Dual blades possession. Steel arms

By dual wielding we mean a situation where a fighter takes one melee weapon of any kind in each hand, excluding a shield. However, the weapons do not have to be the same. What are the advantages and inevitable disadvantages of this weapon option?

Historicity

Historically, dual weapons were indeed found here and there. The two most famous dual wielding warrior archetypes are very similar. Firstly, this is, of course, Japanese samurai with daisho: this was the name for a pair of daito and shoto, long and short swords of the Japanese type, usually a katana and a wakizashi. Secondly - a European duelist of the Renaissance and later, armed with a rapier and a daga, or something like that.

Besides these two, I can name the following archetypes: the ancient barbarian, armed with anything; a Viking, most likely with an ax and sword; european knight, say, with a sword and mace; a pirate with a cutlass and something else; some Chinese guy with a pair of exotic looks. Now let's talk in a little more detail about all the listed comrades.

Samurai with daisho

The samurai and the duelist, described below, have two things in common. Firstly, they use dual weapons in Peaceful time for self-defense, and not on the battlefield - there the samurai will be armed with a spear, naginata or bow, and the duelist will use a musket, pike, broadsword or halberd. Secondly, their left-handed weapons are noticeably shorter than their right-handed weapons.

In Japan, despite the tradition of wearing daisho, swords were extremely rarely made as a set for wearing in pairs. That is, samurai most often assembled the set themselves, from separately made daito and seto. And in general, a katana (blade about 75 cm) like dai and wakizashi (blade about 45 cm) like sho are not required to participate in daisho: you can take a tanto (blade less than 30 cm) like sho with a katana or wakizashi as a dai.

If you look at the surviving (and they are well preserved, unlike the Western ones, where there is a complete reconstruction, which is not bad, just different) Japanese fencing schools, you will notice that almost nowhere is attention paid to working with two blades. There is Niten Ichi-ryu, a school built precisely on the work of daisho, but the rest, more famous ones, are not serious: either we fence with a katana or wakizashi (often called kodachi, “short sword”). Moreover, kodati can be used against a longer katana, no big deal. But here are two at once - perhaps some individual cunning techniques, not the basis of the fight.

It turns out that the samurai were not too fond of the actual use of daisho as paired swords. They carried the small blade not for double combat, but just in case, as a backup for the katana in case of its loss, breakage, or the need to fight in a cramped room. And on the battlefield, as already mentioned, under normal conditions the samurai used something two-handed. Of course, if the main weapon became unusable, then the samurai took up the katana, and in some specific cases, probably, if he could, then the daisho... but this is “if, if,” and not the norm of life.

That leaves Niten Ichi-ryu, whose kata can be easily found on YouTube. Well, and some other rare cases.

Nito Kata 1-5

Niten-Ichi-ryu Kenjutsu Nito-no-kata

There is little that can be said about these techniques, but everything is pretty clear. You can see work at half tempo, parrying shoto and attacking daito, scissors. As it should be, however. I note that a person with two swords walks either strictly frontally, or with a seto put forward, and not a daito - this is how you can get the most out of the technique of working with two Japanese swords.

Duelist with rapier and daga

In the right hand is a rapier or sword, something quite long and very piercing. On the left - options are possible: it could be a buckler, a cloak, a pistol or a daga, depending on the situation. The cloak and buckler are mainly protective options, although the buckler can be moved quite a bit. Pistol - one shot from a minimum distance, then, in case of a miss, it's a baton. Daga is a full-fledged dagger with a well-developed guard, suitable not only for parries, but also for attacks.

History claims that this combination worked well for a long time. In modern times, everything is somewhat more complicated, namely: thanks to the development of sports fencing, the existing base for fencing in a right-handed stance with only an epee (rapier, saber - it doesn’t matter) is currently significantly superior to the base for fencing in a left-sided stance with a dag in front. That is, a sports fencer with a sword without a daga will most likely be stronger than a reenactor with the same sword and daga, which he is actively trying to use, like a proper samurai with a daisho.

If you take a right-handed stance and don’t forget about the dag, then yes, it might work out well. We attack and parry with a rapier sword, and the daga is used to protect against attacks that pass by the sword, the second line of defense. But it is not clear why in this version you should take a daga and not a buckler - you still only attack with a long sword, and only defend with the one in your left hand.

