Everything about the Mace weapon in SAO: Hollow Realization. Highest stagger in the game, super armor on skills, and the best weapon for party play and Switch setups.
Mace Playstyle Overview
Maces are the weapon of control in SAO: Hollow Realization. Where daggers focus on speed and rapiers on crits, maces excel at staggering enemies, building stun, and creating openings for your party. Every swing carries weight -- literally. Mace hits build stagger faster than any other weapon, which means you are constantly knocking enemies off balance, leaving them open to Switch follow-ups from your allies.
Lisbeth wields a mace as her signature weapon, and she demonstrates exactly what maces are for: she walks straight up to enemies, tanks hits with super armor, bashes them until they stagger, then lets the rest of the party unload. Maces are the ultimate party weapon. You are not just dealing damage -- you are creating the opportunities that let your entire team deal massive damage.
Why Maces Excel in Parties
If you primarily play with a full party (which you should for difficult content), the mace might be the most valuable weapon in the game. Here is why:
• Stagger buildup -- Mace attacks fill the enemy's stagger gauge faster than anything else. Staggered enemies cannot attack and are wide open for Switch chains.
• Super armor -- Many mace skills have super armor frames during the swing animation. This means you cannot be interrupted or knocked out of your attack, even if an enemy hits you mid-swing. You tank through hits while continuing to bash.
• Switch setup -- Because you stagger enemies constantly, you create Switch opportunities for your party far more often than other weapons. A mace user in the party dramatically increases overall team DPS.
• Stun procs -- Higher-tier mace skills can stun enemies outright, locking them in place for several seconds of free damage.
Player Tip: When playing mace in a party, your job is NOT to chase kill steals or top damage meters. Your job is to be the frontline, absorb hits, stagger everything, and let your DPS allies (Asuna, Sinon, Dual Blade users) capitalize on your openings. The party will clear content faster with you staggering than with you trying to compete for damage.
Solo Mace Play
While maces shine brightest in parties, they are perfectly viable for solo play. The super armor on skills means you can trade hits favorably, and the frequent staggers give you windows to heal or reposition. Solo mace is a slower, more methodical playstyle than daggers or 1HS:
• Use charged heavy attacks to build stagger quickly.
• Save your super armor skills for when enemies wind up big attacks -- you tank through them and punish with a stagger.
• Do not over-commit to long attack strings. Bash, stagger, get a few extra hits in, then block or dodge if the enemy recovers.
• Invest in VIT and defensive passives to make the most of your tanky frontline role.
Key Mace Skills to Unlock
When progressing through the mace skill tree, prioritize:
• Heavy swing skills with long super armor duration.
• Leaping/smashing attacks that close distance and build massive stagger.
• Stun-inducing skills for longer lockdown on tough enemies and bosses.
• Party buff skills that increase defense or draw enemy aggro toward you.
• Guard break or shield-crush skills that are especially effective against heavily armored enemies.
Perfect Guard is slightly less critical on mace than on glass cannon weapons because of your super armor, but you should still learn it. A Perfect Guard followed by a heavy mace smash is one of the most satisfying punishes in the game, and it guarantees a stagger or stun on most enemies.