[Guide] Claws (Updated 8/24/12)

KI:U Weapons guide: Claws
By: Artsy

Fellow Neoseekers, here is a detailed guide on the Claws weapon class. Claws are primarily melee combat based, striking with five hit melee combos and giving the user a boost of speed, thus they tend to have shorter range and lack great homing. Their dash cont. fire often shoots in a wide arc. In Together Mode, players will often go for the “Dream Melee Set” which are claws with Melee Combo and Freezing + mods.

+ is good qualities
- is bad qualities
= is for additional qualities
Good powers: Some weapons have powers that work well together or polish weaknesses
Useful mods: custom modifiers that strengthen the good attributes and polish the bad ones
Tips/Cautions: Advice on how to handle the weapon well and avoid faulty gameplay


Tiger Claws: This pair of weapons resembles the claws of the beast itself. It may be the first in line, but it’s not to be underestimated.



Attributes:
+ Decent range
= Continuous is weaker up close
= Charged attacks stronger up close
= Dash cont. fire spreads out in an arc (These are three popular trends for claws)

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee combo +, Melee Dash Attack +, Freezing +,

Tips: The Tiger Claws are easy to use and are perfect beginner weapons for this class. Claws generally have less range than blades and more range than arms, so staying mid to close range is ideal. This class is known for its five hit melee combo and movement speed boosts. Your opponents can run, but they can’t always outrun.

Cautions: Most charged shots from claws lose power over distance, and ranged shots don’t always specialize in homing. There are exceptions to these rules, so be sure to know your weapon before you use it! The Tiger Claw’s charged shots are weak at a distance, so don’t focus on a long ranged game plan.

Wolf Claws: Cloaked in flame, these weapons combine a wolf’s deadly claws and fiery temper into one…



Attributes:
+ All attacks can cause burns
+ Melee dash attacks home in
+ Charged shots have homing ability
- Limited range
= Charged shots are weaker at a range
= cont. fire is inversely related to charged shots

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee Combo +, Melee Dash Attack +, Freezing +, Effect Duration +, Shot Range +

Good powers: Burn attack.

Tips: The Wolf Claws has a chance to burn with every attack, so the melee combo is the way to go, as is using its melee dash attacks to mow down players. In addition to the “Dream Melee,” Burn Attack and Effect Duration + can turn your enemies into an ever-burning bonfire.

Cautions: The Wolf claws are strong overall, but the fire limits this weapon’s range, which is a bit low for this class. The burning can get in the way of other status modifiers like Freezing, so it’s a bit of a matter of luck what conditions you get. If you have max (+ 4) in another status mod, you should be fine.

Bear Claws: Like their animal counterpart, these claws strike hard, leaving victims dead or dying, then seeking out their next meal. Among the heaviest hitting weapons.



Attributes:
+ Devastating melee attacks
+ Strong shots
+ Better Knockback
- Shorter shot range
- Lacks the speed boost of other claws
= Charged shots lose strength over time
= all cont. fire is unaffected by distance
= Dash cont. fire has no wide arc
= Standing cont. fire damages slowly but strongly

Useful mods: Speed mods + 4, Melee Combo +, Melee Dash Attack+, Freezing +, Charge shot mods +, Stamina +

Good powers: Lightweight, Tirelessness.

Tips: Always try to get up close and personal with your opponent. You can also fight at short range with this weapon’s charged shots to deal damage and attempt to hit any runaway players. Both of these tactics are easier with positive speed mods. Speed based powers such as lightweight are also good boosts. Try to immobilize your opponents to get easy kills with you melee combos.

Cautions: Claws usually have less than average range, and with Bear Claws even more so. All of its shots fall below 20m range, so don’t try to win with ranged attacks alone. In together mode, don’t chase down players who are faster than you until they stop to fight or recover from tiredness. This set of claws makes you move like an Arm wielder.

Brawler Claws: These weapons aren’t really “claws” but they carry the spirit, speed, and strength of humans dedicated to hands-on battling.




Attributes:
+ Makes the player faster than with any other weapon
+ Perfect for speedrunning
- Power is nothing special
= Dash cont. fire is weaker close up
= Charge shots stronger close up

Useful mods: Speed mods, + Melee Combo +, Melee Dash Attack +, Freezing +, Dash cont. fire +, Stamina +

Tips: You should have no problem catching enemies and players. Once you do, focus on dodging until you find an opening for melee strikes, or use this weapon’s dash cont. fire. If you’re in bad shape, this is an effective getaway weapon. In solo mode, use these to run through levels fast and breeze by unwanted encounters.

Cautions: Be careful around pits and areas where you can fall off. The Brawler Claws increase your walking speed too, so take a little bit of time to avoid these hazards. In places with traps and hordes of enemies in sight, don’t Leroy Jenkins your way in and risk getting killed.

Stealth Claws: A true ninja’s weapon; a pair of silent killers, nobody will know what hit them until the wearer deals the final blow.