Rapier + daga vs rapier.

At 39 seconds, the problem of the daga is just visible: the fighter in red, relying only on the rapier, makes the snap with greater ease. At the 52nd second, the fighter in black skillfully uses the daga, temporarily disables the enemy rapier and... does not have time to inflict a thrust, since his right side of the body is pulled back. At the 59th second, he tries to attack with a rapier, but absolutely nothing, since the necessary withdrawal of the body forward clearly telegraphs to the enemy the need to defend himself, which he does, and even with counterattacks. The connection in 1 minute 20 seconds is won by the red rapier player, and it is very clearly noticeable that Daga is not involved in the defense at all - it seems that the fighter in black simply forgot about her. And, by the way, don’t even try to snort arrogantly: remembering her in such a situation is not so easy. Subsequent attacks by the black man, including the daga, do not lead to anything good.

Overall, in my opinion, he could have performed better without taking the daga. Or, say, throwing it at the enemy in the first seconds of the battle, if they can do that. Although, of course, this is just a training sparring, and perhaps he is interested in trying to master this option equipment.

Barbarian with anything

I mention this, um, archetype only for the sake of completeness. The barbarian is inherently opposed to civilization, whatever it may be. It is clear that the warriors of “civilization” in open confrontation will almost always be stronger on average, including due to the presence of a more developed military component: formation, standard military training, higher technology and so on.

However, a naked or poorly protected (by definition, good protection is the lot of civilization) man with two clubs, swords (even captured ones, okay) or axes is an understandable image. What, say, Roman legionaries will do with him is also clear to everyone in the know. Just in case: they will take a furious attack on the scutum, make a couple of extra holes in the body with a gladius and move on, and this is if he, such a fool without a shield, did not catch the pilum with the carcass.

In a single battle, a barbarian is a barbarian, rich only in what the genes have awarded and managed to steal. Brute force and merciless onslaught are statistically inferior to cold calculation and refined technique. Sometimes you can get lucky, moreover, the same Roman legionnaires, in principle, were not specialists in duels. But in general, if you simply rely on the fact that you can hit with two pickers more often than with one, then you won’t be able to go far.

Viking with ax and sword

At first glance, this looks similar to the barbarian archetype just discussed. But this is not true at all. The Vikings were not barbarians. It was a very warlike, culturally advanced civilization. Comics and films are still being made about their gods, the cultural layer is so rich - what other “barbarian” culture can boast of this at the same level?

Technologically, the Vikings were also very advanced. They were excellent sailors, which is as cool as being excellent astronauts in the 21st century. Their weapons and armor in those days were no worse than those of the “civilized” peoples who were victims of their raids. Actually, the Vikings could only be considered “barbarians” from a propaganda point of view: they were not Christians, unlike their neighbors, and they loved to attack and rob, as real barbarians most often did before them.

So, we take a Viking and give him a Viking sword in one hand and an ax in the other. Which one? I would take the ax to the right, as it works better against shields. This option, as practice shows, more or less works in a duel. But I doubt its significant prevalence in real Viking times, because the guys with greenhouses just can’t build a shield wall. The Vikings were warriors who attacked villages and cities, fought with various armies - teamwork was important to them. Perhaps some specialists used two weapons, and the same legendary special forces berserkers, but as an exception to the rule.

Vikings: sword and ax vs sword and shield

The video is boring, but useful for combating illusions. It can be seen that the comrade with dual weapons is very uncomfortable, he is generally afraid to attack, since his opponent is wisely covered by a Viking round shield. All of his rather senseless attacks hit this shield, and that’s where it all ends. If he had swapped weapons, taking the ax in his right hand, then he might have had a chance: with an ax you can grab a shield, and with a sword in your left hand it is easier to parry the blows of an enemy’s sword than with an ax. The sword on the right didn’t actually work at all, since there was a large shield right in front of it.

The Viking version works, yes. But a shield plus a sword, a shield plus an ax or a great Danish ax against a sword plus an ax has advantages.

Knight with sword and mace

The most important thing about a knight in terms of combat is his armor. We will have in mind the later knights in plate armor, and not the early ones in chain mail hauberks. That is, it means that it is a kind of tank that cannot be penetrated by a chopping blow of a sword at all. And no one will try. What to do, how to pick open the canned food?

