Deynarde & Joan of Arc's Knight Compendium

Introduction
​

2021 EDIT: This info is somewhat outdated. Please see https://bit.ly/KAG-Guides for more up-to-date guides.

Welcome to deynarde (@Cohen) & Joan of Arc's (@Eluded) Knight Compendium.

This is not a guide to playing knight, but rather a collection of all the tricks and techniques that knights can perform. Each move is accompanied by some explanation as well as an animated GIF.
Through this compendium we want to show that there is far more to knight combat than some may think; at a high level a knight has a myriad of different tactics with which to outwit his/her opponents – and it is this complexity which makes knight combat interesting and fun.
If you can master every technique here then you will become a fearsome opponent indeed!
We want this list to be as comprehensive as possible, so if you know an interesting move that we have missed – do tell one of us either over the forums or in game.

The compendium is split into several sections:

1. Mobility​

Spoiler

Slash jump
A knight can jump higher than normal by slashing to give themselves some extra velocity. Time your slash so that it triggers just after you start your jump.

Spoiler: GIF

Wall gliding
A slash jump can be combined with upwards shield gliding in order to get extra height. Also, by pushing off the wall as you near the top and then floating back onto it you can climb an extra block (up to 9 blocks can be climbed this way).

Spoiler: GIF

Quick shield slide
Shield sliding is done by pointing the mouse below your character and shielding. But you can move significantly faster by rapidly tapping the W key as you are sliding. For maximum speed, try and hit W as soon as you hit the ground on each bounce.

Spoiler: GIF

Climbing arrows
It is possible to climb arrows that archers shoot into a tower.

Spoiler: GIF

It is also possible to navigate around platforms on towers if there are enough arrows.

Spoiler: GIF

Chicken glide
Hold a chicken and take a ride in a catapult to get behind enemy lines!

Spoiler: GIF

Using walls for extra velocity
Pushing off a wall gives you a small burst of speed. This speed boost can be extremely useful to help you win a slash timing.

Spoiler: GIF

Following a retreating enemy through doors
As an enemy player runs through team doors, they are momentarily left open. This gives you enough time to follow them through.

Spoiler: GIF

Credit to @8x for the video.

Water buoyancy
As you rise up through water you receive a significant speed boost. This can be very useful for surprising your enemy with an upwards slash.

Spoiler: GIF

Small shield glide
A shield slide can be performed even on a 1 block wide tower. This can be very useful in CTF to get some extra speed for crossing gaps.

Spoiler: GIF

Corner vaulting
This is an advanced movement trick which can allow for some enormous jumps. To do it, jump so you land exactly on the corner of a block, whilst shielding downwards. As you hit the corner – raise your shield into a shield glide. Don't hit the corner completely vertically, but have a small horizontal velocity.
In our testing we have been unable to corner vault from a straight corner. We think this move requires a specific block formation as shown in the GIF, but it may be possible to vault from other kinds of block formations.

Spoiler: GIF

Slash escape
Slashing can sometimes be used as an escape mechanism due to the small speed boost it gives.

Spoiler: GIF

Tower wall jump
This is a good way to get some extra horizontal distance when jumping off a tower. To do it, slightly drop off the tower and push off while shield gliding.

Spoiler: GIF

Credit to @eps0003 for the video.

Faster movement during slash charging
Aiming in the opposite direction to which you are moving will allow you to go a little faster when charging an attack. You should pretty much always do this.

Spoiler: GIF

Bounce off water
Shield sliding onto water will allow you to do a little bounce before you sink. This can be useful for quickly moving over water.

Spoiler: GIF

2. Jabbing​

Spoiler

This section begins with a word about hitboxes in KAG.
The game models a knight as a circle.


Both jab and slash are shaped as arcs, which move with your character and are active for a certain duration (slash lasts much longer than jab).

Spoiler: GIF

Your shield covers an arc around your character centered on the direction your mouse is pointing. If you think that you were hit through your shield by someone – ask yourself, were you pointing in the right direction to cover the full arc of the attack?

