Sword Mechanics; Choosing and Using Swords in Nightfalls (Mostly complete; edited for Season of the Haunted)

A guide for players who are learning to use swords or already know how but have trouble with making them work in Nightfalls. This guide will reference the Legendary and Exotic swords, how to obtain them, mods to consider, some mechanics, and choosing a sword for Nightfalls. All images seen throughout the guide were created by me using screenshots and recordings. Information provided and ideas presented are solely my own based on personal experience.

List of Non-Sunset Swords, How to Obtain Them, Specialty of Some

Arc

- Obtained on the Moon.

- Obtained from Crucible.

- Obtained from the Deep Stone Crypt raid. Has the highest Impact stat possible out of all Adaptive frames.

- Obtained from weapon engrams or Banshee.

- Obtained from Xur's Treasure Hoard Chest or as a drop from Dares of Eternity. For sword-skating due to the Eager Edge perk. Can roll Duelist's Trance and Assassin's Blade combo.

- First unlocked from the Ogre encounter in Grasp of Avarice before becoming a possible drop from the rest of the dungeon. Can roll Demolitionist and Chain Reaction combo or Duelist's Trance and Assassin's Blade combo.

- Obtained from the Monument to Lost Lights. Known for early days of sword-skating and speedruns when the sword energy system wasn't a thing. Now outshined by Half-Truths and The Other Half with their Eager Edge perk.

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Solar

- Obtained from the Prophecy Dungeon or random Legendary Engram drop.

- Obtained in the Dreaming City.

- Obtained from faction reputation engrams. Warlock-only Vortex frame with an intrinsic Infinite Guard.

- Obtained from Trials of Osiris. Can roll Chain Reaction or Frenzy.

- Obtained as a Flawless reward from Trials of Osiris.

- Obtained from the Exotic quest Lost Lament. The Anti-Barrier sword.

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Void

- Obtained in Crucible.

- Obtained weapon umbral engrams or Banshee. The first Vortex frame.

- Obtained from faction reputation engrams. Hunter-only Lightweight with the highest ammo count.

- Obtained from faction reputation engrams. Titan-only Aggressive.

- Obtained from Xur's Treasure Hoard Chest or as a drop from Dares of Eternity (rare drop according to Bungie; seemingly extremely rare otherwise). Can roll Duelist's Trance and Frenzy or Vorpal Weapon combo.

- Obtained from random Exotic Engram drops. Can throw tracking projectiles.

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Stasis (zzz)

- Obtained during the Dawning event when opening Gifts in Return or by exchanging the Gift and Dawning Spirit with Eva Levante. Can roll Cold Steel to freeze enemies after multiple strikes.

Sword Frames

As of 2021, there are five frames to choose from: Adaptive, Caster, Vortex, Lightweight, and Aggressive. Lightweight is exclusive to Hunters, and Aggressive is exclusive to Titans.

Adaptive


The first frame to exist in the game. The heavy attack is an uppercut with multiple ticks of damage, which is most useful versus a single target. However, if the attack would push an enemy back, these hits can whiff. This problem made the frame an unpopular choice, especially with the conception of Vortex frame.

Caster


Conceived during Season of Arrivals. The powered heavy attack is a projectile that deals damage over time after hitting a target. Has light tracking strength. Due to the projectile speed and time spent in swing animation, it is not a popular pick for higher difficulty content. Note that unlike Black Talon, this will not shoot a projectile when using the heavy attack while airborne. As of 2021, there are only two swords with this frame: Temptation’s Hook and Sola’s Scar.

Vortex


Conceived during Season of Arrivals. This popular frame is capable of killing many enemies concentrated in an area with a single heavy attack. The sword will still perform the same spin even when unpowered.

Lightweight



A Hunter-exclusive frame reissued in Year 4. This frame is known for having the fastest swing speed and highest ammo count possible but has the least damage per hit. The heavy attack is a wide swing. This frame lacks lunge capabilities that other swords have and thus is not advised for use against enemies that tend to strafe away from you.

Aggressive


A Titan-exclusive frame reissued in Year 4. This frame is known for having slow, powerful swings and the strongest heavy attack of all frames with its slam. When using the heavy attack while airborne, you will descend straight down at a fixed speed and perform the slam upon landing (you do not take fall damage when performing this particular attack).

Choosing a Guard Perk; Stronghold

Not going to go into much detail on this since most players, as Banshee says, do not block with their swords.

Balanced Guard – All three stats are average.

Swordmaster’s Guard – For recharging your sword energy faster, allowing for more frequent powered attacks. Terrible for guarding with less stats than Balanced Guard. Should be chosen over all other perks if you are using Stronghold.

Heavy Guard – For taking many hits while moving around the battlefield or from cover to cover. Maintains sword energy when taking damage, and it drains slowly.

Burst Guard – For “parrying” damage by significantly reducing damage taken when guarding. Maintains sword energy when taking damage but drains it quickly.

Enduring Guard – For preventing a guard break animation which leaves you vulnerable and unable to move. Maintains sword energy when taking damage and drains sword energy slowly when guarding but doesn’t reduce damage taken by much.

