In thisA.I. Limitguide, I’m going to explain the general approach to building your character when using the Dual Swords weapon type as your main weapon.
Dual SwordsinA.I. Limitoffer the highest attack speed with rapid and nimble slashes. They’re the best weapon choice if you prefer an offensive and flashy playstyle.
If you chose theBlader Swordsas your starting weapon, don’t worry—they’re solid for the early portion of the game. You’ll be able to obtain better dual swords once you reach the mid-game. Thanks to the weapon upgrade and scaling systems, none of the weapons become obsolete as long as you continue upgrading them with the materials you find throughout your journey.
Attribute Distribution
Let’s start with attribute point allocation.Dual Swordsprimarily scale with the Technique attribute inA.I. Limit.While the amount of scaling can differ slightly between swords, focusing on Technique will be the most efficient way to boost your damage output.
For other attributes, I’ve found that15 points in Vitality by level 50, and20 by level 100, is sufficient. AlthoughSync Rategain increases with Vitality, the benefit isn’t substantial enough compared to the raw damage increase you get from investing in Strength or Technique.
As for Life, the ideal amount will vary depending on the player. Generally,25 points in Life by level 50 and 35 by level 100is a good baseline. If you prefer a more aggressive build and want to avoid getting one-shotted by combo strings, consider increasing this to40 or even 50.More Life makes the game more forgiving, letting you survive more mistakes.
you’re able to safely ignoreSpirit and Strengthwhen usingDual Swords, as they don’t scale well with this weapon type. Only invest the minimum required to wield your chosen sword—having12 Strength and 12 Spiritwill allow you to use all Dual Swords in the game.
After investing40 points in Technique, you might consider putting points intoStrength, as the scaling with Technique starts to fall off beyond that point.
There are a total of sevenDual Swordsin the game.
As mentioned earlier, theBlader Swordswill carry you reliably from early to mid-game. Their weapon skill, Swift Stabs, unleashes a series of rapid stabbing attacks followed by an upward slash, capable of staggering most enemies. This attack has almost no wind-up and is extremely useful against tougher enemies, as it applies constant pressure.
Around mid-game, you’ll encounter several otherDual Swords, but I recommend switching to the Opossum Sais, which have the highest damage per strike among allDual Swords.
The Opossum Sais require10 Strength, 15 Technique, and 11 Spiritto wield, and they deal both physical and fire damage. Their weapon skill,Execution Flame,staggers enemies and can be performed relatively quickly. It also infuses your swords with fire, further increasing your elemental damage. While the weapon does scale with Spirit, the scaling isn’t strong enough to justify investing points into the Spirit attribute.
Alternatively, you may usethe Reapers, which are obtained by trading in an elite Necro Nucleus. This weapon is fantastic for applying the Piercing status effect, triggering massive burst damage when the effect procs. Its weapon skill, Blood Harvest, extends your attack range and unleashes a flurry of spinning strikes, rapidly building the Piercing effect.
If you’d rather keep the elite Necro Nucleus for increased crystal gain, you can opt for theCorrupted Blader Swordsinstead. These function similarly to the Reapers but build up Piercing damage more slowly. Their skill, Berserker Slash, delivers a rapid series of slashes in front of you that also inflict Piercing. However, they have shorter reach compared to the Reapers.
Although you’ll come across otherDual Swordsduring your playthrough, I find the above weapons to be the most effective choices as you progress through the game.
AlthoughA.I. Limitfeatures spells, their functionality is limited compared to otherSoulslike games. They act more as secondary, complementary abilities rather than being a main source of damage. While you can change your equipped spell at any time via the equipment menu, you can only have one spell equipped at a time, which can be frustrating during combat when you have to pause and navigate menus mid-fight, breaking the flow of battle.
The spell I found most useful—not just for myDual Swordsplaythrough but with any weapon—is Partial Reconstruction. This spell costs 60% of your Sync Rate and is the most expensive spell in the game, but it allows you to regain health without using consumables or Life Drop charges. However, it has a longer cast time than consumables, so proper timing is crucial.
Aside from Partial Reconstruction, spells aren’t heavily relied on when usingDual Swords. The focus is more on swift, successive attacks to quickly eliminate enemies.
