The long sword, also known as tachi or katana, is a quite fast and flexible weapon with good mobility and counter options. 

It is considered a beginner-friendly weapon as it is intuitive to use and doesn't require a lot of knowledge or practice to learn its basics.

There is only one UI element specific to Long Sword. It is that horizontal bar that resembles a sword, right below the sharpness indicator: that’s the Long Sword gauge called “Spirit Gauge”. 

This Spirit Gauge can be leveled up up to 3 times: each time you level up the gauge you get an attack buff, and the border of the bar changes color. At level 0 there is no color, at level 1 is white, at level 2 is yellow and at level 3 is red.

Level 1, 2 and 3 are more commonly known as white, yellow and red gauge. Each color lasts for a certain amount of time and grants an attack buff. White lasts 195 seconds (3’15”) and gives +2.5% attack, Yellow is 135 seconds (2’15”) and gives +5% attack, and Red is 45 seconds and gives +10% attack.

What’s the idea behind playing the Long Sword?

The goal is to fill the bar with Spirit by landing attacks, then discharge this energy by landing Spirit attacks and eventually level up the Gauge, increasing our attack and unlocking new powerful moves.

The Long Sword has several attacks that can fill up the bar. The basic one are the overhead slash (△), the thrust (〇) and the fade slash (△+〇).

It is possible to chain different attacks by pressing △ or 〇 one after another:

1) Overhead Slash (△) + Overhead Slash (△) + Crescent Slash (△)

2) [Weapon drawn] Thrust (〇) + Rising Slash (〇)

Suggested combo to fill up the gauge completely:

Overhead Slash (△) + Rising Slash (〇) + fade slash (△+〇)

How do I spend the Spirit I accumulated in the gauge?

The more common way to consume the Spirit is by pressing R2. If you have stored enough Spirit, you can perform a full Spirit Blade combo by pressing R2 four times, even with your weapon sheathed.

Spirit Blade I (R2) + Spirit Blade II (R2) + Spirit Blade III (R2) + Spirit Roundslash (R2)

Note: landing the Spirit Roundslash will level up your Spirit Gauge by one level.

Alternative combo to land Spirit Roundslash (weapon drawn):

Fade slash (△+〇) + Spirit Step Slash (R2) + Spirit Blade III (R2) + Spirit Roundslash (R2)

For more about the Spirit Combo, watch this guide.

It is possible to combine the button R2 with △, 〇 or ✖ to perform special attacks.

2) Foresight Slash (R2+〇) (only after an attack)

3) Special Sheathe (R2+✖) (only after an attack)

4) Spirit Charge (hold R2) (only after an attack)

1) Landing a Spirit Thrust with white gauge or higher makes you perform a mid-air jump that eventually leads to a powerful multi-hit attack called Spirit Helm Breaker. You can perform this move by pressing R2 or △ while in mid-air, but you can also press nothing and still perform the Helm Breaker upon landing.

Spirit Thrust (R2+△) + Spirit Helm Breaker (R2 / △ / no input)

Note: performing a Spirit Helm Breaker consumes one Spirit Gauge Level. 

In case you don’t want to do a Spirit Helm Breaker, press ◻ before landing to sheathe your weapon and keep your current Gauge Level.

Important advice: it is fundamental to perform the Spirit Helm Breaker in Red Gauge Level in order to chain the most powerful Long Sword attack, the Spirit Release Slash. 

Spirit Thrust (R2+△) + Spirit Helm Breaker (R2 / △ / no input) + Spirit Release Slash (R2)

Note: performing a Spirit Release Slash consumes one Spirit Gauge Level. 

For a more in-depth analysis and explanation on Spirit Thrust, Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash, please watch this guide.

2) Foresight Slash is a counter accessible only after doing an attack. Performing it right before a monster is about to hit you will evade the attack and follow up a slash immediately afterwards. If you have at least 1% of Spirit, timing successfully and landing a Foresight Slash will allow you to chain a Spirit Roundslash which levels up the gauge by one level.

Foresight Slash (R2+〇) [successful] + Spirit Roundslash (R2)

Note: Foresight Slash completely depletes all your Spirit upon usage.

Advanced tip: after a Foresight Slash, if the monster is about to hit you immediately a second time, do not perform a Spirit Roundslash. Instead, press 〇 to perform a rising slash and then press R2+〇 to do another quick Foresight Slash and evade the second attack.

Foresight Slash (R2+〇) + Rising Slash (〇) + Foresight Slash (R2+〇)

3) Special Sheathe is a particular action that makes you sheathe your weapon, and can only be used after an attack. This stance lasts 3.5 seconds, after that your character automatically sheathes the weapon normally. While in Special Sheathe, you have access to two attacks: Iai Slash by pressing △ or Iai Spirit Slash by pressing R2.

