Sword Skills Guide — Every Weapon Skill, Unlock, and Rotation

Sword Skills are the heart of Echoes of Aincrad combat. There is no auto-attack — every meaningful hit comes from a skill you trigger. Learning which Sword Skills exist, how they unlock, and how to chain them is the difference between surviving Floor 2 and quitting in the Town of Beginnings.

How Sword Skills Work

Mechanic	Details
----------	---------
SP Cost	25–50 SP per skill
Unlock	Build the Combo Counter by landing hits; each threshold unlocks the next skill tier
Loadout	4 skill slots (keys 1–4), swappable at any rest point
Cooldown	Short (3–8s) — rotations are skill-spam, not wait-for-cooldown
Dual Wield	Off-hand auto-attacks during combos; Dual Wield skills cost more but hit harder

SP regenerates at 10/sec out of combat and 5/sec in combat; END raises the regen rate. Rule of thumb: never cast a skill that drops you below 30 SP — you need that reserve for a dodge roll (20 SP) or parry attempt (15 SP).

Unlock Progression

Each weapon has its own skill tree. Skills unlock in tiers:

Tier	Combo Hits	What You Get
------	-----------	--------------
Tier 1	0 (starting)	Basic single-hit skill
Tier 2	10 combo hits	Multi-hit / utility skill
Tier 3	25 combo hits	Big damage finisher
Tier 4	50 combo hits	Signature skill (weapon-defining)

Unlock tips:

Combo hits chain across enemies — kite a pack to rack up the counter faster
The counter resets when you get hit or leave combat for 5 seconds
Tier 4 skills are worth grinding for; they are the strongest per-SP damage in the game

Best Sword Skills by Weapon

Weapon	Tier 1–2 Picks	Tier 3–4 Picks	Loadout Priority
--------	----------------	----------------	------------------
Sword & Shield	Shield Bash (stun)	Horizontal Arc (AoE slash)	Shield Bash > Horizontal Arc > block skill
Rapier	Linear (thrust combo)	Star Splash (multi-hit)	Star Splash > Linear > dodge thrust
Daggers	Rapid Bite (fast multi-stab)	Fad Edge (throw)	Rapid Bite > Fad Edge > bleed setup
Two-Handed Axe	Whirlwind (360 AoE)	Boulder Breaker (slam)	Boulder Breaker > Whirlwind > execute
Greatsword	Cyclone (spin AoE)	Avalanche (heavy slam)	Avalanche > Cyclone > charge slash
Mace	Steel Slam (stagger build)	Iron Crusher (guard break)	Iron Crusher > Steel Slam > stun follow-up

Rotation Templates

Aggressive Loop (Rapier / Daggers)

Light attack ×2 (build combo, 10 SP)
Star Splash / Rapid Bite (burst, 35 SP)
Parry the counter-attack (15 SP)
Follow with the finisher skill for maximum burst
Repeat; keep SP above 30%

Defensive Loop (Sword & Shield / Mace)

Shield Bash / Steel Slam to open (stun/stagger)
Heavy attack while the enemy is locked (15 SP)
Iron Crusher to break guard on blocking enemies
Fall back to block and let SP regenerate
Use the finisher only when the enemy is staggered

Dual Wield Loop

Main-hand uses Sword Skills; off-hand auto-attacks during combos — never cancel a combo early
Dual Wield signature skills are the highest single-target damage in the game; save them for bosses and elite mobs
Partner Combination Skill gauge fills from both your hits and your partner's — build it on trash, spend it on the boss

Advanced Tips

Skill slots are a loadout: swap in a guard-break skill for shielded enemies, an AoE for trash floors, a single-target finisher before boss rooms. Rest points let you respec for free — use them.
Stagger is king: most monsters telegraph a heavy attack after two hits. The stagger from Steel Slam or Shield Bash cancels it and opens a free full rotation.
Do not spam your finisher: the finisher has the longest recovery. If the enemy is still alive after it, you are at your most vulnerable — only cast it with a partner on Switch Mode or after a stagger.
Partner synergy: Klein's aggro (Switch Mode) is the safest window for your longest skills. Cast finishers while the boss faces Klein, not you.
SP management wins floors: the player who dies on Floor 2 is almost always the one who emptied SP into a skill that missed.