Hold (Frayed Blade)

Hold is a skill in Dark Souls III: The Ringed City.

Description
When held, the player sheathes the weapon and prepares to use one of two special attacks. Using a normal attack while in Hold will cause the player to bring the katana down in a horizontal swing, sending a line of Dark energy along a straight path for a short distance. Using a strong attack will cause the player to execute four very fast slashes which deal increased damage.

Campaign
Hold gives the player increased offensive options when dealing with certain enemies. The shockwave can be useful for damaging an enemy that is dangerous to engage at close range, while the slash combo can be particularly powerful against bosses when they are locked into certain attack animations.

Online gameplay
Both abilities are very useful against players, as they fill in areas where katanas are usually weak.

The shockwave can be used either to out-space an opponent or roll-catch them if they attempt to dodge, particularly as flat defense against Dark damage can only be increased by leveling Faith. As katanas are comparatively short compared to Greatswords and ultra weapons, the shockwave gives players the option to safely damage opponents from range once they are locked into an attack animation.

The slash can be useful for quickly breaking down shields, something that katanas traditionally have trouble with, while dealing chip damage through the shield itself. As well, this attack gives the player a moderate amount of Hyper Armor, helping them them to win a trade against weapons that are Straight Sword-sized or smaller. The attacks are also capable of building up Bleed if they connect, so landing two combos on an exposed opponent has a very good chance of proccing Bleed on them.

Weapons

 * Frayed Blade