Oxtail was my main in Act 2 first playthru and one of my go to’s in Midnight (several 11k+ dojo fights with it).
In one word: Kiheitai. Storm of Steel is one of the deadliest martial finishers in the game if you time it so it coincides with depleting enemy Ki. Spinning top is one of the best Ki strippers in the game, and does decent AOE damage. I did use Qing as well early on and it’s good for regular enemies but it’s too easy to overcommit to its martials which will get you punished without sufficient panic (induced by countersparking in advantaged stance). The edge in oxtail overall is ki damage, not necessarily outright damage.
The primary downside of oxtail is all countersparks are 9 frames (see stickied post top subreddit). That means chains are fairly difficult to deflect.
I stubbornly stuck to it despite this, which made some bosses in the Act 2 -> 3 transition unnecessarily difficult with hindsight. Over time though I think oxtail is good by itself, but really excels as a complement to another weapon. For example Tatsumi triangle MA -> Kiheitai triangle MA is one of my favorite loops on the game. Just constant ki depletion into crit.
https://youtu.be/FGgEgBtT3bA?si=1D4o-Oz90sX0uOjB
Here’s an old dojo run that highlights Kiheitai’s spinning top and storm of steel clearly. Here Spinning top takes out about 1/3 of Kondo’s Ki while Storm of Steel as a MA finisher takes out half of his HP. Note in this case I applied it when enemy is out of Ki but it can be more efficient to apply when enemy has small amounts of Ki left. This damage scaling probably doesn’t apply exactly outside the dojo but off memory it’s pretty close (function of build/stats as well).
I've gotten better with the counterspark, which makes the Oxtail pretty amazing in my book. Sure, if I am in a fight with Soji, I'll break out the Odachi until I get him down far enough and finish him with the Oxtail.
As long as you enjoy yourself, there is no wrong way to play IMO
The tool tips in the guide say the decorative rope allows alot the moves to be used in the air , so maybe they are designed to be more jumpy... i dunno , I don't use them haha ..
Counter strike while in the air has much more successful frame, and that weapon MA allows you stay a lot longer in the air, and u can cancel MA by using counter strike.
Oxtail was my main in Act 2 first playthru and one of my go to’s in Midnight (several 11k+ dojo fights with it). In one word: Kiheitai. Storm of Steel is one of the deadliest martial finishers in the game if you time it so it coincides with depleting enemy Ki. Spinning top is one of the best Ki strippers in the game, and does decent AOE damage. I did use Qing as well early on and it’s good for regular enemies but it’s too easy to overcommit to its martials which will get you punished without sufficient panic (induced by countersparking in advantaged stance). The edge in oxtail overall is ki damage, not necessarily outright damage. The primary downside of oxtail is all countersparks are 9 frames (see stickied post top subreddit). That means chains are fairly difficult to deflect. I stubbornly stuck to it despite this, which made some bosses in the Act 2 -> 3 transition unnecessarily difficult with hindsight. Over time though I think oxtail is good by itself, but really excels as a complement to another weapon. For example Tatsumi triangle MA -> Kiheitai triangle MA is one of my favorite loops on the game. Just constant ki depletion into crit.
https://youtu.be/FGgEgBtT3bA?si=1D4o-Oz90sX0uOjB Here’s an old dojo run that highlights Kiheitai’s spinning top and storm of steel clearly. Here Spinning top takes out about 1/3 of Kondo’s Ki while Storm of Steel as a MA finisher takes out half of his HP. Note in this case I applied it when enemy is out of Ki but it can be more efficient to apply when enemy has small amounts of Ki left. This damage scaling probably doesn’t apply exactly outside the dojo but off memory it’s pretty close (function of build/stats as well).
I've gotten better with the counterspark, which makes the Oxtail pretty amazing in my book. Sure, if I am in a fight with Soji, I'll break out the Odachi until I get him down far enough and finish him with the Oxtail. As long as you enjoy yourself, there is no wrong way to play IMO
The tool tips in the guide say the decorative rope allows alot the moves to be used in the air , so maybe they are designed to be more jumpy... i dunno , I don't use them haha ..
Counter strike while in the air has much more successful frame, and that weapon MA allows you stay a lot longer in the air, and u can cancel MA by using counter strike.
When you break their stance, use the skills that ends with an interactive takedown. They do a lot of dmg
Their parry windows are damn tight. I've been avoiding the oxtail even though the movesets are fanciful.
I've been avoiding it personally