Withered Knight

The Withered Knight is a melee class built around greatsword combat, measured aggression, and punishing enemies who slip up. These warriors were once tied to the legendary Rose Knights of the Church; today they fight through suffering, discipline, and the remnants of holy power, carrying a darker and more punishing combat identity than most frontline fighters.

Patience and positioning sit at the heart of how the class fights. Withered Knights hold enemies inside wide melee arcs and land punishing strikes, but pressure must be maintained carefully — a missed attack or poor spacing hands faster opponents an opening.

Overview

The class is built around deliberate melee engagements rather than quick hit-and-run exchanges, rewarding players who favor calculated aggression and capitalize on enemy mistakes.

Role

The Withered Knight serves as a melee bruiser and duelist. Within a group it pressures enemies at close range, threatens space with sweeping attacks, and punishes opponents forced into bad positions.

Combat Style

Withered Knight combat demands timing and control. Reckless swings are costly; the class leans on range and spacing to apply pressure, committing to attacks only when the opponent is vulnerable. The intended flow is to read openings, punish dodges, and use positioning to keep opponents inside the threat range, while avoiding overcommitment. Wide melee arcs keep enemies under pressure, but a mistimed swing or wrong spacing creates a punishable window.

Weapons

Withered Knights are strongly associated with heavy melee weapons.

• Greatsword — A heavy melee weapon built around sweeping strikes, reach, pressure, and decisive close-range punishment.
• Polearm & Shield — A versatile weapon that expands the class’s combat options with new skills centered on offensive pressure, defense, and battlefield control. It lets the Knight pull enemies closer, pin opponents with powerful throws, break guards with shield attacks, and rescue downed allies from a distance. This path adds a deeper strategic layer, supporting both DPS and support playstyles while increasing overall combat flexibility.

Strengths

• Strong melee reach
• Powerful greatsword pressure
• Good dueling potential
• Can punish poor enemy positioning
• Strong class fantasy and frontline presence

Weaknesses

• Requires careful timing
• Can struggle against highly mobile enemies
• Mistimed attacks are punishable
• Needs good positioning in PvP
• Less forgiving than simpler melee classes

Skills — Greatsword

The greatsword set centers on Judgment charging, Wither application, executions, parries, and heavy melee pressure. It contains 10 skills.

Light Strike

Basic Attack. The left-mouse light attack performs a three-hit combo. Every successful hit charges the weapon; at full charge the weapon enters the Judgment state, and the next light attack applies the Withering state to the enemy.

Heavy Strike

Basic Attack. The right-mouse heavy attack can be charged to release a forward slash that strikes twice. All heavy strikes can execute Wither applied to an enemy.

Opportunistic Thrust

Basic Skill. After dodging, immediately pressing the left mouse button branches into a light strike that dashes slightly forward while swinging the sword.

Sprinting Slash

Basic Skill. After dodging forward, the right mouse button branches into a heavy strike that leaps forward in a spinning swing; after dodging backward, it instead performs a counterattack while stepping back. Both heavy-strike branches can execute enemies affected by Wither.

Pursuit

Basic Skill. After any right-mouse heavy strike, using the left mouse button branches into a light strike that performs two rapid slashes.

Radiant Retribution

Weapon Skill. Rapidly swing the greatsword, performing three wide slashes in quick succession. Each attack counts as a Light Strike and charges the weapon; at full charge the weapon enters Judgment. The final strike briefly grants Super Armor.

“To uphold good, one must punish evil; for evil feeds on good, and from the destruction of evil, good shall draw its strength. — Roses and Iron: Chronicles of the Gaenarian Knights”

Withering Mark

Weapon Skill. Swing the greatsword to unleash Judgment energy toward enemies; targets struck by the attack are immediately affected by Wither.

“Our Oath never withers.”

Breakthrough Charge

Weapon Skill. A two-stage dash attack. Stage 1 thrusts forward with the sword; during the recovery, pressing the left or right mouse button triggers the second-stage branch. With the left mouse button, the Knight dashes in a leftward arc, sweeping enemies and knocking them back to the right. With the right mouse button, the dash arcs rightward, sweeping enemies and knocking them back to the left.

