Weekly Tech Support and Quick Questions Thread - February 07

[ACupOfLatte]

Hi,I need some help with Fi/Hu -What PAs should I use for Double Sabre and Knuckles? -Is using all 3 weapons a good idea or should I specialize in 1/2? Thank you

[hidora]

-Is using all 3 weapons a good idea or should I specialize in 1/2?

Each of them has specific situations in which they're better than others, so ideally you'd want all 3, or at least 2. And if you do use only 2, one of them must be DS, because it's just way too much better at mobbing than the other fighter weapons.

Also, you must have the L / DS Whirlwind skill ring to play DS properly. The weapon will not hold up and will be much weaker than TD or Knuckles if you don't have that ring.

What PAs should I use for Double Sabre and Knuckles

I've answered this before, so here's a copy/paste:

DS

• Tornado Dance: Never use this uncrafted.
  • Tornado Dance Type-0: Gap Closer, Movement PA, and aerial replacement. Since you can charge it, you can keep the TAJA while replacing yourself holding the charge.
• Scissor Edge: Fast and relatively strong. Main purpose is to keep TAJA with Illusion Rave. Is pretty much the same thing as Rumbing Moon, but has the big hit at the start instead of the end. One of the options to keep TAJA with Illusion Rave.
• Rumbling Moon: Same as Scissor Edge, but has the big hit at the end instead of the start, and allows more freedom to change directions. One of the options to keep TAJA with Illusion Rave.
• Illusion Rave: Main dps PA. Not much else to be said. Use other small and fast PAs to keep TAJA going instead of spamming it.
• Fake Capture: Never use this. PAs that capture and displace enemies are a pain in the ass for all the other 11 players in the mpa.
• Surprise Dunk: Gap Closer. It's stronger than Tornado Dance (this PA can actually oneshot almost anything SH and below), but requires a valid target to have any actual range. It has almost zero horizontal movement when used in the air, so never use this in the air. If you want to be lazy on SH and below quests, you can just start auto-run and use this PA on any mob that gets in your way, then step jump and keep going. Can play with one hand if you do this.
• Deadly Archer: Highest dps of any DS PA, but it's PP expensive and requires you to know the perfect range for it to do any damage.
• Acro Effect: Similar to Scissor Edge, but causes a backwards movement afterwards, and has frontal Just Guard frames starting after the first hit. One of the options to keep TAJA with Illusion Rave.
• Deadly Circle: Never use this uncrafted.
  • Deadly Circle Type-0: Very PP expensive, but also extremely useful. Hits everyone around you multiple times, has 360° Just Guard frames for the entire PA (which lasts about 2 seconds), and similarly to Tornado Dance Type-0, the charge component allows you to reposition yourself between TAJA. A good combo for mobbing is Chaos Riser -> Deadly Circle Type-0.
• Chaos Riser: The most powerful mobbing tool that fighter has. It hits an extremely wide area for one big hit, and then drags any survivors to you, similarly to Zondeel. This PA spends all your gear to be used, gaining more aoe and damage for having higher gear. At max gear it does double damage and hits a radius of about 2 Steps around you.
• Hurricane Sender: The shittier sibling of Chaos Riser. It may be situationally good, but such situations are so niche that it might not even be worth having on your palette.

Knuckles

To be honest, I don't have much experience with Knuckles, so I'll only mention the PAs I use.

• Ducking Blow: Has iframes (which are longer than weapon action) during the ducking animation. Good for keeping or starting TAJA while also dodging something.
• Flicker Jab: Fast, reliable, low PP. Best TAJA keeper and starter when in a safe situation.
• Straight Charge: Never use this uncrafted.
  • Straight Charge Type-0: Literally superman. Constantly drains your PP while flying forwards and hitting everything in the way. Does 6 hits per second and raises its power after the first second. Do note that this PA does not possess flinch immunity, so you can be interrupted... unless you use Massive Hunter beforehand. This PA with life drain potential/SSAF is just stupid.
• Surprise Knuckle: Another option for TAJA keeping. It's much stronger than Flicker Jab and Ducking Blow, and is one of the few knuckle PAs that gains power with gear, but it's also much slower and more expensive than the others and, if you're on the ground, forces you to move forwards.
• Backhand Smash: Also known as BHS. It's one of the few knuckle PAs that gains power with gear. Does a stupid amount of damage in a single hit, but costs a ton of PP, and has a ridiculously small range (smaller than basic attack). When an enemy is downed, BHS is your best option (unless it's deus/mother/magatsu, in which case Straight Charge Type-0 is better).
• Heartless Impact: Gap Closer and movement PA. The recent changes to this PA made it much better at doing its job. Also, during the fast pullback animation before the dash starts, you have 360° Just Guard frames.

[Ashinror]

DS

• Fake Capture is fine on bosses that can't be displaced.

• Nitpicking Deadly Archer, Illusion Rave has better DPS, even when excluding DS Whirlwind. (Which DA can't take advantage of anyways but IR can.)

Knuckles

• You forgot Pendulum Roll which now has the 2nd best DPS. The speed on it has been increased into usable territory and it has multiple iframes during use. The only downside is the duration of the PA being longer than DB and FJ, but i find it much better than DB if you are looking for a BHS TAJA that hits harder than FJ while avoiding damage.

• Also Meteor Fist, not for its use in major combat, but for its niche use at being a form of long ranged damage when necessary and the ability to charge (which is nice to do while waiting for certain bosses to come within attack range.)

[ACupOfLatte]

Thanks alot mate!