# Nightmares & Visions - Early Balance Look - Dev Blog Pt. 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Announcements\ **Tags:** devpost, patchnotes\ **Created:** [March 5, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/nightmares-visions-early-balance-look-dev-blog-pt-3/105590 "2025-03-05T15:44:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 72
**Author:** ![Goare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5e925/32.png) [@Goare](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/u/Goare)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/nightmares-visions-early-balance-look-dev-blog-pt-3/105590/72 "2025-03-08T06:25:32Z")
> [@FatsharkStrawHat](#): > > I won’t say it will never happen! We are open to conversations around that one. Are you though? **Are you?** Because the conversations have BEEN happening for months and they more or less unanimously say it’s an overpowered no-skill joyride of a weapon that trivializes difficult content and invalidates most other melee weapons by existing. Seriously? [https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/how-would-you-balance-the-dueling-sword/](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/how-would-you-balance-the-dueling-sword/) [https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/the-duelling-sword-balance-problem/](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/the-duelling-sword-balance-problem/) [https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/what-about-the-dueling-sword/](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/what-about-the-dueling-sword/) [https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/dueling-sword-too-good/](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/dueling-sword-too-good/) [https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/dueling-sword-nerf/](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/dueling-sword-nerf/) > [@Normalize movement](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/normalize-movement/104884/66): > > Just kill knife and dueling sword being able to do their best Sonic impression. And also kill their ability to deal with armor. And if Darktide 2 ever happens, don’t add them back. > [@Havoc has higlighted that Time-To-Kill is too low](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/havoc-has-higlighted-that-time-to-kill-is-too-low/104536/5): > > I think stuff like dueling sword spam throw that calculation off hard. Crushers die pretty rapidly on Havoc 40, but that’s cause there’s usually 3 or more people spamming dueling sword pokes. Hordes die pretty quick, but that’s because someone with infinite aoe dot stack applications is taking care of that. I think Havoc is pretty terribly balanced for non meta loadouts. Trying to cleave hordes with e.g. a shock maul, a weapon designed to have decent cleave and does it fine on Aurics, is just f… This was literally 1 minute of search in your own forum. I’m happy with the stun changes, I’m happy with the attempt at auto pistol revival, I have various other things I wish would get looked at … … but all of that pales in comparison to my fury at the balance team for letting that abomination of a weapon persist in its current form for so long. I love the 'tide games because they require SKILL and decision-making; weapons have tradeoffs, strengths, weaknesses, and aren’t mindless to use. The dueling sword **trivializes content and does not require meaningful skill to use**. Complete antithesis of your own design model. Fix it yesterday. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LLW7HGPI8t4/maxresdefault.jpg "The Dueling Sword Problem | Darktide") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLW7HGPI8t4) The combat knife has similar issues (too easy to use and too effective) particularly for zealot, but it’s merely S-Tier to Dueling Sword’s ALL-GALAXY-NO-CONTENDERS tier. --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.fatsharkgames.com/t/nightmares-visions-early-balance-look-dev-blog-pt-3/105590)._