Although Infinite Guard exists, it is not an interchangeable perks like the others and only exists as an intrinsic perk on Worldline Zero and the Warlock-exclusive sword Eternity's Edge. This guard never loses sword energy from holding a guard but loses a moderate amount from damage absorbed.

Titans have the Exotic arm armor Stronghold which maximizes their sword guard stats, making these guard perks meaningless with the exception of Swordmaster's Guard since it increases recharge rate. A Titan with Stronghold can hold their guard indefinitely and takes significantly reduced amounts of damage. On "parrying" incoming damage, you will heal an amount proportional to the damage received. This effect has a cooldown represented by the buff Perfect Guard.

Other notes:

• Guarding only reduces damage from the front. Any damage source taken from behind will deal normal damage.
  
• Fall damage and environmental damage can be reduced by guarding.
  
• Hive swords do not necessarily have the same mechanics and must be treated differently according to the activity they are available in.
  
• Guarding in PvP is generally not a good idea.

Mods for Sword Usage

Not every sword is good, and we most certainly cannot take whatever sword we want into Nightfalls. As you go up the difficulties, the viability of swords decreases significantly without the necessary utility available for each class. The damage you take, match game, and finding the opportunity to use one without getting killed all discourage the use of swords, especially in Master or Grandmaster. However, you can still take a sword into Master or Grandmaster. You can take one into almost any Nightfall. It all depends on how you use it and your intentions in using one.

Here's a list of things to consider before we go into what swords to use in which Nightfalls:

• Damage reduction mods from chest armor
  
• Masterworked sword to spawn orbs of power
  
• Recuperation to synergize with your Masterworked sword

If available, the following Charged with Light mods

• Generating Charged with Light stacks
  
  • Taking Charge - Gain a stack of Charged with Light when picking up an Orb of Power. Also allows you to pick up orbs even when Supercharged (Super is ready to cast), which allows you to continue benefiting from Recuperation or other Orb of Power mods.
    
  • Shield Break Charge - Gain a stack of Charged with Light when breaking an elemental shield with a weapon of the same element.
    
  • Charged Up/Supercharged - Increases the number of Charged with Light stacks you can hold (up to 5).
  
  
• Stack Spenders
  
  • Protective Light - When entering critical state from an enemy attack, spend all current stacks of Charged with Light and take reduced damage for a duration. This shows up in the list of buffs and debuffs as Resist x4. Lasts for 5 seconds for each stack expended.
    
  • Striking Light
    
    • Primary effect: melee or sword kills spend a stack of Charged with Light and spawn an Orb of Power for teammates only.
      
    • Secondary effect (only applicable when another Arc Charged with Light mod is equipped on a different armor piece or if the armor piece with Striking Light has another Arc mod equipped) - Gain damage resistance while sprinting.
  • Lucent Blade
    
    • Primary effect - While Charged with Light, the next sword attack expends a stack and buffs your sword damage for 5 seconds. This shows up in the list of buffs and debuffs as Keened.
      
    • Secondary effect (only applicable when another Arc Charged with Light mod is equipped on a different armor piece or if the armor piece with Lucent Blade has another Arc mod equipped) - Your sword energy recharges faster.

The Charged with Light mods are what make sword users stand out. Protective Light lets you become a Tank. Striking Light allows you to support teammates by generating more Orbs of Power than the average player and help them generate their Supers faster. Lucent Blade allows you to potentially defeat higher health enemies more quickly with less sword hits.

However, having all three Stack Spender mods is very inefficient and prevent them from working effectively. You should only use one and pick according to your needs in solo activities or your fireteam's playstyle.

Airborne Mechanics and the Exotic Swords

Airborne Mechanics

Most people are familiar with the following airborne strikes when using an Adaptive, Caster, or Vortex frame. Note that the second one below is a heavy attack that uses two ammo. The Titan-exclusive Aggressive frame performs the same motion with its airborne light attack as these frames' airborne heavy attack.




All Adaptive, Caster, and Vortex frames can perform the following airborne combo using a light attack followed immediately by a heavy attack.



While not that impacting in most situations, this combo allows a quick additional stack of the Whirlwind Blade perk before using a fully charged heavy attack, and it costs less ammo for more damage versus using only an airborne heavy attack. This is combo is most useful against enemies that you know need two hits to kill in letting you kill them sooner rather than waiting to land on the ground to strike again.

While airborne and not descending quickly, you can use a light attack to temporarily maintain elevation. This is useful for platforming or reaching places you normally cannot reach using only your jump ability.



If you are descending too quickly, your character will not lunge to maintain elevation and will continue dropping. You can attack right before landing to prevent fall damage (might need more testing). This should only be done if you are good at gauging how far you are from the ground. Otherwise, you should guard before landing to reduce the fall damage taken.



If you get knocked back by an enemy melee attack and have an Adaptive, Caster, or Vortex frame equipped, a light attack will override the momentum and move you in the direction you attacked. This is useful for avoiding being sent flying into walls or staying on the enemy you're using your sword on.

