Lightsaber Animations

INTRODUCTION

We’ve discussed technical terms and the fundamentals. Now it’s time to learn how to master the weapon. You must know it better than you know yourself. In this section I will show you a video and then explain what is happening in it and the practical applications that it has in a duel.

Before we get started though, the clip below is me doing my warmups. Rapidly press LMB + RMB in alternation to perform rapid swings and get your fingers loosened up before starting any session with a saber.

ATTACK ANIMATIONS

SINGLE : DASH HIT

The dash hit is achieved by swinging your blade (RMB) as you utilize a Force Dash (E). Whenever you swing, the dash ends. It can be used in long dashes or short dashes, and is particularly important in Vaapad and Makashi. It is a quick-striking movement, but leaves the user temporarily vulnerable during the dash itself.

SINGLE : SLASH

This is one of two single-swing animations that will play if you're coming from an upwards blocking position. It isn't as wide or pronounced as its counterpart, and is one of the more common animations. It can be used to land a quick hit on an unsuspecting enemy, but it is not recommended for more than one opponent at a time.

SINGLE : WIDE SLASH

This is the other single-swing animation that can play if you're coming from an upwards blocking position. Its width makes it ideal for hitting multiple opponents, but this comes with the price of extending your hitbox and opening your torso to your opponent for a few seconds. Its use is the same as the other single hit animation, but it is meant for crowd control. Whenever someone manages to land a triple hit, this is usually the single-strike animation succeeding the initial double hit.

DOUBLE : SLASH

This is one of the two double-hitting animations that plays when coming from a downward block. It almost looks like you're whacking someone with your saber. It is the less common of the two double hits, though it does damage just the same, though sometimes when dealing with a rapidly blocking enemy or an enemy who isn't quite within range, the second hit will miss.

DOUBLE : WIDE SLASH

The other double-hitting animation playing when coming out of a downward block, and by far the more common of the two. It is rapid and tightly controlled, which ensures that a target is hit twice and the second hit doesn't miss.

DEFENSE ANIMATIONS

STUN STAMINA BAR

I wanted to show this to everyone, just so you're aware. Your block stamina bar flashes yellow when a stun is charged. You on average only have two-three stuns stored before needing to recharge. Your opponent is no exception. If you can break the stuns, then you can break the entire block and ruin an opponent in seconds.

To avoid losing your stuns, I recommend staying mobile and being able to escape and let your block down for long enough to recharge.

STUNNING : COUNTERING

In this clip you'll notice that the moment Akeither was stunned, I landed a counter hit on him. He wasn't able to recover in time to catch it. If this were a real duel, I would have angled my blade downwards for a double hit coming out of the stun, and I would have immediately put distance between the two of us after landing my hits both so my stun could recharge and so I could prepare my next attack.

STUNNING : BEING STUNNED

In this clip, I am stunned by Akeither. Notice how I turn and run instinctively. Had this been a real duel, I would have done a low flip hit on his stun and then tapped space as I landed so that I would be flung up and away from his attack range. Being stunned can be the end of the game if you're not careful. Bear in mind though that if you press your opponent and don't let them regenerate stuns, you have a very good chance at breaking their block down and killing them.

BLOCKING : BREAKING

As seen here, Akeither utilizes the regular blocking animation and I slice his block to pieces in a few seconds, setting his stamina to 0. In order for it to recharge, he cannot block. This leaves him incredibly open to attacks, including the one hit I accidentally put on him at the end. Do not let this happen to yourself. If it does, remember that angling your blade downwards gives you a double hit and try to sidestep opponents with that and survive for as long as you can.

BLOCKING : SWITCHING

If you feel the need, you can pick which type of hit you have. If you want a single hit, go for an upwards block. If you want a double, go down. Switching your block rapidly is also a way to communicate the start of a duel or a request to duel to another member of the Order, and can be used in other forms of nonverbal communication.

ADDITIONAL ANIMATIONS

UPWARDS BLOCK

DOWNWARDS BLOCK

I included these two clips because I wanted to demonstrate that it is a guarantee that you will get a single hit or a double hit every time depending on the type of block you use.

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