Alright, so I finally got around to testing out the Rite of the Nine Weapons perks, specifically the level 5 and 6 ones hitting on May 6th, year 25. Wanted to figure out which ones actually matter, cut the fluff, y’know?
First Step – Sorting Through the Mess
Honestly, looking at the full perks list felt like staring at one of those overpriced restaurant menus. Too many options, half sound fancy but probably do nothing. Decided to go in cold – grabbed my trusty Iron Pike and just started plugging points into whatever sounded simple. “Whirlwind Strike”? Sure, why not. “Enduring Might”? Sounds tanky. Slapped ’em on.
Testing Like a Madman
Head straight out to the Scorched Dunes, figuring lots of mobs equals lots of testing. Started swinging. Noticed Whirlwind Strike right away – activating it during a dodge roll actually created this little spin attack, knocked back the smaller critters. Nice! Interrupted their attacks. Bonus points because I didn’t even plan that combo, just button-mashed. Surprise perk synergy! Then I got swarmed. Panicked, used the basic heavy attack – boom, suddenly saw big yellow numbers. That was Enduring Might kicking in! Turns out it pops after getting hit a few times, makes the next heavy hit like a truck. Saved my bacon.
Then I remembered that one perk everyone argues about, “Graceful Parry”. Supposedly boosts parry timing? Skeptical. Found a Sandstalker Scorpion (those jerks have fast attacks). Started trying to parry it normally – kept messing up. Activated Graceful Parry… and suddenly, my parry window felt wider? Like, noticeably wider. Landed three clean parries in a row on that stupid scorpion. Okay, this one’s legit for my playstyle. Didn’t expect it to actually work so well.
Separating Winners from Losers
Got back to my base camp, sat down by the campfire (ingame, obviously). Started sorting my findings:
- Whirlwind Strike: Not fancy, but useful for crowd control when paired with dodge. Keep.
- Enduring Might: Simple passive damage boost when you’re taking heat. Essential for getting out of jams. Keep.
- Graceful Parry: Felt the difference immediately if you parry often. Keep.
Tried a couple others too, like “Fleet Footed”. Claimed stamina boost on sprint? Barely felt anything meaningful. Maybe it works, but nah, too weak to waste points. “Ambient Echo” (energy regen near environmental stuff)? Too niche, unreliable. Straight on the “ignore” list.
The Final Takeaway
What’s the bottom line after all that running around? Forget complex perk descriptions. Go for the ones that do one simple thing well and you’ll actually notice working:
- Whirlwind Strike – Dodge + Attack = Spin.
- Enduring Might – Get hit a lot, next Heavy Hit HURTS.
- Graceful Parry – Parrying just gets easier.
Banged my head against the wall for an hour trying to make the fancy situational perks feel good. Waste of time. Stick with these. They work, they’re straightforward, no math required. Done.