Saber: keep a blocking option
Stay with the Saber if you are still learning attack timings or prefer to block when a parry feels risky. It gives you both options, so you can learn a fight without committing every defense to a parry.
Pair it with Blocking and enough Maximum Endurance to defend after attacking. Improve Melee Damage once you can reliably survive the enemy’s response.
Rapier: parries and weak-point thrusts
The Rapier becomes available in Chapter 3 — Rendezvous. Choose it when you can parry consistently and want to stab glowing weak points with its thrusts.
Its key tradeoff is defense: you lose the Saber’s blocking option. Try that change against familiar enemies before making it your main weapon. Parrying Impact supports this style by increasing posture pressure from successful parries.
Pick your gun by distance
| Situation | Firearm to use |
|---|---|
| A clear weak point or an environmental target | Pistol |
| A target at close range | Blunderbuss |
| A single target at long range | Musket |
Use the weapon that solves your current problem. The Blunderbuss’s close-range role does not make it a substitute for a long-range Musket shot.
Save the final upgrade until you have chosen
Final firearm upgrades require a Masterwork Firearm Part. One pickup is in the University: look for the chest below the balcony in the lecture hall behind Main Hall.
Treat that part as a commitment. Test the gun you want to finish before using it, and keep ordinary upgrades separate from the decision to spend the final-tier material.