It is possible to see the hitboxes for yourself by going into solo sandbox mode, opening the console (by pressing the Home key) and typing

Code:

/g_debug 1

Tempo jab
Often you will get into the situation where you are shielding and an enemy knight is repeatedly slashing you. Thus the other knight has the tempo advantage. If you try and slash them, then you will die as you will have begun charging your slash after them – so they will always be able to release earlier.
One way to escape this situation is with a quick jab – which will interrupt the enemy's slash.
Beware though – if you have only 1 heart, a good enemy will instantly jab you back for the kill.

Spoiler: GIF

Overhead jab
Jump over the enemy's head and jab them before they can react and move their shield. Don't just click but instead hold your mouse button for a short while until you are at the perfect point to release the jab.

Spoiler: GIF

This is especially effective on a shield sliding enemy, as they will not be able to move their shield to defend themselves.

Spoiler: GIF

Slash → jab
A successful slash on someone who isn't shielding will stun them for a short period of time. The stun duration is long enough that you can jab immediately after your slash, before the enemy can get their shield back up. This move turns of damage into .
Be careful though because if you aren't quick enough then you will end up jabbing the enemy's shield.

Spoiler: GIF

Power slash → slash → jab
The same technique as above can be done with a double slash on a shielding enemy. The first slash will break their shield, the second will hit and finally you can follow up with a jab.

Spoiler: GIF

Jab after shield stun
If someone makes the mistake of jabbing your shield then they will be stunned. Punish this mistake by instantly jabbing them for a free of damage.

Spoiler: GIF

Two jabs after shield stun
If you have quick reactions then it is possible to jab twice after a shield stun for of damage before the enemy can raise their shield again.
This move may be impossible without good ping.

Spoiler: GIF

Counter jab
Very similar to a counter slash, a counter jab punishes the enemy for missing their attack. As the enemy ends their slash, turn around and quickly jab them. They won't have time to shield.

Spoiler: GIF

Jab charge
An aggressive but extremely fun move; a jab charge is a quick shield slide to gain speed followed by a jab. This is an effective way to interrupt someone who is charging a slash – but for it to succeed it must be done with extreme speed.

Spoiler: GIF

3. Slashing​

Spoiler

Slash timing is something that takes a long while to get used to and that you can only get good at through practice. It's important to remember though that there are two main components to winning a timing:
One is your speed; if two knights slash at the same time then the faster moving one will tend to win.
The other is the earliness of your slash. Begin charging your slash long before the enemy does and you will tend to win.
Slash earlier, move faster, and you will rarely lose a timing.

Overhead slash
A similar technique to an overhead jab but done but with a slash. Jump over the enemy whilst charging a slash and then hit them in the back.

Spoiler: GIF

Again this is very useful against a shield sliding enemy.

Spoiler: GIF

Counter slash
If you are against an aggressive fighter then a way to beat them is to bait them to come forward with their slash or double slash. As they do so, you move back whilst charging your own slash. As their slash ends, you turn and hit them.

Spoiler: GIF

Counter double slash
The same as above but with a double slash.

Spoiler: GIF

Aggressive double slash
This is a risky but potentially rewarding move. The aim is to take advantage of the large distance that a knight can travel whilst double slashing, hitting nothing with the first slash but hitting the enemy with the 2nd.
For maximum effectiveness, do a small jump between the slashes so your movement forms a kind of ‘m’ shape – this will allow you to move as far as possible.
This could be followed up with a jab for a slash → jab combo.

Spoiler: GIF

Winning slash on L shapes
Many maps have shapes that look like this:

In this situation, the knight who moves first (red in the image) tends to lose slash – even if they slashed earlier. This is because they have a large vertical speed but almost no horizontal speed. The knight who moves second (blue) will have a large horizontal speed towards the enemy – and is thus far more likely to win.

Spoiler: GIF

This situation often occurs in CTF when there are doors on top of towers.

It is worth mentioning that the L-shape situation usually favours the knight coming up from below. This is partly because you can move upwards more quickly than you can move sidewards. Also most of the knight's body is shielded by the blocks going up the wall. In this GIF the blue and red knight arrive at the intersection at roughly the same time, but the blue knight wins. This is usually the case.

Spoiler: GIF

Two side slash
Since the arc of your slash follows your mouse cursor whilst the slash is active, it is possible to start slashing on one side, then quickly move the mouse to the other side in order to slash on both sides of yourself. To do this right you must very quickly flick your mouse from the right side of your character to the left (or vice versa).

