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In thisA.I. Limit Guide, I’m going to show you the general idea behind building your character when using the Fists and Claws weapon type as your main weapon.
The Fists and ClawsinA.I. Limitare a weapon type that offers high attack speed while delivering powerful strikes and punches. If you’re looking for a faster playstyle but still want damage output comparable to a Longsword, these are the weapons you’re looking for.
Keep in mind that there are no starter fist or claw weapons—you won’t be able to get one until you’ve beaten the boss of the first area and reached the merchant in the early part of the second area. Picking theLongswordas your starting weapon gives you an extra point in both Strength and Technique, which benefits fist weapons.
This merchant will sell the Impact Drill,a fist weapon that costs3000 crystals, so make sure to get it before spending all your crystals on upgrades once you reach the second area. Because of the nature of the weapon upgrade and scaling systems, no weapon becomes obsolete as long as you keep upgrading it with materials found on your journey.
Attribute Distribution
Let’s start with attribute point allocation. The Fists’ damage primarily scales with theStrengthattribute inA.I. Limit, although the scaling may vary slightly between individual weapons. While they also scale decently with Technique, focusing first on investing inStrength up to 40, followed by Technique, is the most efficient way to maximize damage output.
For other attributes, I found that15 points in Vitalityaroundlevel 50 and 20 pointsaround level 100 are enough. While increasedSync Rategain is useful, the benefit doesn’t outweigh the raw damage boost from Strength and Technique.
Life attribute distribution varies from player to player. Generally, having25 Life at level 50and35 at level 100is a solid balance. If you want to play aggressively without worrying about being one-shotted, you can raise this to40 or 50. Investing more in Life makes the game more forgiving, as you’ll survive more mistakes.
you’re able to safely ignore the Spirit attribute in the early game when using Fists. If you choose to use the“Holy Embrace,”a weapon that scales with Spirit, you can reallocate points then. A balanced12–15 points in Strength,Technique, and Spirit allows you to wield most weapons you come across. You may need one or two extra points for certain weapons, but those appear in the mid-to-late game, so there’s no need to worry early on.
There are threeFists and Clawsweapons in the game. This weapon type features a fast attack animation with limited range. While not quite as fast asDual Swords,they deal more damage per hit.
Impact Drill
This weapon deals purely physical damage and is great for staggering enemies. Its range is short, so you’ll often be up close. Its stagger potential comes from a drilling strike at the end of the regular combo chain, which interrupts most enemy animations and lets you keep up pressure. The weapon skill, Engineering Impact, causes an explosion followed by a drill strike that hits multiple times. When used after a combo, this skill can prevent the enemy from retaliating before going down.
Stygian Touch
This is a necro claw weapon that deals piercing and physical damage. It staggers less than the Impact Drill due to the lack of a drilling strike. However, its weapon skill, Styx, performs a flurry of slashes that rapidly fill the enemy’s piercing bar, ending with a dash that creates distance. It allows for heavy damage and repositioning, preparing you for counterattacks.
Holy Embrace
The final claw weapon is Holy Embrace, which you get by trading the Mutant Clergy’s Nucleus from the “Winged Colossal Saint” boss in the late game. It deals electric and physical damage and scales with both Strength and Spirit. Like Stygian Touch, its stagger potential is lower. Its weapon skill, Plume Cyclone, deals AoE electric damage as you leap and spin mid-air. Though it only hits once, the single blow can deal high damage. However, enemies in the final area are resistant to electric damage, making this weapon less effective there.
All three weapons are viable if upgraded. Personally, I preferred the Impact Drill, but it ultimately comes down to your preferred weapon skills.
As of writing, the special/heavy attacks for the Impact Drill, Stygian Touch, and Holy Embrace appear to be the same, despite in-game tooltips suggesting otherwise—possibly a bug or translation error.
While A.I. Limit features spells, they’re more supplementary than in other Souls-like games. You can only equip one at a time, and switching mid-combat through the menu can break the flow of battle.
The most useful spell I found—regardless of weapon—is Partial Reconstruction. It costs 60% of your Sync Rate (the highest cost in the game) but restores your health without using consumables. However, it has a casting delay, so timing is crucial.
To deal elemental damage, use Ignition (fire) or Electrification (electric) to imbue your weapon, especially effective in mid-game. This helps exploit elemental weaknesses for extra damage.
For Fists and Claws, I found the Standard Seal of the Bladers very effective in the early and mid-game. It boosts Sync Rate gain when below 70% and increases stability above 70%, helping maintain Sync Rate to use skills and spells. It includes four normal seal slots for passive bonuses. I chose increased defense (all types), life points, conversion, and burst damage for a balanced offense-defense setup.
Later in the game, I switched to the Seal of the Tree. This boosts passive Sync Rate regeneration from 50% to 75%, letting you use more skills/spells before needing to recharge via attacks. It’s great for exploring or playing more safely.
For aggressive play, the Seal of the Executor is also viable. Its fast attacks pair well with the Fists/Claws for quick healing. However, it reduces all defenses by 50% and limits you to only one Sync Rate level (max). You can’t use Partial Reconstruction and must rely on consumables and hitting enemies to recover. If using this seal, consider 50 Life and equip Breath of Life and Tide of Life for +15% HP to offset the defense penalty.
The Headwear, Armor and Nucleus
Armor and Headwear pieces vary in defense values but offer no set bonuses or effects. Equip what gives the best defense as you progress—they don’t change your playstyle.
For the Nucleus, it depends on your risk tolerance. In new areas, I use high retention Nuclei to lose fewer crystals on death. For farming, I switch to high absorption Nuclei for more crystal gain per enemy.
Spell Frame Abilities
For the Spell Frame abilities,, the first one—Counter Field—is the best in my opinion. Its timing isn’t overly strict, and once mastered, it can trivialize many encounters. Most enemies (and even some bosses) become vulnerable to fatal strikes when countered.
If you’re struggling with counter timing, Shield is a good alternative. It blocks all physical and most elemental damage, though status effects still build up. Shields also accumulate energy. Once overloaded (glows purple), your block weakens. UseOverload Burstto reset the shield and stagger enemies.
The third ability isPiercing Claw,a more offensive option. It inflicts damage on you when activated but grants a buff that adds piercing claw strikes to your attacks. The buff drains over time but can be replenished by landing hits. It’s especially effective withStygian Touch,accelerating Piercing bar buildup.
The last isThunder Step, a mobility skill that allows for longer dodges and creates a mirror image that explodes for electric damage after a delay. However, it doesn’t stagger or open enemies up for fatal strikes, making it the weakest of the four.
Before a fight, you may activatePiercing Clawand maintain it withFists/Claws, since they’re only slightly slower than Dual Swords. When combined withCounter Field,you can take down even the toughest enemies efficiently.
Conclusion
That wraps up my guide for using the Fists and Claws weapon type in A.I. Limit. These weapons are fast and strong, letting you stay agile while dishing out high damage. If you enjoy getting up close and personal in combat, this weapon style is for you.
If you have any additional tips or tricks for Fists and Claws, feel free to leave them in the comments, and be sure to check out the wiki for more guides!