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Exotic Swords

Best known for Worldline sword skating speedruns. Probably the inspiration for Vortex frames. The special heavy dash attack is a wide multi-hit strike.



To activate its special heavy dash attack, you must sprint until the Temporal Sprint buff appears prior to using your heavy attack. This attack cannot be performed again until your sword energy is full. You can use Striking Light's secondary effect to take reduced damage while ramping up Temporal Sprint.

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Best known for its projectile option. When the heavy attack is used while your sword energy is full, the projectiles will do increased damage and hit twice. Two consecutive heavy attacks will expend all energy and hit twice each while spending four ammo per attack. Heavy attacks can be performed during light attack combos and will fire projectiles. This will also occur when using the airborne combo.



When performing a grounded or airborne heavy attack while your sword energy is not charged, you projectile will do less damage and hit once but spend only one ammo. To perform uncharged attacks while your sword energy is charged, guard temporarily before using the heavy attack button. If wearing Stronghold and your sword energy is full, using a heavy attack while guarding will fire an uncharged attack.



With a completed catalyst, any incoming damage source "parried" will cause the projectile to do bonus damage for a short time (hence why the text is yellow in the images). This is represented by the buff Reversal.

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Best known for its rev combo and intrinsic Anti-Barrier. When guarding, you will perform different light and heavy attack depending on if you're on the ground or airborne. These attacks will pierce through Champion's barriers, but not through Phalanx or Hydra shields.

Note: The revved airborne light attack has an issue with connecting hits against Barrier Champions. It is recommended to perform revved grounded light attacks instead to break these shields. This is most noticeable against Barrier Servitors. Revved heavy attacks have no problems connecting.




Revved attacks grant Banshee's Wail stacks, increasing damage dealt during a rev combo. Stacks cap at 9. Revved attacks will also heal or restore a small amount of shield depending on if your shield is down or not. This is amount is not significant enough to save you from large amounts of incoming damage but will help against lower amounts of damage taken, especially while Protective Light is active.

A unique advantage The Lament has is its air mobility option. When using revved light attacks airborne, your lunges are much faster and can push certain targets. The lunges can help you avoid projectiles in firefights and get to safety faster.



For pushing targets, I have only been able to do this to allies, not enemies. If you're creative enough, you can use this mechanic to move allies faster when they are suppressed. Falling Guillotine is capable of a similar push with its heavy attack.

Guarding - When to and When Not To

On the Notions of Using a Sword with Mouse+Keyboard

First, I will say that for Mouse+Keyboard users, it is understandable if you do not guard or cannot. The action of guarding only is no problem. The problem is performing other actions while guarding. As a controller player, I've tried playing temporarily with Mouse+Keyboard using a sword. It was awful. It was difficult to jump and move at the same time, jump, attack, and guard in a short moment, and attack at specific angles without changing camera direction, which is easy to do on controller. All of this takes its toll on the fingers and the hand for someone who normally only needs to use at most three fingers on one hand at once versus all five and not have to move them far to perform other actions.

So, if you do not guard and you are on Mouse+Keyboard, you will need to adopt certain approaches in higher difficulty Nightfalls.

Guarding

Your defense against incoming attacks, fall damage, and collision damage from the front. It is handy for cover-to-cover movement and protection while airborne.

*Important consideration* The images demonstrating guarding are all with Stronghold equipped. You may not necessarily experience the same situations as seen below.

When you should guard:

• An incoming attack is unavoidable and you have the sword energy to block it
  
• You are about to take fall damage and have your sword equipped
  
  
  
  
• You are sent flying face-first into a wall
  
  
  
  
• You are about to get hit by an enemy melee, with the exception of a Phalanx using a vertical shield slam instead of their horizontal shield slam.
  
  • Boss stomps will not knock you back in most cases. If you have an active overshield, it will override the "ignore knockback" mechanic and cause stomps to still send you flying.
    
    
    
    
  • Guarding does not prevent pushing from objects or enemies. A Phalanx vertical shield slam can still send you flying when hit in a certain way. The horizontal shield slam is not as ridiculous and is less likely to push you. Vehicles and other various enemies with melee attacks that involve lunging at you can push you.
    
    
  
  
• You are airborne being shot at by many enemies and will not land soon enough
  
  • Requires Heavy or Enduring Guard to not experience guard-break quickly. Stronghold does not require a specific guard due to its own effects.
    
    

When you should NOT guard:

• You are low on sword energy
  
  • Guard-break is likely to occur
• After performing a heavy attack
  
  • You need sword energy to guard to begin with
  • You can only do this safely if you are a Titan with Stronghold
• You sprinted before jumping to get to a place faster
  
  • Guarding reduces your momentum back to as if you were walking
• You are playing a PvP activity

Before I get into the Nightfalls

The hardest part about choosing loadouts with swords included is that it very much depends on the shields present in a Nightfall, what weapons you have available in your Vault, and what the current seasonal mods are. Since seasonal mods are constantly changing, sword usage comes and goes or is completely discouraged by the majority of the less than 20% player population that plays Master or Grandmaster. This was very evident during Season of Chosen when Firefly unintentionally worked with Crown-Splitter, the Titan-exclusive sword. Once Season of Chosen ended, Crown-Splitter’s usage in Nightfalls visibly dropped.