The methods are known: powerful injections with something like a spear or estok, preferably in weak spots armor, or rough blows with a mace or war hammer. Or a peck, a crow's beak, and so on, something that combines the effectiveness of pressure with a small point of a punch with the anatomical nature of delivering a chopping blow. Finally, flails and flails, stunning with the otherwise unattainable kinetic energy of a slashing blow. Plus, of course, crossbows, then squeaks with arquebuses, and in especially advanced cases - shooting with buckshot from cannons.

How can replacing a reliable triangular shield with another weapon help tactically? Well - if our hero has to mow down crowds of weakly protected peasants on foot, who do not understand that the noble gentleman needs to be calmed down with something very heavy, sharp and from afar, then good, yes. If opponents adequately try to knock you down and break the shell, then... I wouldn’t, in general.

Buhurt

Another buhurt

This is to get an idea of ​​the degree of severity of heavy armor and, accordingly, the need for even greater severity in its impact. Real medieval battles were even tougher, this is where the guys have fun and relax culturally, stroking each other with falchions as hard as they can. Would you like to be there without a shield? I'm not very happy either.

You need to understand that a knight in armor will always be beaten very, very hard. So much so that it is not serious to rely on parrying with one-handed weapons. And what about armor? They will hit you with something that the armor does not work against. Or, if this is our modern non-lethal modeling, they will simply score until they lose balance, or, if hits are counted, until they end.

Pirate with cutlass and something

In a fierce deck battle, this is normal. There were no shields at sea; you couldn’t really swing a rapier. If they don’t shoot you, then you’ll have to chop someone down anywhere – that’s just it. But the life expectancy of the average pirate did not exceed the duration of the average pirate expedition.

What is "something"? Most often this is a pistol, or more precisely, several single-shot pistols, which are attached to the pirate’s body as tightly as possible. more. We will shoot from a pistol at point-blank range or almost point-blank range, from a distance of one or two steps maximum. It's more reliable this way. They shot, they hit - good, they didn’t hit - we finish off the stunned enemy with a sword and grab the next pistol. The last pistol can be used as a club if the battle is still ongoing and there is nothing more suitable at hand. Another saber or some kind of light ax might be more suitable, but you never know, I don’t care, there’s no choice.

In more sane conditions, that is, not in a fight on a rocking deck, but in some decent duel, especially if the “dishonest” pistol is immediately replaced with some kind of edged weapon, everything is quite lousy. Read above about the barbarian. A furious onslaught may allow the pirate to get close to the noble gentleman with the rapier, but there is a high probability that the noble gentleman will have time to make a hole in the brave pirate with this same rapier in advance. On the other hand, a psychic attack is useful, and the stopping power of a slash with a saber is clearly higher than that of a neat and subtle thrust with a rapier, which may kill, but not immediately.

Chinese man with steamy exotic

Not necessarily Chinese, by the way. It could be an Arab with a pair of shamshirs. But usually still Chinese. The main difference between this archetype and all the others listed above: in most cases, the weapon in each hand is the same. In my opinion, it's not as interesting as long and short. A short weapon in the left hand is more effective in close combat than a repeat of the same long one in the right.

In real life, no one measures the amount of damage inflicted on an enemy by a blade, as in computer and board games. It seems cooler to take two long ones, but tricky modifiers and penalties lead to the fact that without particularly sophisticated skills this is rarely reasonable. Why is that? No way, designers don’t know how to fence. There are no difficulties in basic fencing with two long blades; it is even easier than long and short.

So what about the Chinese? I don't know. I haven’t seen the results of sparring between specialists in Chinese dual weapons against more “pop” options, such as a samurai with a katana, a Viking with a two-handed Danish axe, a shield-wielding swordsman, or a swordsman-saber-wielder-rapirist. If you've seen it, let me know, and the movie isn't any good.

I assume that, all other things being equal, paired exotics will lose in most cases. If the “Chinese” is stronger, more experienced, faster, and so on, or he is opposed by a weakly armed opponent (for example, only a European one-handed sword without a shield), then of course.

