in Dune Awakening?

Swordmaster is one of the specializations (Schools of the Imperium) that you can choose during character creation in Dune Awakening. This class starts with a focus on close-quarters combat, with the Swordmaster Skill Tree automatically unlocked for your character. Additionally, you gain Deflection as your starting ability.

You might be wondering: Why choose Swordmaster? This specialization offers a straightforward playstyle focused on melee combat and is considered one of the most accessible classes for new players. Swordmasters excel both in solo play due to their high damage output and defensive capabilities, and in groups.

In the Dune universe, Swordmasters of the fallen Ginaz School are considered the pinnacle of fighting prowess in the Known Universe. Their skills are revered throughout the Imperium.

Specialization Paths and Skills 🗡️

The Swordmaster skill tree is divided into three main branches:

1. The Blade ⚔️

Focuses on:

• Offensive capabilities and damage output
• Direct strikes and combat techniques
• Increasing melee weapon effectiveness

2. The Will 🛡️

Enhances:

• Defensive techniques and survival capacity
• Resistance to bleeding and injuries
• Increased stability and stagger resistance

3. The Way 🌊

Specializes in:

• Stamina management and combat utility
• Faster stamina recovery
• Increased maximum stamina

Offensive Abilities 🏹

Swordmasters excel at offensive techniques:

✓ Retaliate - Parry and counterattack with a bleeding riposte
✓ Eye of the Storm - AoE spinning attack that damages multiple enemies
✓  Foil - Parry and counter with a strike that reduces enemy damage
✓ Knee Charge - Close distance and stagger opponents
✓ Crippling Strike - Slow enemies and increase their dash stamina cost

💡 Pro tip: Combine Knee Charge for quick approach with a follow-up Eye of the Storm against groups of enemies. This combination allows you to quickly get into the middle of the action and then deal area damage.

Defensive Techniques 🛡️

Swordmasters have a range of defensive techniques:

1. Deflection - Defensive stance to block dart attacks
2. Solid Stance - Increases poise to resist being staggered
3. Bleed Tolerance - Reduces bleeding buildup
4. Reckless Lunge - Provides damage mitigation after sprint attacks
5. Confidence - Gain damage mitigation after difficult attacks

Stamina & Conditioning 🏃‍♂️

This specialization offers various ways to improve your stamina:

Damage Enhancement 💥

Swordmasters have several ways to increase their damage:

• Blade Damage - Increases damage with all bladed weapons
• Long Blade Damage - Boosts damage with swords and rapiers
• Dance of Blades - Empowers next attack after defeating an enemy
• Inspiration - Increases your and allies' melee damage
• Prescient Strike - Spice-enhanced double strike ability

❌ A common mistake is wasting stamina on unnecessary attacks or sprinting. The Swordmaster is most effective when maintaining enough stamina for a combination of offensive and defensive abilities throughout combat.

Playstyle and Tips for Swordmaster 🎮

Swordmasters are best played with a focus on:

✓ Aggressive melee combat with careful stamina management
✓ Tactically balancing offense and defense through parries and counterattacks
✓ Using mobility to control combat distance and avoid ranged attacks
✓ Maintaining proper hydration for optimal stamina reserves
✓ Building skill combinations that enhance your preferred combat style

Strategies for Swordmaster

1. Perfect Your Parries - Master defensive timing to maximize the effectiveness of counterattacks like Retaliate.
2. Manage Your Stamina - Your combat effectiveness depends heavily on stamina management for both offensive and defensive abilities.
3. Focus on Positioning - Use mobility skills like Knee Charge to control engagement distance and avoid being kited by ranged opponents.
4. Blade Path - This specialization offers the most straightforward damage output for new players.
5. Combine Abilities - Advanced Swordmaster builds can create powerful combos by using Prescient Strike after abilities while under the influence of spice.