The following sections are bound to have incorrect information. Knowing the nature of seasons, the release of new weapons, and the sunsetting of activities, I will do my best to keep this section updated based on availability of weapons, especially when Glaives are released. As a Nightfall regular, I will try and keep track of the differences between Legend and Master and when Bungie switches out modifiers that would give certain rank-and-file enemies elemental shields (this was first noticed when Fallen S.A.B.E.R. was released and at one point had Shanks with Solar shields which were removed later in the cycle of Nightfalls).

Hoping they revamp the seasonal mods system for everyone’s sake and for greater loadout variety.

Updated as of: December, 2021

Which Sword for Nightfalls (Earth) (in progress)

European Dead Zone

Lake of Shadows

Main shields present are Solar shields on Taken Knights, Taken Captains. Unstoppable Taken Phalanx and Overload Taken Hobgoblins are present. Conversions to Champions are most noticeable in the bridge section, making this section more dangerous for sword users to contribute. Swords are typically equipped for the boss room to end the Nightfall before waves of Taken can spawn.

Suggested Swords:

• Falling Guillotine
  
  • Probably the go-to even in Grandmaster. Used with the Titan's Ward of Dawn (aka Titan Bubble) to defeat the boss quickly.
• The Lament
  
  • For killing Champions quickly and addressing Taken Knight shields. Also helps kill the boss faster.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Overload Primary ammo weapon	Bastion
Overload Solar Primary Ammo weapon	Unstoppable Void/Arc Primary Ammo weapon	Overload Arc/Solar Primary Ammo weapon
Falling Guillotine	The Lament	Falling Guillotine

The listed double primary ammo weapon loadouts are in consideration of rotating mods without knowledge of what Special weapon will have which type of mod and what melee mod will be available. Double primary ammo weapons are discouraged and are last resort loadouts for players who do not have access to Exotics with intrinsic mods or when it's the beginning of a season. You should modify your loadout according to the Special weapon mod or melee mod available.

Arms Dealer

Main shields present are Solar shields on Centurions. Void shields on Incinerators are removed when they are replaced by their Unstoppable counterparts. Mods required are Anti-Barrier and Unstoppable. Due to the nature of Cabal shields, tanks, and the final room, it is not recommended to take swords.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Arbalest	Bastion	Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon
Solar Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Solar Anti-Barrier Primary Ammo weapon	Eriana's Vow
Temptation's Hook	Arc Adaptive Sword	Void Sword

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Cosmodrone

The Disgraced

Main shields present are Solar shields on Wizards and Arc shields on Knights. Knights converted into Barrier Champions will lose their elemental shields, reducing the need for Arc weapons. There are a few Barrier Servitors with Void shields, so few that Void shouldn’t matter. Using a sword is high-risk in the section with the Fallen and the Hive battling.

Suggested Swords:

• The Lament
  
  • Solar, Anti-Barrier, Champion deletion. The best pick for a Titan with Stronghold or a Nightstalker with invisibility.
• Sola’s Scar/Temptation’s Hook (range option for Wizards or Knights)
  
• Negative Space/Abide the Return, Honor’s Edge/Bequest
  
  • Last resort picks for if you don’t have the above available (at this point, I’d opt out of using swords)

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Bastion
Arc Special Grenade Launcher/Shotgun	Eriana’s Vow	Solar Anti-Barrier Primary Ammo Weapon
The Lament	Honor’s Edge/Temptation's Hook	Temptation's Hook

The Devils' Lair

Main shields are Arc on Captains and Knights. Some Servitors with Void shields, but on Master, they will only be present and relevant in the boss room. A small count of Solar on Wizards in the security room. Captains, Knights, and Servitors will have some conversions into Champions on from Legend to Master, reducing the need for Arc and Void. Overload becomes more important in Master with the number of Overload Captains faced in the area with the Walker.

Suggested Swords:

• The Lament
  
  • For Wizards, Barrier Knights/Servitors, chipping Arc shields if you have Void on your Energy weapon. Can also be used for Brigs and Overload Captains on Legend or Master.
• Black Talon
  
  • For if you don't feel comfortable running up to enemies and prefer the ranged option. Also addresses the boss's Servitors that keep the shield up. Save fully charged heavy attacks for Champions and use uncharged attacks for rank-and-file enemies.
• Falling Guillotine/Hero of Ages
  
  • Good for clearing several enemies at their spawn locations in the security bypass room and boss room. Keep in mind that the second waves of each set will spawn Shanks and Exploder Shanks. Hero of Ages is a better pick for Captain shields.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Anti-Barrier Primary Ammo weapon	Overload Primary Ammo weapon
Arc Shotgun	Overload Primary Ammo Weapon	Eriana's Vow
The Lament	Black Talon	Falling Guillotine

Fallen S.A.B.E.R.

