Skills

There are currently eight skills in Master Sword: Continued, each with varying amounts and types of sub-skills, as well as abilities.

Swordsmanship
Swordsmanship is the first skill listed in the Character Info window in Master Sword: Continued. There are unique one-handed and two-handed swords alike. Some of the hardest weapons to obtain, like the Unholy Blade, also exist as swords. Swords can also have abilities that allow the user to cast spells, provided that they have the skill. A few one-handed swords can be swung in different ways depending on your movements, which affects accuracy and damage. Some two-handed swords are capable of blocking some damage. The Blood Blades are the only swords that provide a matched set bonus, which allows the user to block.

Strong Hit
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 2. The first charge of this weapon category is usually a Strong Hit. When used, the player will grunt then swing their weapon. The damage output from this attack is double the base damage of the weapon.

Martial Arts
Martial Arts focuses mainly on gauntlet weapons. If a player has nothing in their hands, they can use their Bare Fists to punch and kick enemies. Early Martial Arts weapons are lackluster, and are completely outshined by the kick once it is unlocked. The Demon Claws is where this weapon category has much more use, as weapons start to deal dramatically more damage. Martial Arts weapons from thereon tend to have a system in which mana is traded for damage output. With the use of a Mana Font Potion or Sylphiel's Soup, these weapons are incredibly reliable with high damage output.

Kick
Requires level 5. The kick is used for the first charge of all Martial Arts weapons, including your Bare Fists. It has a base damage of 200, and a 90% chance to hit. If the player is at least level 10 and the target has a max health of less than 1,250, they will be pushed. If the player is at least level 20, it can stun enemies that they kick. If the enemy has more than 1000 health, there's a chance for the stun to fail equal to $${1 \over targetHealth * 0.01}$$. If the stun succeeds, the target is stunned for a duration of $${level \over 3}$$seconds, with a maximum of 20 seconds. Martial Arts weapons do not affect the kick's stats at all.

Dodge
Dodging sideways is unlocked at level 10 and backwards is unlocked at level 15. It is activated by double tapping a, d, or s on the keyboard respectively. It can also be activated by pushing and holding a key bound to "+speed" and pushing the direction to dodge in. It uses a large chunk of stamina and throws the player towards the direction they pushed. The dodge is often used to either escape dangerous situations or to start bunnyhopping. Dodging is often loathed initially after unlocking it because dodging can occur from accidental double tap inputs. This can result in players throwing themselves off cliffs and bridges, into their demise. The option to double tap dodge can be disabled, while still maintaining the ability to dodge through "+speed." It is disabled by typing the following into the console: "ms_doubletapdodge 0".

Small Arms
Small arms are one-handed, short bladed weapons. Most Small Arms are capable of using a Strong Hit and Speed Attack. Low to mid level Small Arms have many varying types and it can be quite difficult to choose which one is more appropriate to use. Some weapons have relatively unique properties.

Strong Hit
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 2. The first charge of this weapon category is usually a Strong Hit. When used, the player will grunt then swing their weapon. The damage output from this attack is double the base damage of the weapon.

Speed Attack
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 4. Can be activated every 40 seconds. Once used, the wielder will grunt then become empowered with 3x movement speed and 2x attack speed. The Speed Attack's duration is equal to $${level \over 5}+20$$. The Speed Attack ends prematurely if the wielder leaves a short radius from where the speed attack started. Once it ends, the user will be unable to move for a short time and all of their stamina will be drained.

Axe Handling
Axes are large, use lots of stamina, and typically have some of the highest base damages in the game. Most two-handed axes become very inaccurate once they enter the mid to high range levels. Though inaccurate, they are capable of dealing some of the highest numbers of damage in a single swipe of any other weapon category. Most axes can utilize a Strong Hit. Most Two-handed axes can utilize a more powerful version of the Strong Hit and can also have a Leap attack.

Strong Hit
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 2. The first charge of this weapon category is usually a Strong Hit. When used, the player will grunt then swing their weapon. The damage output from this attack is double the base damage of the weapon.

Strong Hit+
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 2. Performs a typical Strong Hit. The damage output from this attack however, is triple the base damage of the weapon, 50% more than all other weapon category's Strong Hits. This type of Strong Hit can be used by most two-handed axes.

