My name is Kill3rCat, and this is my guide aimed at offering helpful advice to players. This guide contains combat tips, tactics and suggestions.

If you are looking for a funny and entertaining 'joke' guide with no useful information therein, look elsewhere. This guide is a serious one (kinda), aimed at providing tips and information.

This guide is not completed yet, and I intend to add more information at a later date.
(EDIT: No, I won't. Quit the game long ago, and I can't be bothered to update this guide... that said, the information here should still be valid)

Thank you to the following people:

• LoneSoldier: For making a good suggestion about using Header Text, providing information on the Vanguard's sprint attack and for allowing me to use an extract of information about combo limitations sourced from his own guide, 'The Effective Archer's Guide'. https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=127004845

• FUKD and BOMBD (all one name, not 2 people): For informing me about the ability to jump over a Vanguard's sprint attack. I have tested this in-game and reached the conclusion that this is a reliable tactic, so long as you are fighting inexperienced opponents.

• GrandAss, for doing his part to better the Chivalry community (or prevent them getting any worse).

We all know why you're here. You have probably already done the tutorial, and played a bit of multiplayer and you felt you had a bit to learn. Maybe. No harm in going over the basics again. However, if you already know the basics or have been playing for a while, then feel free to skip this section of the guide.

Attack Moves

There are 3 attack moves in Chivalry: Medieval Warfare.

The swing is the most basic of Chivalry attack moves, and has your character swing his weapon from the right side of your screen to the left. It has moderate damage and moderate speed. Many players spam this button, which can be frustrating but can often result in the spammer's death. This attack is performed by pressing left mouse button (LMB).

The overhead is one of the most used and perhaps one of the most useful attacks in Chivalry. You character raises his weapon and performs a downward sweep from the top-left side of your screen. This attack is slower, but deals a larger amount of damage. This attack is performed by scrolling your mouse wheel down.

The jab or stab is a quick attack, with long reach but it is also not very powerful. This attack makes your character pull the weapon back and thrust it forward (if you are using a 1-handed weapon) or pull your weapon to your chest and thrust it outwards (if you are using a 2-handed weapon).

When you perform any attack, your character will briefly windup his attack (this is when you or your opponent draw back their weapon before you/they attack). If you hit an enemy during windup, his/her attack will be staggered, meaning that the attack is cancelled and that leaves you open to keep pummelling them until they drop.


There are 3 phases to any attack.

1) Windup. This is the brief moment before your attack where you draw your weapon back. During windup, your attack will be cancelled or 'staggered' if you are hit and you weapon will not deal damage.

2) Flight. This is the actual swing or thrust of the weapon, depending on the attack. During this time your attack cannot be staggered and your weapon will deal damage.

3) Recovery. This is the period after the attack, where you are recovering from the swing and returning the weapon to it's usual position. The weapon will not deal damage during this time.

Kicking

Press F to kick.

A kick is a slow attack that does a small amount of damage, but it propells your enemy away from you and temporarily stuns them. Although this can be used to gain distance, you can also use the stun effect to get past a persistent shield user or blocker, or alternatively you can use the baddy-pushing power to 'throw' your opponent into enviromental hazards, such as into a burning building, into spikes or even of the edge of a cliff. It all works and it all helps you stay alive. More experienced players will be difficult to defeat with this tactic, however, so keep reading!

This section of the guide targets more advanced and less-used combat moves.

Combos

These are one of the most commonly used Advanced Moves. This is a trick used to chain together multiple attacks resulting in a fast and lethal flurry of blows.

The most commonly used combo is the left click spam. While this is imtimidating and damn scary for a Man at Arms, this can also result in the death of the spammer. It leaves you predictable and all your attacker needs to do is time his swing for when yours has passed and you are a goner. I generally avoid combos, unless I see an opening or I am finishing off a foe, in which case I usually settle for several fast strikes at the opponent's head.

You can chain together any attack (e.g. Stab, Overhead, Overhead, Swing), but there are certain rules. For example, you can only chain three horizontal strikes or three mouse wheel down overheads in succession, and you can only chain one mouse wheel up (stab) between attacks. Other than those rules, you can keep a combo going until your stamina is depleted.

(The above information in italics was sourced from The Effective Archer's Guide, courtesy of LoneSoldier.)

