[921][Guide] A laymans guide to Knighthood

A Layman's Guide to Knighthood​

In this guide I will cover the basics and go in depth in some places, with a GIF or picture presentation in each spoiler. I have deliberately left out things that are not primarily knight.
Go to the spoiler surfing if you just came to see me wreck someones shit on accident.


Jabbing
A single click of the mouse gets you a short jab, Its not that useful in knight versus knight, although you can Jab to remove single hearts while they are charging to slash finishing them off, you can jab builders and archers to death quite easily enough though.

At this moment you are better off using a slash to do things, or attempting to shield out and try again; but you can deal as much damage as possible before you die potentially. Not really much to say about this action.

On that note you can follow up a single slash with a Jab most of the time.
The Slash then Jab

Spoiler

You slash to break shield, Then you jab to deal a heart of damage its the only way to deal damage through a shield break asap on a knight with one slash.

Single Slash
If you hold the left mouse button for about a second you unleash a single slash, Its the knights main action of attack, as it deals two hearts on hit, and usually stuns so you can slash yet again, this means archers instantly die, and builders are stunned with one heart and can be jabbed to death instantly afterward, or slashed again also making them dead. It also moves you forward faster when its done during the unleashing moment.

But it is not as simple as you think for such a powerful single action.

For one slash range actually changes based on velocity, you gain around 4 pixels of range on a slash with velocity versus one standing still, this might not seem like much but it gives you the offensive advantage by striking fast and hard. Here are three examples of range below.

Standing Still single Slash (No Velocity)

Spoiler

As you can see the range on a slash standing still with no velocity is 2 tiles or so exact, as seen in this image.

Slash with movement (Velocity)

Spoiler

As you can see in this image, the range actually increases with velocity by around 4 pixels, this is proof that the velocity mechanic is actually in play and does exist. This also means you generally want a high velocity while attacking.

When the two slashes collide the one with velocity will clearly win, as it has just a slightly longer range than the one without velocity. As seen in the spoiler below.

Slash (No Velocity) Colliding with a Slash (Velocity)

Spoiler

As you can see here even with my slash landing at the exact moment to hit him he still lands the priority hit, as he has more range due to the velocity he has generated

Double Slash
The heavy hitter of the knights action set, its the double slash, it is two single slashes one after another after a longer charge time on the left mouse button your sword shines and you hear the noise of death or glory ring out. It deals four hearts of damage when done completely, instantly killing archers, and builders along with knights who didn't have their shield up, it breaks shield and deals two hearts of damage instantly.

If you were to collide with the enemy this is the one you want to go off as it will instantly kill if you win the trade.

It can be used in conjunction with water bombs to land a instant kill on even shielding knights.

Double Slash Shield Break

Spoiler

As you can see with the double slash the first slash stuns the shield, and the second goes off instantly dealing two hearts of damage, It is the best way to deal damage to knights shielding, and to punish stray slashes.

Double Slash in Conjunction with a Water Bomb

Spoiler

As you can see here, a water bomb ranged well stuns the shield allowing you to perform a double slash fully dealing 4 hearts and instantly killing the enemy knight.

Movement
Most people know how to move but the knight has quite a few options on how to move, the glide is pretty self explanatory you can glide to go slower in the air and get extra distance, along with negate all fall damage, you gain an extra block of height or so by gliding against a wall trying to walljump it.

Theres a slide, you jump and then hold the right mouse button with your mouse below you, while holding a direction, and you begin skiing, if you hold up while skiing and going a direction you go faster than regular walking. The slide also stuns.

If you jump into water and attempt to slide, you will skip across the water until you lose velocity, this gains you a lot of speed going across water.

Walking vs Skiing (A Direct Comparison)

Spoiler

As you can see skiing gains a few pixels each time it bounces over regular walking, this can add up over a long maps worth of movement.

Skiing's Stun

Spoiler

As you can see skiing into someone at a high enough velocity will stun them, how you can find a use for it is your own solution, as it is you can help your team by stunning a enemy knight, but they stand a good chance at just slashing you before you collide with them.

A combination of Skiing and Gliding will allow you to move a bit faster than the average knight. Below is an example.
Skiing and Gliding versus Walking and Jumping

Spoiler

As you can see it was close, and he did have a delayed start but I did gain extra distance on him at the end via the sliding and overall gliding.

When you hold down the left mouse button with the mouse below you, while holding up and a direction key and jump into water at a good enough velocity, but not too high in elevation you surf, it is the fastest way to enter water and cover distance when done.

Surfing example and a combination of complex movements in an assault.

Spoiler

As you can see I started to surf, but I had to record this on a french server, and he wouldn't stop threatening me when I was making the example, so you get to see me cap the flag and kill the knight. I was easily faster and prone to moving wherever I pleased thanks to my usage of the options.

One little known fact that was in classic, and also made it into Beta is that crouching has a use, If you hold the down button you crouch, but what good is crouching in this game? Well enemy coming above usually collide into you if they hit, If you crouch they phase through you and hit the ground.

