Deep Cuts is a talent in the Fencer branch of the Windrose Talent System. Increases damage output when the hit registers as Slash damage type. Applies to Sabers, Rapiers, Cutlasses, and most 1H blades. Does not apply to Crude (Clubs) or Pierce (firearms, some daggers).
Slash Weapons This Talent Scales
Deep Cuts only multiplies hits that register as the Slash damage type. The table lists the common one-handed blades that benefit, and the governing stat each one scales with. Pierce and Crude hits are excluded.
Weapon | Native Damage Type | Governing Stat | Benefits from Deep Cuts |
|---|---|---|---|
Slash | Yes | ||
Slash | Yes | ||
Pierce by default, Slash on bleed combos | Only on Slash-registering hits | ||
Crude | No | ||
Pierce | No |
Summary
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Branch | |
Tier | 1 |
Max rank | 3 |
Points per rank | 1 |
Effect by Rank
Rank | Slash Damage |
|---|---|
Rank 1 | +3% |
Rank 2 | +6% |
Rank 3 | +9% |
Community Meta
Strong for Slash-type weapons, situational on Pierce or Crude builds. Safe early opener for pure Slash users.
Pairs Well With
Pairings In Detail
Talent | Why It Stacks |
|---|---|
Quick Strikes raises attack speed, so more Slash swings land per second. Each of those swings carries the Deep Cuts bonus, multiplying the gain across a full combo. | |
Surgical Cuts and Deep Cuts both feed the same Slash damage output and stack additively, so a pure Slash blade build benefits from running both. | |
Massive scales raw weapon damage, and Deep Cuts layers its Slash bonus on top of that larger base figure on Saber and Cutlass rotations. |
See Also
Fencer branch overview
Talent System the four-branch progression framework
Stats and Talents stat allocation and respec
Build Role
Deep Cuts is the Slash-specific damage layer. It is a default pick on Saber, Rapier, and Cutlass rotations that already scale with Quick Strikes or Massive because it stacks on top of both.
Math Example
A Saber doing 110 Slash damage per swing becomes 120 Slash at rank 3 Deep Cuts. Over a 10-swing camp clear, that is roughly 100 extra total damage, enough to save one swing on a mid-HP enemy.
Notes
Does not apply to Pierce (Rapier's alternate damage type) or Crude (Club, some two-handed weapons). Check the weapon's damage type before committing points.
Rapier of a Thousand Cuts hits register as Slash for the Bleed application, so Deep Cuts does compound the rapier's damage output.