Iron Master
What it is
The Iron Master keeps pushing straight at you. Its usual rhythm is thrust, thrust, sweep, thrust. Its strikes are slow and deliberate. Each one winds up for about 0.6 to 0.7 seconds, and it stays open for 0.7 to 0.8 seconds after a chain. It has 22 named techniques and raises its guard after every third attack.
At the start of the trial it tells you its lesson: leave the spot its hammer marks, then jump as the anvil rings.
How to get it
Sneak and use a wandering duelist who breathes Iron, or type /master challenge iron. An Iron duelist always calls the Iron Master. You need Aura Form or Heart Circle VIII. See Sword Masters for the full trial rules.
To train for it, look for a Quarry Hall in gravelly hills, stony peaks or meadows. Beat its Runebound guard to reach the chest in the pit. See Masters’ sites. In the badlands, an Iron Gatehouse holds Iron manual pages. See wild places.
Anvil Verdict
The banner reads “Leave the marked spot, then jump the ringing ground!” The Master stays in place for the whole move.
- The hammer. A circle with a 2-block radius is marked where you stand. It follows you until 0.3 seconds before the hammer falls, then locks. The hammer falls at 0.65 seconds for 26 damage. Step out of the circle.
- The anvil. At 1.3 seconds the ground rings. Everyone standing on the ground within 5 blocks of the Master takes 26 damage. Be in the air (jump), or be farther away.
Solid cover blocks it, and it can hit every challenger. After the anvil the Master is open for about 0.8 seconds.
The Master uses Anvil Verdict when you are 1.5 to 8 blocks away and roughly level with it. It comes as the second move of a four-move phrase, at most once every 7.5 seconds.
Other moves
- Techniques: chains of two to four strikes. Read each strike’s shape. See Reading a Master.
- Pursuit dash: if you hold a spell too long, it may dash up to 4.8 blocks at you, at most once every 7 seconds.
- Crescent volley: flying blades if you stay far away or high up.
Rewards for a clear
- Your first Iron clear teaches the Pierce technique part.
- The win goes into your lore journal. Type
/master victoriesto see which Masters you have beaten.
The Iron breathing method
Iron is the Metal method. Its passive makes your coated blows crack armour for 3 seconds. Its arts unlock as your aura grows:
| Art | Opens at | Input |
|---|---|---|
| Sunder Cut | Glow | swing, swing, low swing |
| Anvil Fall | Flow | leaping swing, then low swing |
| Bulwark | Edge | first swing after a perfect Aura Guard |
| Forge Charge | Form | first swing after an Aura Step |
| Worldforge | Sovereign | three full swings, then low swing |
Bulwark hits the foe whose blow you guarded first, then the others nearby. See Breathing Methods for the full numbers. A Quarry Hall’s Iron chest can hold Ironhold, Brace and Bonespur runes.
Tips and counterplay
- Step off the marked circle late, just before it locks. Then get ready to jump.
- Time your jump to the ring at 1.3 seconds. If you jump too early, you land back on the ground in time to be hit.
- It keeps coming straight at you, so sidestep its thrusts instead of backing up.
- The Iron Master guards after every third attack. Flank it or use an axe.