Hammer + Large Shield questions

tw4

Hey Fiona players. I'm used to playing Hammer with Small Shield because I LOVE the counterattack, but I recently watched a video that says Large Shield pairs better with Hammers because with Small Shield/Counterattack you want to get the Shield Enhance skill but that's only available with Long Sword. With Large Shield you can get Iron Defense, which lets you use the extra Butterfly combo, which is the best dps combo that Hammer has.

My question is, between Iron Defense, Slashing High, Shield Charge, and Blooming Violet, how should I prioritize my SP usage? Should I do Shield Charge, then Iron Defense, and then Slashing High once I get back up to 750 SP? Or is there a more optimal rotation?

And if you think I should still continue to use Small Shield with Hammer, please chime in. I'm open to suggestions.

Leucosie

Hey, there really is no reason for me to play hammer with largeshield. No you don't want shield enhancement because hammer fiona doesn't rely on counters to deal high damage but on her butterfly combo ( SH mode ) and double stigmas. Counters are quite fast, they still deal sone nice damage even without shield enhancement and they give a lot of sp, which is all you want as a hammer player. There are a lot of situations you simply can't take advantage of with a large shield just like this one



I just effortlessly built 265 sp and dealt some nice damage out of counters. I can't figure how a largeshield player could handle this

Plus i don't think you get enough sp during raids to juggle between Iron Defense, Slashing High and Shield Charge. Also iron defense doesn't grant you the 20% speed buff and the skill has a long cooldown

I hope my view on this matter helps you

tw4

Leucosie said:

Hey, there really is no reason for me to play hammer with largeshield. No you don't want shield enhancement because hammer fiona doesn't rely on counters to deal high damage but on her butterfly combo ( SH mode ) and double stigmas.

Ah I see, thanks! One quick question. What do you mean by "double stigma"? Do you mean when you parry while charging up stigma and then unleash the enhanced version?

Leucosie

tw4 said:

Do you mean when you parry while charging up stigma and then unleash the enhanced version?

Almost ! I meant when you parry just after landing a stigma so you can land an enhanced one right after

tw4

Leucosie said:

tw4 said:

Do you mean when you parry while charging up stigma and then unleash the enhanced version?

Almost ! I meant when you parry just after landing a stigma so you can land an enhanced one right after

Oh I thought right after stigma is the one time you can't parry though?

Leucosie

tw4 said:

Oh I thought right after stigma is the one time you can't parry though?

Yea you are right, you can no longer parry after fiona recovers from hitting the ground with the hammer. But you can parry before she does, just when your hammer connects with the boss/enemy ( or whatever ). You actually got plenty of time to deflect once you get used to doing it. Here is an example, images are better than words !



Also 1:18 here

Ohey I forgot to mention ! Iron defence doesn't grant the sweet infite stamina that SH does ( and butterfly combo is quite stamina hungry )

tw4

Leucosie said:

tw4 said:

Oh I thought right after stigma is the one time you can't parry though?

Yea you are right, you can no longer parry after fiona recovers from hitting the ground with the hammer. But you can parry before she does, just when your hammer connects with the boss/enemy ( or whatever ).

Oh damn that is REALLY cool. Thanks a bunch!