Contains Overload Fallen Captains and Barrier Servitors. Several enemies converted to Champions remove need for weapons to match shields on Master. Shields present are Arc and Void. Previously had Shanks with Solar shields based on the week, but this is most likely no longer the case with The Witch Queen update for Nightfall modifiers.

The Lament is the best choice for general clearing of the Nightfall but becomes useless against the boss as it cannot be approached in its final phase due to its electricity constantly dealing high damage when near it. For Titans, the next best choice is Crown-Splitter.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Placeholder text	Placeholder text	Placeholder text
Placeholder text	Placeholder text	Placeholder text
Placeholder text	Placeholder text	Placeholder text

Which Sword for Nightfalls (Throne World)

The Lightblade

With the high number of long-range battles, Screebs, and Cursed Thrall, it is not advised to use a sword in this Nightfall. However, it has high potential in the final room against Knights and Thrall.

This Nightfall contains Barrier Knights and Unstoppable Ogres, as well as Wizards with Solar shield and Knights with Arc shields. Vortex frames excel against the swarms of Thrall during the beginning and on the boat. Swords can be utilized to move faster during what I call the "Gauntlet of Darkness" where Weight of Darkness prevents sprinting at 10 stacks.

Suggested Swords:

• Black Talon
  
  • Best used for sections with Raiders, Ogres, Abominations, or Shriekers
• The Lament
  
  • For Barrier Knights
    
  • Can help you move through the section that applies Weight of Darkness

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Special Grenade Launcher	Unstoppable Primary ammo weapon	Unstoppable Primary ammo weapon
Unstoppable Arc Primary Ammo weapon	Eriana's Vow	Anti-Barrier Arc Primary Ammo weapon
The Lament	Vortex Frame sword	Black Talon

The listed double primary ammo weapon loadouts are in consideration of rotating mods without knowledge of what Special weapon will have which type of mod and what melee mod will be available. Double primary ammo weapons are discouraged and are last resort loadouts for players who do not have access to Exotics with intrinsic mods or when it's the beginning of a season. You should modify your loadout according to the Special weapon mod or melee mod available.

Birthplace of the Vile

Numerous Raiders, Screebs, and groups of various Scorn spawning at once throughout this Nightfall make Swords one of the least viable weapons in this Nightfall. Although a table of suggested loadouts will be provided (in the near future), you should weigh the opportunity cost of using a Sword versus a Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher and the likeliness of dying when using a Sword.

Contains Overload Chieftains and Unstoppable Abominations. Each are typically accompanied with swarms of Scorn and should not be charged down immediately. Non-Overload Chieftains may have each type of shield.

Suggested Swords:

• Black Talon
  
  • Best used for sections with Raiders, Screebs, and the areas you are teleported to during the boss fight.
• Any Vortex Frame
  
  • For lower difficulties only. Best for charging and wiping out swarms before they can scatter.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Witherhoard	Bastion
Unstoppable Primary Ammo Arc weapon	Overload Primary Ammo Void weapon	Overload Primary Ammo Solar weapon
Black Talon	Hero of Ages/Temptation's Hook	Crown-Splitter/Falling Guillotine

Which Sword for Nightfalls (Nessus)

Nessus

Exodus Crash
All shields are present and mostly evenly distributed in Legend. Transition from Legend to Master, there will be no Arc shields to be concerned of since the Captains are converted into Champions. Servitors will also be converted into Champions, making Void low priority. Solar Heavy Shanks are the only main concern for elemental shields. This is a difficult Nightfall to use swords in without knowledge of spawn locations and types of enemies spawned. On Grandmaster, swords are typically used to force the boss out of the room before waves of enemies swarm the room.

Suggested Swords:

• Falling Guillotine
  
  • For wiping out enemies in the room with a plate and two Servitors that halt progress and for use in the boss room.
• The Lament
  
  • For killing Champions quickly or stunning Barrier Servitors. Also for killing the boss quickly.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3*
Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Anti-Barrier Primary Ammo weapon	Overload Primary Ammo weapon
Eriana's Vow	Overload Arc Primary Ammo weapon	Arc Shotgun
Falling Guillotine	Falling Guillotine	The Lament

*Loadout 3 is typically for Legend or people with greater experience in close-quarters combat.

Proving Grounds
Since there are Phalanx, vehicles, and Gladiators, it is NOT advised to use a sword in Grandmaster. There are a few opportunities where a sword will benefit the fireteam, but you should only consider using a sword if you know how to use your block. Stronghold users will find that they can block the entirety of the boss's fireball attack on Master and below. Any sword user can also lock the boss into spamming its stomp staying near it and blocking to prevent knockbacks and reduce damage taken, but a Stronghold user is the only one who can keep this going with the heal mechanic. This trick also works against Barrier Colossus. All three shields can be present but only relevant regarding the minibosses or Elites throughout the Nightfall.

Suggested Sword:

• The Lament
  
  • For stunning Barrier Colossus or killing Champions.
• Temptation's Hook
  
  • If you prefer staying near teammates or away from enemies.
• Any adaptive frame
  
  • Has more damage per hit than Temptation's Hook for use against Champions or the boss.
    
