How To Block In Half Sword (& Other Hidden Mechanics)

I love how Half Sword lets you just pick up a weapon and start swinging, but actually getting good is surprisingly tough! The game doesn’t really teach you anything – it just throws you into an arena with a list of the controls. It’s kind of frustrating because some moves, like kicking, aren’t even explained! Plus, a lot of the more advanced stuff isn’t about pressing buttons, it’s about how you move your mouse and weapon, which takes a lot of figuring out.

How To Jump In Half Sword

Hold Spacebar

In Half Sword, the battlefield is cluttered with legs and weapons, making it easy to stumble. Knowing how to jump is crucial for survival! You jump using the Spacebar, but it’s important to remember you need to press and release it – don’t just hold it down.

How To Kick In Half Sword

Spacebar

While Half Sword includes punching and grappling, players might expect kicking to be an option as well. Surprisingly, it isn’t listed as a control, but you can kick by pressing the Spacebar.

How To Spin Kick

If you want to try a more difficult technique, you can perform a spin kick while in Half Sword stance. First, remember you’ll always kick with your back leg. To get into this stance, hold down the Shift key. Then, press the Spacebar to kick, and move your mouse towards the side of your back leg to execute the spin.

Using a higher mouse sensitivity can make performing spin kicks easier, but for regular sword fighting, a lower sensitivity is generally better.

How To Block In Half Sword

Half Sword doesn’t have a dedicated block button. Instead, blocking is done manually – you need to move your weapon, shield, or hands to intercept incoming attacks. It relies on skillful positioning, as with all combat in the game.

Blocking With A Sword Or Similar Weapon

You can physically block attacks by positioning your weapon in front of you. When an attack comes, quickly move your mouse sideways while holding down the left mouse button to try and deflect it.

Blocking With A Half Sword Grip

When your opponent swings down from above, the best defense is to quickly switch to the half sword grip by pressing the right mouse button.

Blocking With A Shield

To block attacks, hold down the right mouse button and move your shield with your left hand to intercept them. This is simpler to do with a Buckler shield than with a Pavise, as the Buckler is more maneuverable and less rigidly fixed to the arm.

How To Throw Weapons In Half Sword

E/Q + Swing LMB/RMB

In Half Sword, you can drop your weapon by pressing ‘E’ (if it’s in your left hand) or ‘Q’ (if it’s in your right). If you want to throw the weapon instead, swing it first. To do this, hold down the right mouse button (RMB) for weapons in your left hand, or the left mouse button (LMB) for weapons in your right hand – you’ll need to actually move your mouse to swing.

While throwing isn’t generally a good strategy because it’s often inaccurate, being able to do it can be surprisingly helpful in a pinch.

How To Get Up From The Ground In Half Sword

Hold W or S

In Half Sword, you’ll find it’s simple to get knocked down, and recovering can be tough. To get back on your feet, just hold down the ‘W’ key while you’re lying on your back.

If you’re led on your front, hold S instead.

How To Half Sword In Half Sword

RMB

To play the game as intended, hold a sword in one hand and nothing in the other. Then, press the right mouse button (RMB) to get into the half-sword stance. From there, you can hold either the left (LMB) or right mouse button and move the mouse to swing and attack nearby enemies with greater precision. Press RMB again to return to a standard grip.

How To Thrust In Half Sword

Double-tap LMB
Hold Alt + LMB + Move Mouse Forward

You can perform a quick, short thrust with the Half Sword by quickly pressing the left mouse button twice while holding the weapon forward. For a more powerful and controlled thrust, hold down the Alt key to enter thrusting mode. Then, hold the left mouse button and move the mouse forward to control the attack.

Thrusting is one of the best ways to score a quick kill, so don’t forget about it.

2026-02-01 22:39