Inven Global

In Lineage Classic, other weapon types like the Ice Queen's Spear and Ancient Greatsword have recently risen in popularity, but one-handed swords have long been considered the standard go-to weapon. However, with daggers making their appearance in the Pirate Island update on October 21, the meta is expected to shift dramatically.

In this article, we directly measured the attack counts of one-handed swords versus daggers under various haste conditions using a Mail Breaker and a Steel Dagger. Based on these measurements, we compared the average DPS of the current top-tier one-handed sword, the +9 Saulabi Longsword, against the +9 Crystal Dagger. If you are considering switching to a dagger, refer to the figures below.

First, we analyzed the hit counts frame by frame for the Mail Breaker and Steel Dagger under three conditions: Stage 1 Haste, Stage 2 Haste, and Stage 2 Haste combined with a Sharna Transformation Scroll.

In all conditions, the Steel Dagger landed 1.7 to 2.2 more hits. By percentage, the gap was largest at Stage 1 Haste at approximately 12.2%, and narrowed to about 8.1% when adding the Sharna Transformation Scroll. The average across all three conditions is approximately 10.8%.

Since the Oriharukon Dagger is not currently available, the comparison was made using the Crystal Dagger, Mithril Dagger, and Steel Dagger. All three weapons have a safe enchant limit of +6, meaning they gain identical bonus damage and accuracy from enchantment.

The difference lies in their base damage values and bonus effects. The Crystal Dagger features the highest Small damage at 10, along with Melee Damage +1. While the Mithril Dagger and Steel Dagger share the same damage values, the Mithril Dagger includes bonus SP and MP Recovery.

Material composition is another key point to consider. The Crystal Dagger is silver and the Mithril Dagger is mithril, allowing both weapons to deal bonus damage against undead targets. In contrast, the Steel Dagger is made of iron, offering no bonus damage against undead.

Now, let's compare the current top-tier one-handed sword, the +9 Saulabi Longsword, against the +9 Crystal Dagger based on a +9 enchantment level. The Saulabi Longsword features 16 Small and 10 Large damage with Melee Accuracy +5, while the Crystal Dagger features 10 Small and 4 Large damage with Melee Damage +1.

The +9 bonus damage from enchantment is a fixed value, but the base damage applies a random value between 1 and the maximum. Converting this to average damage gives the Saulabi Longsword 17.5 Small and 14.5 Large damage (plus Accuracy +5), while the Crystal Dagger gets 15.5 Small and 12.5 Large damage.

Looking strictly at average damage per hit, the Saulabi Longsword is higher by 2. However, applying the measured attack speeds changes the outcome. Including the Crystal Dagger's Melee Damage +1, the Crystal Dagger deals approximately 2–6% more damage against Small targets and 1–5% more against Large targets over the same timeframe. At peak haste using a Sharna Transformation Scroll, the attack speed gap closes, narrowing the difference against Large targets to approximately 0.7%.

However, these calculations do not account for the Saulabi Longsword's powerful Melee Accuracy +5 stat. Because the figures above represent expected damage assuming all attacks land, the value of +5 Accuracy rises significantly in combat against high-AC targets where misses occur frequently. Particularly in the Sharna Transformation Scroll state, where the DPS gap narrows to 1–2%, a few missed attacks can reverse the advantage, so players should consider the accuracy environment of their main hunting targets.

Conversely, the Crystal Dagger has uncounted strengths as well. Made of silver, the Crystal Dagger deals bonus damage against undead targets. In environments where Melee Accuracy +5 has little impact, adding the silver material bonus damage allows the Crystal Dagger to pull significantly ahead of the Saulabi Longsword in overall firepower.

In Lineage Classic, players can obtain plenty of additional damage from various buffs, food, and other sources. These additional damage bonuses are fixed values added directly to every hit.

In other words, a weapon that hits more frequently gains more benefit from the same flat damage bonus. As seen in the table above, adding just +5 flat damage widens the gap at Stage 1 Haste from ~5.8% to ~7.2%. The more bonus damage you stack, the greater the DPS advantage becomes for fast-attacking daggers.

Ultimately, daggers now offer a clear advantage over traditional staple one-handed swords. Players who consistently stack bonus damage through buffs and food should seriously consider upgrading to a +9 Crystal Dagger.