  • The animation time on Vortex frame heavy attacks, the possibility of attacking in the wrong direction, and the lack of clustered groups make them less ideal in this Nightfall.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Anti-Barrier Primary Ammo weapon	Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon
Eriana's Vow	Solar Sniper Rifle	Arc Shotgun/Sniper Rifle
Honor's Edge	Temptation's Hook	The Lament

The Inverted Spire
Contains a mix of Barrier Hobgoblins, Barrier Colossus, and Unstoppable Incinerators. Shields are mostly distributed evenly with mini-bosses having Arc and Void shields. Large clusters of enemies from both sides throughout the Nightfall and the boss having a consecration-like attack make it questionable to use a sword. Best used for taking out larger or isolated targets.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Shotgun	Arbalest	Unstoppable Primary Ammo Weapon
Unstoppable Void Primary Ammo Weapon	Unstoppable Arc Primary Ammo Weapon	Eriana's Vow
The Lament	Falling Guillotine	Falling Guillotine

Insight Terminus
Contains Barrier Colossus, Barrier Hobgoblins, and Unstoppable Incinerators. Shields are mainly Void with some Arc on Harpies or the mini-boss in the Arc Charge deposit room. Arc shielded boss becomes a Barrier Colossus on Master, and Harpies at the beginning are replaced with Barrier Hobgoblins. These replacements remove the need for Arc weapons.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Arbalest	Shotgun	Placeholder text
Unstoppable Void Primary Ammo Weapon	Unstoppable Void Primary Ammo Weapon	Placeholder text
Falling Guillotine	The Lament	Placeholder text

Which Swords for Nightfalls (Locations w/ Only One Strike)

The Dreaming City

The Corrupted

Contains mainly Void shields on Acolytes, some Solar shields on Taken Knights, and some Hive Knights with Arc shields. Mods required are Overload and Unstoppable. This is not a Nightfall where a sword is efficient since it is near unusable against the boss. Only consider using a sword for up to Master. The miniboss Scorn at the beginning became an Overload Champion during Season of the Lost. Majority of Champions are Unstoppable Taken Phalanx or Ogres. Overload Champions are Taken Hobgoblins.

Suggested Swords:

• Black Talon
  
  • Best sword overall with its ranged option while being Void. A completed catalyst is a bonus against Taken Psions in the first boss room.
• Falling Guillotine
  
  • Good for clearing Taken acolytes at the beginning and in the Taken Ogre room, Taken Thralls after the Ogre room, and Taken Psions in the first boss room.
• Temptation's Hook/Sola's Scar
  
  • Gives a ranged option for situations where you wouldn't be close to enemies, such as the Ogre room and boss rooms.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Overload/Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Witherhoard*	Bastion
Arc Shotgun/Sniper Rifle	Overload/Unstoppable Void weapon	Overload/Unstoppable Solar weapon
Black Talon	Arc/Solar Sword	Falling Guillotine

*A Witherhoard Loadout most likely won't have both Overload and Unstoppable mods and depends on the fireteam to have the missing mod.

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The Tangled Shore

The Warden of Nothing

Contains all three types of Champions from multiple factions. Champions are Barrier Colossus, Unstoppable Incinerators, Barrier Hobgoblins, and Overload Minotaurs. Master removes a few enemies that would have Void shields. Void and Solar shields are present with the majority being Void on Incinerators and Minotaurs. Solar is only on the mini-boss in the final room. Given the fact that all three types of Champions are present, the example loadouts will be very general to have all three types of stuns, but there is normally a grenade or melee seasonal mod for Overload or Unstoppable. You should only need two at most when playing with a premade fireteam.

The Lament should be prioritized for those playing characters with certain kits or with loadouts allowing them to charge down Champions.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3	Loadout 4	Loadout 5
Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Unstoppable Primary Ammo weapon	Arbalest	Overload Primary Ammo weapon
Unstoppable Primary Ammo Void weapon	Unstoppable Special Ammo Void weapon	Overload Special Ammo Void weapon	Overload Primary Ammo Void weapon	Eriana's Vow
The Lament	The Lament	The Lament	Negative Space	Crown-Splitter

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The Moon

The Scarlet Keep

Contains mainly Arc shielded Knights and Solar shielded Wizards. Mods required are Anti-Barrier and Unstoppable. Swords are not recommended due to most encounters being medium to long range or having too many enemies to deal with at once. You will also not be using it against the boss Hashladun given her damage as a Wizard. Majority of Champions are Barrier Knights. The rest are Unstoppable Ogres.

Black Talon is good for dealing with enemies at a long range for several parts of the Nightfall.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3	Loadout 4
Special Grenade Launcher	Bastion	Arbalest	Unstoppable Primary Ammo Weapon
Unstoppable Arc Weapon	Anti-Barrier Arc Weapon	Unstoppable Solar Weapon	Eriana's Vow
The Lament	Sola's Scar	Temptation's Hook	Temptation's Hook

---

Europa

The Glassway

Contains all types of shields, but several Void and Arc shields are removed when Servitors, Minotaurs, and Captains are replaced with their Champion versions in Master or Grandmaster difficulty. Harpies will have Arc shields while Heavy Shanks have Solar shields. Mods required are Anti-Barrier and Overload. Using swords requires long range weapons for the section where you drain radiolarian fluid. Swords with strong burst potential should be used to deal with Overload Minotaurs as a wipe in the boss room is highly likely if they are permitted a window of recovery while using the mainstream strategy of hiding in the left section and funneling enemies.

