Attack Chains[]
Melee weapons can attack in various ways, which are grouped into four general types: Strikedown, Vanguard, Relentless, and Assassin. The combination of these attack types chained together by repeatedly attacking is called a weapon's attack chain. You can chain both light and heavy attacks together as needed.
By looking at a weapon's attack chain you can gauge how effective it is at a particular task. For instance: the Crucis Thunder Hammer works well for damaging single targets (multiple Strikedowns on the light attack chain) and for staggering crowds (multiple Relentless on the heavy attack chain).
| Type | Icon | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Strikedown | 
|
A powerful attack targeting one enemy. Good at taking down a single target, typically has minimal cleave and a shallow or vertical strike angle. |
| Vanguard | 
|
Wide attack damaging many enemies at once. Typically good for damaging crowds but has less stagger than Relentless. |
| Relentless | 
|
Wide attack that staggers many enemies at once. Good for controlling crowds with heavy stagger but deals less damage than Vanguard. |
| Assassin | 
|
Fast attacks targeting one enemy, efficient on weak spots. To be effective you must go after weak spots (typically heads). May have good critical weakspot damage. |