Overview
Welcome to Blades of Glory! This is an arena based multiplayer fighting game that offers both PvP and PvE gameplay.There are two main gamemodes that you can play. First, there is Arena Mode, where you enter into a PvP arena and take on enemy players to prove your skill. Additionally, there is Legends Mode where you can team up with other players to take down a variety of hostile monsters. More in depth explanations of the gamemodes can be found in this help menu. Before you enter either game, make sure to choose your equipment in the Customize Equipment menu, futher explained in the Equipment section of the help menu. Good luck and have fun! 
*Configuration
Before getting started, we recommend that you check out the settings menu. There are three submenus, reachable with tab and shift tab, or the left and right bumpers on a controller. The accessibility tab contains settings for enabling text-to-speech, range beacons, and other toggleable audio queues. The graphics tab allows you to disable graphics for performance or run the game in windowed mode. The audio category lets you adjust the volumes of different sounds in the game so you can always hear what's important. Finally, the notifications menu lets you enable or disable different types of notifications, so you can stop receiving chat messages if people are being annoying.
*Basic Controls
The following are controls that will be used throughout the game.
W, A, S, and D: Move around.
Q and E: Rotate by 90 degrees.
up, left, and right or O, K, and semicolon: Attack up, left, and right
down or L: Block.
B: Shield bash.
space: Hold to raise your shield.
U: Activate your ability.
1, 2, and 3: Select head, torso, or legs for targeting.
left and right brackets: Cycle through tactical items.
J: Throw the selected tactical item.
tab: Switch to your secondary weapon, or switch back.
G: Pick up an item, if possible.
/: Open chat.
*Informational Keys
The following keys can be used to get information about you and what's around you.
H: Speak health and shield endurance.
C: Speak coordinates.
I: Speak block stamina.
M: Check your remaining ammo in a power weapon.
R: Use the radar to scan for players and items around you.
V: Examine an item if you are close to it. A sound will indicate whether or not you can pick it up.
T: In legends, speaks the number of enemies remaining.
Comma and Period: Read notifications. Use with shift to move to the beginning or end of the list.
F1: Check players in the current arena.
F2: Check ping.
*Arena
This is the PvP arena where you can test your loadouts and skills in a free for all combat! When you spawn in, you are placed in a random position on an open map. Your goal is to kill other players while ensuring your own survival. See the attacking and defending sections of this document for more information on how to fight. Whenever a player is killed in combat, they drop their weapon on the ground as an item, free for anyone else to pick up. When you die, you are given a humorous death message along with your kill streak, and you are returned to the main menu where you can change your loadout or enter right back in.
*Legends
Legends is your chance to team up with other players to take down a variety of powerful enemies! Just like in the arena, you are placed in an open map ready to fight. This time, other players are your friends, and there is no friendly fire. Legends runs on a wave-based cycle. Each wave, a number of enemies will spawn proportional to the amount of players on the map. They will all come from the top, so make sure to back away before a wave starts. Each enemy fights differently, so you need to learn how to take them down. Occasionally, there are swarm waves. These are waves containing an increased number of a single type of enemy. They are very difficult, and team work is necessary to defeat them effectively. Your goal is to be the best warrior at the end of the cycle. Whenever a player dies, they drop their weapon on the ground just like in arena, so you can switch up your loadout mid fight. When you die, you are given a death message and informed of your kill streak. You are then returned to the main menu to change your loadout or enter back in!
*Enemies In Legends
Below is a list of all enemies that can be found in Legends.
Goblin: Health-Low, Damage-Low, Speed-Very Fast
These little monsters are often the first to reach you in combat. They randomly change their target every few seconds which can cause chaos while fighting. 
Troll: Health-Medium, Damage-Medium, Speed-Medium
Trolls are incredibly dangerous in large numbers. They will dart in and out of a fight, making it challenging for you to focus on a single target.
Ogre: Health-Very High, Damage-Very High, Speed: Very Slow
Ogres are the juggernauts of the Legends Arena. While they are easy to evade, their long reach and massive damage make them very formidable enemies. Listen for their windup to time your blocks well.
Elf: Health-Medium, Damage-Medium, Speed-Slow
While Elves may appear similar to Trolls at first glance, they are much more dangerous. They attack from a distance, dealing constant damage to you before retreating out of your range. Corner them to improve your chances of survival. 
*Attacking
The following section will teach you how to effectively use your weapons to deal damage to your enemies. When attacking, the direction you swing in is directly related to the direction you are facing. If you are facing north, then swinging forward will swing north, left will swing west, and right will swing east. Always make sure to swing towards your target. Blades of Glory does not require you to aim precisely. As long as you swing in the correct general direction, you will hit your target unless they are out of range or defending. While attacking with your weapon is the most viable option, sometimes, you want to get your opponent away from you This is where the shield bash comes in. By pressing B, if you are holding a one-handed weapon, you can bash your opponent with your shield assuming you are facing them and very close. This will deal some damage and knock them back a few tiles, depending on your shield. Another tactic is to switch to your second weapon with the TAB key. This can be used to switch things up and throw off your opponent. Finally, it is important to know how to target different areas. By pressing 1, 2, or 3, or using the brackets, you can cycle between head, torso, and legs. Below is what hitting each of these areas effects.
Head: Slows down your opponent's block stamina regeneration.
Torso: Lowers your opponents attack power (damage dealt).
Legs: Lowers your opponent's movement speed.
Finally, remember that as of now targeting has no effect on legends.
*Defending
There are multiple ways to avoid attacks in Blades of Glory. The first and most simple way of doing this is by raising your shield. You can only raise your shield if you are holding a one-handed weapon. To raise your shield, hold down the space bar. In order to block with your shield, you must be facing your opponent. Your shield will remain raised until it runs out of endurance or you let go of the space bar. If your shield breaks, it will take a few seconds before it starts repairing again. Your shield only repairs when it is lowered. The other way to defend yourself is by parrying with your weapon. When you press the down arrow or L, you will raise your weapon to block. While in blocking position, your block stamina will begin to deplete. If it runs out, you will stop blocking. You can also stop blocking by either pressing the block button again or attacking. While blocking, any attacks coming at you  will be blocked unless they come from behind. If you block an attack with low stamina, your guard may be broken, stunning you for a brief period. However, if you successfully block, your opponent will be stunned.
*Power Weapons
Power weapons spawn in the arena or legends every three minutes. When this happens, you are notified of the location thatthe weapon has spawned at so you can go to retrieve it. Power weapons areranged weapons with limited ammo. Press M to check your remaining ammo. When the weapon runs out, you must pick up another weapon.
*Tactical Items
Tactical items spawn frequently around the arena. These items are indicated by a different beacon than weapons, and you pick them up simply by walking over them. You can use the left and right brackets to cycle through your tactical items, and press j to throw it in front of you. Tactical items deal large amounts of damage, but you can only carry three of each type with you.
*Equipment
Before entering into combat, it is important to set up your loadout in the customize equipment menu. In this menu, you are able to select your two weapons, your shield, your armor, and your ability. Use the up and down arrows to navigate between the different selectors, and use left and right to change the selection. The stats of the currently highlighted item will be displayed on screen, and they can be spoken with the space bar. Pressing enter will try to equip the selected item. When equipping weapons, you must ensure that the total weight of your two weapons does not exceed the weight of the currently equipped armor. You also cannot equip the same weapon in both slots. When equipping armor, you must ensure that the armor you are equipping has a maximum carrying capacity within the total weight of your weapons. Finally, you can check your loadout on screen or by pressing L.