Attributes:
+ Shots are nearly invisible
+ Very fast melee combo
+ Good range for claws
- Weaker melee power
- Very small shots
= standing cont. fire unaffected by distance
= Dash shots lose power over distance

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Shot range +, Melee combo + 4, Melee Dash Attack +4, Freezing +,

Good Powers: Transparency, Darkness

Tips: Stealth claws are the perfect surprise weapons and they shine the most when in large crowds on Together Mode or against distracted players. Naturally, it's hard to dodge something you can't see! It can be hard to tell who’s shooting, and with Transparency and Darkness, nobody will see you coming!

Cautions: Don’t use this weapon’s melee attacks unless you’re already in range of an opponent, or if you’re confident with your stars and modifiers. Its dash melee attack is even weaker but it can knock foes back. Actively seeking melee opportunities is not recommended, there’s a reason why its shots are invisible!

Hedgehog Claws: The perfect fit for dealing swift attacks and slow, torturous punishments on those who take these claws lightly.



Attributes:
+ Speed boost
+ Charges fast
+ Fast melee combo
+ “Ceaseless barrage of projectiles”
- Lower attack power
- Poor homing ability
= Charged shots unaffected by distance
= Does not shoot a wide arc

Useful mods: Speed mods+, Standing Cont. fire + 2 and up, Melee combo + 3 and up, Melee Dash Attack + 3 and up, Freezing +, Other status mods +

Good powers: Status attacks (poison, freeze, etc.)

Tips: With its fast, relentless fire and quick charging speed, the Hedgehog Claws perform well at a distance. Its standing continuous fire does damage more rapidly than any other weapon, making it great against immobile or trapped opponents. It is also a good approach if your weapon has status effect mods.

Cautions: Despite its fast charge time, don’t stick exclusively to charged shots. If you do, you’ll be missing out on its rapid firing rate that can surprise and whittle down opponents. Don’t expect its dash cont. fire to shoot a wave of projectiles like other claws, so remember that it a crowded area.

Raptor Claws: While the raptors are long gone, their sheer power and brutality live on in weapons such as these.



Attributes:
+ High melee and shot power
+ Charged shots have homing ability
- Slow to charge
= Charge shots stronger up close
= Cont. fire equally powerful at any distance

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee combo+, Melee Dash Attack +, Freezing +, Dash Charge Shot +

Good powers: Quick Charge

Tips: The Raptor Claws have high overall power, and its homing charge shots are good at a distance. Melee combat is desirable because of its slow charge time. A good way to make this weapon deadlier is to have the Quick Charge power, which eliminates that weakness.

Cautions: Despite its homing ability, sticking only to charged shots will make you predictable. Remember many claws have a range of 30m or less, and that the Raptor Claws’ charged shots get weaker over distance and charge slowly. That is all.

Artillery Claws: The oddballs of the group, these claws are not meant for slashing at all, but instead for blasting targets over surprising distances.



Attributes:
+ Great range, comparable to blades
+ No shot power loss over distances
+ Very fast shot speed
+ Fires many shots
- Worst melee of its class
- One of the weakest melee weapons
- Zero homing ability
= No varying shot strength over time

Useful mods: Speed mods+, Shot range+, cont. fire mods +, charge shot mods+, Status mods +

Good powers: Status attacks (poison, freeze, etc.)

Tips: Simply put, stay at a distance! This weapon has no homing and requires careful aim, but dash cont. fire shoots many shots quickly and is hard for players in range to avoid. These qualities also make the Artillery Claws prime for causing status conditions on your opponents.

Cautions: Here’s a good example on how not to use a weapon like this; Melee ‘till the cows come home! Do not bother with melee attacks regardless of stars or mods, unless you have no choice. They will be inferior to both the damage and special perks shots have. It makes you want to use ranged attacks in Shootfly territory.

Cancer Claws: This weapon not only resembles a crustacean’s claw, but it pinches like one also, leaving marks with its pincer and claw shots.



Attributes:
+ Speed boost during cont. fire
+ Charged shots have homing
+ Charge shots hover at range’s end
+ Strong Melee
- All other shots have no homing
- All but dash charge shots have very short range
= Dash cont. fire weak close up
= Charge shots stronger close up

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee Combo +, Melee Dash Attack +, Standing Cont. Fire +, Freezing +, Shot Range +,

Tips: First of all, if you need to walk to cool down, you might as well hold the attack button; your speed increases during standing cont. fire! Because of this, you might want to consider boosting this in addition to the other modifiers if possible. Fake out opponents with this weapons charged shots.

Cautions: Don’t ignore the speed boost provided by continuous fire. Without a shot range mod, the weapon shoots 27m at best with its dash charge shots, so don’t shoot without closing the distance between you and your opponent. Otherwise just don’t do anything stupid.

Beam Claws: These futuristic, high-tech claws shoot beams of pure bundled energy. Its attacks can roast enemies from far away.



Attributes:
+ Longest range of all claws, rivaling bows
+ Fast shot speed
+ Flexible, performing well anywhere in its range
- Weak homing
- Shots aren’t very powerful
= Shots are concentrated, no spread
= No shot powers affected by range.

