straight swords

Simple question... are straight swords worth anything in pvp? Or do they get better with scaling at higher lvl pvp (meaning closer to the 120 lvl)?

The Balder SIde Sword is very good, and the Silver Knight Sword is acceptable, but most straight swords have C scaling, which is nothing special, and half decent damage. I.E. Not very good.

I had a good run with the darksword in the past, (haven't used it in a while though)....

The real answer may seem like a cop out, but here it is; it is not the weapon but the wielder.

I have been having quite a time trying to get over the hump with using ultragreatswords in pvp, but I have seen many people that destroy with them. Any weapon can be viable.

Balda Swag Sword.

as others stated Balder Side Sword. R2 has good range...with bad tanks i can just R2 them after every swing they make. ive killed guys in havels with 4-6 shots like this.

i feel the same way about the greatswords, the only one that has really good scaling is the msgs(my fave gs), it gets an A in str like the BSS in dex. i know gs's hit harder but only lower sl's a buffed msgs kicks the clay's ***.

If you know how to use them, yes, they are good in PVP. Any weapon is effective if used in the right hands.

I have had GREAT pvp success with a buffed DARK sword and the BSS but with the thrust ability and speed of the Balder it wins hands down and this is a Darkwraith admitting this LOL.

I have had sooooooo many guys try to go toe 2 toe with me using the MLGS vs my CMW buffed BSS and 78 poise....if you dont already know this is a VERY bad idea the Buffed Balder will win EVERY TIME usually before they even land there 2nd hit and its considered FAST for a greatsword

With weapons like straight swords, you might not get a ton of damage per swing, but you can get at least two swings for every single swing with a greatsword, which makes a huge difference. Plus, like other people have said, it's got a fast wind up and super fast recovery, so you can punish whiffs constantly, and low swing commitment means you can afford to whiff without fear of being punished in return.

I love the quickness of straight swords, just was greatly concerned about the damage output. I guess its time to move away from the katanas and try my hand at them. Especially considering the stam drain on shields. That would come in handy.

I love using Straight Swords. I have a +15 Longsword, a +10 Fire Barbed SS, a +5 Lightning Sunlight SS, A +15 Balder SS and a +15 Darksword. I can do thousands of damage with the right setup (in chain attacks) and bosses are helpless.

Ya I wouldnt be to concerned about dmg output if you can buff my +14 BSS stats out at 386 1 handed 388 2 handed and my CMW buff adds 415 so that 831 a swing and I can swing my BSS 7 times on a stam bar the dark sword stats out even high just lacks the moveset.

You can get 2 licks in before they even swing if you get the timing down right...then 2 more during there 1st swing...then 1 last swing as they start there 2nd swing and they are dead with any amout of HP available trust me. With straight swords its a better idea to get a quick hit or 2 in and evade and bait them...but if they wanna go toe 2 toe as long as you get those all important first 2 hits in before they swing you will always win that battle with decent poise of course.

I started PVP using the +15 Sunlight straight sword, buffed with sunlight blade or CMW, most players never see this as a threat paired with a decent shield you can block there first attack role away role back in 2 handed and land 2 swings in for nearly 1000 damage, which is enough to make them crap themselves, stat scaling isnt too great but with a decent buff you can get round this easily, in the words of limp bizkit...keep rollin rollin rollin

The best to use C C scaling is 30 Str 30 Dex I believe

I'm another BSS fan. The R2 thrust is very fast with great range, and against many heavy weapons you can wait until someone swings at you, sidestep or backstep, hit them with the thrust, and then roll away before they even get another swing off. Also works great w/o target lock, as you can redirect the thrust very easily even after it's started. You can also even get it in between WotG spam if you're quick and at the edge of the blast area. The thrust also benefits from the leo ring when countering swings, so if you wear that and buff it with CMW, SLB, etc the stabs really become vicious. The R2 is also significantly harder to parry than the R1 sweeps, particularly if your target is at the far end of the stab range (think spear). Finally, you can even dead angle with it, particularly the roll and sprint attacks. The only negative is that it doesn't eat through poise particularly quickly, although it can -- in any event, I often pair it with CSS with an off hand catalyst so if I can hit with one of those I can then immediately R1/R2 people to death even if they're in full havels.

The thrust of the claymore drew me to the BSS and after stunlocking everything that moves at the kiln with my buffed claymore...I switched to the BSS and chaos blade to mix it up.

The thrust of the BSS is so fast it puts the claymores thrust to shame and does almost the same dmg like whats up with that. WOW leo ring with the BSS great call wish I had the leo ring I guess I will just have to use PW lol thats a quick fight in the making also.

The unlocked BSS thrust is amazing and you can totally can that direction mid thrust for sure. The unlocked rolling 1 handed up swipe is awesome also...roll there side unlocked like your going for a roll/pivot bs and punish them and bail. The Darksword has the same moveset 1 handed as well...the 1 handed running swipe can also be very effective as people think your rushing a BS then you punish and bail. There seems to be this mystery around the BSS/Darksword as most people dont use them in PVP it seems to catch people off guard alot.

umm i tired the leo ring with a thrust damage hammer... it didn't work... so will leo only work for rapiers, spears and swords with thrust attacks?

It should work with any weapon that you land a counter strike with. I LOVE the great club 2 handed roll slam buffed it does around 750 lets say...but soooo many people think they can attack when when I go for it and it will land over 1150 damage when they attack as it hits them....with the leo it would almost make it a OHKO lol!!!!

yup its really easy if your opponent goes for a strike and you land one just before he does its called a counter strike and it does MASSIVE damage and the leo ring boosts this damage.

Try it out on enemys hit them and see the damage...then let them swing and get yours in there 1st before theres and you'll see how much more damage it does...try with a sword thats fast at 1st tho.

it says thrusting weapons only... but the pick axe does thrust damage and it didn't work....

Oh okay good to know so basically all weapons will do counter dmg but the leo ring only boosts the counter damage from thrusting weapons!

The leo ring works if you hit an opponent mid swing, so you can even use it if they have already swung and just missed. That's my favorite time as many of the larger weapons have greater reach than even the BSS R2 and I don't want to risk exchanging simultaneous hits or poking them first and then eating a counter attack because I couldn't get through their poise. In other words, let's say someone swipes at you with a claymore horizontal R1 sweep. As soon as the attack goes past you (either dodging or blocking) hit your R2. You will stab them, get the leo bonus, and still have time to then roll aside or away before they can get their claymore back around - even if they R1 it again. This works well against most slow swing/recovery weapons; the only one I have trouble with is the 2hd zweihander because of the stupid knockdown effect and broken vertical swing hitbox that usually hits me even if I'm three feet to one side. If you're desperate it also works on the BSS jump attack, although this is slower is much harder to roll out of afterwards.

The ring itself boosts damage by 40% if you use it right, so it's like a slightly weaker red tearstone ring but that you can use at 100% health. It stacks with power within and weap buffs of course, but unlike all of these items there is no leo ring buff aura to give away what you are up to and the glorious BSS poking you are about to unleash upon your enemies. Use this power wisely, my son, and discover where your strength and your power are needed. Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way.

Wow, this thread has become a wealth of knowledge to me and has renewed my faith in straight swords. Thank you everybody for all the input and advice. You have my thanks!!