Complete List of Swordmaster Skills

Active Abilities

• Eye of the Storm - You pirouette with your blade, becoming a whirlwind of piercing damage that cuts everything around you. While seemingly chaotic, the swordmaster maintains calm - the eye at the heart of the storm.
• Foil - You enter a heightened state of awareness and when next attacked in melee, you parry and counterattack with a precise strike that damages their arm and numbs them. For a short period of time, their damage output is reduced.
• Inspiration - You inspire yourself and your companions to greater heights, increasing the damage of your melee attacks.
• Knee Charge - You propel yourself forward into battle with a terrific knee charge into the enemy. Deals damage and severely staggers your opponent, but costs stamina.
• Retaliate - You enter a heightened state of awareness and when next attacked in melee, you parry and counterattack with a savage riposte that bleeds and damages your enemy.
• Crippling Strike - You move in, striking at a low angle to cut your enemies below the knees. For a while after being hit, your enemies are slowed and their dashes require more stamina.
• Deflection - You enter a defensive stance, deflecting darts that are fired at you. This ability lasts as long as your stamina holds out.

Passive Skills

• Blade Damage - You've learned the difference between a cut and a slice, a point and an edge. You do more damage with bladed weapons.
• Bleed Tolerance - You have become harder to bleed due to a combination of training and resistance. Bleeding status takes a longer time to build on you.
• Confidence - Every time you attempt a difficult attack like a sprint attack or a slow blade, you gain increased confidence, which reflects as damage mitigation.
• Desert Conditioning - You have trained yourself to deal with the rigors of the deserts, decreasing your max stamina loss while dehydrated.
• Field Medicine - You recover more health immediately when using healkits due to your excellent conditioning.
• General Conditioning - Your extensive physical training has increased your maximum stamina.
• Long Blade Damage - Your training with long blades such as swords and rapiers gives you increased damage with those weapons.
• Optimized Hydration - Your body knows how to make optimal use of water, so you have additional stamina reserves when well-hydrated.
• Precise Parry - When your blood is infused with melange, your parries expose additional weaknesses in the defense of your enemies. Their ability to mitigate damage is decreased.
• Prescient Strike - When your blood is saturated with melange, you see multiple ways in which to damage your enemies. After using any swordmaster ability, your next strike will strike twice, reflecting two possible versions of the future converging in a single spacetime.
• Solid Stance - As your training increases, you have learned to avoid being knocked around by enemy attacks. You can take more poise damage before being staggered.

Techniques

• Dance of Blades - Defeating an enemy with a blade empowers your next attack with the blade for a brief period. The skilled swordmaster dances between opponents, keeping their damage high.
• Disciplined Breathing - When you focus on your technique and breathing, you can recuperate your stamina reserves more quickly.
• Reckless Lunge - Lunging at an enemy will often provide them with an easy opening to attack, but you have learned to turn a lunge into an advantage. Sprint attacks provide bonus damage mitigation for a short while after a lunge.
• Thrive on Danger - When you are low on health, you regenerate health faster, receive less poise damage, and reduce all stamina costs for actions.

Final Summary

The Swordmaster specialization offers a unique gameplay style focused on melee combat, defense, and counterattacks. It requires good timing and stamina management but provides a satisfying experience for players who enjoy facing their enemies head-on.

Recommendations:

• The Swordmaster class can be selected during the Character Creation section of the game.
• Swordmasters excel at melee combat, defense against projectiles, and are considered one of the most accessible classes for beginners.
• Always maintain proper hydration for maximum stamina.
• Combine offensive abilities with defensive techniques for optimal survival.
• Use Deflection against ranged enemies and Retaliate or Foil against melee enemies.

FAQ

Q: Can I combine the Swordmaster specialization with other classes?
A: Yes, while you start with Swordmaster skills, Dune Awakening's flexible progression system allows you to learn abilities from other classes by training with various NPCs.

Q: Is the Swordmaster useful for PvP?
A: Definitely. Its abilities to block ranged attacks, close distance quickly, and deal high melee damage make it a strong contender in PvP engagements.

Q: Which branch of the Swordmaster specialization is most useful?
A: It depends on your playstyle, but most players find The Blade to be the most useful for overall effectiveness, while The Will is best for survival.

Q: How best to use the Deflection ability?
A: Use it when confronting ranged enemies or when needing to close distance with them. The ability allows you to deflect darts and projectiles while approaching.

Q: What weapons are best for a Swordmaster?
A: Swordmasters are most effective with long blades, such as swords and rapiers, due to passive bonuses like Long Blade Damage, but they can be effective with any bladed weapon.

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