When using theDual Swords, I found that the Standard Seal of the Bladers worked really well during my early and mid-game. This seal is great for a balanced build because it allows fasterSync Rategain by landing attacks when yourSync Rateis below 70%, and increases your stability when it’s above 70%. This makes it easier to maintain yourSync Rateand consistently use weapon skills and spells.
This main seal has four normal seal slots that you can use to gain passive stat bonuses. Generally, I use seals that give me increased defense for all damage types, increased conversion, increasedLife Points, and increased burst damage. These aren’t necessary to perform well—you can switch them out with any seals you prefer—but I used this particular combination to strike a good balance between offense and defense in my playthrough.
In the late game, I switched myMain Sealto the Seal of the Tree. This is because the seal increases passive regeneration of yourSync Ratefrom50% to 75%, allowing you to use more skills and spells before needing to recharge by landing attacks. It provides more room for healing and using weapon skills or offensive spells before switching to regular attacks for damage.
I mainly used these seals while exploring new areas or when I wanted to play relatively safe. But when I wanted to go on the offensive and play super aggressively, the Seal of the Executor was amazing to use with the Dual Blades, as you can quickly regain health with the rapid strikes. If you want to use this seal, it’s recommended to have at least 50 points in the Life attribute to boost survivability. You can also use Breath of Life and Tide of Life to gain an additional 15% HP, since using this seal reduces all your defensive values by 50%.
In addition to the lowered defense, another major drawback is that the seal only gives you one Sync Rate level—although it’s the highest. This means you won’t be able to use the Partial Reconstruction spell and will have to rely mostly on consumables or healing through attacks.
The Headwear, Armor and Nucleus
While there areHeadwear and Armorpieces that provide varying degrees of defense, there are no set bonuses or unique attributes tied to them. As a result, it’s best to swap in whatever pieces offer the highest defense values as you progress. These items don’t affect or change your playstyle beyond offering additional protection.
For theNucleusaccessory slot, your choice depends on how confident you are in your abilities. Generally, when I wanted to take fewer risks and protect my crystals in a new area, I equipped aNucleuswith a higher retention rate—so I would lose fewer crystals upon death. Once I became familiar with an area or wanted to farm for crystals, I switched to a Nucleus with a higher absorption rate, which lets you gain more crystals per enemy.
Spell Frame Abilities
The firstSpell Frameability you acquire,Counter Field, is—hands down—the most useful. It requires learning enemy timing, but the counter window is forgiving. Even the hardest bosses become manageable once you learn their patterns. Mastering this can trivialize large parts of the game, as most enemies enter a weakened state after being countered, opening them up for a fatal strike.
If you’re struggling with counter timing or just learning enemy patterns,Shieldis a solid alternative. It blocks all physical damage and most elemental damage. However, status effects will still build up. Also, you may’t block forever—the shield accumulates energy with each hit. Once it’s overloaded (indicated by a purple glow), your block becomes ineffective. You must discharge it with anOverload Burstattack, which staggers enemies if landed, to resume normal blocking.
The third ability,Piercing Claw, is more offensive. It applies a Piercing status effect to you and gives you a temporary Claw buff, allowing all your attacks to trigger energy claw strikes that deal piercing damage. The buff drains over time but is replenished by landing attacks. This ability pairs excellently withDual Swords, and especially well with theReapers or Corrupted Blader Swords, enabling rapidPiercing Burstprocs.
The last ability, Thunder Step, is a dodge move that provides more mobility than standard dodges. A perfect dodge creates a mirror image that explodes after a few seconds, dealing electrical damage. However, it doesn’t stagger enemies or set them up for fatal strikes, making it the least effectiveSpell Frameability in most situations.
To maximize your combat potential, you can activatePiercing Clawbefore a fight and keep it going throughout, significantly boosting damage. When paired withCounter Field, this combo makes it easy to defeat even the game’s toughest foes usingDual Swords.
Conclusion
So, this wraps up my guide for using theDual Swordsweapon type inA.I limit. These weapons are the flashiest weapons inA.I limitwhile allowing you to deal massive amounts of damage in a short time using their fast attack speed. If you want to take down enemies quickly and look good while doing so, these weapons are the weapon type for you when playingA.I limit.
If you have other tips or tricks that you want to add when using theDual Swords, please leave them in the comment below and be sure to check out thewikifor other guides.
