I've recently returned to the game after a year and a half break, so I guess I can be considered a newb once again. I have been in a few spars and I have had trouble finding ways to kill people. Most of my opponents stance legs and parry head. last time I played the pureblade gut and chest afflicitons weren't anything that where going to win a fight, and the only decent arm would afflictions was amp. arm. I am assuming things change in the time I was gone and I just wanted a few tips on how to kill people with half decent curing as a pureblade. ( I am a paladin btw. )

Well... imo as a PB, what I like to try and do is get the people I'm fighting to switch their parrying and stance in order to go against a constant attack elsewhere on the body. And so, I end up attacking the arms and chest hard, hoping that they'll move... and I love cutting off arms. When that happens... things can get interesting.

Basically, imo you're just trying to wear them down enough that they're going to fall if they continue just parrying the head all the time... then, when they do move the parrying... you hit them hard and fast... building up wounds.

But I'm a noob too...

Purebladers are the best attrition warriors. They have good critical afflictions all across the board and some lower ones that can help either slow down your foe, or to work towards stacking cures.

Chopping off arms I find a waste of my time and even when I do try, I often fail. The beauty of aimming for the arms is that almost anybody can get to medium wounds in one jab, making a severnerve maneuver a great asset. Almost nobody will start off parrying their arms (only person I have ever seen do it was Ashteru) against you and this is a great way to either take down someone's shield to gimp their parrying, or to pair it up with niricol/anatine poisons to keep a fellow warrior's offense lagging.

The gut is the best knock down, drag it out fight target area for everyone that doesn't have consciousness or food on their person. Opengut is weak, but I think rupturedstomach at only heavy wounds is a great target to go for time and time again since it will almost always be open to you and require a regeneration cure if nothing else.

The chest has a good high end affliction in collapsedlungs that, again, requires a regeneration cure... which will always be the foundation you fight towards. Severphrenic is also a very easy affliction to give off in the medium wounds range and can mess with people as well as most other things, particularly effective when cleaving through rebounding to make them try to smoke faeleaf before the myrtle.

That was probably in our second or third spar where I knew where you would start off hitting on. <.<

Hrm, I don't think so. That's what made it so memorable

also just wanted to add, I currently use a 509 prec. greatsword, think I should stick with that or pick up a katana?

Kind of depends on the other stats and your race, too.

newly returned myself. used to use a decent greatsword (can't remember stats, but wounding came easy) told to go katana now! Much prefered greatswords then. As a human, level 74, trans'd pureblade and all that, what should I be using? Go with current advice of a katana, or go back to greatswords? Or even claymores, though I never really used them?

just realized I necro'd this hardcore=p sorry about that, but the question still stands.

Ok, gonna bold this because there's so much misinformation:

Greatswords are fine. Greatswords are good wounding weapons, if you're not putting artifact runes on them. People say to use a wounding katana because to put artifact runes on a good sword, you have to temper it, and the stat minumums for greatswords mean that you end up giving up too many stats where you need them for it to be worthwhile. If you're not putting artifact runes on the sword, it is not an issue.

Claymores are for group combat and trying to overwhelm people with damage, but because pureblades don't have the low-end hindering of axelords or bonecrushers, you're not going to do as well with the latter. Still, good for low health people and group combat. You should have one for that.

Ultimately, you'll want:

A wounding weapon (greatsword or wounding katana)
A hunting weapon (usually 280 speed katana)
A damage weapon (claymore)

An addendum, I would make four. A 500/x/190+ greatsword, a 350+/x/190+ claymore, a x/430+/250+ katana, and a bashing weapon (70+/x/280). You can still create a good speed wounder without artifacts as you don't have to shave points off it.

Holy cats, Batman, he means x/500/190+. I don't think even a Divine weapon would have +500 damage, and I wouldn't even want to be hit with one through Putre if it existed.

Just so you're sure, Drayde.

Yes, x/500+/190+. You can get close to 500 damage, it's not that astounding since damage stat is pretty tame as far as increasing actual damage goes. Racial + Moon/Night + Champ + Forging runes + 15's, etc.