Loading

Still loading. This can take a moment on slow connections.

Navi's Ultimate 1v1 Knight guide

The complete build for 1v1 Knights and Templars from level 60 to 190.

Category
Classes
Author
Navi
Published
2025-09-08
Updated
2026-08-26

Navi's Ultimate 1v1 Knight Guide

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Weapon types
  • Stat points
  • Skills
  • Weapons
  • Armor sets
  • Accessories
  • Pets
  • Blessings
  • Buffs

Introduction

This guide is aimed at newer and experienced Knight players, and those on a budget. It goes into 1v1 levelling as either an SnS or 2h 1v1 build. It does not go into details about AoEing, PvP or endgame bossing. Knights have multiple different weapon types that all are viable and each come with their pros and cons. Due to the Knight having a lot of skill points it is possible to go back and forth between these different play styles with relative ease. Keep in mind that the optimal levelling route switches between SnS and two-handed fighting, but you can also pick one and stick with it.

This guide also exists in video form.

This written guide summarizes everything you need to know, the video guide also explains a lot of the reasoning behind my choices in-depth.

Update video for 166+

Weapon Types

Knights can use both swords and axes, and both have one-handed and two-handed versions. This means that Knights have a lot more choices when it comes to their weapons than the other classes, who all typically only use one weapon type.

One-handed weapons have access to the Heart of Fury skill, which increases your attack speed, critical chance and grants bonus damage based on your maximum FP. One-handed swords attack faster than one-handed axes, making swords the better choice.

Two-handed weapons have access to the Swordcross skill, which makes you deal double damage with the next hit. It has a 24% chance to trigger on each attack with a two-handed weapon. two-handed swords and axes both attack at the same speed.

Axes(1h and 2h) gain 5.5 attack for each point of STR you have. Swords only gain 4.5.

One-handed axes attack slower than one-handed swords, even when both are at 100% attack speed. This means that one-handed axes are never the optimal choice. This is not the case for two-handed weapons. Two-handed swords and two-handed axes attack at the same speed once you reach 100% attack speed.

One-handed templar swords also have access to Swordcross, but only have a 12% chance to trigger it.

Stat points

Full sta one-handed sword? It is commonly asked whether full STA-SnS is a good choice. I would only recommend this for bossing and hunting giants. STR is still superior for leveling, swords gain 4.5 attack from each point in STR. But they gain only 1.0 ~1.2 attack per point in STA through the extra FP. Full STR deals noticeably more damage with SnS, especially during the lower elvels.

  • Go full STR if you just want to level fast.
  • Adding STA is an option if you want to kill bosses, but only do this with a plan.
  • Dex is not worth it. We will reach 100% attack speed without any dexterity and we can get our hit rate from buffs and set upgrades.

Skills to max

Note: if you are leveling to 60 with skills, max either Slash or Shield Bash and use your Re-Skill after 60

1. Protection

Considerably increases our defense while wielding a shield.

2. Empower Weapon

An incredibly powerful skill that increases the elemental upgrade level of our weapon. At level 9 it turns Fire/Water/Electric/Wind/Earth +1 into +10. Additional points have no effect in PvE.

3. Blazing Sword / Smite Axe

A permanent damage and hit rate increase. Max the skill of the weapon you use, or both if you are switching between them.

4. Sword Mastery / Axe Mastery

A permanent damage increase. Max the skill of the weapon you use, or both if you are switching between them.

5. Heart of Fury

Increases our attack speed, critical chance and adds damage to all of our attack based on your maximum FP. Essential for when using one-handed weapons.

6. Rage

Increases your attack and block penetration. Also makes you take more damage.

7. Pain Reflection

Reflects damage back to the monster. This can help your damage somewhat before level 120, but falls-off considerably later on.

8. Undying

Allows us to survive an otherwise fatal hit. Grants 3 stacks when it is activated, after they have all been used or expire, there is a 10-minute cooldown.

9. Increased HP Recovery

Increases the healing we receive from all sources, including lifesteal and healing spells.

10. Enhanced HP Recovery

Much like the previous skill, this provides even more healing and can stack with Increased HP Recovery but only activates once you fall below 25% HP. This stays active for a full hour afterwards so you could trigger it intentionally and then use it for a full hour.

11. Five Strikes

Doubles every fifth auto-attack, boosting our dps by 20%. This can quadruple damage if it is triggered together with Swordcross or Holycross.

12. Enhanced Physical Defense

Increases our defense for 1 minute when we fall below 50% HP.