Modernity

Dual weapons are ubiquitous in computer games and their discussions. The well-established English term is dual wield; there is often an erroneous spelling of “duel wield,” which personally irritates me terribly. The games also use a division into the main and additional hands (for most, these are right and left, respectively, for left-handers, vice versa), or main hand and off hand (off-hand). Hence the off-hand weapon, that is, a weapon designed for an additional (that is, left) hand.

In games, as a rule, the advantage of dual weapons is increased damage per unit of time, and the disadvantage is low security. In reality, dual-wielding basically provides additional defensive options: you essentially use either one of your weapons as a shield for parries, or both alternately, attacking with the freed one. You can, of course, pretend to be a Chinese or a berserker, but the first is very complicated and is not really used by anyone, it is only palely simulated, and the second does not live long.

In every kind role playing games and they just love dual wielding in fencing communities. And they love it much more than it deserves. Why? In my opinion, for three reasons: the simulation is non-lethal; dual weapons are more compact than long two-handed weapons or shields; Looks cool and dandy.

Non-lethal simulation, that is, the fact that nothing seriously threatens life, “permits” fencing participants to act suboptimally. “So what if they kill me at the game, but I’ll do what I want” is actually a completely normal subconscious thought, because the person who follows this thought just wants to play.

Compactness is an obvious thing. Carrying a spear or halberd on the subway is much more difficult than carrying two relatively short swords under one hand each. Shields are generally bulky and heavy. Despite the greater effectiveness of the shield, due to the non-lethal nature of the simulation, many fencers choose dual weapons, simply because it is more convenient.

Coolness and show-off are an even more obvious thing. A bunch of fantasy heroes, anime characters and similar cultural stratifications teach you that real professionals fence with two swords, since it is very difficult. Well, yes, it's difficult. More difficult than, say, a spear. Or a sword and shield.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of dual weapons is the ability to defend with one weapon and attack with the other. The same effect can be achieved with greater ease using a shield, especially if the dual-wielding swordsman is accustomed to defending only with the left blade and attacking only with the right. A technique in which defense is performed with the hand that is comfortable, and attack with the remaining one, is much more progressive, but also more difficult. In fact, until it is mastered, two swords will not provide any advantages at all.

Also, the advantages include expanded capabilities for protection from attacking opponents, but this, again, is easily done with a shield. There is also the opportunity to protect yourself from more massive weapons by taking them with scissors, but here again the shield is more reliable. Unexpected attack combinations? Yes, probably. But in practice they are not so unexpected.

Now the cons. The main one is the relative weakness of each weapon. Even when compared to something one-handed rather than one-and-a-half or two-handed: when you have to wield two swords, your body's support resource is allocated to supporting each sword, and as a result, there is relatively little support for either sword at any given time. You don’t invest so much in the blow, expecting to take it not with quality, but with quantity. This does not mean that you can’t do this, but a minus is a minus.

This also results in relatively low speed, unless the weapon is very light, increased coordination requirements (controlling two swords is actually more difficult than one, although not as difficult as many people think), and increased endurance consumption.

Tactics and technique

If you still want to use two swords, then you need to learn a few basic principles of operation and understand the main problems that you will encounter.

Rack

Samurai put a short sword forward or walk strictly frontally. Duelists can put forward either a short blade or a long one. In my opinion, if the battle is not going at wild speeds, or if you are just training in principle, you should put a short blade forward. In this case, you will have to use it, otherwise it will simply get in the way. In a battle against a fast rapier-swordsman-saber swordsman, such a stance is irrational, where a short dagger blade is much more useful on the second line of defense. If you put a short sword forward, then it makes sense to hold it higher, and a long sword lower. Or vice versa, but this is better, since it is more difficult to cover your legs with short ones.

Techniques

Tactically, there is no difficulty in using two swords. Technically, this is difficult only at first, and not only for beginners: you can be able to fence decently, but when you pick up two swords for the first time, you will most likely encounter some personal stupor. It's okay, it's completely surmountable.

Don't try to hit with two swords at the same time. It’s better to take turns, it’s harder to fight them off.

With a defensive line on the second line of defense, everything is simple.

Daga is needed in order to remove injections from your silhouette mainly with wrist movements. If the enemy decides to make an attack that ignores your longsword (this may be the result of a successful provocation), then you can parry his attack with a daga and, with a minimum gap in time, carry out a swift counterattack with the longsword. In most cases, the enemy will try to do something with your rapier first, and his attack will most likely be weakened by interaction with it - it is quite easy to take it with a daga.

