The Swordsman is one of the three main classes in Legend of Elements, and arguably the best starter class for new players thanks to its high single-target DPS and straightforward playstyle. The class specializes in bursting down bosses and players quickly, making it especially effective in both PvP and timed PvE boss stages.
However, the Swordsman’s main drawback lies in its limited Area of Effect (AoE) coverage. While it dominates single targets, it struggles to handle large waves of enemies effectively. That said, with the right build — focusing on raw speed and critical output — you can mitigate this weakness and turn the Swordsman into a top-tier performer in nearly any scenario.
Understanding the Swordsman Class
To play the Swordsman effectively, it’s important to understand its strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths
- Exceptional single-target burst damage.
- Excels in boss fights and 1v1 duels.
- Strong crit scaling and reliable core damage skills.
- Naturally synergizes with Speed-focused builds.
Weaknesses
- Weak AoE coverage, making mob-heavy stages slower.
- Relies on high uptime and skill timing to sustain DPS.
- Lacks defensive tools — positioning and dodging are crucial.
The Swordsman’s entire identity revolves around speed and damage per second (DPS). Every stat, skill, and refinement you focus on should contribute toward hitting faster, harder, and more consistently.
Key Stats for Swordsman
When building your Swordsman, always focus on these key attributes:
| Priority | Stat | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1️⃣ | Speed | Directly affects DPS uptime and skill rotation. |
| 2️⃣ | Core Skill DMG | Increases the output of Empyrean Sword and core attacks. |
| 3️⃣ | Skill DMG | Boosts total ability damage output. |
| 4️⃣ | Crit Rate | Increases the chance to land critical hits. |
| 5️⃣ | Crit Damage | Multiplies overall damage when critting. |
1. Skills
Your Core Skill as a Swordsman is Empyrean Sword, and this cannot be changed unless you switch classes. It’s your bread-and-butter ability — powerful, consistent, and central to your DPS loop.
Recommended Active Skills
- Edged Ward — Provides sustained self-buffing, improving both offense and defense.
- Aureate Dominion — Burst-oriented skill that amplifies attack power during key fights.
- Diving Blade — Excellent gap-closer and high burst finisher; perfect for PvP and bossing.
These three actives ensure you have a smooth rotation between damage bursts, self-sustain, and mobility — the core of what makes Swordsman efficient.
Recommended Passive Skills
- Elemental Unity — Boosts elemental synergy and damage consistency.
- Crushing Force — Flat increase to attack power and critical scaling.
- Flurry of Flows — Increases attack speed and damage chain uptime.
- Cross Strike — Enhances combo potential with Empyrean Sword.
- Cleansing Strike — Helps maintain offense by removing debuffs mid-battle.
These passives ensure constant damage flow without sacrificing survivability or consistency.
2. Spirits
Spirits play a huge role in shaping your class identity, and for the Swordsman, they directly affect how fast and hard you hit.
Recommended Spirits
- Shadowpaw — Increases agility and burst windows.
- Dawnweaver — Boosts damage output during ultimate uptime.
- Celestine — Excellent for boss fights; improves consistent DPS uptime.
- Demonflame — Best for raw attack scaling and critical burst.
- Skysong — Adds balanced offensive bonuses (but lower than Demonflame).
- Warshade — Enhances overall speed and mobility.
Focus primarily on Speed and Damage buffs from Spirits. The difference between options is often minimal, so go with whichever Spirit has higher rarity or better stat rolls (e.g., pick a Rare SSR Demonflame over a normal SSR Skysong).
Alternative Spirits (Early Game Options)
If you haven’t unlocked the main Spirits, try these alternatives:
- Spring Spirit — Provides reliable early Attack and Speed buffs.
- Heartbind Spirit — Small crit chance and sustain bonuses.
- Bronzesticks Spirit — Boosts survivability; decent early substitute.
- Sunchaser Spirit — Adds attack and movement speed; strong early-game pick.
3. Gear Refines
Early Game Tip:
Do not waste Refining Sand early on unless you are sure about the stat rolls. Refining becomes impactful only once you’ve reached stable gear levels.
Refine Priority
- Speed (Top Priority) — Every point in Speed compounds your DPS; treat it as your number one refine.
- Focus / Attack / Crit — These serve as backups if Speed rolls aren’t available yet.
Even if a piece has higher Power but no Speed, do not swap unless it significantly boosts secondary stats. Long term, Speed is King — prioritize it even if it takes more Refining Sand and patience to achieve.
4. Mounts
Mounts provide massive bonuses that can drastically shift performance in both PvP and PvE. Below are the optimal picks for each mode.
Best PvP Mounts
| Mount | Effect | Why It’s Good |
|---|---|---|
| Slayer Gourd | +30% Skill Damage | Unparalleled DPS buff for burst windows. |
| Bad Boy | +500% ATK as True Damage on Active Skill | Consistent, reliable trigger; great for sustained duels. |
| Nebulight | 50% chance to deal +1000% ATK as True Damage | Higher potential burst, but RNG-dependent. |
Personal Tip: I rate Bad Boy slightly higher than Nebulight for PvP because of its consistency. True damage is only valuable if it procs reliably.
Best PvE Mounts
PvE rewards AoE coverage and time efficiency over survivability. Prioritize mounts that help clear multiple enemies quickly or boost total stage damage.
| Mount | Effect | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Jadesky Ray | +45% Global Damage if HP ≥ 70% | Tremendous global buff; unbeatable for DPS. |
| Skybrand Ruination | Large AoE damage pulses | Perfectly offsets Swordsman’s AoE weakness. |
| Stormflame Wheels | +1% Crit & Crit DMG every second (up to 20%) | Ideal for short boss fights or timed battles. |
In boss-only PvE fights, revert to your PvP mounts — they’re better for raw single-target damage.
5. Relics
Relics are your long-term stat multipliers — and while drops are RNG-based, the way you prioritize upgrades can make a huge difference.
What to Look For
Focus on relics that enhance:
- Speed
- Attack Power
- Damage or Crit Buffs
Example:
If you obtain a relic like Phoenix Plume with “Attack increases by 270 for every 10 levels gained”, that’s a perfect fit. As you level up, it keeps scaling linearly — and upgrading it further amplifies that growth.
Upgrade Priority
- Relics with scaling offensive stats > defensive ones.
- Anything that improves your damage per level or per hit multiplier should take precedence.
Note: As the game evolves, more relics will be introduced. Instead of memorizing names, understand the underlying principle — speed, attack, and consistent scaling are always best-in-slot for Swordsmen.
6. Vessels
Vessels act as your endgame customization tool. They provide Glyph Sockets and passive bonuses that directly influence your build.
Recommendations
- Always socket Speed, Attack, or Damage glyphs first.
- Avoid defensive or mana-based glyphs unless your build specifically demands it.
You can synthesize and deploy other vessels for additional buffs.
Example:
- Wordly Scroll Vessel — Grants +1.02% Crit baseline.
While crit builds have an RNG element, the Swordsman benefits from any reliable damage spike. If no alternative vessel offers pure offensive stats, this is your best pick.
Personal Note: I generally avoid crit-focused RNG stats, but for Swordsman, it’s one of the few efficient options that complement Speed scaling well.
The Swordsman thrives on momentum — you’re rewarded for aggression, precision, and optimizing every second of combat uptime. Whether you’re slicing through bosses or dueling players, maintaining Speed, Skill Damage, and Critical Efficiency are your pillars of success.
