Wiki / Weapons
Staff
A ranged fighting style: crystal shards, a wave along the ground, a magic bar and an energy shield.
Status: Built, not yet played by people · Last checked: 14 Nov 2026
A hero holding a staff fights from a distance. Taps shoot crystal shards, a hold sends a wave along the ground, and up close the staff is swung as a long pole. It runs on a blue magic bar and guards with an energy shield. Built on 14 Nov 2026; not yet played by people.
What makes it different
| Staff | Hand and shield | |
|---|---|---|
| The bar | Magic (blue), same rules as stamina | Stamina (gold) |
| Light attacks | Shoot crystal shards | Sword cuts |
| What a shot costs | Magic when it leaves, hit or miss | A miss costs, a hit costs little |
| Guard | An energy shield held in front | A block |
| Heavy (hold attack) | Earthcall: a wave along the ground | A cleave |
| Guard + attack | The Clearing ring: a small burst to both sides | The shield bash |
| Ultimate | Starfall | Sunfall |
The moves
| Move | How | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Shard, Second shard, Splinter burst | Attack, three taps | Three shots, each flying about half the floor |
| Earthcall | Hold attack, then let go | Both hands raise the staff while you hold; on release its foot is driven into the ground and a wave runs forward along the floor, well over half the floor, throwing the enemy away. Hold longer for more damage |
| Clearing ring | Guard + attack | The staff is turned once and set down: a small ring runs along the ground to both sides. It only makes room: a push and a short stagger |
| Butt jab / Rising sweep / Low sweep | Standing: side, up, down + attack | The staff as a pole. The Butt jab is its quick poke up close |
| Staff drive / Skyward burst / Ground spike | Side, up, down + hold attack | A lunge behind the staff; a rising sweep that leaps when loaded; the staff's foot brought down in front |
| Air whirl / Air strike / Air upswing / Air spike | In the air | The air attacks |
| Falling star | In the air: down + hold attack | A plunge |
| Running sweep, Driving jab | Running: attack, attack | The running string |
| Vaulting ram, Overhead smash | Sprinting: attack, attack | The sprint string |
| Starfall | The ultimate | A column of light comes down a few steps in front of the caster. The same strength as Sunfall |
The recovery leap, the back dodge, the ledge attack and the skills are the same for every weapon.
When to use what
- Shoot shards from range, but watch the magic bar: every shot costs magic whether it hits or not. With the bar empty a shot does no damage and flies half as far.
- Earthcall is the knock-out move. It stops where the ground ends.
- Up close, use the pole. It is longer and slower than a sword, not stronger, and it still works with the magic bar empty.
- Shots fly straight ahead only and cannot be made in the air.
The energy shield (its guard)
- Slower to come up and go down than a shield of wood.
- Against shots and spells it is cheap to hold: they cost it half the usual price.
- Against weapons it is expensive: they cost it double.
- A perfect guard sends a shot back.
What beats it
- Jump: a jump clears Earthcall's wave, and a guard stops it.
- Rush it during Earthcall's wind-up: the guard is down.
- Get close with a weapon: the energy shield is weak against weapons.
- Make it waste shots: an empty magic bar leaves only the pole.
- Dual wield's sidestep passes through its shots.
How it is carried
The staff stands in front of the body, upright, its foot on the ground, the hand low on the shaft, when standing, walking and behind the energy shield. In a run it is tilted forward across the body. For a spell cast by hand it stays planted close to the body while the other hand casts.
Nerd section: the exact numbers
Built on 14 Nov 2026, checked by 19 automatic tests (tests/staff.test.ts) and seen in the browser; not yet played by people. A hero holding a staff fights with it; adding ?weapon=staff to the address tries it with any hero. Earthcall leaves its caster open during the wind-up (the guard is down), and a jump early in the wind-up clears the wave.
Its own moves, in numbers
| Move | Damage | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shard, Second shard, Splinter burst | 1 / 1 / 2% (perfect 1 / 3 / 4%) | 4 / 4 / 5 magic | Each flies about 170 pixels, half the floor. With the magic bar empty a shot does no damage (it only nudges) and flies half as far |
| Earthcall | 8% (more with a longer hold) | 7 magic | 0.15 s after the release (frame 9) the wave starts; it runs about 220 pixels at 6 pixels a frame and throws as the sword's Overhead cleave does. A jump clears it; it ends where the ground ends; a guard stops it. 0.73 s (44 frames) after the release in all |
| Clearing ring | 1% | 12 magic | Set down on frame 12: a ring runs 40 pixels along the ground to both sides. A flat push and a stagger of at least 0.2 s (12 frames). 0.67 s (40 frames) in all; the guard is down while it lasts |
| Starfall | 14% | A full ultimate bar | After a 0.5 s wind-up (frame 30); 1.17 s (70 frames) in all |
The staff as a pole
Each pole move is built from the sword move with the same job and then made the staff's own: it strikes 2 frames later and lasts 2 frames longer, reaches 8 pixels further, and does 1% less (never less than 1%). The one exception is the Butt jab: it strikes as soon as the sword's thrust (same reach bonus, same 1% less). They still work with the magic bar empty.
| Staff move | Answers to |
|---|---|
| Butt jab / Rising sweep / Low sweep | Thrust / Rising slash / Low sweep |
| Staff drive / Skyward burst / Ground spike | Lunging stab / Skyward cut / Shield slam |
| Air whirl / Air strike / Air upswing / Air spike / Falling star | Air spin / Air slash / Air up slash / Air down stab / Plunge |
| Running sweep, Driving jab | Running slash, Driving thrust |
| Vaulting ram, Overhead smash | Shield ram, Leaping cut |
The energy shield, in numbers
| Coming up / going down | 5 frames each (0.08 s): slower than a shield of wood |
| Against shots and spells | They cost it half the usual price (a shard: 2 magic; on a wooden shield 4 stamina) |
| Against weapons | They cost it double |
| Perfect guard | Sends a shot back |
Balance notes
Retuned 14 Nov 2026 (second balance pass for the staff). After the heavy became Earthcall the staff won 29% of its fights at Hard and 18% at Steady. The trace showed why: it knocked out later than it was knocked out (its wave threw more up than away), its taps did little for their price, and up close it had nothing quick. Changed: shots cost a little less (4 / 4 / 5, Earthcall 7), the third shard does 2% (4% perfect) and the second 3% perfect, the wave is quicker (6 pixels a frame, same reach), throws like the Overhead cleave and does 8%, and the Butt jab is as quick as a sword's thrust. After: 51% at Hard, 48% at Steady (180 matches each). Earthcall is still the raised ground smash with a wave forward. See How the weapons compare.
History
- Why two ground moves, and which is which (14 Nov 2026): the owner first asked for the slow two-handed slam as the defensive attack, then, after playing, as the heavy. So the heavy is now the slam with a wave that travels forward and hurts; Guard + attack keeps a small ring to both sides that only pushes. The Crystal lance (the old heavy, "like throwing a spear") is gone.
- How it is carried was changed on 14 Nov 2026 after the owner's screenshot: it passed through the body and the hand was not on the shaft.
- For later (not built): different staves by element (air, fire, bolt...) that change the look of the shots.