Staggering

As you probably already know, if a player takes damage while in the 'windup' stage, be it from an arrow, bolt, fall damage, a kick or an opponent's weapon, his attack will be cancelled or 'staggered', with a slight delay before he can block or attack again (but can still move normally). You can use this to your advantage to try and land an additional hit, or begin a kick so that his next attack will also be staggered. A kick is favourable, because kicks drain an opponent's stamina more than they drain your own stamina (as cost for performing the kick), and because there is less delay before you can start a new attack at the end of a kick than there is at the end of a previous attack.

Blocking/Parrying and Countering/Riposting

Press right mouse button (RMB) to parry an attack. A successful block/parry will bounce your opponents weapon away from you and enable you to parry (NOTE: Attempting to block a Vanguard's sprint attack will temporarily stun you aswell as your attacker, although your attacker recovers sooner than you do, therefore you should avoid blocking these attacks and instead dodge). A counter, or in some cases a riposte is an attack started immediately after a successful block. Counters/ripostes are a fast attack which is generally quite hard to parry and is reliant on good reflexes on both the part of the riposter and the attacker (who in turn becomes the defender, in the case of a counter).

The fastest counter that you can perform is the counterstab, aka riposte, but you can use any attack as a counter, succeeding a successful parry. Your counters are generally less effective if you are using a shield.

You do not, however, have to parry in order to execute a counter. You can dodge and opponents attack and strike him simultaneously. This would ideally be timed so your windup begins while his attack is in the early 'swing' stage shortly after hsi windup finishes, so when you strike him, he won't have time to block as he will still be in the 'recovery' stage. You can however try to time it so that you are already in the 'swing' stage when his attack is passing you, so even if his attack connects you will not be staggered and can get a hit on him in return. A good player may be able to, with immaculate timing, meet both of these conditions in order for a truly devastating and failsafe strike on your opponent.

Feinting

When you are winding up an attack, you can press Q or RMB to cancel the attack. This can be used if you are about to attack an enemy and you notice he is about to attack you and you wish to cancel your attack to block rather than trade damage. This is, however, most commonly used to feint. A feint is when you cancel an attack to trick an enemy into blocking early, so you can follow that attack up immediately without your opponent being able to block it. Feinting is a tactic which is sometimes frowned upon, as will be covered deeper in this guide.

This section covers the more advanced and less used combat techniques that are commonly employed by the more experienced players.

Dodging

A parry costs stamina, and if you are playing as a Man at Arms (other classes can still use this move and it is still effective, but it is most useful for a MaA due to increased run-speed) your stamina is vital to your ability to fight and come out on top. Instead of blocking an attack, you can wait until the tip of the weapon has passed you (preferably without actually making contact). Because the attacker just missed, he is wide open for an attack. He may try to perform a combo you so you should start your attack just before your attacker's weapon passes and move forward as you are in the 'swing' stage of the attack (even if you do get hit, your attack should not be interrupted if you are already in mid-swing). If you timed it right, you will have landed a successful hit. Also, if your opponent was in windup stage when you hit him, because he tried to combo or if he launched another attack, then he will be staggered you can keep hitting until he is down and dead.

There are four types of dodge.

Backwards dodge. As the name suggests, you move backwards out of your opponents range when they are attacking you. This works with all types of attack. (NOTE: This will not work if your opponent is faster than you unless they are standing still.)

Sideways dodge. As the name suggests, when performing this dodge, you move either left or right to avoid an opponent's weapon. This works with stab and overhead, but you cannot dodge a horizonatal swipe with this dodge. This type of dodge is highly effective against a Vanguard's polearm sprint attack, as during the sprint attack your aiming speed is drastically lowered, allowing you to sprint to the side out of harms way, and strike the felon in the backside while he is still recovering.

Vertical dodge. As the name suggests, when performing this dodge, you hold control (CTRL) to duck. You must look at the floor when ducking under an attack. Alternatively, you can look backwards while ducking for a 'matrix style' dodge. I prefer this kind of dodge as it allows you to easily follow up with an overhead strike as you return to normal standing position, expecially if your opponent is still in the 'recovery' stoage. However, if an enemy is aiming at your feet or legs (or performing a Vanguard <b>sword not polearm<\b> sprint attack) when they launch an attack, you can press space to jump over their attack. The vertical dodge only works against sideways slashes, and it may work with stabs in the correct circumstances, but a sideways or backwards dodge is more appropriate against stab/thrust attacks, and the only applicable types of dodge to employ against an overhead.

