Advanced Chivalry Combat Guide

Do you ever get tired of failing in battle? Do you often encounter skilled unkillable players?
Do you feel defenseless? Well, you've come to the right place my friend.
This guide will teach you how to sharpen your skills. Think of this guide as a bible for battle.
I will tell you a few things about swinging a sword, dodging a fatal blow and set you on the path of becoming a worthy opponent.
This guide of mine contains information that will help you practice elite techniques that's used by all serious players.
I've included videos that I urge you to watch since writing can't explain all things thoroughly enough.
Read and train, the cycle must be repeated. Enjoy!

GLORIOUS INTRO

Hello there.
Welcome to my Advanced Combat Guide.
This guide has been re-written since I've now also (somewhat) mastered feinting.

First up we have a Q&A for all you curious peasants out there.
When did you start playing this game and where did you start?
I started playing chivalry about 2 years ago, in Deadliest Warrior.
What is "Dancing" and why is this nonsense in this guide?
The dancing chapter might seem funny to you but I don't really care. People dance alot in combat even though they might call it something else like "body-feint".
I'm completely new to this game will this guide be of any use to me?
To be honest mate if you've done the in-game tutorial and spent a few hours playing this guide should work for you aswell, just don't expect to master these things in a heartbeat. Give it time.
Will you be doing any more guides in the future?
If the people demand it then yes, perhaps.

This guide is mostly directed to people who have reached level 30-35+.
That's because this is usually the level (from my own experience) that people start getting involved in the real combat, by that I mean high rank duels and such.
If you're under level 35 don't worry. This guide will work for you as well.
If you're over level 35 you're welcome to take any advice you liked from this guide and hopefully rate it and perhaps even adding it to your favourites.

I am open to critique. If you want to help me improve this guide let me know and if the information is useful I will add you as a contributor. If you think my guide is wrong on any point you can contact me on steam or leave a comment on the guide.

Enjoy the read!

/Connor McLeod

Dancing and Feinting

Dancing

Take note that by dancing I mean Bodyfeinting.
Dancing is a way of confusing your enemies by making strange movements,
taking extreme advantage of the animations and making your adversary panic.
Keep in mind that dancing works best against low players and players that are under alot of pressure. If your enemy is super low on health and you see that he panics now and then you should take advantage of him, he will panic block unless he's very very skilled.

Isn't dancing the same thing as feinting?
NO. Dancing is only useful against lower ranked players since they focus on the entire body animation instead of their opponent's sword. It could work a few times on high ranked players but they will in the end understand that you're not attacking and they WILL attack you when you are busy having epilepsy. However if the skilled player is put under pressure, low stamina or low health etc, your chances increase.

So how do we dance efficiently?
Well, there's a few dance moves out there that will make your dance seem very confusing.
I will describe these "dancemoves" as best as I can.

• Jumping (30%)
  Yeah, jumping. Not much more to it. Won't work against high ranked players unless they're stressed.
  
• Facehugging (40%)
  Get up right to their face, leaving them little vision of your body or their surroundings.
  Have you seen the movie Alien? You know what I mean.
  
• Spinning (30%)
  This can be a gamble, don't do it too often. If you execute rainbows (a spinning overhead)frequently and your opponent is used to this then it can work quite well. Make sure your enemy isn't a mentally challenged gambler who doesn't know how to block though.
  
• Crouching (30%)
  This move works best with vanguards with big weapons, since the weapon is big it will look like an attack animation, sort of. Don't squat too much though. The whole principle behind dancing and feints is to be unpredictable.
  
• Nodding (40%)
  Works best if you have a fast weapon and frequently do ripostes (counter-attacking directly after blocking) and is a common thing among Men at Arms. (It can be a bit cancerous imo)
  
• Blocking (15%)
  This only works against beginners, don't block if you're duelling someone with more than 10h of playtime.

The percentages listed after each "dancemove" is the probability that you'll make your enemy accidentally block, giving you enough time to deliver a fatal blow.

