Stab

Stab is a thrusting melee attack that inflicts the Bleed status effect on contact, causing ongoing physical damage over several seconds. As a Blue Stamina tree ability, it is the foundation of an entire offensive branch: leveling Stab to rank 3 unlocks the Swift Stab, Skewer, Aerial Stab, and Stab Mastery follow-ups, making it one of the most investment-efficient ability unlocks in the tree.

The Bleed status has particular value against high-health targets: bosses and elite enemies who cannot be quickly killed through burst damage benefit from the persistent Bleed tick. Stab Mastery, the highest-rank upgrade, adds a Super Armor Break effect to fully-charged Stabs, allowing interruption of attacks that would otherwise be unstoppable by normal strikes.

Strategically, Stab pairs exceptionally well with the Skewer follow-up for extended Bleed duration on single targets. For bosses like the Staglord and Gwen Kraber, opening with a Parry-Counter combo to create a free window, then landing a Stab to apply Bleed before backing off, establishes ongoing damage pressure even during phases when direct access is unsafe.

As Stab scales to higher levels, the Bleed damage ticks increase significantly and the application becomes more reliable against enemies with status resistance. Combining Stab with Force Palm's Defense Reduction debuff creates a devastating damage-over-time loop where the Bleed ticks benefit from the lowered defenses. In longer boss encounters, maintaining Bleed uptime through periodic Stab refreshes while weaving in other abilities is more Stamina-efficient than relying on burst combos alone, making Stab the backbone of sustained-damage builds throughout the late game.

Stab is a straightforward but effective thrusting attack that delivers reliable single-target damage with minimal spirit cost. Its fast animation speed makes it ideal as a filler ability between heavier attacks or as a quick punish during brief enemy openings. Stab works well with Swords, Rapiers, and Daggers, and chains naturally into Swift Stab for extended rapid damage. While it lacks the flash of more dramatic abilities, its consistent efficiency makes it a dependable workhorse in any melee build.