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee Combo + 3 and up, Melee Dash Attack +3 and up, Freezing +, Shot Range +

Tips: The Beam Claws is an uncommon example of a close range-based weapon that performs better at a distance. Take advantage of the far and fast shots this thing fires and focus on a ranged game. This weapon’s melee power isn’t stellar, but it isn’t terrible either so you can fight up close of necessary.

Cautions: This weapon has next to no homing ability, so careful aiming is crucial to winning with this weapon. This is especially true with its charged shots because they’re powerful, single blasts. Though powered up melee combos are always nice, when a weapon has superior ranged boosts, take advantage of it!

Viridi Claws: Harboring the beautiful and fearsome sides of Viridi, this pair of claws can inflict painful, body numbing wounds.



Attributes:
+ Cont. fire can be held for a long time
+ Good charged shot homing
+ Attacks may cause Paralysis
- Charge shots are quite weak
= cont. fire weak close up
= Charged shots stronger close up

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee Combo +, Melee Dash Attack +, Standing cont. fire +, Freezing +, Effect Duration +, Other Status mods +

Good powers: Paralyze Attack

Tips: Like the Wolf Claws, this weapon has built in status conditions. Charged shot have the greatest chance of paralyzing; about one third of the time. Combine with Paralyze Attack and Effect Duration and watch your formerly dangerous foes become much easier prey! Its cont. fire excels at doling out added effects.

Cautions: The Viridi Claws face a similar problem to the Wolf Claws, status interferences between mods and the weapon itself. Try and slow down opponents with charged shots, but also get accustomed to doing your damage with cont. fire, not your charged shots. It may be hard to get used to.

Pandora Claws: Tricky as the Goddess herself, the Pandora Claws have unusual features that in skilled hands bring calamity to the battlefield and disaster to those who oppose them.



Attributes:
+ All shots have homing (except stand cont.)
+ Longer range that most claws
+ Backwards charge shot creates a large (and creepy) barrier
- Dash cont. shots move slowly
- Knockback on third melee hit (last two miss, could be a +)
= Third melee strike is the strongest
= Dash cont. fire shoots two homing bullets outward
= All shots stronger close up
= Large shots

Useful mods: Speed mods +, Melee combo +, Melee Dash attack +, Freezing + 3 or above, Dash Cont. fire +, Shot Homing +, Shot range +, Shot Cancellation +

Good powers: Homing Boost, Reflect Barrier, Heavenly Light

Tips: This weapon has a mishmash of qualities that allow for several different play styles. Depending on how you use them, cons and be pros, misc. qualities can go either way, etc.

Offense example: Its large, long range, guided shots are great for hitting enemies. You can play mixup games with the two slow cont. projectiles and the faster, bigger charged shots. For instance, using your standing charged then dash cont. fire immediately will make a hard to avoid combo attack. Up close, you also have some options. If you have a high freezing mod, you can often get a full five hit melee combo in. You can also use the third hit and use the backward dash charge shot so enemies fall on top of it.

Defensive Example: No other claws can create defensive barriers like the Pandora Claws can. If empowered by shot cancellation, its backward charged shot can cancel or overpower almost any others. It becomes active immediately, so you can use dash continuous fire before your opponent can see it. Powers like Reflect Barrier and Heavenly Light can be used to make the Pandora Claws a defensive/supportive weapon. You can also retreat after a third melee strike by ending the combo early.

Cautions: There are just a few things to remember about this weapon so you don’t make things harder for yourself. Backward Dash Charged shot more of a barrier than a shot. (1.6m range) The dash cont. fire is slower and has less range. Remember to stop attacking after the third melee combo hit, the last two will miss if your opponent is in the air. If you use your dash cont. fire head-on, the opponent could evade well because the shots are slow.



And that’s that, my Claws guide! I hope all claw users will find this helpful. Feel absolutely free to offer suggestions, additions, and criticism. (since this is my very first competitive guide)

>> Important! << Picture update! I would assume everyone who's viewed this guide has been waiting for this. Aside from additional info that may be added later, you could now consider this guide complete. Enjoy!

Lu I better fix that. XD Blades are my favorite class, so whoopsie!

Thaaank Youuu! This Guide is EPIC! XD

quote Sokolniki

ninja claws

You mean STEALTH claws, correct?
Oh and Artsy, while adding pictures, don't forget to add in Maps(Suitable, and in which way) and Powers(One would really need this, UNLIKE me! XD)

You're trolling right?

first off great guide, claws is my class of choice and even i picked up a few things i didn't know prior to reading through this! I also wanted to say that i agree there is little stage strategy when it comes to claws. Because they have such high mobility and short range you are normally always moving claws also have arguably the most diverse power setups and strategies than any other weapon class. I would say that the only stage strategies would be where its safe to stand for 2-3 sec for a quick stamina recharge or lines to creep up on unsuspecting staffers.

Nice new pics Artsy!

advait thank you, it took awhile but I think it looks great too.

canderson You know, it really does make me feel great that people like you are finding this guide helpful. Good luck on solo mode, and thanks for the wonderful comment.