This is a complete overhaul mod for the combat system. Before playing this mod, you must forget the original combat style of Elden Ring and adapt to a new mindset. Interactivity is the core philosophy of this mod! Block enemy onslaughts, counterattack swiftly, switch between offense and defense seamlessly, and let your adrenalin
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This is a complete overhaul mod for the combat system. Before playing this mod, you must forget the original combat style of Elden Ring and adapt to a new mindset. Overall, this mod transforms the player's combat approach, giving Elden Ring a more conventional ARPG experience with enhanced interactivity during boss fights (similar to The First Berserker: Khazan, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Rise of the Ronin, or Black Myth: Wukong). It does not intentionally make the game harder or easier. Although boss movesets remain unchanged, trust me—your battles against bosses in this mod will feel entirely fresh. Familiar bosses will become unfamiliar under this revamped combat system.
Interactivity is the core philosophy of this mod!
Block enemy onslaughts, counterattack swiftly, switch between offense and defense seamlessly, and let your adrenaline surge!
Attack combos are now triggered by the Light Attack button instead of the original Guard button, freeing the latter for defensive actions.
Gameplay Adjustments
To distinguish between single-handed and dual-wielding states (as some dual-wielding animations reuse single-handed moves), a red flame effect appears on the right hand during dual-wielding.
Due to improved weapon performance and mobility, enemy HP, posture, and status resistance are increased by 60%, but their attack power is reduced by 10%.
Advanced Systems
Hidden Combat Arts: When powerstancing with a Greatkatana in your right hand and a Greatsword in your left, the left-hand Greatsword can execute certain skills originally tied to the Greatkatana. This cross-weapon skill sharing also works with combinations like Katana + Straight Sword or Spear + Halberd. Experiment freely to discover more synergies!
Switch Attack: Swap weapons after attacks (including spells/skills) to perform a Switch Strike with brief deflection frames (similar to Nioh 2's "Purple Lightning").
Iaido Adjustment: The Iaido skill is now usable by Odachi-class weapons, with unique animations and mechanics. Landing Iaido Slash chains directly into Spirit Thrust.
Combat Arts
1. Katana Class
Two-Hand: pressing the Interaction button after performing any non-skill attack (or deflection) will activate Blade- Flash, which cancels recovery frames and speeds up stamina regeneration. During the Blade- Flash state, heavy attack changes into Iaido-Slash, and the startup phase of Iaido-Slash has deflection properties. If Iaido-Slash successfully hits the target, pressing heavy attack again will trigger Skyward Slash.
All long combos with the katana can be canceled using Combat Arts.
2. Dagger Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press Left/Right + Light Attack to perform Combo Change Attack, dodging enemy attacks while striking.
3. Straight Sword Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press Left/Right + Dodge to trigger Wuxiang- Snow, summoning a homing Flying Sword that attacks and returns. This can stack up to 3 times, with a maximum of 5 swords active.
4. Spear Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Pole Kick, canceling recovery and evading low attacks. Follow with a light attack for Leaping Smash or a heavy attack for Dasheng Rush. Successfully countering an attack with Pole Kick allows a Twin Dasheng Rush within 3 seconds.
5. Greatsword Class
Two-Hand: Press Guard + Attack to use Overlord's Retaliation (a deflection skill). A successful deflection triggers an auto-counter. If deflection fails, chain into Whirlwind Slash with a light attack. A successful counter alters heavy attack combos—hold to charge (two stages). Charging can be maintained while dodging. At full charge, the weapon glows white.
6. GreatKatana Class
Two-Hand: After any attack, press the Interaction button to perform Foresight Slash. Successfully deflecting allows a heavy attack to chain into Spirit Thrust. If parry fails, finish the animation to use Spirit Roundslash, which can still chain into Spirit Thrust. Successful counters empower the next Spirit Helm Breaker to deal 5 hits.
7. Colossal Sword Class
Two-Hand: After any attack, press the Interaction button to perform Tackle, canceling recovery and granting hyper armor. Follow with a charged heavy attack for Charged Slash (with tracking). Release at the first white flash for Stage 1, or hold until the second flash for True Charged Slash. Overcharging results in a weaker hit. During charging, press light attack to Offset Attack and chain into two follow-up slashes.
8. Hand-two-hand Arts Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to enter Tai Chi Stance. Taking damage triggers Tai Chi Counter. If unharmed, transition to Mind's Eye Stance, where Left/Right + Light Attack triggers Reversal Strike.
9. Twinblade Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), pressing the Interaction button after performing any non-Skill attack (or deflection) will activate Resolute Counterflow. Successfully reading the enemy’s move grants full invincibility during the counter motion. Pressing heavy attack afterward will follow up with Storm Rage.
10.Fist Class
Two-Hand: pressing the Interaction button after any non-skill attack (or deflection) performs a Jeet Kune/Intercepting Fist.