“On the hopeless path of exile and atonement, not all Withered Knights can maintain their sanity and faith. Among the bards of the North, a sorrowful tale is told — of a powerful Withered Knight who lost his faith and fell into corruption as one of the Corroded. The story ends with another Withered Knight ending his friend’s suffering.”

Parry

Weapon Skill. Assume a defensive stance that parries frontal attacks and negates their damage. Each successful parry restores Energy. The stance lasts up to 5 seconds or ends after parrying five attacks. After a successful parry, a Light Strike sweeps enemies in front, or a Heavy Strike performs a long-distance advancing slash; both follow-ups apply Wither. Parry has a shorter base cooldown in trio mode.

“These knights, as candidates for command, have received comprehensive strategic training. They know when to shift from offense to defense and conserve their strength.”

Thorn Guide

Weapon Skill. Shoot thorns forward from the left hand, pulling the first enemy hit toward you. If the target is too large or is in a special state such as Super Armor or Blocking, the Knight instead dashes along the thorns toward it.

“Thorns are the mark of the Penitent. Some sins cannot be absolved by any means other than correcting the original wrong. This is why the Withered Knights still wander to this day — they have not abandoned their search for the Pontiff who vanished long ago.”

Skills — Polearm & Shield

The Polearm & Shield set covers blocking, charged advances, battlefield control, ally protection, and close-range pressure. It contains 8 skills.

Basic Attack

Basic Attack. Light Strike alternates between spear thrusts and horizontal sweeps. Each hit charges the weapon; at full charge the weapon enters Judgment, and the next light strike applies Wither to the enemy.

Charged Dash

Basic Attack. Raise the shield to Block frontal attacks. Holding the right mouse button maintains the shield stance and charges the skill through three levels before initiating a forward dash attack.

• Lv. 1: Dash forward with the shield raised to ram enemies.
• Lv. 2: Gain Super Armor, increase the dash distance, and follow with an additional thrust.
• Lv. 3: Gain Super Armor, increase the dash distance, and follow with a more powerful leaping thrust.

“As candidates for command, the Rose Knights received comprehensive strategic training. They understand deeply how to build momentum while defending, waiting for the perfect window to turn defense into offense.”

Javelin Thrust

Weapon Skill. Hurl the spear forward, immediately applying Wither to the target. On impact, the Knight rapidly leaps to the target and pulls out the spear with a sweeping strike to deal damage.

Spear Barrage

Weapon Skill. Rapidly thrust the spear forward, then follow with a powerful thrust that knocks the enemy down. Successful hits charge the weapon with Judgment energy.

“The Rose Knights are no strangers to the theater of war. They are accustomed to forming up in rank, raising their shields, and driving forward with methodical spear thrusts.”

Sacred Bulwark

Weapon Skill. Infuse the shield with sacred energy to erect a massive energy barrier; while it is active, the Knight cannot move or turn. The barrier completely blocks frontal attacks and prevents enemies from passing through. Casting the skill again thrusts the shield forward, dealing damage and knocking enemies back. The barrier shatters after blocking a certain number of high-impact attacks.

“Raising a shield for your allies greatly limits your own mobility. This may demand sacrifice, but sacrifice is inherently a part of a knight’s service and devotion.”

Rainbow Piercer

Weapon Skill. Raise the shield and charge forward, followed by a violent spear thrust. Holding the skill prolongs the forward charge, during which turning capacity is significantly reduced. The raised shield carries the Block property. Successful hits charge the weapon with Judgment energy.

“To uphold good, one must punish evil; for evil feeds on good, and from the destruction of evil, good shall draw its strength. — Roses and Iron: Chronicles of the Gaenarian Knights”

Intervene

Weapon Skill. Dash forward a set distance, or directly to a targeted ally. The Knight then raises the shield to unleash an energy pulse that knocks back nearby enemies and grants a Shield to allies within range.

“Aiding comrades is an ironclad law. Intervene may not always save a life, but it grants every soldier the courage to be the first to charge.”

Breaker Shield Bash

Weapon Skill. Strike the back of the shield with a fist, damaging targets in a wide frontal area and immediately applying Wither. The raised shield carries the Block property.

“Following their exile, these once-glorious knights lost everything, turning into hunted outcasts and homeless sinners. They wandered the frozen North, weathering the elements in hunger and cold. Though mostly tight-lipped and gaunt, a fierce hope still burned in their eyes, for they refused to abandon their faith.”