Leap
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 4. Once used, the player will walk backwards slowly, charge up, then leap forward then strike. The attack affects an area and strikes all enemies within a short range of the area hit. Enemies that are struck are also pushed away if they have less than 1500 max health. Although it has high damage potential, the damage falloff is somewhat harsh. No single hit will do as much damage as a Strong Hit will. The leap is also slightly more accurate than other attacks.

Blunt Arms
Blunt Arms focus mainly on hammers, clubs, and maces. They are decently accurate and have good damage output throughout the whole set. Many high tier Blunt Arms are powerful and are usually a must-have. Many Blunt Arms are capable of performing a Strong Hit and a Stun attack.

Strong Hit
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 2. The first charge of this weapon category is usually a Strong Hit. When used, the player will grunt then swing their weapon. The damage output from this attack is double the base damage of the weapon.

Stun
Requires the weapon's level requirement + 4. Is the second charge of most Blunt Arms weapons. Upon using a Stun, the player will grunt, charging up the attack, then after a second they will swing the weapon. If the weapon strikes an enemy, they are stunned for a duration equal to a random number from 1 to level + 1 seconds, with a maximum duration of 45 seconds.

Archery
Archery features many bows and crossbows. Many Archery weapons can be used with different arrow types that have various different effects, though they can be used without having any ammo, and instead will use the low damage, unlimited default arrow types, the Crude Wooden Arrow and the Crude Wooden Bolt respectively. Archery weapons do not deal damage in the same way that other weapons do; Archery weapons use a multiplier to multiply the amount of damage provided from the type of ammo being used. Upgrades to the multiplier essentially upgrade the damage from all arrows used with that weapon. They are rare though and are mostly found with upgrading crossbows. Archery is usually very easy to get into as it is easy to upgrade from low tier weapons, and it is easy to find arrows that deal high amounts of damage to level Archery easily. Some archery weapons do not let the player change the ammo type at all, as they fire special projectiles.

Spell Casting
Spell Casting has unique sub-skills that only level depending on the type of magic that you use. The sub-skills include, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Divination, and Affliction. There are two hidden sub-skills for Spell Casting that cannot be leveled, though, unfortunately, are still included for the overall Spell Casting level, meaning you have to get 7 levels through any of the sub-skills before you gain a Spell Casting level.

Fire
Fire's purpose is to deal high damage, with no other adverse effects. Fire pairs well with a Fire Brand Potion, doubling the already relatively high fire damage and adding fire DoT to melee weapons.

Ice
Ice slows down enemies or freezes them. While generally not used for damage, it is useful in minimizing the damage output of enemies. Some spells, like Freezing Sphere, are capable of completely freezing the enemy in ice for a period of time depending on their current health amount.

Lightning
Lightning causes enemies to lose their accuracy, therefore hitting you less. It's very useful against slow, high damaging enemies.

Divination
Divination is the practice of holy magic. Undead and unholy creatures are usually weak, and very vulnerable to divination magic, even preventing skeletons from rising after being killed.

Affliction
Affliction is either poison or acid. Poison manifests itself in DoTs only, while acid can be both a DoT and a base damage type. Of the two, acid only has the unique effect of lowering enemies armor while the DoT is active.

Pole Arms
Pole Arms is the most recent skill to be added in Master Sword: Continued. Pole Arms deal with pole weapons that can have numerous abilities. Pole Arms deal more damage the further the player is away while attacking. Large enemies suffer especially to this, because the distance is tested from the player to the lower part of the center of the enemy struck and not the strike point. Pole Arms are capable of doing many different types abilities.

Swipe
When moving sideways, some bladed pole arms will instead swipe at the enemy, usually having less range, damage, and a different damage type.

Block
You may block while holding the right mouse button.

Spin
With a Quarterstaff or a Stormpharaoh's Lance, you may spin the weapon to block some projectile damage dependent on a multiplier for the weapon. To activate a spin, you must hold down the use key, the S key, and the right mouse button.

Repel
Shoves enemies away when you block and move forward.

Back Hand
Uses the other end of the pole arm when attacking and moving backwards while holding down the use key. It shoves enemies back while dealing less damage and usually a different damage type. Some pole arms, that have blunt back-ends, have the ability to do a stun when a back hand is activated.

Throw
Sometimes a pole arm may be thrown with the right mouse button. The Spear is an example of such a weapon. The pole arm will toss a copy of itself at an enemy, damaging whoever it strikes. You do not have to pick the pole arm back up after throwing it.

Power Throw
Power Throw is similar to the regular "Throw," however, in order to throw the Pole Arm, you must charge it to the red bar, then release.