Code Vein Halberd Guide

[@Yoshi15550]

"Gaol" is actually an archaic version of "jail", and both words have the exact same pronunciation. I know the intro is pre-recorded, but I had to get this out of my system. And thank you for the mention at the end. You already know I appreciate it a lot. So, halberds! Arguably the best weapon class in the game due to their versatility. Do you like fast weapons, but feel like their staggering power is subpar? You pick a halberd. Do you want BIG damage, but don't like the weight and attack speed of greatswords? You pick a halberd. Are you a defensive player like me, and combining fast attack speed with good blocking is a dream of yours? Do you love sword skills, but feel like they could do a bit more damage? Do you consider Chariot Rush busted? The answer is halberds. The only limiting factor to halberds is that you will never hit quick mobility without using Revenant's Ambition. But quick mobility is overrated and Swift Destruction is mediocre, so let's get on with the comments, shall we? -I originally loved the Queenslayer Halberd, but my opinion on it got worse over time. It often felt like it let me down in situations it shouldn't have, especially the uncharged heavy. Now that I've learned its charged heavy can knock down, perhaps I'll try a dedicated build for it. If it doesn't work out, it will hold the dubious honour of being a Queenslayer weapon I dislike (along with the Queenslayer GS), which should say a lot. It's otherwise impossible to stop me from endlessly praising the Queenslayer line of weapons. Oh, and if you care about niches, this is one of the best weapons for Queen's Throat. With Revenant's Ambition and a fortified Ivory Grace, it manages to stay at quick mobility. -On the other hand, the Bardiche is a weapon I disregarded its existence for my first 50-55 hours. And when I picked it up, I was greeted by average damage and a mediocre moveset. However, I quickly noticed its weight is relatively low, and that it has respectable blocking at 90/80/80 and... 65 stability? And with just Steady Bulwark, it goes to 100/96/96? _At 52 weight?_ Unreal. This is unarguably one of the absolute best defensive weapons in the entire game, and no defensive set-up should consider itself complete without first regarding this weapon. I daresay it's the Zweihander's younger, more versatile brother. -You pretty much nailed the Impaler. Throughout my quest for knowledge, I have never seen someone who doesn't like it. The Impaler has fast attack speed, very low weight, good range, an incredible moveset and the highest amount of thrusting attacks out of all weapons. In a game where piercing damage is mostly a premium reserved for mages, having a weapon that can consistently output physical piercing damage without repeatedly using the first light attack over and over again is great. Its crowd controlling capabilites are limited and its blocking is nothing but horrendous, but even then, I don't think any halberd comes close to the offensive utility the Impaler provides. -After all this praise for the Impaler, you'd expect me to say the same about the Cerulean Spear. I thought so too at first, but no. The Cerulean Spear only exists to trigger my OCD, because even though it's lighter and overall better at blocking than the Impaler, it has lower damage, a measly 68 slash resistance, much worse scaling and a charged heavy attack that is simply miserable to use. Good luck hitting all three projectiles on the same enemy. Yes, they each deal a separate hit, and they hurt a lot when they all hit. But let's be real, that will not happen often. Unless you combine Charge Accelerator and Time Crunch, but in that case, why aren't you using the Nagimukuro or a bayonet? They will accomplish the same thing, and they will do so MUCH better. -I consider the Black Halberd very stinky. Why? Aside from having an overall abysmal moveset, it has a B requirement in Dexterity. Not C+, but B. _In Dexterity._ Granted, I should not be complaining because 70% of my builds use Isis and Scathach, but some of my most valued builds use Eos, Ishtar and especially Queen. This is not a good sidearm at all, and even on codes like Prometheus, Queenslayer or Heimdall, I'd rather have something with a better moveset. I don't say that often and I don't say it lightly, but this is not a good weapon. -I never noticed the Obliterator Axe was a bunch of axe blades haphazardly fused together, or that its light attacks are identical to those of the Bardiche. I don't like this weapon due to its weight and stat requirements, but it's good. With the moveset being a weird fusion of the QS Halberd and the Bardiche, and its damage being astronomically high for a halberd, it is no surprise this weapon's DPS is unmatched. Every non-greatsword one-shot build uses this weapon, and for good reason. That damage simply does not lie. I can't think of anything else to say. As always, excellent guide, and you bet I'll be looking forward to the next one.