Spoiler: GIF

Slashing ballista bolts
Ballista bolts are actually quite fragile. In fact, they can be slashed out of the air with good timing. Doing this can be gamebreaking if your tower is under heavy siege.

Spoiler: GIF

Slash stomping
This move is difficult to execute consistently and relies on you having just the right amount of height and speed. The idea is to stomp a shielding enemy as you slash them, so that the stomp stuns them and then the slash hits. With practice it can be done repeatedly if you are above an enemy in order to stunlock them.

Spoiler: GIF

Slash charge
Similar to a jab charge, a slash charge is a short, quick shield slide in order to gain speed as you charge your slash. You can often surprise an enemy this way by quickly travelling a large distance. For this to work you must charge your slash in mid-air, or the speed boost will be irrelevant.

Spoiler: GIF

4. Shielding​

Spoiler

Shield slide stun
Shield sliding horizontally into the enemy will stun them for a short duration if you have enough speed.
This stun is long enough to get 1 quick jab.
This move is most useful in narrow corridors where it cannot be countered by overhead jab or overhead slash.

Spoiler: GIF

Shield bash
Another way to stun someone is to land on them from above whilst shielding. Even a landing from a very small height can be enough to stun someone.
In order to be able to jab after the stun you should hold S as you land. If not then you will bounce off the enemy and will be too far away to be able to jab before their stun wears off.

Spoiler: GIF

 

5. Crouching​

Spoiler

Crouching is a largely forgotten feature in KAG. To do it just hold the ‘S’ key whilst on the ground. What it does is allows other players to pass right through you without colliding. This leads to some very powerful combat techniques.
For crouch to work your character must be completely still.

Crouch slash
It is possible to crouch whilst slashing or charging up a slash. It is impossible to know if someone is doing this because there is no animation for it. So it is the perfect counter to shield slide stun or shield bash.

Spoiler: GIF

Defensive crouch
You can also crouch whilst shielding. This is again a nice counter to shield stuns. Crouching actually increases the radius of your shield – so doing this also makes it easier to block attacks.

Spoiler: GIF

Phase jab
A common situation is you and your enemy both have your shields up and are running into each other. A good trick is to crouch here, so that the enemy phases through you. As they exit their back will be turned to you and you can jab them. This does require very precise timing.

Spoiler: GIF

Phase slash
Exactly the same as phase jab but with a slash. This is slower and thus more risky – but also more rewarding.

Spoiler: GIF

Blitz crouch
This is a more advanced way to get under the enemy so you can do a phase jab or phase slash (credit to Auky for inventing and naming this). To do it, do a shield slide stun which will slightly pop the enemy up in the air. As they fall you move slightly under them and crouch so that they fall into you (both of your hitboxes are overlapping).
Your hitboxes will look like this:
At this point, you can phase through the enemy and attack them.

Spoiler: GIF

6. Bombs​

Spoiler

Single bomb jump
Knights can use bombs to send themselves flying around the map. The simplest bomb jump is a single bomb jump. Light your bomb, drop it on the ground and right as it is about to explode jump into the air and shield.
Timing is crucial here, and if you time it so you jump and shield at the last possible instant you will go much further (perhaps almost twice as far).

Spoiler: GIF

Midair single bomb jump
Often when playing CTF you want to jump from the top of your team's tower. In order not to damage the tower with the bomb you can actually jump off the tower with your bomb in hand, and throw it before it explodes. It is harder to get as much height or distance with this technique – but it prevents you blowing up your own tower!

Spoiler: GIF

Double bomb jump – second bomb thrown
You can get increased height and distance by jumping with two bombs.
There are a few minor variations on double bomb jumps. In this variation, you throw the 2nd bomb before it explodes.

• Light bomb 1 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 2 and keep it in your hand
• Bomb jump off bomb 1
• In midair, throw bomb 2 under yourself right before it explodes to bomb jump again

Spoiler: GIF

Double bomb jump – second bomb held
In this double bomb jump variation, you don't throw the 2nd bomb – but you keep it in your hand when it explodes. You won't be damaged by the explosion if you are moving fast, because your character will have moved away from the explosion before the game tries to work out if you were damaged.
A nice way to do this bomb jump is to rapidly press Space (light bomb 1) → C (put bomb 1 on ground) → Space (light bomb 2). It is best when you need height rather than distance.

