Until You Fall deliberately categorizes your attacks into three swing effort tiers: small, standard, and big. Bigger swings deal more damage, and the game uses sound, visuals, and controller vibration to make those tiers feel distinct so you do not have to guess.

Separately, the game discourages waggle or spam by reducing your damage when you attack too quickly, which players commonly call the tempo (or rapid hits) penalty.

This guide explains how to reliably tell what tier you are hitting, what usually causes each tier, and what the tempo penalty is doing in practice.

1) What counts as small, standard, or big

The developers have described three clearly separated levels of feedback (small, standard, big) and that wider or bigger swings deal more damage.

The game’s own tips also state that big swings deal more damage and knockback.

What is not publicly specified is the exact numeric threshold for each tier (for example, distance traveled or degrees per second). The game treats it as an internal effort threshold rather than something you tune or see in settings.

So the most accurate way to recognize tiers is by the feedback the game gives you.

2) How to tell, in real time, which tier you just did

A) Audio cue (the easiest tell)

Players commonly report a noticeably louder, sharper impact sound on wide or big swings compared to a duller, quieter hit on smaller swings.

Treat sound as your instant scoreboard: loud, punchy hit sound usually means you cleared the big threshold.

B) Haptics and impact feel

The game uses haptics along with sound and graphics to reinforce the three tiers.

In practice, a big swing tends to feel like a stronger controller kick, while a small swing feels softer.

C) Visual impact and knockback

Big swings deal more knockback.

So if the enemy visibly reacts harder (more pushback or heavier stagger feel), you likely landed a bigger tier swing than you thought you did.

D) Damage outcome (the slowest but most objective tell)

Because big swings deal more damage, you can confirm your tier by comparing how much Guard you remove with the same weapon on repeated hits.

This is best tested on a training target or early enemies where you can repeat the same motion.

3) What typically causes each tier

Again, the exact math is not published, but the intent is clear: the game wants larger, more committed motion to pay off with higher damage, while still being safe for players.

Here is what usually produces each tier consistently:

Small swing

• Mostly wrist flicks
• Short travel distance
• Often happens when you are too close, cramped, or trying to tap damage in
• Result: lower impact feedback, less knockback, less damage

Standard swing

• Forearm-driven slice
• Moderate travel distance
• The default swing you get when you are relaxed and in range
• Result: normal hit feedback and reliable damage

Big swing

• Shoulder plus forearm, or a longer slicing path that travels farther through space
• The weapon noticeably moves a larger distance (sometimes even leaving the center of your view briefly)
• Often easiest when you are at correct range and not rushed
• Result: loudest impact feedback, strongest haptics, biggest knockback, highest damage

Important: a big swing does not have to be wild. It just has to cross the internal effort threshold. Some players report getting the strong big swing audio even with quick swings, as long as the motion meets that threshold.

4) How the tempo multiplier (rapid hits penalty) works

The game warns that attacking too quickly will reduce your overall damage.

This is commonly described as preventing waggle spam by forcing you to pace your strikes instead of machine-gunning tiny hits.

What you can treat as true in practice:

• The game tracks how rapidly you are landing attacks.
• If you keep striking with very short time gaps, your damage is scaled down (your effective damage multiplier drops).
• If you slow down and re-time your hits (even briefly), the penalty relaxes and your damage returns toward normal.

What is not publicly documented:

• The exact penalty curve (how much damage is reduced)
• The exact timing window that triggers it
• Whether it is counted per-hand, per-weapon, or globally across both hands

So in gameplay terms, the tempo system is a pacing governor:

• Clean, timed hits (especially after a defend or during openings) stay near full value.
• Spammy rapid hits lose value quickly, so they feel like they are doing less than they should.

5) How to use both mechanics to hit harder, more consistently

Use big swing only when it is safe

Because big swings increase damage and knockback, they are best used:

• Right after a successful block or dodge
• During a guard break window (when the enemy is vulnerable)
• When you are confident the next enemy attack is not already starting

Avoid tempo penalty by attacking in a rhythm

A strong default pattern is:

• Defend successfully
• Land 1 to 3 deliberate hits
• Reset hands to ready and read the next telegraph

This naturally spaces your hits enough to avoid rapid-hit scaling while keeping you safe and consistent.

Use feedback as your meter

• If you are hearing dull hits and seeing little knockback, increase swing travel slightly.
• If you are hearing the strong impact sound and feeling the haptics, you are clearing the big threshold.
• If damage suddenly feels weak despite lots of motion, slow your attack cadence and test if the penalty was the issue.

If you tell me what weapons you run (light, medium, heavy), I can give you a simple swing recipe for that weapon class that reliably triggers big swings without overcommitting and without eating the rapid-hits penalty.