[@PseudoDrifter]

Halberds are so good. They are my most used class by far, even though I have a soft spot for Hammers. You're correct, they are very versatile and excellent. I highly value quick mobility, so having a QS Halberd on a caster setup that can reach quick mobility is good in my eyes. I kind of didn't think much about the QS Halberd either until I started messing around with it for this guide. I feel it is worth the hassle of picking up at the very least. It's just a fun weapon and do you really need much of a reason to use a weapon beyond that? The Bardiche is definitely a sleeper weapon. I had no idea it could reach really good blocking until you brought it to my attention. It went from meh to pretty okay thanks to your praise. Crowd control with the Impaler takes a bit of finesse. You need to bait enemies into chasing you, turn and stab (or better yet knock them down), and focus on the ones that didn't get staggered for a few seconds, then start running when the group starts closing in on you again. It's doable but requires a lot of tactical retreat. I was going to include this in the guide and then realized I would spend a lot more time talking about the Impaler compared to all the other halberds lol. The Cerulean Spear is better on Ishtar than the Impaler. In all my testing I only could ever get the fully charged heavy to tick once. I'll have to go back and do some testing on some chonky enemies and check this again. All the same, the Cerulean Spear is a prime choice for a level 1 character tackling Tower of Trials 2 & 3. I just really like this bad boy, even if some reputable people think it's just bad. I will disagree about the Black Halberd, but you probably already saw this coming. The quick poke followed by a combo weak attack is exactly the same as a spear which elevates it very highly. It also has more sweeping attacks letting you clip dogs or monkeys that are trying to sneak up on you. Sure it's heavy and the requirements are greedy, but it made a strong impression on me when I first started the game. I'd take a Black Halberd that needs 2 stat passives over a double spin halberd that needs none in a heartbeat, if not faster. They shoulda called it the Obliterator Mace. And yes, it is stupidly good. I wasn't joking around when I said, "if I need something dead quickly I reach for the Obliterator Axe." I originally ignored it because it was a boss weapon and the boss weapons up till that point were pretty disappointing. Man, I was quite pleased when I first gave it a good shake. And then the One-Shot Build was discovered making it legendary. It's just one of the best weapons in the game if you don't want to be an Argent Wolf King's Blade Minmaxer. Thanks for chiming in! I always value your careful eye for off-meta ideas and builds! Can't wait to hear what you have to say about the hammers!

[@tablesthetablegod]

am i the only one who appreciates the double spin? if you get used to the moveset you can use the double spin pretty well as crowd control, staggering, or just combo-ing. i prefer the argent wolf polearm personally and i enjoy the moveset. the damage is a huge plus

[@lionelmayer2545]

Awesome detail !

[@MortuisRosis]

Now this is epic.

[@PseudoDrifter]

Indeed! I worked hard on it. Although I was under the impression that epics required hours to recite. This is just a short 20-some-odd minute video.

[@kjc4792]

Was the opening music from the ooze on genesis? 🤣😂 love it

[@domenthebeast8885]

Sorry but I like SPIN over effectiveness. Good video tho

[@PseudoDrifter]

To each their own. I don't like them is all. Getting locked into a long animation can be very detrimental. But if you can master the double spin they are effective weapons.

[@domenthebeast8885]

True, I am someone who uses Judgment edges Heavy attacks so Slow doesn’t matter to me. As long as it is cool.

[@epicmelonman]

Fucking love your Miku fashion

[@PseudoDrifter]

The opportunity was irresistible.

[@eeeecca]

double spin moveset can be circumvented with just using running or dodging attacks as starters

[@R.E.-Gato]

Good video. I really appreciate you talking about the move sets so I know which ones to avoid

[@PseudoDrifter]

Thanks! I'm glad this guide was helpful!

[@starwars1744]

3:42 love the Hatsune Miku character.

[@Linkforlife199]

Only uses for the Garnet Splitter (if you are determined to use it): The Insatiable Despot and the Argent Wolf Berserker.

[@PseudoDrifter]

You speak sage wisdom! They are both weak to Blood by a significant amount. But yeah, I'd rather use almost any other weapon besides the Garnet Splitter.

[@kleid2005]

Nice video! Em btw I'm not sure whether you know but blocking cancels the double swing animation after the first. So thou it does less damage, it has less commitment too!

[@PseudoDrifter]

That is very useful information! Thank you! I'm gonna have to practice that.

[@MasterQuestMaster]

Thanks for these guides. Having an overview and evaluation of all the weapons helps a great deal with deciding what to try out first.

[@MidKnightOTC]

These guides are seriously underrated! I'm growing to love the Halberd class of weapons, if only they had one that more resembled a scythe. The water stripper's spear just doesn't quite do it. Here's hoping they add one even though it's late in the game's life 😅

[@typicalgoodguyclub4games]

Just bought the game from ps sales, if i use the argent wolf what bloodcode, veil and also skill do you recommend? Also what transformation? Kinda new to the game lol, currently im using queenslayer and zwei 🤣