How do I dance efficiently?
To pull of some confusing moves with a high chance of getting that small opportunity you'll need to combine some of these dancemoves simultaneously. The dance that I use is usually the following:

Facehug+nodding after a riposting alot (Fast counterstabs after blocking) will often make the player you're facing panic and an easy kill. Facehugging and nodding works good on players in the range of 0 - 35 usually.

Jumping+Spinning when the opponent is low on health will often give you a huge window to execute your enemy since he/her usually blocks twice and you'll be able to overhead him/her just after the second panic-block. This should work on high-ranked players 35 - 55.

Blocking (with a shield or sword) in my own experience only works on low-ranked players and can be quite amusing; be sure not to use this move against skilled players.

Crouching is only effective if you're facehugging and you have a giant weapon like the halberd.
This should work 30% of the time on mid-ranked players 20-30.

I realise that some of the more advanced players will find this chapter amusing.
But I will keep it here because I can, and like it or not this stuff works.. sometimes.

OH MY GOD STOP FEINTING NOOB!!
Here's the deal. I don't like feints at all. It was a huge setback for me when I started playing Medieval Warfare because in Deadliest Warrior (the expansion) no one EVER feinted. NO ONE.
You could literally be kicked from a server for feinting. Mostly because that game is much faster in pace and feints were to some extents unreadable. TL;DR feinting in deadliest warrior was one of the greatest sins you could commit and was heavily frowned upon. After spending about 60% of my chivalry-time in DW I went over to MW. My early Medieval Warfare days were spent being tossed around like a little puppy. I had to deal with feints 24/7 and didn't know what to do so like most noobs I became salty and started flaming uncontrollably at the feinters. Which looking back on it now I realise that I was just being ignorant. Feinting is a part of the game and is one of the cornerstones of high-rank duelling. They liven up the tention and the skilled fights don't last for 30 minutes. Now let's get into it shall we?

What is a feint and how do I do it?
A feint put in the simplest of words is cancelling your attack.
You feint by either pressing the block before your attack lands or by pressing "Q" by default.
Now there's alot to feinting, more than you might think. Feints can help you win against incredible odds and even save yourself from an attack. This is called "feint to parry" or just "FTP".
How does one feint to parry? Well, you feint twice. Let's think of a scenario: You swing your sword at the enemy but he swung a few milliseconds before you. There's no way you can dodge the attack and you certainly won't be able to hit him first. So while you're in the swing you feint, and then you press the block button. You can now counter his attack with a riposte (ripostes will be mentioned later in the guide) or do whatever you like since you've blocked his attack.
Keep in mind you have to be quick about feint-to-parry. The combo for ftp is Q+RMB (by default).
When should I feint? Don't go crazy with feints, you'll end up in a coffin if you become too predictable. A feint is basically deceiving your enemy making him block allowing you to land a blow. You want to be unpredictable and don't overuse feinting, your enemy will see right through your little facade and just bash your face in. Feint only when appropriate, when your enemy least expects it. An example: Attack twice --> feint+attack --> attack once --> feint+attack --> attack four times --> feint+attack. Don't feint in a pattern because your enemy probably doesn't have the IQ of a rock and will recognise this. If your enemy has no stamina you shouldn't feint either because he will in most case scenarios start gambling which will damage you. Remember that feints require stamina to execute and if you feint alot your stamina will drain quicker than the balls of a guy getting a BJ from Lisa Ann. We'll cover stamina management in a later chapter.
Which feints are most effective? The feint that usually works is the stab-feint. But don't be to slow attacking after feinting since you only have a short window after the enemy blocks. The second most common feint is the overhead feint. I see people abusing this way too much and end up getting slaughtered like lambs in a wolf's den. If you're facing a good opponent that's used to fighting feinters there's a way to break their impenetrable guard. This is done by feinting 2 or 3 times in a row, since not everyone can read feints as good as they think they resort to guessing when you're feinting. Feinting twice or thrice will break their spirit and give you a window of oppurtunity. I've even seen people feint 4 or 5 times but that's very very rare. Since I couldn't find any good video covering feinting you'll have to make due with this text. If this text wasn't clear enough for you I suggest you start taking english lessons right away.