Special Sheathe (R2+✖) + Iai Slash (△)

Iai Slash consists of two slashes, and gradually refills the gauge. Specifically, it fully fills up the Spirit Gauge in 15 seconds upon landing at least one of the 2 slashes.

Special Sheathe (R2+✖) + Iai Spirit Slash (R2)

Iai Spirit Slash is a powerful counter, but it requires perfect timing to successfully execute it. Performing successfully right before a monster is about to hit you and land the attack will level up the Spirit Gauge by one level upon landing.

Note: successfully performing a Iai Spirit Slash allows you to chain another special sheathe by pressing ◻ or a Spirit Blade III by pressing R2.

Iai Spirit Slash (R2+✖) [successful] + special sheathe (◻)

Iai Spirit Slash (R2+✖) [successful] + Spirit Blade III (R2)

4) After an attack or a roll, holding R2 will perform a Spirit Charge. Releasing R2 at any point during the charging stance will perform a Spirit Blade II, III or Spirit Roundslash depending on the charge level. 

Tip: to level up the gauge multiple times fast during an opening, fully charge a Spirit Charge to land a Spirit Roundslash, then perform a rising slash and so do another Spirit Charge to land again a Spirit Roundslash and repeat until you reach Red Gauge.

Spirit Charge (hold R2) + Spirit Roundslash (release R2) + Rising Slash (〇) and repeat

For an in-depth explanation, please watch the Spirit Charge guide.

Once you are in Red Gauge, you have access to new attacks while others get strengthened.

Pressing △ now performs a new quick double slash attack, the Crimson Slash I. Pressing △ again triggers the Crimson Slash II, and finally Crimson Slash III.

Crimson Slash I (△) + Crimson Slash II (△) + Crimson Slash III (△)

Note: this combo can be chained infinitely. 

In Red Gauge you also unlock a new Spirit Roundslash follow-up attack, the Spinning Crimson Slash.

Spirit Roundslash (R2) + Spinning Crimson Slash (R2)

Tip: this move is the most powerful Roundslash follow up and you should try to land it most of the time after a Spirit Roundslash in Red Gauge.

Foresight Slash in Red Gauge becomes Foresight Whirl Slash. It is a stronger version of the regular Foresight Slash and it can only be used after an attack.

Foresight Whirl Slash (R2+〇) [successful] + Spirit Roundslash (R2)

Foresight Whirl Slash (R2+〇) [unsuccessful] + Spirit Step Slash (R2)

Long Sword Focus Strike is called Unbound Thrust and it’s performed by holding L2 and pressing R1. Upon landing it on a wound, there is an automatic follow up attack that eventually triggers a delayed hit which levels up the gauge by a number of Gauge Levels equal to the number of wounds you destroy. 

Note: after a successful Focus Strike: Unbound Thrust, you can perform a Spirit Blade III which then leads to a Spirit Roundslash.

Focus Strike: Unbound Thrust (L2+R1) [successful] + follow-up (no input) + Spirit Blade III (R2) + Spirit Roundslash

Second note: you can perform the Focus Strike follow-up in 4 different directions (forward, backward, right or left) by giving a directional input with the left analog stick.

The secret to playing the Long Sword efficiently is leveling up the gauge as fast as possible and reaching the Red Gauge.

In order to achieve this, there are some moves and combos that you need to exploit.

1) Try to always engage in a fight by landing the Stealth Attack. Make sure not to get spotted by the monster, then go behind him and press 〇 to perform the Stealth Attack. 

Tip: you can chain the Stealth Attack with a Spirit Charge. Use the monster’s flinch after landing the Stealth Attack as an opening to charge your Spirit Charge and land a Spirit Roundslash to level up the gauge fast.

Steal Attack (〇) + Spirit Charge (hold R2) + Spirit Roundslash (release R2)

2) Use monster’s attacks (or roar) to level up the gauge fast with counters.

Note: Foresight is easier to time but deals less damage.

Special Sheathe (R2+△) + Iai Spirit Slash (R2)

Note: Iai Spirit Slash is harder to time but deals more damage.

3) Use Focus Strike on wounds to level up the gauge immediately.

Focus Strike: Unbound Thrust (L2+R1) [successful] + follow-up (no input)

Once you are in Red Gauge, it is recommended to spend the Level Gauge by using a Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash.

If you don’t have an opening to do this combo, use fast attacks like Crimson Slash I, II and III, Foresight Whirls Slash, Spirit Roundslash and Spinning Crimson Slash while you wait for an opening.

Foresight Whirl Slash (R2+〇) [successful] + Spirit Roundslash (R2) + Spinning Crimson Slash (R2)

Long Sword has many combos and attacks. For the sake of time and simplicity, I only explained the basic way of doing most of the attacks. 

I also created a spreadsheet with all the LS attack data here: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/130BAZasCOkHIfgs4OBj8LBWsMegVcB2G9e-xX3CMc88/edit?usp=sharing

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