Forwards dodge. This is not commonly used and that may be because of the risk involved in the maneuver. However, it is a high-risk, high-reward move. When an enemy attacks, when they are in windup (the brief moment when they prepare an attack), move forward until you are behind them and then start smashing them. This technique only works against stabs and overheads, and will most likely result in injury if you attempt this with a sideways slash. When you are crouching, you move much slower so it is not recommended to attempt this in combination with a vertical dodge (unless you jump). This works best with faster classes such as the Man at Arms or the Archer.

Tapping, aka Mouse Dragging

A technique which probably has numerous names, none of them official. I know it as tapping. I call it this because it looks a bit like you are tapping your opponent on the shoulder, or wherever you want to hit them.

Tapping is when you start your windup where your attack is meant to connect. This essentially cancels the weapon's 'flight' time, resulting in quicker attacks. This technique is not often used because most players frown on this and consider it cheating or exploiting. I myself do not use this tactic, for the simple reason that I regard it as pathetic. I don't need to compensate for skill. More coverage in the 'Honour' section.

If you are doing an overhead, look at the ground near an opponent's feet. This causes your character to raise his weapon over his head, where it will almost be touching your opponent. As soon as your windup is completed, your character will begin to (try to) plunge his sword into your opponent's [enter body part here].

If you are doing a stab, this does not work so well. You have to practically hugging their face for this to work, but it still works.

If you are doing a sideways slash, you have to stand so your enemy is on the right of the screen (if this is your first slash) or the left of the screen (if you are doing a combo and/or an alternate slash).

[DISCLAIMER: If people detest you for using the aforementioned tactic/technique, which is quite likely, you are not legally obliged to bash my skull in with any instrument of death as I am not responsible for any reputation damages. I do not condone the usage of disagreeable tactics.]

Half-Feinting/Mouse Dragging/Delaying

The opposite of Tapping, this technique is used to slow down your weapon. While at first, this may seem counterproductive, this is another high-risk, high-reward move. By looking where your atack is coming from, and turning away from your attack, you slow the weapon down thus tricking your opponent into parrying early, giving you a hit and enabling you to follow your attack through with multiple other attacks. Again, this is just what I call it as it has no official designation. This is also considered 'metagaming', like tapping, and is in my opinion a very cheaty way to play.

And by the way, I know I used 'Mouse Dragging' as a name for both techniques. This is because these two techniques are very similar and are attained via the exploitation of the same mechanic and are thus known collectively as 'Mouse Dragging'. Although I have other names for it...

[DISCLAIMER: If people detest you a douchebag for using the aforementioned tactic/technique, which is quite likely, you are not legally obliged to bash my skull in with any instrument of death as I am not responsible for any reputation damages. I do not condone the usage of disagreeable tactics.]

Flying Kick

Ever tried kicking while sprinting? It is impossible. However, the game doesn't slow you down when you are in midair unless you collide with an object or are kicked yourself. You can use this to your advantage in many ways.

One of which is the flying kick. If you start sprinting, jump and then press kick, you will sail through the air and then kick out after a second or two. This can be useful, as it can suprise foes and it can be used in a charge against a shield hugger.

Kicking can often get you killed due to the fact you have to stop. The main advantage of the flying kick is that you don't have to stop. This can be used to quickly kill a player near an environmental hazard such as spikes or a nice big cliff. As mentioned earlier, this is one of those high-risk, high-reward tactics which is generally less effective against experienced foes.

Each class has it's own unique advantages and disadvantages.

Knight

The Knight is the slowest class, but his weapons have quite a long reach. The Knight's strength lies in his armour, however, making him an ideal frontline troop to lead the charge. Knights can also use their heavy armour to perform hit trades with their opponents. While risky, the Knight will generally win in a hit trade.

Archer

While the Archer is weakly armoured, it is still quite a fast class. However, the Archer's main advantage is it's ranged weapons. The Archer's ranged weapons are more powerful and have less drop than the ranged weapons of the other classes. The Archer's strength lies in his range.

Vanguard

Although the Vanguard is quite agile and armoured, he is not as nimble as the Man at Arms nor as heavily armoured as the Knight, he has the longest melee weapons with the furthest reach. The Vanguard's weapons are also quite fast and deadly. The Vanguard also has a deadly sprint attack.

