Abilities

Abilities

In Swordai you can have a total of 8 abilities, 2 passives, 2 offhand abilities, 2 war cries, a kick and a dodge. Abilities are unlocked by finding ability shards, either in the tower or by completing quests. All players start with the abilities in the default loadout. In the future, new abilities will be unlocked by obtaining ability shards from NPCs, however in the current playtest there is a fixed ability loadout which includes the default loadout, Heal Self, and Ember shift.

Abilities can also be upgraded, either to add new effects or to increase magnitude of the effect.

Default Loadout

Currently, the default loadout contains kick, kiai and dodge.

Kick

The default kick ability will stagger an opponent who is blocking. Kick immediately cancels any other action the player is taking and starts the kick animation. If the ball of your right foot makes contact with an enemies body and they are blocking they will be staggered for 3 seconds. If they are not blocking it will just push them a short distance. Either way, as long as your foot strikes an enemy you can combo off of your kick. Kick consumes stamina and has a 3 second cooldown.

Kiai (Warcry)

The default Kiai ability is a warcry that can be activated during the Windup Phases of an attack and immediately charges your attack to full power. This ability can be used to surprise an opponent with a very fast full powered attack. Kiai is instant and consumes stamina and has a 10 second cooldown. Note that kiai can be used even if an attack has been held so long that it has decharged.

Dodge

The default dodge ability dashes straight backwards stopping after a fixed distance, or if the player collides with an object or wall, or reaches a ledge. You cannot fall off of a platform by dodging. You can still be hit while dodging so you need to dodge fairly early to avoid an attack. Dodge is best used to induce your opponent to swing and miss so that you can take advantage of their Miss Recovery.

Dodging will cancel whatever action you are currently taking, you cannot charge an attack while dodging. However, dodging can be used offensively, in conjunction with kiai.

Default Ability Upgrades

Kiai Cleave

Your kiai attacks can cleave through multiple opponents.

Reckless Kiai

Your kiai attacks have double base damage, but give you Reckless debuff.

Disrupting kiai

Your kiai attacks interrupt your opponent cancelling any action they are currently taking.

Effects

Many abilities are based around core effects.

Reckless

If a player has the reckless debuff any time one of their attacks is blocked they will be staggered.

Rage

Stacks of bloodlust grant +1 strength and 1% life steal per stack. Stacks persist until death.

Winter's Bite

Stacks of Winter's Bite give -5 strength and -10 movement speed and last for 8 seconds. When a new stack is applied the duration of all stacks is reset to 8s.

Staggered

When a player is staggered their movement speed is reduced by 90% and they cannot take any actions.

Knocked Back

When a player is knocked back, their current action is interrupted, and they are pushed back a varying amount.

Rooted

Rooted players cannot move or rotate.

Immune

Immune players take 0 damage from all melee attacks.

Fortified

Gain +3 Max HP and +0.5 Absorption per stack. Stacks persist until Death.

Pure

The pure debuff deactives all skills except for the basic Kick/Kiai/Dodge abilities and removes all cultivation upgrades.

Focused

Your attacks charge 20% faster per stack up to 5 stacks. Swinging and missing, handle hitting, or getting blocked removes all stacks.

Resilience

Gain +1 absorption and +1 reflection per stack. Stacks persist until Death.

Additional Abilities

Passives

Riposte Invulnerability

Your riposte damage reduction is increased from the default 50% to 100% making immune while riposting.

Winter's Chill

Attacks that deal 0 damage to you (either due to being blocked or having the damage negated) give the attacker a stack of the Winter's Bite debuff.

Blood Harvest

When you deal the killing blow to an enemy, heal for 15% of your missing HP. If your damage counter is over 150 gain a stack of rage.

Massacre

Gain +10 strength per stack when combo attacking if you hit a target that is different from what you hit last. Maximum of 5 stacks. When your combo ends, you lose all stacks.

Duplication

Your positive self targeted abilities also effect your current target.

Focused

Hitting an opponent with a fully charged attack grants a stack of Focus up to 5 stacks. Swinging and missing, handle hitting, or getting blocked removes all stacks of Focus. Upon reaching 5 stacks of focus you gain a stack of Resilience which persists until death.

Wrath

Gain +1 strength and +1% life steal per 25 missing HP.

Warcrys

Combo-Parry

Activate this skill during the combo window after hitting an opponent and combo into a block. If you block a swing within the next 0.6s, you will stagger your opponent, if you do not block an attack your block will be canceled and will go a brief cooldown.

Blood for Blood

Instantly heal for 40% of your current damage count. If your damage count is over 150, gain a stack of bloodlust. If you are below 50 HP the cooldown is halved. If any of your current damage count came from hitting a statue the cooldown is tripled.

Winter's Call

All nearby enemies are slowed and get 1 stack of Winter's Bite.

Offhand Abilities

Heal Self

Heal self is an offhand ability that grants 5 health per second over 15s when cast. In has a 60 second cooldown and must be fully channeled to grant the health regen.

Ember Shift

Ember shift is a targeted ability that increasingly slows you target while your cursor is over them. If you keep your cursor on the target until the ability complete you will teleport behind them.

Shatter

Shoot a projectile that slows the target and detonates all stacks of Winter's Bite on the target dealing 10 damage per stack. If the target has 3 or more stacks the cooldown is refunded. If the target dies, the caster gains a stack of Fortified.

Cleanse

Remove all slows, roots, and staggers and become immune to incoming slows, roots, and staggers for 5s.

Equality

Apply Pure to yourself and all nearby players for 15s.

Undying

Grants a buff that is activated the next time you take damage that would be lethal. Instead you are left at 1hp and become damage immune for 2s + 1s per stack of rage. When the damage immunity expires you gain a stack of rage.

Dodge Abilities

Frost Armor

Become rooted and immune for 1.5s.

Mist Step

Mist step uses the dodge ability slot and upgrades the ability to be a instantaneous blink with a shorter range that no longer interrupts your attack charge. Mist step travels in the direction you are currently moving.

The Mist Wraith at the end of the Challenge of Mist also has a special version of Mist Step that summons a soul statue in his prior location after blinking.