Damage system explained

This page explains the model the 1.0 build runs (patch 1.0.2.1), how blunt and bladed weapons differ, and how armor changes where you aim.

The damage layers

Muscles: the slow debuff

When a strike lands on muscle, the affected limb loses strength. An injured sword arm swings slower and weaker — damage output drops directly. This is the most common result of a landed hit, and it is why even "wasted" hits on a strong arm are not wasted at all: you are reducing how dangerous your opponent is.

Arteries: the clock

Sever an artery and the fighter starts bleeding out. Bleeding is a countdown, not instant death, which makes it the most underrated win condition in the game: a fighter who takes an artery hit has to either finish quickly or disengage, and every exchange from then on is on a timer.

Vitals: the instant end

Vital organ hits can end the fight immediately. The player-facing summary from the developer is blunt: pierced vitals mean instant death. Realistically this means the head and upper torso are the lethal zones, and everything else in a fight is about earning a clean line to them.

Limbs: the amputations

Hands, arms and legs can all be cut off. Losing a hand takes whatever it was holding with it — losing your sword hand doesn't just hurt, it disarms you. Losing a leg changes the fight entirely, because a fighter who cannot circle or retreat is a much easier target for every finishing attempt.

Blunt vs bladed: it is about geometry

• Blades cut along their sharpened edge. Since the July 2026 damage overhaul, damage is defined along lines on the blade's edge rather than a fat hitbox around the whole weapon. The practical effect: the angle of every strike matters, and the same swing can plink off armor or open an artery depending on edge alignment.
• Blunt weapons crack bones and stagger. They do not need a perfect edge angle, and the stagger lets you push into the next hit. The weapon stagger system also makes it easier to redirect an enemy's weapon by hitting or blocking it — and blunt weapons have the advantage in that contest.
• Leverage is modeled. A leverage system reduces the torque of arm joints based on collision distance, so having your weapon pushed while extended actually weakens what you can do next. Long weapons swung from the tip are not the same as the same weapons swung close in.

Armor changes the map

Armor stops attacks where it covers the body, and every gap remains a target. Plate coverage is a trade: more armor means more protected zones, but also weight and cost (see the armor and loadout guide). In practice, common aiming priorities against an armored opponent are the gaps — armpit, neck, face opening, and whatever the loadout does not cover — while unarmored opponents present the whole body as a menu.

Using the model to actually win

1. Break the weapon arm first. Muscle damage to the arm reduces your opponent's output. An injured arm is the safest durable advantage you can build in neutral.
2. Take arteries when they appear. Bleed is permanent pressure; even if your opponent survives the exchange, the clock keeps running.
3. Only chase dismemberment when it is free. Cutting a hand off is decisive when it happens, but a missed amputation attempt is a wasted swing against someone who is now bleeding you back.
4. Play your weapon's geometry. Blunt weapons want contacts; blades want angles. If you cannot get the angle, change position instead of swinging anyway.

Where to go next

• Building custom attacks that exploit this model: Move Editor
• Weapon families and reach: Weapons List
• Coverage and weak spots: Armor & Loadout

Last checked: September 20, 2026 — game version 1.0, patch 1.0.2.1. Damage behaviour described from the official store page and the July 2026 damage-overhaul patch notes; this page updates as the system changes.