Man-at-Arms

The Man-at-Arms may have very little armour, but he is the nimblest and, arguably, the deadliest (if played correctly) and most reliant of skill of the bunch. The MaA's strength lies in his speed and in his ability to lunge. This is performed by double-tapping a movement key, such as W to lunge forward or S to lunge backwards, as well as A and D to hop to the side. This can be used to quickly dodge attacks and dodge back in to punish your attacker. You can also use a key to initiate a lunge, default V. I use the key because you can react faster and you get more control.

Robbing/Exploiting

A technique I know as 'robbing', 'stealing' or 'thieving' is to exploit a foe by steal his advantage away from him or to use it against them. An example of this is to chase a Man-at-Arms into a tight space so he cannot jump to the sides, rendering him vulnerable to you.

Vanguard: The Vanguard has long weapons, but that can also be a disadvantage to the Vanguard. Ever tried swinging a metre-long stick in a car or in a doorway? Difficult isn't it? His/her sword or polearm will be clanging off the walls if they try a sideways swing. Also, try to avoid blocking a Vanguard's sprint attack. Try to move to the sides instead. Then the Vanguard will be temporarily immobile while he recovers from that daring dash of his which didn't seem to accomplish much. Don't wait. Exploit his weakness and hit him where it hurts. Especially if you are an Archer, because the 50% bonus backstab damage is worth it.

The Archer's backstab bonus has since been removed from the game.

It is also possible to jump over a Vanguard's sprint attack, according to 'FUKD and BOMBD'. The sprint attack is aimed at ankles by default and this can be prevented if the Vanguard aims upwards. Thank you for your contribution, FaB.

Man-at-Arms: The MaA is very agile, but that is one of his only advantages. Forcing him into a corner prevents him running off and limits his ability to lunge/sidestep/dodge, so you can just finish him there and then.

Archer: This bugger has very long ranged weapons, but once you get close they are generally quite easy to defeat, so long as you don't get cocky and underestimate them. Close the gap, dodging their projectiles and using objects as cover and once you are close enough, give them a smacking.

Knight: Sadly, you can't bribe the Knight's squire not to fasten his armour correctly so when fighting heavily armoured opponents it is advisable to use a blunt weapon such as a maul or mace, as they deal more damage than swords against armoured foes. You can however, take advantage of his lack of maneuverability as the Knight is the slowest of the four classes.

Underestimation

Although not quite relevant to this section of the guide, underestimation is perhaps as much a threat as the opponent you are fighting! Never underestimate an opponent. Let me tell you a story:

I was playing some team objective match. You know, the one where the Mason Order have to kill the Queen's family? Well there was a pesky Archer on my team, and he was giving all of those Agathians a hard time. A group of about 3 Knights and a Vanguard rushed him from both sides of the log he was on. He fired his crossbow into the face of one of the Knights, killing him (must have been on low health). It was then a 3V1. But, oh, that Archer! He stabbed one of them to death, by blocking all of his attacks and delivering some well-aimed and deadly-quick rapostes to the head, and kicked foe another off the log. Then it was just 1V1. That bugger was a good fighter too, blocking all of the Knight's attacks and dodging those he did not block. He quickly dispensed with the last surviving Knight with his trusty knife. Maybe he was the best fighter ever, or maybe he was a good fighter and the Knights/Vans got overconfident and arrogant. They underestimated the Archer and he got out of that situation unharmed. Not a scratch.

I know for a fact, I am often guilty of this myself. I see an Archer, and I finish off my opponent as quickly as I can, then go charging after the Archer. Most of the time, they aren't much of a threat because their strength lies in their range, and that is what they are good at. But nonetheless, every opponent is a potential threat and threats must be disposed of to ensure your own survival, and triumphant march to glory!

Yep. That's right. When a player plays any game for a long duration of time, eventually they will become stressed and frustrated which results in silly mistakes which ends up getting them killed in-game. Every time they are killed, they get more stressed, and more frustrated. See where this is going? It's that dreaded chain of unquenchable fury!

A good way to avoid these mistakes is simple. Don't play for 8 hours at a time, or any number close to that especially if you are required at a clan battle some time that day. Large periods of gameplay are sure to stress you out, especially considering how obnoxious the majority of the game's community are. I recommend you only play in 3-4 hour bursts, with fair breaks in between. No, I am not your mother, that is just my advice. Do you like killing, or do you like dying? Spare yourself the stress, you poor bastard. Another idea is to play some music in the background. Not neccessarily calm or classical music. Listen to heavy metal if you really like. I just find that my general performance is improved when I listen to music whilst playing Chivalry and I hope the same can be said for others.