• Light bomb 1 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 2 and keep it in your hand
• Bomb jump off bomb
• Keep holding bomb 2 as it explodes to bomb jump again midair

Spoiler: GIF

Double bomb jump – both on ground
This is the most difficult way to double bomb jump, however, it may be easier with high ping. In this variation, you light both bombs very quickly and place them both on the ground.
It is the best way to do a powerful keg jump, since you can light both bombs and then pick up the keg.

• Light bomb 1 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 2 and place it on the ground
• Bomb jump off bomb 1
• As you are moving away bomb 2 will explode and increase your speed

High ping version below.

Spoiler: GIF

Triple bomb jump
It is possible to bomb jump with 3 bombs. You must be able to place a lit bomb in your inventory and then remove it before it explodes. Normally bombs do up to of damage, but a lit bomb exploding in your inventory will instantly kill you.

• Light bomb 1 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 2 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 3 and place it in your inventory (tap F)
• Pick up bomb 2
• Bomb jump off bomb 1
• Midair bomb jump off bomb 2 (with either the held or thrown variation)
• Take bomb 3 out of your inventory (hold F and click it)
• Midair bomb jump off bomb 3 (with either variation)

Spoiler: GIF

Multi (4+) bomb jump
Quadra, penta and hexa bomb jumps are possible with 4, 5 and 6 bombs. All of these follow the same pattern as a triple bomb jump but require you to put more bombs in your inventory. These jumps are extremely hard to do consistently and may never be useful in an actual game – but are nevertheless very fun to learn! The instructions below are for a hexa (6) bomb jump.

• Light bomb 1 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 2 and place it on the ground
• Light bomb 3 and place it in your inventory (tap F)
• Light bomb 4 and place it in your inventory (tap F)
• Light bomb 5 and place it in your inventory (tap F)
• Light bomb 6 and place it in your inventory (tap F)
• Pick up bomb 2
• Bomb jump off bomb 1
• Midair bomb jump off bomb 2
• Take bomb 3 out of your inventory (the lit bombs will stack in your inventory in the order they were lit – so 3 will always be the first you take out rather than 6).
• Midair bomb jump off bomb 3
• Take bomb 4 out of your inventory
• Midair bomb jump off bomb 4
• Repeat for 5 and 6

Spoiler: GIF

Saw jump
An easier, but perhaps less convenient, way to do multi bomb jumps is to throw all of your bombs on the ground – and then throw a saw on top of them. The saw will damage all of the bombs and cause them all to explode at once. This huge explosion will send you flying.

Spoiler: GIF

Version which requires the help of a friend.

Spoiler: GIF

FUS-RO-KEG
For some reason, a water bomb will push a lit keg with great force. This allows you to light a keg and then throw a water bomb at it to send it flying.

Spoiler: GIF

Keg jump
For assaulting enemy towers in CTF, you can bomb jump with a keg on your back. The way to do this is to light your bombs, place them on the ground and then pick up your keg. Bomb jump off the bombs, and then throw the keg in midair.

Spoiler: GIF

Saw keg jump
A saw jump + keg jump. This is a great tool for CTF which allows you to achieve a really long range and destructive keg jump. Since you need to be holding the keg you cannot throw the saw yourself – but it can be done with the door technique or with the help of a friend as described above.

Spoiler: GIF

Catching enemy bombs/kegs
You can catch enemy bombs and throw them back! The best way to do this is to catch with C and throw with Space. This is because the Space key cannot catch, only throw – so it prevents you catching the bomb, throwing it, and catching it again – which might happen if you just spam C.
Be careful doing this if the enemy throws their bomb very late as you will just blow yourself up.
Catching kegs is also possible with good timing, and will make you the hero of a CTF game.

Spoiler: GIF

Water bombs can also be caught.

Spoiler: GIF

Combat bomb
Throw your bomb right so it explodes as it hits an enemy. Usually the best way to catch an enemy off guard is to aim it just behind their character or at their head.

Spoiler: GIF

Water buoyancy for bombs
Bombs in water will rise very quickly upwards. This can be used to surprise an enemy.