To begin with, I recommend that you simply stand with your partner, give him a sword, take the daga in your left hand, put your right hand forward without a weapon and try to parry his injections with the daga. Then add weapons and move on to counterattacks.

With an attacking short sword, everything is somewhat more varied, but also quite simple.

To begin with, I recommend mastering scissors: receiving an enemy blow with your two crossed blades. Scissors can and should be learned to be placed at any angle. After registering an enemy attack, one sword, usually a short one, continues to control the enemy's weapon, while the other delivers a counterattack.

Try to parry a blow with one sword or immediately grab the enemy’s exposed weapon to move it to the side, and immediately attack with the other. Consecutive attacks from different sides and at different levels work interestingly, they are difficult to take.

Against one-and-a-half or two-handed weapons

Don't try to fence with one hand. Try to take a scissors kick if you're going to take one at all. If it doesn’t work out, then try to strengthen your defense with a second sword. Let's say you are hit from the left side, you block with a short sword - but the blow may be too strong, so with minimal delay you place another block with a long sword, if necessary, and only then, perhaps, proceed to a counterattack. If you don’t need it, then, of course, just counterattack.

Strive to disrupt the enemy's sense of distance. If his weapon is not a one-and-a-half sword (European long sword, katana), but two-handed, then he will most likely be somewhat predictable in his actions and movements. It's very cool to work at the third, half tempo: when you are attacked, retreat, perhaps with one sword as a safety net, and immediately hit your outstretched hands with the other.

Against shield

Generally speaking, you have serious problems here. But let's try. Take advantage of the fact that the enemy is blocking part of his field of vision with his shield. Force him to raise his shield to protect his head by delivering a powerful and potentially effective blow with his right sword. Keep in mind that he will immediately launch an attack, so be prepared to accept it, but this can also be done with one left sword. Immediately attack the leg, but he will probably cover it, so it is advisable to perform this attack not in full force, but as a feint, immediately followed by either an attack to the head, again forcing the shield to be raised, or an attack with the left sword, which successfully repelled the counterattack a little earlier. Please note that the enemy, if he is something of a shield warrior, will try to crush you, press you in, and so on. Be prepared to retreat, but try to be on his right side, not protected by a shield. A single sword will not work against your two.

Polearm weapon

Here, most likely, you will have to attack. Everything is similar to fighting with a two-handed weapon, but is often more dangerous, especially against a spear. Use scissors and try to get past the shaft from the side, either by forcefully deflecting it to the side, or by yourself moving relative to it. Scissors or double parry, control, closing the distance, attack. Watch your feet, get ready to jump.

conclusions

So to speak. If we take the general categories of weapons, such as: “one-handed”, “one-and-a-half”, “dual”, “one-handed plus a shield”, “two-handed”, then approximately in this order in terms of conditional “coolness” they go. Moreover, “one-and-a-half” and “double” are on the same level, surpassing, and even then not always (rapier) strictly one-handed weapons. Just as “one-handed plus shield” and “two-handed” are approximately equal, each of these categories has its own advantages and disadvantages, but on average they are clearly stronger than all the others. It is clear that this is the wildest simplification and rounding, from the “π = 3” category, and you can find a bunch of counterexamples, but still something like this.

As has already been said above and more than once, fencing with dual weapons is more difficult than with one-handed, two-handed, or with a shield and sword. The problem is that “more difficult” does not mean “better”; there is no often expected effect of “it’s difficult to study, but when I achieve mastery, I’ll challenge everyone.” Having achieved mastery, you can really ask a lot of people, but there is absolutely no need to achieve mastery in dual weapons. A true master, in my opinion, is capable of cutting with anything.

But here we ask ourselves the question: why does a person do what he does? If a fencer wants to fight with two swords in our non-lethal simulation, enjoying the process and achieving some results, then please, since two swords are a priority for him, there is nothing wrong with this approach. But if a fencer wants to learn fencing as martial arts, then he must understand both the strong and weak sides two swords.

