Revision 3

Retaliation is a weapon effect in Windrose that increases melee damage on successful Perfect Blocks. Each parry applies a Retaliation stack, and the stacks remain until the player takes any damage. Retaliation rewards aggressive parry-focused play by snowballing damage output across clean defensive exchanges.

Stacking Rules

Retaliation's damage bonus per stack varies by weapon. The baseline is +10% per stack for most Retaliation weapons (max +30% at 3 stacks). The Captain's Greatsword is the standout: +15% per stack (max +45%) plus the 10% HP restore at max stacks.

Reset Condition

Taking ANY damage removes ALL Retaliation stacks, including damage-over-time effects like Bleeding, Corruption, or plague status. This makes Retaliation weapons high-skill-ceiling: players who can chain Perfect Blocks flawlessly will output significantly more damage than players who trade hits. A single sloppy dodge resets the accumulated damage bonus to zero.

Retaliation Weapons

Confirmed Retaliation weapons include:

• Captain's Greatsword - the standout with +15%/stack and HP recovery at max

• Other greatswords and one-handed melee weapons with Retaliation passives (community-documented list continues to expand)

Build Synergy

Retaliation pairs with the Fencer talent system branch (Perfect Counter, +5-12% crit after block) and the Toughguy branch (Flawless Defence, 15-35% block posture cost reduction). The combination creates a parry-focused build where every Perfect Block amplifies damage, recovers stamina, and potentially restores HP.

Tactical Notes

• Avoid Damage-over-Time statuses before engaging; Bleeding or Corruption pings from previous fights will reset Retaliation stacks

• Cleanse food buffs do not block DoT resets; prevention is the only counter

• Boss fights with visible combo attacks (Savage Boars, Pirate Sergeants, Tainted Priestess adds) are ideal Retaliation opportunities

• Multiplayer groups can have one player draw aggression while the Retaliation wielder stacks against a different target

See Also

• Perfect Block - parry mechanic

• Captain's Greatsword - signature Retaliation weapon

• Combat - combat mechanics

• Weapons - weapon categories