Fainting isn’t just a trick—it’s a philosophy. It’s not about deception for deception’s sake; it’s about using knowledge, timing, and pressure to break your opponent’s rhythm and create openings where there shouldn’t be any. In this guide, we’re diving deep into how to use fainting effectively in Chivalry 2, whether you’re sparring in Free-For-All or turning the tide in team fights.

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What Is Fainting, and Why Use It?

In Chivalry 2, a faint is canceling one attack and morphing it into another. It’s primarily used to provoke a reaction—usually a counter attempt—from your opponent. When they bite, you retain initiative and often land the follow-up strike.

But here’s the nuance: not everyone counters. Many players will simply panic or gamble a response when they sense something unusual. Faints exploit both the reactive and the reckless.

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Core Philosophy: Baiting with Intention

A key insight from top players is recognizing which attacks people are most likely to try and counter. For example, slashes are the easiest attacks to counter—so players naturally try to parry them quickly.

Knowing this, a high-percentage play is to:

• Begin with a slash, then faint into an overhead or stab.
• Use overhead-to-slash or stab-to-slash variations to break tendencies if someone begins adapting.

Fainting isn’t just about tricking people. It’s about conditioning them, then punishing their response.

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Weapon-Specific Fainting

Different weapons favor different faint paths:

• Longsword: Faint between stabs and overheads. Prioritize these angles for mixups.
• Highland Sword / Executioner’s Axe: Use slash-focused fainting—their wide swings are great for hitting multiple targets or faking crowd control.
• Finesse weapons: Utilize stab repeats (stab-to-stab) and precise timing.

Pro Tip: You can use the alt attack button to morph between the same attack type—like stab into another stab. Many players don’t expect this and often fall for it.

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How to Sell the Faint

The biggest mistake new players make? Fainting too early. When you cancel a swing immediately, your opponent often doesn’t even register it.

Instead:

• Wait until late in the wind-up to cancel.
• Make your body language sell the swing.
• Especially against better players, mix in swing manipulation (dragging and accelerating) to further mess with their timing.

Example: Drag a fainted slash by looking up and away, then morph into an overhead that lands off-angle. The opponent has to process: is this real, what type is it, is it manipulated? That confusion buys you hits.

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Fainting with Footwork

Faints aren’t just for baiting parries—they’re also tools to control space and positioning:

• Use a faint into a heavy while closing distance. This forces the enemy to react while you step into their range.
• Faint and strafe to the side. This either throws off their counter or lets you slip past their parry window.

A common move: stab → faint to stab while sidestepping. If they track the first, they miss the second.

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Against Good Players: Mixing It Up

Top-tier opponents won’t fall for basic feints. That’s where layering comes in:

• Mix in swing dragging or acceleration after fainting.
• Use crouches and camera shifts (looking down for overheads) to add unpredictability.
• Faint into off-screen attacks for delayed hits.

Example: With a greatsword, crouch and look at the ground during a faint-to-overhead to reduce visibility and potentially win a tight trade.

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Gameplay Examples: Faints in Action

In Free-For-All, the faint becomes even more valuable. Every encounter is unpredictable, and the speed at which players process actions is lower than in 1v1s. This is where fainting becomes not just effective—but devastating.

Whether you’re cycling through stab-overhead-slash strings, dragging morphs around camera angles, or fainting to bait multiple enemies at once, you’re creating mental pressure that wears players down.

These tactics don’t just help you win fights—they reduce how many clean swings you need to land, which extends your life and dominance in chaotic modes.

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Final Thoughts: Faint with Purpose

Fainting is a form of control. You’re not just swinging to swing—you’re setting traps. You’re forcing your opponent into a decision, and then punishing them for making the wrong one.

To summarize:

• Slash → Overhead/Stab is the most effective faint for public play.
• Late wind-up cancels are far more convincing than early ones.
• Footwork enhances fainting—use strafe and sidestep patterns.
• Learn your weapon’s best faint paths and sell every swing.
• Adapt. If opponents adjust, shift your patterns or bait them into their own habits.

Once you’re fainting fluidly, you’ll find that even outnumbered fights become manageable—and duels become yours to dictate.

Now get out there, confuse some enemies, and carve your way to the top.

Let me know in the comments which moments in gameplay showed off fainting at its best. I’ll see you on the battlefield.