A universal dual weapon that allows a warrior to use it to defeat an enemy, block movements, snatch a sword from his hands, etc. All these characteristics relate to the shuangou, a weapon of the Song and Qing dynasties. It consists of a pair of identical blades with a crescent on one side and a hook on the other. Their unique design allows you to perform a huge variety of techniques. The history of the emergence of shuangou is interesting, but special attention is given to the fact that training in the use of paired blades is also available to our contemporaries.

Shuangou is a type of dual bladed weapon that was used by the Chinese in the 8th – 3rd centuries BC, during the so-called Warring States era. These blades are also present among artifacts dating back to the period of the Song Dynasty (X - XIII centuries AD), but greatest number Available samples of shuangou and its images date back to the end of the Qing era (XVII - early XX centuries). Judging by the markings on the swords, few of them were used in battle. The unusualness of this weapon lies not only in its shape, but also in the fact that it is paired. That is, a warrior uses both hands in battle, each of which wields its own blade. This feature is evidenced by the name of this weapon, which translated from Chinese means “paired hooks.”

Weapon Description

The classic version of shuangou has the following characteristics:

• The main part of the weapon is a long steel strip.
• The first end of the blade strip is bent in the form of a hook.
• The second end, located near the handle, is somewhat narrowed and pointed.
• The handle, wrapped in leather or fabric, is limited on both sides by short steel elements. Attached to them is a guard made in the shape of a crescent, the “horns” of which are directed outward. The length of the “moon” is about 22 cm. This guard was used as brass knuckles. It also covered the fingers, and when turning the blade along the hand, it served as protection for the hand.
• The total length of the shuangou is about 1 m.
• Three areas are subject to sharpening: the side of the blade facing the crescent and hook; concave side of the crescent; the hook itself on both sides.

Shuangou also had a number of varieties. The most popular were the “paired tiger head hooks”; less commonly used were "chicken claw sickle" and "chicken saber sickle". These blades differed from the classic version in the shape of the parts and the presence of additional elements (hooks, spikes, etc.).

Variety of techniques

The design of the weapon made it possible to inflict slashing blows on the victim and hook him with a hook, cut and block the movements of the limbs, and even snatch the weapon from the enemy’s hands. The shape of the guard is also designed for slashing and piercing blows. Sometimes the pointed end of the blade, located near the guard, was also used. It was especially often used when both sides of the hook were dull. This allowed the warrior to take the weapon by the opposite side and not only stab the enemy with the pointed end, but chop him with the help of the guard, like an ax. And by hooking the shuangou with hooks, it was possible to unexpectedly increase the attack distance for the enemy. Therefore, such blades were trusted only to dexterous and flexible warriors with excellent coordination.

What prompted the Chinese to create such an unusual weapon?

The appearance of a pair of blades of a bizarre design can be considered a natural phenomenon. The fact is that the Chinese, like the Japanese, have a habit of simplifying and minimizing everything in their blood. The warriors experienced inconvenience due to the fact that they had to carry an entire arsenal with them heavy weapons, which necessarily included a sword, a dagger, a knife, and sometimes a staff. Therefore, the functions of all blades from the listed arsenal were successfully combined into shuangou. The Japanese analogue of this weapon is the tie - a spear-shaped sword, which also had a sharpened guard in the shape of a crescent, but the blade was sharpened on both sides, and there was no hook at its end.

A significant disadvantage of the shuangou is that its shape did not allow making a scabbard for it. The blades were carried either in the hands or fixed on the back using various brackets and belts. Perhaps this is why such a versatile weapon was not used so often by Chinese soldiers. But it was able to take its rightful place in the list of the main types of weapons of the monks of the Shaolin Monastery. This fact gives reason to believe that the shuangou was primarily a sword for monks, and secondarily for warriors.

Nowadays, the use of such paired blades is taught in a number of wushu schools, for example, in the mentioned Shaolin Quan. Previously, shuangou was associated exclusively with the traditions of northern schools, but over time it began to be practiced in southern styles. This is not surprising, since the described twin blade is one of the most variable, allowing for many combinations of attacks.

May 24, 2017

1. Twin Blade of the Dragon Rider

The Dark Souls twin blades of 2 dragon riders deliver powerful blows, after which the enemy enters a stunlock and is used for a powerful attack after performing a roll. However, they are fragile and break frequently. Upgrade with Petrified Dragon Bone

The dragon rider's twin blade can be found in the Forgotten Fortress near Straid. He will exchange it for the soul of the Dragon Rider.

