The role-playing within Sands of Aura allows for the player to engage in combat in a way that exactly suits their play-style preference. This is achieved through the weapon style system, wherein wielding a specific weapon type will dramatically change how the player’s character behaves in combat situations.
What does this mean? Well, if you have a preference for certain archetypes within the genre, you’re able to play exactly to that preference in Sands of Aura by grabbing a certain weapon type!
What does a weapon type or style include? Great question! Glad you asked. They will change and determine how your basic attack combo functions, as well as the special attack your character performs, and each comes with a unique passive effect that will also alter the feel of your controllable character.
As of the current patch, 0.01.06, there are seven total fighting styles. Well, technically seven, but in truth, there’s really six. Currently, unarmed combat really isn’t a thing, even though it is technically counted toward the style count. It doesn’t provide a special attack or passive, and the damage isn’t worth considering currently. Perhaps we’ll see unarmed combat expanded on in the future with something like a fist-related weapon like a cestus, claws, knuckle-dusters, and such but as of right now, no such feature exists so I’m going to go over just the meaningful six fighting styles.
Type One – Glaive
Basic Attack Combo:
The Glaive style attacks look like wide, circular sweepings with the blade of the Glaive in both left and right directions, followed up by a repeated attack that is slower but has a larger range. The Glaive’s uniqueness comes from the extended range that it has over the latter weapon styles.
Special Attack:
After a delay your character will sweep in a large circular area around you, delivering several repeated attacks to those caught in the circle.
Passive Bonus:
Each attack has a 25% chance to double up and occur again.
Type Two – Dual Wield
Basic Attack Combo:
Dual Wielding focuses on long, fast, and dazzling slash attacks. Beginning with two slower slashes that ramp up from each weapon rapidly, followed up by synchronized slashes from both weapons to the right and to the left, then upward from left to right, followed up by right from left, then from down bellow with both hands using each weapon – hitting foes both in front and on each side of you.
The uniqueness of the Dual Wielding Style is its complexity and variation. Timing and positioning is key to maximizing the damage dealt and the foes hit by each attack.
Special Attack:
The special attack can be both a save and a heavy damage-dealing ability. The player will jump back, throwing each of their weapons forward that will arc toward each other before colliding and return back to the player in the same arc.
Passive Bonus:
Each successful attack has a 25% chance to increase your movement speed by 25% for three seconds.
Style Three – Two Handed Stabbing
Basic Attack Combo:
Two-Handed Stabbing is likely the least complex of the basic attack combos over the weapon or attack styles that we’ve covered thus far. The combo begins with a ranged attack wherein the weapon is thrust forward, then an overhead thrust downward with the weapon, then two swipes from left and right. The range is not quite that of the Glaive, but the combination is less complex and quicker to compensate.
Special Attack:
The player will lunge forward far with the weapon, causing damage to any enemies caught in their path before ending the phase forward. This can be great for gap-closing or escaping, or for dealing decent damage to foes silly enough to line up for your attack.
Passive Bonus:
Every successful attack with a Two-Handed Stabbing weapon has a 25% increased chance to be a critical hit attack.
Style Four – One Handed Stabbing
Basic Attack Combo:
This fighting style is all about speed. Getting in, getting out, and leaving something hurt, bleeding, and dying with rapid attacks. The combo begins with a quick stab directly in front of the player, followed by a slashing attack upwards, before repeating the close-range stabbing twice, and following up with a final upwards slash.
Special Attack:
The special attack for One-Handed Stabbing is pretty straightforward, in that activating the ability will cause the player to use the initial directly in-front stab attack from their attack chain combo, six times rapidly. That’s right, six quick stabs!
This special attack is a health-bar melting ability but requires you to put your player in harm’s way to perform the attack. But, pulling it off is some of the most satisfying gameplay available in SoA.
Passive Bonus:
Parrying window is 50% longer and parrying damage is increased by 50% also.
Style Five – Two Handed Slashing
Basic Attack Combo:
The basic attack combo for the two-handed slashing weapon style is another pretty uncomplicated sequence of attacks, beginning with two wide sweeps with the weapon of choice, before bringing the weapon overhead down to a slamming attack hitting foes in front.
To compensate for the ease in landing this combination, the attacks are slower than other styles.
Special Attack:
The special attack for the two-handed slash is very reminiscent of basically any leaping attack from something akin to the Barbarian in Diablo, wherein the player will leap forward and smash the ground with their weapon causing heavy damage to those caught in the area of effect.
Passive Bonus:
Each successfully landed attack has a 10% chance to stun the foe hit, and poise damage taken whilst blocking is reduced by 85%.
Style Six – One Handed Slashing
Basic Attack Combo:
Another simple combination, wherein the player will lash out with their chosen one-handed weapon three times, dealing damage to those in an area in front of the player. These have been improved with the most recent pace, with an increase in the speed of the slashes and their responsiveness.
Special Attack:
This is where the uniqueness is found for the One-Handed Slashing style, in that their special attack has supreme range and allows the player to engage foes at a significant distance with a straight-line wave that inflicts damage to all those affected in its travel. Only this and the Dual-Wield style can achieve such range!
Passive Bonus:
Each successful attack has a 25% chance to generate twice as much corruption, giving the player more availability to their special and spellblade attacks.
Leave us a Comment!
We’re loving using the Dual Wielding style right now, and the amount of fun and interest that can be found with their ranged attack special combined with their fast and furious basic attack play-style. Do you have a favourite? We’d love to hear from you on the MGN.gg blog, our YouTube channel of course, the new MGN twitter @MGN_TV, and our Discord.
Credits
| Program | Founding Writers |
| Author | Luke Cowling |
| Publisher | MGN |
| Game | Sands of Aura |