Successfully intercepting an enemy’s action triggers a Palm Strike, knocking back non-super armor enemies and allowing a follow-up light attack to perform Blitz Crash Smash
11. Curved Greatsword Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Head Wrap Slash. Successfully blocking an enemy attack changes heavy attacks to Bloodstorm. You must first use Bloodstorm to reactivate Head Wrap Slash.
12. Halberd Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press Left/Right + Dodge to perform Pole Vault, circling behind enemies. Perfectly dodging an attack with Pole Vault allows a heavy attack to chain into Jump Smash.
13. Colossal Weapon Class
Two-Hand: During a charged attack, press light attack to trigger Clash Block. Successfully countering allows a heavy attack to chain into Heart Piercer Kick, followed by another heavy attack for Crescent Splitter.
14. Axe Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Dragon Uppercut. Land four unique light attacks to enable knockback on Dragon Uppercut.
15. Light Greatsword Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press Left/Right + Light Attack to trigger Wuxiang-Swallow. Follow with a light attack to chain into Jade Maiden Rush.
16. Scythe Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Cloud Piercer. Successfully reading an enemy attack allows a heavy attack to chain into Cloud Slash, then another heavy attack for Cliffside Strangle.
17. Flail Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Dragon’s Grasp, deflecting enemy attacks or redirecting projectiles.
18. Rapier Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Precision Thrust, evading enemy attacks.
19. Curved Sword Class
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press the Interaction button to perform Swallow Return Slash. Follow with a heavy attack to chain into Gale Dancer Rush.
20. Backhand Blades
Two-Hand: After any non-skill attack (or deflection), press Left/Right + Light Attack to trigger Wuxiang-Jade dodging attacks while striking.
21. Bow Classes (Longbow/Greatbow/Shortbow)
While aiming, rolling left/right triggers Evasion Shot, and backstepping triggers Retreating Shot. After either, press heavy attack to chain into Aerial Barrage.
Special weapons Combat Arts
Smithscript Weapons
Smithscript Cirque:
Light attacks = melee; heavy attacks = ranged.
Light → Heavy: Backflip.
Heavy → Light: Wind Chase.
After Backflip, press Light for Wind Chase or Heavy for Phoenix Rebirth (ranged attack).
Smithscript Axe/Smithscript Dagger:
Light → Heavy: Retreat Throw.
Heavy → Light: Throw Pursuit.
Special Katana
Moonvei:
Two-Hand: ressing the Interaction button after performing any non-Skill's attack (or deflection) will trigger Silent Rain, which can deflect an enemy's move and follow up with a three-hit combo. Pressing the light attack afterward will chain into Shattered Combo.
Backstep to enter Iaido Stance; press Light Attack for Iaido Counter.
Nagakiba:
Two-Hand: pressing the Interaction button after performing any non-Skill's attack (or deflection) will trigger Fangbreaker Thrust. If it successfully nullifies enemy damage, the weapon will emit a yellow glow—pressing the heavy attack button at this moment will chain into Sweeping Ground Slash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What type of players is Sword Heart Shura suitable for? Can players enjoy it normally without having played Elden Ring?
A: This mod is designed for all action game enthusiasts, regardless of whether you've experienced Elden Ring itself. However, it is not recommended for Souls-like purists.
Q: With enhanced character capabilities in the mod, does the game become too easy and boring?
A: Enemy health and poise have been increased by 50% from the original version, combined with intensified close-quarters combat mechanics that significantly boost enemy aggression. While boss move sets remain unchanged, you'll experience completely fresh encounters - familiar bosses will feel foreign under this revamped combat system. Regarding exploration difficulty: enemy durability remains unchanged (maintaining previous versions' challenge for regular foes), but enemy aggression in group combat has been reduced by approximately 30%. With the mod's enhanced mechanics, players can now handle encounters more comfortably.
Q: How many new weapons were added? Are there modifications beyond weapon move sets? Will flashy moves be useless against high-poise enemies?
A: This mod adds no new weapons, focusing exclusively on modifying existing weapon types. Most categories (excluding torches, hammers, heavy thrusting swords, and whips) have received comprehensive adjustments (unique move set weapons remain unmodified for future updates). Only the combat system has been overhauled - Elden Ring's near-perfect exploration experience has been intentionally preserved as I consider it unparalleled. The original weapon system's "quantity over quality" approach felt lacking compared to other exceptional elements. To address Elden Ring's 20-30 weapon types (vs 5-10 in standard ARPGs), animations from multiple ARPGs have been repurposed to enrich combat diversity. My goal is to let players rediscover the joy of finding new weapons - equipping each discovery to experiment with moves, ultimately experiencing what I envision as "the true essence of Elden Ring" through this authentic ARPG combat system in its vast open world.
Disclaimer：
As I have no proficiency in English, this guide has been fully machine-translated. Actual gameplay may occasionally deviate from the descriptions due to translation inaccuracies. Please verify mechanics independently if inconsistencies arise. A Chinese version of the guide is included in the attached files for cross-reference. Your understanding is appreciated.