2. Curved twin blade

This type of weapon stands out for its extraordinary sharpness, causing bleeding in enemies. With the help of a curved twin blade, powerful damage is inflicted. If you upgrade a weapon with the help of shimmering titanite to +5, then the physical damage will be equal to 170, and the bleeding will be equal to 40 units. However, Dark Souls 2 Twin Blades of this type become dull very quickly and constantly need sharpening.

The curved twin blade can be obtained from Gren after reaching the first rank in the Brotherhood of Blood covenant. It can also be purchased from Chancellor Wellager for 10,000 souls on the territory of the Undead Purgatory/Castle Drangleic.

3. Red iron twin blade

These weapons can deliver crushing blows with great force, making them great for strongman characters. When leveled up to +10, the damage level is equal to 340 units. If you sharpen this blade for physical and elemental damage, then their indicators will be equal to 238 units

A pair of red iron blades can be found in the Amana Temple location, not far from the third bonfire.

4. Regular dual blade

Dark Souls 2's twin blades are made from a unique alloy - gistal, which has a number of advantages. When leveled up to +10, the damage done with this weapon is equal to 150 units. When upgrading for physical and elemental damage - 77 units. It is worth noting that it is good to harden a paired blade for poison and bleeding due to its high attack speed.

The twin blade can be found on the territory of the Forgotten Fortress, in the room where the Farros mechanism is located, in a chest. It can also be bought from Ornifex for 5,000 souls or found on the corpse of an unknown person in the memories of the Old Iron King.

5. Stone twin blade

This twin blade belongs to the stone knights from the Castle. Upgrades with titanite. When upgraded to +10, the damage is equal to 180. It also deals well with poison and bleeding due to the high attack speed.

The Stone Dual Blade can be obtained from the Stone Knights, which are found in the Royal Passage. It also rarely drops out of the phantom on the ship in Deserted Marina. This NPC only appears once, so the chance of the blade dropping is very low.

Within the framework of our project, paired blades mean “butterfly” swords of the Southern Shaolin style. These are short, wide blades (the blade in a reverse grip is equal to the length of the forearm). The skill of wielding twin blades requires good coordination of movements.

Advice on the game: techniques for working with “butterflies” were developed in such a way as not to kill, but to neutralize the enemy, hitting the opponent’s wrists, knees and elbows; this must be taken into account during roleplaying.

Newbie

Just started learning dual blades. He admires the weapon standing on the stand, practicing coordination techniques and correct steps, turns and changes in stance. The butterfly technique is based on the principles of the Wing Chun school, and therefore requires many movements and frequent changes of grips, which requires careful study of all basic movements. Coordination exercises include asynchronous hand movements, which also need to be practiced until they become automatic.

Game tip: in the library there is a link to a video demonstrating the butterfly kata. Watch it before you start teaching your character this technique. The two blades are stored in the same leather sheath, both are pulled out with one hand, then one is grabbed in the other hand.

Student

Begins to learn to work with blades, learning to change grips and coordinate movements. The training is carried out on wooden weapons, since with the constant rotation of combat blades it is easy to get injured. He comes to the realization that, despite all the asynchrony, the blades move, obeying the general logic, and not each on its own.

Game Tip: Make sure that the weapon your character is training with is the perfect size for him (the blade is equal to the length of his forearm), otherwise dangerous injuries are possible in the future due to difficulties in rotating the blades.

Novice

He has practiced changing grips to the point of automaticity, knows the basic steps well, and studies combinations of punches. While these movements are performed at a slow pace, a lot of attention is paid correct positioning feet and redistribution of tension throughout the body. Awareness of the energy of the blade's movements will be useful in the future for communication with elemental magic.

Game tip: Please note that we are talking about butterfly blades, the technique of which is very different from other schools of working with dual blades. For example, here often either both blades swing, or both stand in a block, no safety nets are used, the stance is firm and stable.

Junior Master

Learns to act in battle against two opponents, practices the speed of movements. Practices the strength and accuracy of a strike. For example, it can cut a bottle of water so that the water remaining at the bottom of the bottle does not spill.

