Why have one sword if you can have two?
Why have one sword when you can have two? Instead of carrying a shield, Dual Blades foregos any means of defense in exchange for flurries of hits, fast combos, and quick movement. Slash your opponents to ribbons as you spam attack them and when the time is right, unleash the powerful Demon Mode to greatly amplify your power in exchange for steadily consuming your stamina. Fill up your Demon Gauge by landing attacks within Demon Mode and enter the ever more powerful Archdemon Mode , which lets you unleash new, elegantly potent combos without depleting your stamina (instead, the Demon Gauge will steadily deplete). Archdemon Mode also speeds up your attack speed.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast combos and quick movement speed even if weapon is out | Low raw power when doing standard attacks |
| Demon and Archdemon Mode compensate easily for natively low raw power | A very stamina-hungry weapon that requires constant stamina management, sharpness depletes rapidly |
| Attacks will never bounce in Demon and Archdemon Mode | Limited reach beyond giving most monsters a toenail clipping |
| Controls | Attack (Guild Style) |
|---|---|
| X | Unsheathes into a dash, is also the standard attack, can be chained three times |
| A | Twin slash, can be chained twice |
| X+A | Dash forward and perform a quick twin slash |
| R | Enter Demon Mode |
| B | Evasive roll |
| Controls | Attack (Guild Style: Demon Mode) |
|---|---|
| X | Standard attack, can be chained three times. Fills up Demon Gauge by a lot |
| A | Windmill slash, will be performed twice |
| X+A | Demon Dance, fills up Demon Gauge by a lot and is extremely strong. If in Archdemon Mode, end an X combo with this for the Demon Flurry |
| R | Exit Demon Mode |
| B | Demon Dash, a short quick dodge that replaces the roll |
Guild Style
The Dual Blades is all about remaining on the offensive. Due to your innately low raw power, you must be sure to constantly attack to keep up your damage and complete your quests in a timely manner (this is especially true if the boss in question is an infamous damage sponge). When the monster pauses, is tripped or KOed, or is otherwise incapacitated, then is the time to unleash Demon Mode and an all-out assault to fill up your Demon Gauge and engage Archdemon Mode. If in Archdemon Mode, you can still re-enter Demon Mode (does not stack another attack boost, sorry) and re-fill up your Demon Gauge and theoretically never exit Archdemon Mode.
The forward dash attack is a great combo opener, allowing you to quickly close distance and seamlessly flow into other attacks. Because of how stamina-hungry the Dual Blades can be, bringing Dash Juices or Mega Dash Juices for particularly difficult trials can make the difference between a win and a defeat.
Guild Style lets you equip two Hunting Arts so choose whichever appeals to you the most!
Striker Style
Surprise surprise! You lose Archdemon Mode altogether. Yep, that’s right. In exchange for your three Hunting Arts, you can only switch between Demon and normal mode. Your attack power is generally stronger than in the other three styles as a slight compensation, so if you’re going to run with Striker Style, do yourself a favor and bring Dash or Mega Dash Juices. And make sure you equip Hunting Arts that can help with utility, because you’ll need as much of that as you can get. Then have a damaging Hunting Arts such as Blood Wind and you should be good to go.
Aerial Style
Your Demon Flurry in Archdemon Mode will be performed if you vault successfully off the monster. Once on the ground, you can flow easily into other powerful Archdemon attacks. Press X+A if going off a ledge to perform a Demon Flurry as well. As with any other weapon’s Adept Style, you lose your evasive roll in favor of the forward somersault, and in Archdemon Mode you will lose your Demon Dash. If you thought the Dual Blades were stamina-hungry, Aerial Style really can suck up your stamina if you aren’t careful so manges your vaults, especially if you are in Demon Mode trying to fill up that Demon Gauge.
If you perform the X+A attack on the ground in Archdemon or Demon Mode, you will perform a forward spinning attack instead.
You have one Hunting Art to equip so choose wisely.
Adept Style
If you perform a perfect evade in Demon Mode, you will unleash a Demon Dance and greatly fill your Demon Gauge. Once in Archdemon Mode, you will perform a Demon Flurry and then you also get two free Demon Dashes in the direction you choose! Free as in, no stamina cost to you. A great bonus to have, especially if you are running evasion skills, and good for closing back in on a very mobile monster.
One perk Adept Style has is, even if you are in Archdemon Mode, perfect evasion will still build up your Demon Gauge (the automatic attack that follows will not unless you are in Demon Mode). This means if you are good at anticipating a monster’s attacks, you can prolong the duration of Archdemon Mode far beyond its original lifespan.
You can equip one Hunting Art so choose wisely.
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