Half Sword Abyss Mode Guide: What To Do In The Abyss
The Abyss in Half Sword is a survival test that decides whether your character lives or is erased. In Abyss Mode, you must defeat every enemy you are given without dying, or your character is permanently lost and reset to Beggar. There is no surrender option, no retry, and no mercy once you are inside.
What The Abyss Is
The Abyss is a fog filled arena where fallen characters are sent after death. You wake up inside a coffin with your current gear and no guidance. Enemies spawn around you from all directions and visibility is limited.
The Abyss exists to punish reckless killing. The more enemies you killed before dying, the more spirits you must defeat here.
How Enemy Count Is Determined
When you enter the Abyss, the game tells you how many enemies you must face. This number is directly tied to your kill count while alive.
High body count means more enemies. Low body count means fewer enemies and a better chance of survival.
You can also enter the Abyss voluntarily at night by speaking to The Seer and choosing how many spirits you want to face.
What Enemies Are Like
Enemies in the Abyss are decayed, zombie like humanoids with basic weapons. They are fast, aggressive, and unpredictable. They grab, bite, fall, and swarm rather than fight cleanly.
Bites to the neck or head are often fatal. Arm bites are sometimes survivable if you react quickly. They can appear silently or rush you without warning.
Enemies may surrender, but unlike other modes, surrendered enemies do not disappear and may try to flee. You still need to finish them.
How Combat Works In The Abyss
You must fight until all required enemies are dead. Giving up is disabled.
Falling down is extremely dangerous. You can still kick or swing from the ground, but survival chances drop sharply. Staying on your feet matters more than landing flashy hits.
Blunt weapons work well early because enemies are fragile. Longer weapons give you space and prevent swarming. If an enemy refuses to stay down, destroying the head or torso is more reliable than limb damage.
Loot And Equipment In The Abyss
Loot is scattered everywhere in baskets, coffins, chests, and on the ground. What you find is random and changes every run.
Armor is critical. Gloves, boots, leggings, and chest pieces dramatically reduce fatal hits and knockdowns. Equip armor immediately when found.
All Gauntlet and Free Mode weapons can appear here. Some weapons only exist in the Abyss.
Regeneration And Recovery
If you survive long enough, wounds may heal during the run. This can turn near death situations around and is one of the strangest mechanics in the Abyss.
If you survive the Abyss, your character is fully restored. Lost limbs and severe injuries are undone when you revive.
What Happens If You Win
After defeating all enemies, the screen fades to white. You are returned to the Inn and revived.
You keep your gear, progress, and rank. The game continues as normal.
What Happens If You Fail
If you die or fall unconscious in the Abyss, your character is deleted. Progress is wiped and you restart as Beggar.
There is no partial success.
Abyss Survival Tips
Keep kill count low during normal play
Grab any object immediately after waking
Protect your neck at all costs
Use long weapons to control distance
Finish enemies fully so they do not swarm later
Never let stamina empty completely
Keep moving, standing still gets you surrounded
Final Blurb
The Abyss is Half Sword at its most honest. It rewards restraint, awareness, and adaptability while punishing greed and sloppy kills. Treat every fight before death like the Abyss is waiting, because it always is. Survive it, and you earn your second chance.
FAQ
Can you leave the Abyss early
No, you must defeat all enemies or die.
What controls how hard the Abyss is
Your total kill count before dying determines enemy numbers.
Do you keep your gear after surviving
Yes, you return fully healed with your last equipped loadout.
Can you enter the Abyss on purpose
Yes, The Seer can send you there at night.
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