Tip for the game: if you practice the accuracy of a strike on wood or paper a lot, the blade will become dull, so pay attention to the character taking care of his weapon so that it does not end up exhausted from training at a crucial moment.

Master

Confidently acts in battle against three opponents. Practices reaction speed and accuracy of strikes - he cuts an apple flying at the character with two blades moving in the opposite direction, like scissors. Senses danger even when the enemy is out of sight. Successfully combines blade strikes with kicks.

Game tip: kicks are used quite rarely, since it is highly desirable that during the fight all parts of the character’s body are behind the line of attack of his weapon.

Head master

It becomes possible to combine weapon strikes with the use of elemental magic. A fire mage can use the blade of a blade to direct flames to a target, a water mage can redirect water or ice, an air mage can create strong whirlwinds by intercepting weapons, and an earth mage can cut and direct stones at a target. The character confidently feels five opponents in battle, even if his back is to them.

Game advice: in this case, the use of elemental magic during a duel will always be carried out through the blades, since both hands are occupied, and it is extremely difficult to free one of them to direct the elements.

Mentor

He acts confidently in battle against seven opponents, and senses danger even if a person passing by was simply thinking about a possible attack. The reaction speed is so high that the character can cut two apples flying at him with his blades at the same time.

Game Tip: In combat, the character will prefer to neutralize the enemy, for example, by driving him into a corner and raising both blades. The philosophy of this type of weapon does not imply bloodthirstiness. Despite all their formidability, “butterflies” are, first and foremost, a defensive weapon.

As a rule, this weapon was associated with the traditions of northern wushu schools, but today it is studied and practiced also in southern styles. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the time of the appearance of the sword. At the same time, the range of periods most often mentioned in connection with the appearance of shuangou is quite large: the period of the Warring States is also called, that is, as far back as the 5th-3rd centuries. BC, but also mark the period of the Song Dynasty, and this is already X-XIII AD.

Twin phoenix beak hooks

At the same time, most of the available examples of these weapons and their images date back at the earliest to the end of the Qing era (XVII - early XX centuries), or even later. However, it was rarely used for its intended purpose, judging by the fact that there are quite a few swords on which traces of real battles remained.

Shuangou (tiger head paired hooks)

It is assumed that the shuangou appeared as some modification of the famous straight sword jian. First, a hook was added to the straight blade near its end, after which a closed guard was formed. The sharp end of the sword was then replaced by the hook itself, and the sword was called the "tiger head twin hooks", while its predecessor was compared to the beak of a phoenix. Shuangou is a rather large sword: it was about a meter long - 92.64 cm, while the length of the guard (crescent) was about 22 cm.

Shuangou rather appeared as a modification of the jian straight sword

The hook of a sword, sharpened, as a rule, only with outside, makes it possible to deliver not only chopping and cutting blows. Its internal part (blunt) can be used to cling to the enemy, to capture his different parts of the body; block and completely pull out the weapon, well, and if the inner part of the blade is sharpened, then, like a sickle, cut off the legs. At the same time, the use of blades in pairs allows you to effectively alternate different hands a series of blocks and attacks. Therefore, mastering shuangou requires excellent dexterity, coordination and flexibility.

Moreover, by fastening the hooks together, an experienced master can, like an ax, attack the enemy with a sickle-shaped guard or a knife perched at the end of the handle. The guard, in turn, is ideal for striking in close combat and serves as a replacement for brass knuckles. The knife at the end of the shuangou is also very effective for delivering a stabbing blow if the enemy comes to a distance that is inconvenient for attacking with a long blade. At the same time, they could, for example, finish off an enemy who was knocked to the ground with a hook.

Shuangou, however, had a noticeable drawback. Due to its shape, this sword did not have a sheath. He had to be carried simply in his hands, at most - on his back with the help of various belts and brackets. Armed, as a rule, with several types of weapons, the soldiers did not have paired hooks in their arsenal, preferring a dao attached to their belt.

Due to their shape, the paired hooks did not have sheaths; they were worn in the hands or behind the back

But in the list of the main classical weapons of the Shaolin monks, shuangou found a place. Indeed, this sword was more of a monk's weapon than a soldier's. However, it is interesting that it was considered one of the most variable, allowing for various combinations of attacks. Therefore, it is not surprising that today performance with shuangou is one of the most spectacular types in sports wushu.