The following loadouts are highly likely to be incompatible with seasons that make close range weapons Overload. You may be forced to forego the sword and use a rocket launcher or similar instead.

Example loadouts:

Loadout 1	Loadout 2	Loadout 3
Arbalest	Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Special Grenade Launcher
Solar Overload Primary Ammo weapon	Eriana's Vow	Arc Overload Primary Ammo weapon
Crown-Splitter (Titan)/Void Sword	Crown-Splitter (Titan)/Arc Sword	The Lament

Subclasses for Using a Sword

If you're the only sword user on your team, chances are that you will have a difficult time being useful with one in certain Nightfalls, especially with lack of experience. There are a few subclasses that can help you in one-man army situations.

Titan

• Sunbreaker
  
  • While the Sol Invictus buff is active, you gain bonus weapon damage, Restoration, and have the opportunity to spawn Sunspots on ability final blows.
    
  • Healing Grenade can grant a stack of Restoration while Curing you (instant large heal).
  
  
• Sentinel
  
  • Ward of Dawn's Weapons of Light buff grants bonus damage. With Helm of Saint-14, the overshield received from entering the "Bubble" will be kept upon exiting (you will not retain Ward of Dawn's damage reduction received while inside the barrier). Ward of Dawn is overall good for baiting enemies into melee range and defeating them safely (but not when Blackout modifier is active). Keep in mind that Ward of Dawn benefits your fireteam.
    
  • A Barricade with the Aspect Bastion can help in lower difficulties with the overshield given, and Echo of Leeching's healing from melee final blows pairs well with Swords.

---

Warlock

• Attunement of Grace (Solar Middle Tree)
  
  • Divine Protection gives an overshield and restore health and shields completely. This can be extremely helpful when entering or exiting battles when singling out Champions. You must hold your grenade charge button until your grenade becomes a white ball to convert it into Divine Protection.
    
  • Well of Radiance makes you mostly invincible with its regeneration rate and gives you the best opportunity to kill all enemies within the Well. You also gain bonus weapon damage. Keep in mind that the Well benefits your fireteam.
  
  
• Voidwalker
  
  • Devour is the main means of going on a rampage. While the Devour buff is active from a grenade or charged melee final blow, every kill will restore your health and shield completely and restore grenade energy. On Legend or below in fights with large groups of rank-and-file enemies, you can go crazy with your sword and not worry much about getting killed. On Master, you may want to consider the element modifier active and what resistance mods you have equipped.
    
  • Fragments recommended are Echo of Persistence and Echo of Starvation while using an Orb of Power mod on your helmet matching your Sword's element,

---

Hunter

• Nightstalker
  
  • Your main mechanic is invisibility used for yourself or your fireteam. Each Aspect gives this in their own ways. Depending on your play style, you may prefer one over another.
    
    • Vanishing Step is best for immediately escaping after using your Sword or when paired with Sixth Coyote for high invisibility availability.
      
      • Max Mobility becomes mandatory for dodge uptime which gives invisibility uptime.
    • Trapper's Ambush is best for planning and executing an attack as a group and when using Omnioculus.
      
    • Stylish Executioner is best for wiping out groups while staying in the fray and for better visibility thanks to Truesight if you're looking for specific targets. When used with a grenade and Echo of Undermining, you can stay invisible for longer periods of time or weaken enemies to defeat them more quickly. Using a damage-over-time grenade maximizes the time you have to defeat enemies and gain invisibility from doing so while they are weakened.
  • Gambler's Dodge also restores melee charge instantly. This makes Trapper's Ambush more beneficial in invisibility availability.
    
  • Marksman's Dodge has a lower cooldown compared to Gambler's Dodge and is best used with Vanishing Step.
  
  
• Way of the Warrior (Arc Top Tree)
  
  • Should only be considered if you have Assassin's Cowl. This Exotic helmet gives invisibility on charged melee final blows. With Gambler's Dodge resetting your melee ability, you can have indefinite invisibility time against swarms of rank-and-file enemies.
    
  • The idea for using this class is to whittle down an army and leave only the strong alive to finish off with a sword. The second option, if you have a shotgun with One-Two Punch on it, is to get three stacks of Combination Blow to maximize your melee damage, go invisible with a charged melee final blow, shoot your One-Two Punch shotgun on a Champion, then melee once or twice immediately after to kill them and kill everything else with a sword. If you're using The Lament, I would go with option one. If you're using an Orb of Power mod paired with your sword and have Recuperation, I would go with option two.

