Sword

Swords are used any time two or more players swordfight. Swordfights occur in sea battles, when one pirate challenges another to a swordfight, at brawls in inns or on ships, during swordfighting tournaments, or when fighting skellies.

New players start with a foil, but other swords can be purchased at iron mongers. Each sword has a different drop pattern that determines which blocks will be sent to an opponent during a swordfight. All drop patterns have advantages and disadvantages, but some are considered better than others. Players often select swords based on their style of swordfighting. On subscription oceans, some swords are reserved for use by subscribers. On non-sub oceans, all swords can be loaded by players. On all oceans, the backsword is reserved for purchasers of the box set.

Sword colors
All swords made at iron mongers have colored enamel as two of their ingredients. A sword's two colors change which colors appear in the sword drop pattern (although the two properties are not directly linked). Additionally, if blue green or purple is chosen as a first color, the sword pattern will also be reversed, or mirrored. Only certain enamel colors are available for swords. The sword palette shows all available color combinations.

Sword decay
All swords except the backsword decay with time. When a player's last sword decays, it is replaced with a stick. Swords can be stored in a to slow their decay.

Commonly bought swords
While there is no agreement as to which the best sword is&mdash;or even if there is a best sword at all&mdash;there are some swords that are recommended more often than others. Common swords among high-level players include the falchion, scimitar, and skull dagger. The reversed saber can be extremely dangerous with a lot of sprinkle attacks and a bit of luck. The short sword, while less effective than any of the above, is reputed to be a good sword at a comparatively low price.

NPCs in swordfighting
Some NPCs will use swords during shipboard frays which are not available to players. This includes Dragoons in Atlantis who use a Trident with a five colour drop pattern (see table below), Homunculi in Cursed Isles who use a Tree with a single colour drop pattern, Cultists in Cursed Isles who use a Spear which has the same pattern as the Cleaver, and Brynhild Skullsplitter and her viking-leader brethren who use Battle Axes, which have the same pattern as the Backsword.

Historical notes
Various test swords were added to the game starting from July 14, 2010 in order to help test revised drop patterns for the dadao. These swords were available to purchase from the palace shoppe for 1,000 PoE, lasted one day, and could not be wrapped or placed on a. The swords were withdrawn on August 4, 2010.

Related pages

 * Blacksmithing
 * Swordfighting
 * Swordfighting drop pattern