Fencing
Fencing
Fencing is the speed-and-precision weapon class. Where Swordsmanship swings the broadest blades and Mace Fighting brings the heaviest mass, Fencing brings the fastest single-handed weapons in the game and the only set of armor-ignoring blades that pair cleanly with the Poisoning skill. The skill governs hit chance with the kryss, dagger, leafblade, war fork, lance, and the gargoyle pikes that share the class.
Mechanics
Fencing is a combat-defense skill — it both attacks and rolls against incoming melee/archery to compute defense. Like every other weapon skill it is paired in combat with Tactics and Anatomy for damage scaling and gates the special-move thresholds (70 for primary, 90 for secondary, plus 30/60 Tactics).
The class's defining trait is swing speed. Most fencing weapons swing at 2–2.25 seconds base, and the dagger / kryss / assassin spike trio cap at 2 seconds — the lowest base swing in the game. With the standard 60 SSI item cap and 180+ Stamina, a 2-second-base fencing weapon hits the 1.25s engine floor faster than any other warrior class, making Fencing the natural pick for sustained Damage-per-Second builds and any template that needs to land specials on a tight cooldown rotation.
Poisoning synergy
Fencing is the poisoning-class weapon line. Most fencing weapons accept applied poison without the Tinker workaround required for the rest of Swordsmanship, and three of them — Kryss, Leafblade, Spear — carry the Armor Ignore secondary special. Combined with Infectious Strike (the second Kryss special) the class produces the classic poison assassin: an Armor Ignore opener landing through any defensive resist, followed by an Infectious Strike that bypasses Cure Potion timing.
The Lance is the outlier — its specials are Dismount + Concussion Blow, designed for mounted PvP, not poison delivery.
One-handed weapons
| Weapon | Base damage | Speed | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin Spike | 10 – 12 | 2s | Infectious Strike | Shadowstrike |
| Dagger | 10 – 12 | 2s | Shadowstrike | Infectious Strike |
| Kryss | 10 – 12 | 2s | Armor Ignore | Infectious Strike |
| Lance | 18 – 22 | 4.25s | Dismount | Concussion Blow |
| Leafblade | 11 – 15 | 2.75s | Feint | Armor Ignore |
| Spiked Whip | 13 – 17 | 3.25s | Armor Pierce | Whirlwind Attack |
| War Fork | 10 – 14 | 2.5s | Bleed Attack | Disarm |
Two-handed weapons
| Weapon | Base damage | Speed | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Bladed Staff | 12 – 13 | 2.25s | Double Strike | Infectious Strike |
| Elven Spellblade | 12 – 15 | 2.5s | Psychic Attack | Bleed Attack |
| Kama | 9 – 11 | 2s | Whirlwind Attack | Defense Mastery |
| Lajatang | 16 – 18 | 3.5s | Defense Mastery | Frenzied Whirlwind |
| Pike | 14 – 16 | 3s | Paralyzing Blow | Infectious Strike |
| Pitchfork | 13 – 14 | 2.5s | Bleed Attack | Dismount |
| Sai | 9 – 11 | 2s | Dual Wield | Armor Pierce |
| Short Spear | 10 – 13 | 2s | Shadowstrike | Mortal Strike |
| Spear | 13 – 15 | 2.75s | Armor Ignore | Paralyzing Blow |
| Tekagi | 10 – 12 | 2s | Dual Wield | Talon Strike |
| War Cleaver | 10 – 12 | 2s | Disarm | Bladeweave |
Skill Mastery — The Needle
Reaching 90 real Fencing and reading any-tier Mastery Primer activates the Pierce / Thrust mastery line.
| Tier | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | Warrior's Gifts | Stat band buffs on activation; tier 1 → +5 STR/DEX, tier 3 → +15 STR/DEX. |
| Active | Pierce | Direct-damage debuff: each successful hit during the window applies a stacking armor-piercing aura that bypasses physical resist on the next swing. |
| Active | Thrust | Single high-damage strike with extended range — the closest fencing has to a finisher special. Uses extra mana but dwarfs a normal weapon hit. |
Title: The Needle. Pierce is the boss-burst mastery; Thrust is the PvP opener.
