This is the data view of every Sword Skill confirmed by name in Echoes of Aincrad, grouped by weapon type. Sword Skills are the SP-fuelled special attacks at the heart of combat — you equip up to three at a time from a pool you unlock with Weapon Exp. For how they actually work (SP, timing, loadout), read the Sword Skills guide; this page is the lookup table.
Source boundary. Skill names come from the official Weapon Overview. Role labels and descriptions interpret the visible animation, weapon identity and trailer footage; they are editorial aids, not claims about hidden SP costs, damage values or full skill trees.
What a Sword Skill is
In a combat system with no magic, Sword Skills are your special moves — scripted, high-damage attacks unique to each weapon type. They spend SP rather than Stamina, and because SP builds by landing attacks, they're a reward you earn mid-fight rather than a cooldown. The catch is the three-slot cap: you choose which three to bring from everything you've unlocked, so this database is really a menu you build a loadout from. The names below carry real identity — a "Whirlwind" clears crowds, a "Meteor Strike" ends a stagger — which is exactly why knowing the roster helps you plan.
All confirmed skills at a glance
| Skill | Weapon | Role (inferred) | What it does (inferred) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Nail | One-Handed Sword | Opener | A quick single thrust — a fast, low-commitment way to start a combo or poke into a gap. |
| Rage Spike | One-Handed Sword | Burst | An aggressive forward stab that trades the sword’s balance for a spike of damage. |
| Horizontal Quad Slash | One-Handed Sword | Multi-hit | A four-hit horizontal arc — strong single-target damage, and the one-handed sword’s signature skill. |
| Brave Leap | Two-Handed Sword | Gap-closer | A leaping two-handed strike that closes distance and lands with weight. |
| Meteor Strike | Two-Handed Sword | Heavy finisher | A committal overhead slam — big damage and long recovery, best spent in a stagger window. |
| Whirlwind | Two-Handed Axe | AoE Guard Break | A wide spinning axe swing built to Guard Break and hit a whole group at once. |
| Rapid Bite | Dagger | Flurry | A fast series of short-range stabs — the dagger’s bread-and-butter close-range pressure. |
| Swarm Sting | Dagger | Flurry | A flurry of rapid pokes that swarms a target — high hit-count at melee range. |
| Emerald Edge | Dagger | Burst | A dynamic dagger skill with a bright green arc, shown in the official Weapon Overview. |
| Lier Lunge | Rapier | Thrust | A linear forward lunge that strikes from the very tip of the rapier’s range. |
| Cyclone | Rapier | Spin | A spinning rapier flurry — sustained single-target pressure with a little crowd coverage. |
| Wave Bash | Mace | Guard Break | A blunt mace impact built to break defenses and stagger armored foes. |
Jump to a weapon: One-Handed Sword · Two-Handed Sword · Two-Handed Axe · Dagger · Rapier · Mace.
Skills by weapon type
One-Handed Sword
Confirmed skills: Sharp Nail, Rage Spike, Horizontal Quad Slash.
- Sharp Nail (Opener) — A quick single thrust — a fast, low-commitment way to start a combo or poke into a gap.
- Rage Spike (Burst) — An aggressive forward stab that trades the sword’s balance for a spike of damage.
- Horizontal Quad Slash (Multi-hit) — A four-hit horizontal arc — strong single-target damage, and the one-handed sword’s signature skill.
Two-Handed Sword
Confirmed skills: Brave Leap, Meteor Strike.
- Brave Leap (Gap-closer) — A leaping two-handed strike that closes distance and lands with weight.
- Meteor Strike (Heavy finisher) — A committal overhead slam — big damage and long recovery, best spent in a stagger window.
Two-Handed Axe
Confirmed skills: Whirlwind.
- Whirlwind (AoE Guard Break) — A wide spinning axe swing built to Guard Break and hit a whole group at once.
Dagger
Confirmed skills: Rapid Bite, Swarm Sting, Emerald Edge.
- Rapid Bite (Flurry) — A fast series of short-range stabs — the dagger’s bread-and-butter close-range pressure.
- Swarm Sting (Flurry) — A flurry of rapid pokes that swarms a target — high hit-count at melee range.
- Emerald Edge (Burst) — A dynamic dagger skill with a bright green arc, shown in the official Weapon Overview.
Rapier
Confirmed skills: Lier Lunge, Cyclone.
- Lier Lunge (Thrust) — A linear forward lunge that strikes from the very tip of the rapier’s range.
- Cyclone (Spin) — A spinning rapier flurry — sustained single-target pressure with a little crowd coverage.
Mace
Confirmed skills: Wave Bash.
- Wave Bash (Guard Break) — A blunt mace impact built to break defenses and stagger armored foes.
How to read this for a loadout
Since you can only equip three, think in roles rather than collecting favorites. A balanced trio usually covers three jobs: a fast opener to start pressure cheaply (Sharp Nail, Rapid Bite), a high-damage finisher for stagger windows (Meteor Strike, Horizontal Quad Slash), and an answer to your build's weakness — a Guard Break against armored foes (Wave Bash, Whirlwind) or a gap-closer if you struggle to reach fast enemies (Brave Leap). Against a single boss you might drop the crowd option for a second single-target hitter; against packs you'd bring the wide skills you'd never slot for a duel. The three slots are a puzzle you re-solve per fight — which is the whole point of the cap.
The roles, and when each matters
The "role" column groups skills by the job they do in a fight, which is more useful for building a loadout than the raw names. Here's what each role is for:
- Openers (Sharp Nail, Rapid Bite) — cheap, fast skills to start pressure or poke into a gap without over-committing.
- Multi-hit / Flurry (Horizontal Quad Slash, Swarm Sting) — sustained single-target damage that racks up hits; your reliable cash-in when you've built SP.
- Heavy finishers (Meteor Strike) — big, committal payoffs best saved for a stagger or a safe window, since their long recovery leaves you exposed.
- Guard Breaks (Wave Bash, Whirlwind) — blunt or wide skills that shatter an armored enemy's defense so the rest of your damage lands.
- Gap-closers (Brave Leap) — skills that close distance, invaluable for slow weapons chasing a mobile target.
- Thrusts / Spins (Lier Lunge, Cyclone) — the rapier's spacing tools, fought at the very tip of your range where enemy swings whiff.
A weapon's identity is really the shape of its skill roster: the two-handed axe leans on Guard Breaks and AoE, the dagger on flurries, the rapier on precise thrusts, the one-handed sword on balanced multi-hit arcs. Match your three equipped skills to the fight ahead — a Guard Break for an armored boss, a gap-closer for a runner — and the weapon's strengths do the rest.
Confirmed, not complete
Read this as a named-example database, not a complete skill tree. Each weapon has more skills than one overview video displays. Everything beyond the names is labeled editorial analysis based on the animation and weapon identity. The page deliberately excludes unsupported SP costs, damage values and unlock levels instead of filling the table with familiar franchise moves that the cited game material does not show.
FAQ
How many Sword Skills does each weapon have?
How many Sword Skills can you equip at once?
Do Sword Skills cost SP or Stamina?
Are these all the Sword Skills in the game?
Where to go next
Learn how to use these in the Sword Skills guide, pick the weapon whose roster fits you in the weapons database, and fuel them by managing the SP gauge.
Sources
Skill names confirmed from the official Weapon Overview; roles and effects inferred and labeled as such. Frames captured from the same official trailer.