Summary of "NOBODY TOLD YOU THIS - Deus Ex Manus Build Guide - How swords work & Math | The First Descendant"

Core idea

The video explains a Manus/Manis (mana) sword build in The First Descendant: how the sword’s mechanics interact with pierce, crits, abilities, and which cores/ascendants best synergize with it.

Primary playloop (most ammo‑ and damage‑efficient):

Slash once to charge liberation/bonus damage and grant a defensive buff, immediately use the sword ability to consume the stacks and deal amplified damage, then repeat.

How the sword works — key mechanical takeaways

Pierce interaction
- Pierce damage reduction for Manis does not go below 70%. Pierce modules are therefore largely ineffective for improving damage on typical kills and are often wasted.
Ability bonus damage
- Manis grants a bonus‑damage proc (about +10%) that appears to be calculated before pierce reduction and applies using the full damage of the first hit.
Block damage reduction
- Manis provides a built‑in 50% block damage reduction (this stacks with defenses/resists).
Liberation stacks
- Each hit grants liberation stacks that boost ability damage (not slash damage). Each stack also gives a damage‑taken reduction buff.
Mana cost
- Each bonus‑damage instance consumes ~2% mana (can be reduced by skill cost reduction).
Multiple damage instances
- An attack can trigger multiple damage instances (with the Manus component set this can be up to six instances), which multiplies how bonus damage and consecutive procs apply.
Weak points
- Manis does deal weak‑point damage (contrary to some claims), though it cannot be further modified for additional weak‑point multipliers.
Crits and abilities
- The sword’s bonus damage can crit. Critical hits can reset certain ability states (for example, “ambushed” reset). Some outgoing‑damage effects (e.g., Sharon’s) only calculate using base attack stat and not weapon elemental damage.
Stat buckets
- Melee weapons use a separate damage stat bucket from firearms/explosives. Some firearm‑only descendant skills (Haley, Serena, Blair, Vali) won’t interact with melee damage.
Attack speed vs. fire rate
- Melee attack speed is handled separately; fire‑rate bonuses (for example, from Shellcrusher) don’t affect melee attack speed, and melee attack speed does not change firearm fire rate.

Recommended playstyle and synergies

Primary rhythm
- Left‑click slash once → immediately use the ability → repeat. This fills and consumes the liberation gauge efficiently, preserves ammo (the ability doesn’t use ammo), and maximizes bonus‑damage uptime.
Ammo economy
- Manis uses a scarce high‑powered round. Use selectively (bosses, single‑target) or pair with ascendants/supports that improve ammo economy: Enzo (shield), Glay (tank), Battle Artist, Luna, ammo dog, and certain supports (e.g., Sharon) that refill sword ammo.
Best use cases
- Ideal for bosses and single‑target encounters; less ideal for large crowds or pure mobbing.
Luna synergy
- Manis can act as a Luna stat‑stick under Battlefield Concert. The sword bonus damage can crit where some sniper bonus damage might not, and with Luna builds that force a fixed high fire rate, sword use loses less relative DPS.
Recommended descendant roles
- Shield Enzo and tank Glay are good pairings for effective HP and ammo economy; other builds that value sustained single‑target damage will also benefit.

Build and core recommendations (Manus build specifics)

Priorities
- Favor critical‑damage cores (three critical‑damage cores suggested) over Veil Analyzer for higher payoff—Veil Analyzer’s attribute bonus is considered lackluster here.
Key talents/cores
- Exquisite Strike: consecutive‑hit chance and attack‑speed bonus.
- Arcade Tuning: adds critical hit rate and/or consecutive chance to increase proc frequency.
Consecutive chance
- Very strong for Manis. The chance trigger pairs with the ability bonus to grant effectively free extra percent damage when it procs. Do not stack consecutive damage stat—only the chance matters.
- Note: consecutive chance applies to left‑click hits, not the ability itself.
Guaranteed crit setups
- If you want 100% crit chance, swap some cores/talents: remove Better Insight and add Veil Analyzer or Range; move critical‑hit‑rate cores/placements as needed (for example, change a Readjustment bonus to Chill Attack and convert a critical‑damage core into a critical‑hit‑rate core).

Miscellaneous tips and caveats

Outgoing damage effects from Sharon count base attack but not weapon element.
Swords do not trigger Focus Rounds from Inversion.
Sword animations (spinning) do not change grapple movement speed.
Some weapon component sets (e.g., Manus component set) can cause multiple damage instances per slash.
Test Manis versus alternatives (e.g., Madness) to find the best stat‑stick choice for Luna—different weapons may have different crit or weak‑point behavior.

Quick usage guide (concise)

Slash once to gain liberation stack(s) and the damage‑taken reduction buff.
Immediately use the sword ability to consume stacks and trigger the bonus damage (ability does not consume ammo).
Repeat the cycle; use ascendants/supports that refill ammo or improve ammo economy to extend uptime.
Build toward maximum crit damage and consecutive chance (chance, not consecutive‑damage value).

Names and sources mentioned

Weapons / components / stats: Manis/Manus (mana sword), Shadow sword, Manus component set, Madness, Shellcrusher, Veil Analyzer, Better Insight, Exquisite Strike, Arcade Tuning, Potent Collector
Ascendants / characters / supports: Enzo, Glay, Battle Artist, Luna, Sharon, Haley, Serena, Blair, Vali
Other terms: Inversion (Focus Rounds), Battlefield Concert (Luna skill), ambushed (ability state), ammo dog

(End of summary.)