Crafting
All fencing weapons except the Pitchfork are produced by Blacksmithy. The Pitchfork was originally non-craftable but was added to the Tinkering Tools menu post-publish; it is the only fencing weapon a tinker can produce. Lances are blacksmith-only and are the only fencing weapon dropped by certain dragoon NPCs as a quest reward in addition to the crafting path.
The Kryss and Leafblade are the canonical poison-assassin runic-tool targets — their 2-second swing combined with Armor Ignore primary and Infectious Strike secondary make a Verite/Valorite/Heartwood runic Kryss the highest-output PvP weapon a fencer can carry without an Imbued or Reforged blade.
Training
| Skill range | Method |
|---|---|
| 0 – 30 | Buy from Warrior Guildmaster NPCs. |
| 30 – 50 | Pair a Kryss or Dagger with sheep, hinds, or low-tier dungeon spawn — the 2-second swing rate generates the most gain ticks per minute of any weapon class. |
| 50 – 90 | Sustained dungeon combat with a Kryss or War Fork. Hire a 6-8 gp Jhelom Pit NPC if a player partner is unavailable. |
| 90 – 120 | Power Scrolls from Champion Spawns. Pair with a Pike for the Paralyzing Blow / Infectious Strike rotation. |
Because of the fast swing rate, Fencing trains noticeably faster from 50 to GM than the slower weapon classes. A focused player can move from 50 to 100 in a single dungeon evening.
Build context
- Poison Dexxer — 120 Fencing, 120 Tactics, 120 Anatomy, 100 Poisoning, ~100 Healing/Chivalry. Dual carries (Kryss + Cure Potions) for assassin-style PvP. Uses Vampire form for the leech if Necro is added.
- Wraith Form Mage Fencer — Mage Weapon Spear or Pike with Magery + Necromancy, runs Wraith Form for the mana leech and uses Spear's Armor Ignore as the boss finisher.
- Pure Mounted Lancer — 120 Fencing + 100 Bushido + Mounted Pace; the Lance's 18–22 base damage is the highest single-hit one-hander in the game, and Dismount → Concussion is a PvP knockdown opener.
- Gargoyle Stinger — Gargoyles use Pikes, Spears, and the Tekagi/Sai pair; cannot wield Lance or Pitchfork. Pairs Throwing for ranged opening with Fencing for melee follow-up.
Strategy notes
- 2-second weapons are the SSI sweet spot. A Kryss with 30 SSI and 150 Stamina hits the 1.25-second floor without help; a 3.5-second Lajatang requires 60 SSI + 180+ Stamina to clear the same floor. Fencing's defining advantage is hitting the cap with the loosest equipment requirements.
- Pike is the PvM staple. Highest two-handed damage-per-second with Armor Ignore-equivalent (Paralyzing Blow → Infectious Strike rotation), and Infectious Strike's poison level scales with Poisoning skill.
- Lajatang is the AoE pick. Frenzied Whirlwind secondary covers ground; Defense Mastery primary buys the lajatang user a brief defense window — useful in PvP duels.
- War Cleaver Bladeweave. A roulette special — Bladeweave randomly fires one of several lower-tier specials. Cute, not competitive; the cleaver's real value is the 2s swing + Disarm primary for unarmed PvP scenarios.
- Tekagi/Sai Dual Wield. Spawns a brief +20% swing-speed window on activation. Niche but the only Fencing access to Dual Wield outside a war-cleaver build.
See also
Tactics, Anatomy, Poisoning, Special Moves, Power Scrolls, Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, Archery, Throwing, Wrestling, Parrying, Kryss, Leafblade, Spear, Pike, Lance, Lajatang, Infectious Strike, Armor Ignore, Paralyzing Blow, Wraith Form, Mage Weapon, Bushido.