13. Execution of Justice

When you use this skill, you will jump forward, dealing damage and slowing enemies where you land. This makes us singificantly more mobile, especially when using the Execution of Justice (Leap of Faith) variant.

Optional (Max when you feel like using it)

Grand Rage

Can be used to restore FP.

Pain Dealer

Inflicts a debuff that makes your target take 5% extra damage for a while. Not worth using when you are solo, but can be good when you are attacking a boss with a team.

Call of Fury

AoE skill that makes monsters attack you. Useful when your RM is getting hit.

Power Stomp

In case you do want to AoE sometime.

Bloody Strike

Restores HP.

Guard

Makes us very tanky for 20 seconds, but lowers your attack. Only use when you fear you might die.

Maelstrom Strike (Increased Range)

Basically a better power stomp.

Weapons

Level 60: Dretra Sword

The best weapon available at level 60. Its hit rate and attack speed make it more desirable than the Guardian Sword. The Sparkling Sword is a cheap alternative, that is easy to obtain and still quite strong.

Unfortunately, the Guardian Big Sword is not very good. It lacks attack speed and the 7% critical chance isn't doing very much before we have some critical damage. It is even worse than the Guardian Big Axe because axes get more damage from STR.

Level 75: Dretra Sword

It remains great. The Historic Sword and Historic Big Sword are equally good and if you have them you can use these instead. But the Dretra is already available at level 60 and is cheaper as well.

Level 90: Angel Big Axe

A big upgrade over the previous options. Can hit very hard for its level with the critical damage and Swordcross passive. The Angel Big Sword is not much worse so you could use that as well if you don't have access to the axe.

One-handed swords perform pretty poorly at this level. The Angel Sword is a tank weapon, so not an upgrade over the Dretra. The Angel Axe is not that good either, as it attacks slowly and the critical chance is not all that impactful without critical damage.

Level 105: Angel Big Axe, Legendary Golden Sword, Legendary Golden Big Sword

All three of these options are very good. The most convenient option is likely to keep using the Angel Big Axe that you already started using at level 90.

Level 120: Bloody Executioner

Better than the Angel Big Axe in every way. The Bloody Slayer is also a good option, it's not as good as the Executioner but comes very close.

You can also use the Bloody Sword if you want to stick to SnS, but it won't deal as much damage as the one-handed options from this point on, until you are able to acquire a Curtana at level 180.

Level 150: Abyss

The level 150 weapons are hard to acquire but if you can afford them an Abyss would be my recommendation. Two-handed axes have an even bigger advantage over two-handed swords then before, and while the Leviathan is also better than the Bloody Executioner it clearly loses to an Abyss. The highest 1v1 damage possible would come from a Lusaka's Heavy Crystal Axe. But this weapon is exceedingly rare, and only slightly better than an Abyss, while the Abyss also offers a ton of AoE damage on top of its great 1v1 damage.

SnS also remains an option with either a Coral Cutlass or a Lusaka's Crystal Sword but these are expensive and offer lower dps. Not to mention that the best shield at this level, the Lusaka's Crystal Shield will be very expensive, if any are even available to begin with.

Level 180: Abyss, Curtana, Harbinger

At level 180, 2 new weapons are available: a one handed sword: the Curtana and a two-handed axe: the Harbinger. The one-handed sword is a much better choice this time around, with the Curtana] offering similar damage to the Harbinger. This is due to the fact that the Curtana has a 12% chance to trigger Swordcross, despite being a one-handed weapon. It also benefits from full ultimate awakenings, while previous one-handed swords only received them at halved values.

Overall, this makes the Curtanamore desirable than the Harbinger, because it comes with the inherent advantages of wielding a shield.

However, the difference between these new weapons and the level 150 weapons is very small. It could be argued that especially in dungeons, the Abyss is still the best weapon, as it only offers slightly less dps than these new 180 weapons while also allowing you to help dealing AoE damage, which is very important in the Ankou's Asylum dungeon.

Ultimate awakenings:

Ranked from best to worst in terms of dps gain:

Alternatively, life steal and block are also very nice options despite not increasing your DPS.

  • PvE damage
  • Critical Chance (If not at 100% already!)
  • Attack
  • Critical Damage
  • STR
  • DEX

Armor Sets

Level 30: [Set:5670] / [Set:9996]

A very good set with bonus attack speed, hit rate and critical chance. Can be used all the way until level 105.

Level 50-60: Shamutra Suit / Shaentra Suit and [Set:6583] / [Set:1738]

Alternatives that offer more durability, but less damage. These offer a little bit less damage than the level 30 set, but do offer more tankiness. The level 60 sets are usually very cheap, so they are a good option if you don't have the money for the level 30 set. The Clockwork sets make you even tankier, but the boots and the gauntlets are usually quite expensive, and those are the parts that give you attack speed and hit rate. If you only care about doing as much damage as possible, keep using the level 30 set.