Crouching

Spoiler

As you can see I tried to slam him, but I just went straight through. That is the power of holding down when threatened with people trying to slam you. Direct, If they are threatening with a slash I wouldn't advise this maneuver.

Bombjumping can technically be classified under movement, as it is just a movement option available to knights. If you jump and shield while a bomb explodes it launches you into the air, done properly via aiming and timing you can go high enough to clear large spaces of the map and towers entirely. Bombjumping with multiple bombs is possible, but quite difficult. Below is an example of a bombjump covering a tower.

Bombjumping

Spoiler

As you can see I would normally have no way to get over that tower, only through it, but with bombjumping I have managed to get over it entirely. Take a note of my aim and timing in regards to getting that air.

 

Tips Tricks Esoteric and Strangeness that doesn't fit in any section
This section is just a coverall for things that cannot be classified in any primary mechanics.

Enemy corpses blow up mines, If you can't get an enemy to walk into one, just kill one and throw the corpse into your mines to blow them up.

Corpse Mine Explosions

Spoiler

You can actually blow up a mine with a enemy corpse, If you needed to detonate it and nobody is taking the bait.

Elevation Strangeness
Elevation is situation most people run into, down here is three examples of how elevation may go when you have to jump off a tower and assault those below, and vice versa in assaulting someone jumping off a tower.

Example 1# Waterbomb usage off a Tower

Spoiler

As you can see I threw a waterbomb to stun him then slashed for a kill here, waterbomb usage is completely doable coming down off a height and will yield good results.

Example 2# A strange angled upwards slash on a knight coming off a tower

Spoiler

As you can see here I slashed and passed him, the hitbox angle is a lot higher than you think, and I stunned him on the slash too so his couldn't go off, If I didn't go past he would have stunned me the moment he landed on top of me and stomped and slashed.

Example 3# The Samurai Runpast

Spoiler

As you can see here some accidental wonkyness, clearly my stomp and slash registered as he went down three hearts, a stomp is one and a slash is two. This sure does look cool though.

 

Way better than my guide 10/10.

 

Could be covered under bombjumping, or before. Before would make more sense.

 

Nice, guide. Loved the gifs

 

Good guide. Nice for newbies like myself.

 

You should add in a bit about double bomb jumping using both methods (One bomb on ground and the other tossed down and shielded on when launched from first bomb, then the spacebar spam method) and the triple bomb jump method.

 

Maybe you should make a guide on it.

 

I had no idea about the whole crouching thing that blew my mind, everything else was good too.

 

WHAT!? I did not know that you could blow up a mine from a corpse. That is amazing I came here thinking I knew all of this. Guess I was wrong. Awesome guide!

 

What is the "spacebar spam method"?

 

It's easy, really. Actually it's so easy I don't see why people ever use the other method. You just press spacebar about 6 times in one second to light and drop 3 bombs (Aim at the ground below you, 4 bombs is a waste) and right when the burst you just shield down. It propels you into the stratosphere!

The way I theorize it works is that when the second bomb goes off, it goes off instantly after the first and doubles your upward momentum, and the third bomb goes off as you're lifting off the ground, with you probably hitting the tip of said bomb's explosion, and this will rocket you over literally -any- defense. The only way it fails is if when spamming spacebar there's a lag for the bombs that you drop on the ground. I've had this happen and it's enraging.

Spoiler

I learned this trick from BC btw. Creds.

 

people use "the other method" because:

a) you get amazing directional control, and can choose to go for either extra height, extra distance, or abort and go straight back to the ground,

and

b) that's how you did it in alpha, and it takes forever to change habits

 

I like to throw 1 bomb down and hold the other lit. I just think you have more control like @Alpaca said. You can control your distance and height instead of just launching an unnecessary distance into the "Stratosphere". Seems more reliable as well. Just my opinion, being a long time classic (alpha) player.

 

Curious how does velocity work in relation to downward movement? does it still give the knight a range extension in front or does he actually hit below himself?

Cause the knights on higher ground do seem to have an advantage.

 

if they're moving straight down, and slashing down, it will hit below him, if he's moving down and to the side, and slashing down and to the side, it will hit down and to the side. You still get the range extension with velocity, the reason you get the advantage on the high ground is because you can quickly gain lots of velocity for said range extension, along with being able to close the distance between you and your foe faster than they can, meaning that you can choose when to engage them, ie when you have a slash ready, and because you can also sometimes get a stomp out of it.

 

Yep, with a height advantage you can instakill another knight in a stompslash+jab combo if they aren't blocking. 2hearts if they are. It's like a faster doubleslash

 

Or, since if you have a stomp you're probably at the top of a tower or something, and can, as I just said, choose to attack them whenever the fuck you want, you could just charge up a double slash and then kill them regardless of their shield...

 

Sometimes time is of the essence. =P