Crucial feinting techniques:
1. FEINT TO PARRY. Learn it, live it.
2. BE UNPREDICTABLE. Don't develop patterns or routines when feinting, just do it when it feels natural.
3. FEINT IN A ROW. Only if needed.

Can't touch this!

A warrior has to be light on his feet. Wearing all that armor must've made him very athletic by now.
A key ingredient in winning a duel is footwork, lots of footwork, good footwork.
Footwork can save your life or help you end your enemies. If you can make your opponent miss his attacks by simply running around him or away from him you can make him very confused, and even frustrated. Seriously LEARN FOOTWORK. Without it you're a sitting duck ready to be killed.
My good friend PutaPie will now demonstrate what footwork can achieve.

I hope you understand the importance of being agile in battle. Without agility you're dead meat.

Let's get to dodging attacks.
Dodging attacks is pretty much the same as footwork, you can't dodge attacks without it.
But since this guide is meant to be very detailed I will leave you with yet another video.

Stay fit

Alot of your success will depend on your stamina management.
Good players can use your recklessness to stomp you over and over again.
This is why it is important to use your stamina in a good way so you don't get stunned.
How your stamina is drained:

• Blocking attacks
  
• Jumping
  
• Missing attacks
  
• Feinting

A lot of players swing their swords like maniacs, missing 90% of their attacks.
This depletes their staminabar in no time and leaves them vulnerable for pressure.
The one they're fighting probably didn't even have to block but instead waited for them to exhaust themselves, giving him the chance to spam attacks until they are stunned and helpless.
If you've ever been in such a situation where you end up stunned every time I'd suggest you start practicing aiming and learning how to control your strikes.
I've also seen many players jumping around during duels and swinging mid-air.
This drains just as much if not even more stamina.
People tend to forget that they do not have infinite stamina, and play way too aggressively for their level of skill. If a good player runs out of stamina he has two options:
1. Run away and try to regenerate some, hoping his enemy was too far away to get there in time.
2. Start gambling and try to land strikes just before the enemy does to catch him off-guard.

The conclusion here is that one should always keep track of one's stamina bar, to avoid being tossed around like a glove in fights. Learn to aim your strikes so you don't miss, don't jump around like a rabbit too often, and take advantage of someone who is low on stamina.

Extreme Sword Swingin'

Drags

Drags are used 24/7 in high-ranked fights and can be quite intimidating if you haven't encountered drags before. The basic idea of a drag is to delay your strike so that you hit your opponent right after he blocks. Since drags are extremely hard to explain I will link a video tutorial by "Teripper" that will show you how to do different drags.

Combining these drags with normal attacks and dancing will make your enemy insecure and panic, securing your victory. I will link videos on how to do things like Rainbows and Ripostes.

Rainbow attack

Riposte

I hope that these videos have helped you.
But dragging and rainbows aren't good on their own.
To truly be effective you will need to combine Drags, Ripostes, Rainbows, Normal Attacks, Kicking, Dancing and Feinting. An example of my personal combo:

Alt-Overhead (Waterfall) --> LMB (will go from left to right after waterfall attack) --> Stab

This three-swing combo is what I used to have as my opening attack.
After the waterfall strike I perform a regular LMB and turn it into a drag by moving my mouse in the opposite direction of which the sword is travelling. If the LMB attack isn't blocked I try to maneuver to my enemy's right side to evade his blocking area while the stab is in the windup phase.
This must all be done in one motion, meaning that the sword must constantly be on the move.
After the Three-Swing Combo I play very aggressively and do 3 ripostes.
If my opponent isn't dead yet I usually perform a kick followed by a Rainbow.
If he still isn't dead I finish him off by delivering a quick overhead attack after dancing.

Visualization Training

Different weapons for different needs

What types of weapons are there and when do I use them?