Level 90: [Set:1814] / [Set:3928]

More hit rate and critical chance, less attack speed. Not a bad set by any means but the fact that it has lower attack speed than the comet set doesn't make it a definitive upgrade either. You could use it if you can get it cheap and you didn't invest a lot into your comet set. Otherwise, just keep using the Comet set.

Level 105: [Set:3679] / [Set:5779]

A massive upgrade. More attack speed and a lot of critical damage and critical chance.

Level 135: [Set:2257] / [Set:7803]

A better version of the 105 set.

Level 150: [Set:19525] / [Set:19139]

An even better set than the last one. This is the best 1v1 Knight set in the game. But it is quite rare.

Level 175: [Set:52209] / [Set:24472]

A slightly better version of the 150 set. Offering 20 extra STR, 10% extra increased critical damage, 4% extra critical chance and some extra defense. This is a very minor upgrade over the last, but it should be more accesible. It's great if you were not able to get a level 150 set, but not a priority upgrade if you do have a level 150 set.

Accessories

We just want as much damage as possible on everything. What is the best option depends on the upgrade level of the accessories.

Earrings:

Demol Earring / Mighteer +1 / Champion's Demol Earring

Rings:

Vigor Ring / Strente +1 / Champion's Ring

Necklace:

If you are using a two-handed weapon just get an HP necklace: Gore Necklace / Puran Necklace / Pep +1 / Champion's Gore Necklace If you are using a one-handed weapon get a necklace that restore FP with every hit: Peision Necklace / Enduky +1 / Champion's Peision Necklace You don't need to spend a lot on FP necklaces, it's mainly to recover FP with.

Cloak:

At the lower levels, you can use a Cloak of Strong. Upgrade to a Cloak of Coral at level 149.

Shield:

Just get the best available shield that increases all your stats. Either a Ancient Shield, a Shield of Iblis, Azure Shield or a Coral Shield. The best endgame shield is the Hell's Gate.

Block chance is generally the most useful shield awakening. But it is not required.

Pets:

Either get a pet that offers critical chance (Angel Cage) or a critical damage pet(King Crab Cage).

As a rule of thumb: if your critical chance is under 75% without a pet, go for critical chance. If it is 75% or above, go with the critical damage pet.

For the exact calculation use the critical chance vs critical damage tool.

Piercing Cards

Always attack on the suit: Lightning Card (4%) Lightning Card (7%)

For your weapon, go with Thorn Cards Thorn Card (B) Thorn Card (A)

For Bloodies, Wind Card (B) is also an option. But piercing is very expensive so don't go overboard with these.

Don't pierce weapons below level 120. It's not worth it.

Ultimate Jewels

For regular jewels, the STR from Shining Ruby (5) is better than the attack from Shining Onyx (5). This is because the flat attack from the onyx is not affected by any damage multipliers, while the attack that comes from the Ruby's STR is.

It should be noted that even the rubies offer only marginal DPS increases. So they are not very cost-efficient upgrades.

A Rune of Attack is the true best in slot option, but they are *very expensive.

Alternatively, you can also get a bit of HP on these slots. In that case the STA from Shining Amethyst (5) is better than the flat HP from Shining Diamond (5).

You can also put a Rune of Defense in here if you want to, but these also aren't cheap.

Blessing of the Demon

Critical chance is the most effective outcome. But you may not need it if you already reach 100%. In that case go for critical damage.

Alternatively, you can also go for quality of life options like movement speed or melee block.

Buffs to max

If you are leveling a new ringmaster specifically to accompany your knight, stick to this order:

If your ringmaster is already leveled or has already put skill points in other skills stick to the true priority order:

This is the order of buffs that are the most important to us, regardless of the level they become available to your Ringmaster.

Thank you for reading, you can leave questions in the Discord thread.

  • Mental Sign
  • Haste
  • Beef Up
  • Cannon Ball
  • Accuracy
  • Quick Step
  • Heap Up
  • Protect
  • Spirit Fortune
  • Geburah Tiphreth
  • Patience
  • Cat's Reflex
  • Geburah Tiphreth
  • Haste
  • Spirit Fortune
  • Cannon Ball
  • Accuracy
  • Beef Up
  • Quick Step
  • Mental Sign
  • Heap Up
  • Protect
  • Patience
  • Cat's Reflex

Mentioned in this Guide

An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