Another important thing when playing, is remember not to lose your cool when an inherently dislikeable player attacks you. If you start raging and cussing and fuming and sweating, you are going to lose a lot more than just your temper. Keep calm, stay focussed. Evaluate your opponent.




















EXAMPLE:

ExampleNoob132 (a player I just made up) is attacking you. He is a Vanguard and his playstyle is to keep running at you while spamming sideswings. He only attacks if you are in range, suggesting he is a cautious player. If you run at him, you notice he goes on the defensive more. Great! He's easily intimidated. Don't be intimidated yourself.

Tactic to defeat this sonofab:

1) Keep retreating from him.

2) If you are a Man-at-Arms or Archer, run into the reach of his weapon, when he tries to hit you, move backwards out of the way. This will reduce his stamina. (if you are not one of the aforementioned classes, skip this step as you will probably not have the agility required to pull this off.)

3) Suddenly start winding up an attack and run into him, before he realises his mistake and can react. Try to bonk him on the head. If you can do that, he is injured badly and he will probably percieve you as more of a threat and go on the defensive. Make sure you get your timing right, give him as little tiem to react as possible.

4) Now he is injured, and the fact he is on the defensive suggests that he is slightly scared or intimidated by you. Pursue your quarry.

5) If he attacks you with a sideswing, perform a vertical dodge under his blade and start winding up an attack just before you stand up again, or evade to the sides and counter him if he tries an overhead or stab. TL:DR, dodge appropriately and attack simultaneously.

6) If he does not attack, then attack him. If he manages to block, then try to get around his defense, either via a feint or a quick counter, or circumventing. A more skilled player will probably deliver a raposte if he successfully blocks your attack, so be ready to block and send one right back his way. An even more skilled player will likely sidestrafe and hit you without needing to block, however ExampleNoob123's playstyle suggests that he is a fairly new player.

The above is just an example of how a player might try to defeat ExampleNoob132 using knowledge of his playstyle. There are multiple ways you could defeat him, this is just one of them. If he kills you, evaluate his playstyle, strengths and weaknesses and then come back for some revenge. Alternatively, you could get in a fight with him and make it up as you go along which is what most people will do. Unless you are a superhuman, you will have to adapt to the situation and employ techniques and tactics like those mentioned above. As Helmuth von Moltke, a Field Marshal and chief of staff of the Prussian Army once said, 'No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength'. What this basically means, is that no matter how hard you plan, things will most likely never turn out completely as expected and unless you can take the initative and adapt to the situation, you will have a hard time beating opponents. I said earlier not to lose your cool, but you don't have to play like a mindless automaton.

Earlier in this guide, I mentioned that many people frown upon several tactics employed by various members of the community, including techniques such as Mouse Dragging and spam-feinting. Excessive use of what I would consider 'metagaming', aka use of exploits such as lookdown, drag, whatever you want to call it. It breaks the game by circumventing attempts by the devs to balance the game by making longer weapons and generally higher damage weapons much slower.

Of course, these 'nerfs' are only necessary because the combat system is poorly implemented, in an unrealistic fashion which does not in any way represent historically-accurate combat. But regardless, it is exploitation of a game mechanic. That game mechanic, being 'realtime swings'. (On a side note, the devs also poorly implemented the feint mechanic, allowing users to spam-feint in a way that no human would be able to achieve in reality. Spam-feinting is clearly an attempt by poor players to remove any element of skill in combat, relying purely on luck and hoping that they will prevail, because in a situation like that skill is a very small factor, with luck being a major component (in a lot of Chivalry fights anyway). Feinting is fine, although a little dishonourable. Spam-feinting is most definately a sign that someone is a 'red-dot job'.)

This system was implemented by the devs (in my opinion) to make combat more fluid and dynamic and to enable players to use footwork to avoid strikes and to circumvent their opponent's attempts to block. NOT to enable players to (ab)use the 1:1 control of weapons relative to the camera's perspective to, essentially, cheat. I suspect the devs cannot fix this without rewriting the entire combat system.

My suggestion is: take up arms and slaughter half of the Chivalry community, only way to get rid of those obnoxious knaves! Or, on a more serious note, stop exploiting game mechanics and learn to play legitimately, be quick with your reactions, and try and predict a player's next move. Play with skill. Outmaneuver him, dodge his attacks and follow through with your own precise and deadly strikes. Play quick, play smart and most importantly, play fair.