As you may need to depend on your teammates to draw fire or stun Champions, you may also need them to assist you with their subclass abilities. These are some subclasses to look for if your teammates have fireteam support abilities:

• Hunter - Nightstalker with Trapper's Ambush Aspect
  
• Warlock - Well of Radiance
  
• Titan - Sentinel with Bastion; Sunbreaker with Phoenix Cradle or Healing Grenade+Heart of Inmost Light

If you read the above already, you know why you would want fireteam members to be these subclasses. However, you should not depend on them in lower difficulty Nightfalls. Doing so makes it more difficult to learn when you should charge the enemy, when you should use guerilla warfare, or when you shouldn't use your sword.

Philosophy on Being the Fireteam's Sole Sword User

Your job as the Guardian with a sword is not necessarily to charge the enemy in hopes of killing many. You may play as the one-man army on lower difficulties like Hero or Legend, but on Master or Grandmaster where incoming damage is greatly increased, this is ill-advised. Thus, your general job in higher difficulty activities is to safely whittle down the size of the enemy groups or defeat a Champion quickly before they can recover. This may involve some guerrilla warfare, picking off enemies when they are unaware of your presence or are busy with your other fireteam members and running away quickly after. On Master, you can take a chance at trading with a Champion and taking a revive timer to take down a Champion. This should be valued by any player as Champions tend to waste a lot of time when players are using double Primary Ammo weapons or are not focusing a Champion together.

Depending on which Nightfall you play, you will have opportunities or will be required to be the one-man army. Sometimes, you will need to be the Champion slayer.

An example of the one-man army necessity is The Corrupted in the first area against Sedia when a large number of Taken Psions spawns. If your fireteam doesn't have a lot of AoE damage like Witherhoard, weapons with Chain Reaction, or Supers that can do the same, you will have to charge these enemies as they jump to your location before they can shoot or melee you. A sword and an Orb of Power helmet mod with Recuperation on your legs will give you the best chance of survival, and a Tireless Blade perk will keep your ammo up if Heavy ammo isn't dropping.

An example of the Champion slayer is when your fireteam is running double Primary Ammo Weapons with Heavy weapons on the weaker side of killing a single target. You will be waiting near Champions while your fireteam damages the Champion. Once the Champion is stunned by you or a teammate, your goal is to kill that Champion before they can recover. Ideally, one would have The Lament to kill the Champion with 2, 4, or 5 rev light attacks followed by a revved heavy attack. These number of hits correspond with the difficulties Legend, Master, and Grandmaster. For any other sword on Master or Grandmaster, you should wait for the second stun and when the Champion's health is much lower before killing the Champion.

Ultimately, using a Sword requires a moderate degree of being able to read the situation, using the environment to your advantage to get closer to your targets, and decent timing of engaging and disengaging.

Copyright Notice

Copyright 2021 Xorik. This item is not authorized for posting on Steam, except under the Steam account named Xorik. No parts of this guide may be reproduced, transmitted, or copied without explicit consent from the owner. You may use this guide for your own individual non-commercial and informational purposes only.

[Xorik]

1. Edited notes regarding the Void subclasses to be inline with The Witch Queen.
2. Changed notes about Masterworked swords with Recuperation to mention the Orb of Power mod on helmets instead.
3. Added notes for The Arms Dealer, The Scarlet Keep, The Glassway, The Lightblade, Birthplace of the Vile. Birthplace of the Vile loadouts are not complete yet as I have yet to go in with a sword equipped.

[Xorik]

So, I tested for a possible bug, and I verified it against an Unstoppable Incinerator. If you have an active overshield, enemies can knock you back with their melee attacks even when guarding. This was tested with Icefall Mantle after first experiencing this when Armor of Light's overshield was active. I know that even if we post this in Bungie's forums, this will be very low-priority like the hammer charge bug on Code of the Devastator which hasn't been fixed in over a year since these bugs are not a advantageous bugs for sword users and will most likely be ignored.

[Xorik]

If you go on the Destiny 2 Reddit regularly and saw the post from 11/13/21 with a Titan using Stronghold against the boss in Proving Grounds, that was an okay example of how effective Stronghold is. The player didn't make use of the short windows of opportunity after blocking to do damage to the boss or parry a melee to restore his shield. Remember that Stronghold is not just a means to block more damage and to not let it make you become a passive player.

[Xorik]

Steam's 2 MB file size limit is very annoying for the gifs. Expect low color count or low quality.

[Xorik]

Going to add the air movement stuff very soon when I make the gifs.

[Nova]

not sure if you mentioned this but swords are also useful for parkour because air movement is fun. If you did, cool.great guide 10/10

[titan.tf DLenny1337]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Xorik]

Bungie TWAB 11/11/21, they're reducing the cost of the Caster Frame's powered heavy attack from 8 to 5. Should make them feel better in terms of availability.

[titan.tf DLenny1337]

especially if you're flying into a wall or the ground and you can't use your movement ability - quickly switching to your sword and blocking can save you!!

[titan.tf DLenny1337]

i love swords myself & my primary advice for a guy considering swords or also using swords would be to remember to block if you're taking a beating and to utilize the special perks that buff your block - like flash counter and energy transfer - to make swords even more useful; if its got one ammo left then you should prob use it mostly for blocking