You can't always run around with a shortsword (if that is your preferred weapon) you have to switch between different weapons! There are 3 different types of weapons for every class.
Knight

• Axe Weapons
  Pros: Good damage, decent range.
  Cons: Slow, less good comboing.
  
• Blunt Weapons
  Pros: Massive damage, great comboing.
  Cons: Very slow, little range.
  
• Swords
  My favorite. Sharp and fast, they do less damage to armored opponents but make up for it in speed.
  Pros: Fast, good range, good comboing.
  Cons: Less damage.

Vanguard

• Swords
  Like the knight only bigger and slower (unless you're using claymore).
  
• Spears
  Long and slow, the spear provides good damage with long range.
  Pros: Good Damage, long reach.
  Cons: No comboing.
  
• Polearms
  Halberds and bardiches, like combining an axe and a spear.
  Pros: High damage, good range.
  Cons: Limited comboing.

Man At Arms

• Swords
  Short and fast, dance like a butterfly sting like a bee.
  Pros: Super fast, decent damage.
  Cons: Bad reach.
  
• Axes
  Like a sword but longer and slower.
  Pros: Good damage, good reach.
  Cons: Slow.
  
• Weird wooden weapons
  Just don't know what to say about this.
  Pros: Weird animations, good damage.
  Cons: Short reach, made of wood.

I won't cover secondary weapons nor archer weapons.
When to use the different weapons?
Use blunt weapons (mostly Maul) when you have to fight in big crowds or against alot of heavily armored knights. Use Axes when you have to fight in big crowds with mostly vanguards or maa's.
Use swords whenever you like, I mostly use swords when duelling or ffaing. If I find myself frequently dieing against someone I switch to swords for that solo fighting chance.
Use spears when you have to stay back a bit and simultaneously deal alot of damage.
Use polearms when you wanna just jump right into it. You can ofcourse use whatever weapon you want since most of them are basically the same. But a little adjustment won't hurt. In Team Objective I often find myself switching weapons based on which weapon would serve me best at that moment in time. If you're duelling alot I suggest you stay to one type of weapon and master it fully. My main weapon is the Longsword.

Guide Finale

What have we learned?

These are the key ingredients that makes a player good:

• Footwork (Dodging and sneaking past your opponent's block)
  
• Combos (Combining strikes)
  
• Deception (Drags and Dancing)
  
• Stamina management

So what is the best way to polish your skills?
I recommend that you play mostly Duel mode and Old Duel (Servers with Duelyard).
You should often approach players that are more experienced than you and fight them until you win,
doing this will make you used to fighting good players and you'll quickly notice an increase in your skills. Whether you play Medieval Warfare or Deadliest Warrior you should, like I said, mostly hang around the duel servers unless you can find Old Duel servers (FFA servers with players having duels). Analyze your opponents fighting styles and figure out what their "routine" is. This will make things alot easier if you find yourself stuck fighting the same person over and over again.
There's really not much more to say, I've shared most of what I know with you now and I hope that you have appreciated this humble guide of mine. I'll see you on the battlefield.

Cheers!

Connor McLeod

[Cenabet Savaşçı]

very helpful thank you

[Floppy]

Ew, feinting.

[zach99zulu]

wtf is facehugging?

[45.Caliber]

nice)) good work

[chedda]

Nice guide, very useful for learning some advanced things you can use ingame!

[Jester]

dost thou insist to fill the world with vicious qualities?

[CowboyCoffee]

you are smart like my shoe

[Jester]

I'd say that your individual skill is what determines if you're a noob or not.
If you're let's say level 15 but you can easily win against level 30's or 40's then does the level really matter? The thing is that at level 35 most people start getting involved in more advanced duels and such, where they encounter drags and other stuff.

[Shlock]

Well, I practice with my friends in private matches, so I should be a bigger rank than I am now... but I'm not. Because no XP gains in private games.
So, I would say at least rank 15, because that's when you're no longer considered a noob, right?

[Jester]

NoMemoryGaming once you've learned all the basics in its whole, this guide will become much more useful.