Duelist

Who is Duelist?

Duelist is a captain whose boosting-related incoming-damage penalty was reduced in hotfix 0.9.10. The rule connects a movement state to the cost of being hit, making the path through danger an important part of the selection.

Think about the moments when you usually boost. An escape across open space, a rush toward a target, and a pass through incoming attacks create different situations. The captain’s full selection description should be considered alongside those habits.

Playstyle: choose the line before the boost

Guide advice: decide where the boost will end before using it. Look beyond the target toward the position that follows. If the line takes you through overlapping threats, consider a different approach rather than using speed as the only answer.

When you need to leave danger, prioritize a direction that reduces exposure instead of automatically returning through the route you used to enter. The practical lesson is to separate moving quickly from moving safely; the two can coincide, but the path determines whether they do.

When to choose Duelist

Consider Duelist when the full character rule interests you and you are comfortable reading a route before committing to it. A familiar vehicle makes it easier to focus on exposure during boosting rather than learning new steering at the same time.

If boosting into crowded situations is currently your default response, make that habit the learning goal. The tradeoff to weigh is taking hits while using a movement action you might normally treat as an escape tool. Revisit that sequence after the 0.9.10 reduction without assuming the drawback has disappeared.

Build considerations

Ram is relevant because contact-oriented offense can encourage committed approaches. If boost is part of that routine, plan the aftermath as carefully as the initial contact. This is a risk relationship to evaluate, not a recommendation to pair the two automatically.

Force Mage can be considered when incoming projectiles complicate your route, while Electric Mage offers a different control action. Learn what each action contributes before depending on it during a boost. Neither changes the need to watch the castle’s position and the threats remaining after activation.

Beginner tips

Practice deliberate boosts with a clear continuation on a familiar platform. Add your main offensive action once you can anticipate where the vehicle will finish. Notice whether damage arrives during the approach, the boost itself, or the position after it ends.

That observation gives the next adjustment a purpose. You might change the angle of entry, wait for a more comfortable opportunity, or reduce the number of threats involved. Keep the change small enough that you can understand whether it helped.

Common mistakes

Avoid treating a reduced penalty as permission to ignore incoming attacks. Avoid equating an impressive hit with a favorable overall pass. A contact attack that lands can still leave the castle exposed during a boost or stranded among nearby enemies.

Do not change vehicle, captain, and attack style together when trying to diagnose the problem. First learn the boost exposure rule on a familiar setup. Then compare whether a new offensive choice improves the sequence or merely encourages the same risky habit.

Patch notes

A captain whose boosting-related incoming-damage penalty was reduced in hotfix 0.9.10.