Spoiler: GIF

7. Combos​

Spoiler

Slash → jab → jab head
This is an instakill combo which is a normal slash → jab combined with an overhead jab. The enemy will still be ‘in shock’ from the slash → jab and usually won't be fast enough to shield the final jab.

Spoiler: GIF

Shield stun → bomb
Shield stun your enemy right before your bomb is about to explode, then throw the bomb. They will still be stunned when it explodes and will be unable to shield the explosion.

Spoiler: GIF

Chained shield bashing
It is possible to keep someone in a near permanent stunlock by repeatedly shield bashing them. This move is especially useful to counter someone who is holding a bomb, as they won't be able to throw it while stunned.

Spoiler: GIF

Slash stomp → jab
This combo is a slash stomp followed by a jab. It can be done on a shielding enemy for (the stomp breaks the shield, then the slash hits for and the jab for ).
Against a non-shielding enemy it is an instant kill; stomp, slash, jab.

Spoiler: GIF

Double slash → jab → shield bash
An combo that can be used against someone who is shielding.

• First slash breaks shield
• Second slash hits for
• Jab for
• Move away and then shield slide the enemy to break their shield
• Jab again for

Spoiler: GIF

Bomb → jab
This combo deals up to . The idea is to throw a bomb so it explodes just behind an enemy. This will deal and will briefly stun them, which allows enough time to jab for the final before the enemy is ready to block.

Spoiler: GIF

8. Misc​

Spoiler

These are moves which don't fit into any other category!

Masking sword movements
By holding an item such as a log or crate, you can mask your sword movements and make it difficult for an enemy to see what you are doing. This makes it easier to win slash timings in particular.

Spoiler: GIF

Steam guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=851481923
GitHub page version: https://deynarde.github.io/kag-knight-compendium/

Changelog
30/01/2017

• Add following enemies through doors (mobility)
• Add two-side slash (slashing)
• Add slashing ballista bolts (slashing)
• Add GIF for catching water bombs (bombs)

03/02/2017

• Add wall gliding (mobility)
• Add water buoyancy (mobility)
• Add corner vaulting (mobility)
• Add mini slide glide (mobility)
• Add counter jab (jabbing)
• Add jab charge (jabbing)
• Add slash charge (slashing)
• Add crouch whilst being stunned by water (crouching)
• Add water buoyancy for bombs (bombs)
• Add chain shield bashing (combos)
• Add slash stomp → jab combo (combos)
• Add double slash → jab → shield bash (combos)

15/03/2017

• Add bomb → jab combo (combos)
• Add slash escape (mobility)
• Add tower wall jump (mobility)
• Add faster movement during slash charging (mobility)
• Add bounce off water (mobility)

02/01/2019

• Crouching while stunned by water was removed with game update

 

Cheers for teaching me a new trick ;) +1 I approve.

 

Love the work lads! I'm interested in turning this into a video tutorial, something I've been planning for a while, encompassing Knight, Builder, and Archer categories for more advanced learning (and to show to people who'd like to learn to be more advanced) You'd get the credit ofc. that ok with you lads?


The stuff you've written here is brilliant and you've found a way to put into words what is mostly unconscious for most kag players. seriously, well done.

 

The guide is now on steam too (although it is actually just a link to this forum post). If you like it then rate it there so it gets more visibility

 

Make this guide Official!

 

This is a fucking amazing tutorial. It helped me to understand how to play the knight, big thank's to Deynarde and Joan

 

The shield use section just blew my mind, thanks for this guys. Can't wait to practice some of these things in pubs ;)

 

Great guide! What about using slashes to increase bombs velocity, catching water bombs and two side slashes?

 

slashes don't increase bomb velocity after velocity slashing was removed.

 

Well I'm pretty sure slashjumps work coz they increase players velocity, no? Doesn't throw bomb velocidy depends on player's?

 

Great guide :)

 

I thought that was the case too but turns out slashing doesn't make your bomb go further, I did a whole test on it,

 

Slashing does still give your character a (small) velocity boost. Did it used to be different?

 

Thanks, good suggestions. I think we could add a subsection about catching water and maybe about slashing as a team.

 

Guys, If you have some worthy sharing techniques recorded, send me a video and I will make a GIF from it.

 

Halfway through reading this guide, I witnessed the many deaths that will befall me, flash before my very eyes.

Great guide lads, extremely well executed and perfectly detailed