Sword Art Online


 * This article is about the VRMMORPG. You may be looking for the series.

Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン) is the first ever VRMMORPG produced by Argus for the NerveGear, with Kayaba Akihiko as the development director. The game takes place on a hundred-floor floating castle called Aincrad.

Background
«Sword Art Online» officially started server service on 1 PM of November 11, 2022 and obtained infamy when the creator succeeded in trapping 10000 people in the game, and making it so that death in-game would mean actual death for the player. A total of 6,147 people were successfully logged out on 2:55 PM (Aincrad Standard Time) of November 7, 2024 after «the Black Swordsman» defeated the final boss Heathcliff on the seventy fifth floor. SAO serves as the main setting for volumes 1, 2 and 8 of the Sword Art Online series.

System
The game operates similar to most MMORPGs with a level system and eventual skill mastery with some limits placed on it. The entire game is monitored and maintained by a system called « Cardinal» which self corrects any problems.

There is no «Magic» in SAO except for the different colored crystals that bring instant effects, instead players can fight using their «Sword Skills ». Execution of Swords Skills are assisted by the system, and it can fall into any of the four properties: Thrust, Slash, Pierce and Blunt. Learning hand-to-hand combat requires the additional « Extra Skill »« Martial Arts ».

Known Sword Skills

 * Please see Sword Skill.

Known Extra Skills

 * Katana
 * Requires «One-Handed Curved Sword» to unlock.


 * Meditation
 * Given as a quest reward by an NPC on the 6th floor. Increases HP regeneration and decreases the remaining time of negative statuses by entering a mental concentration pose.


 * Martial Arts
 * Given as a quest reward by an NPC on the 2nd floor. Allows attacking with bare hands. Cannot be removed.

Unique Skill
According to Heathcliff there are 10 Unique Skills in total.
 * Holy Sword
 * Dual Blades

Other Combat-Related Skills

 * Detection
 * Prevents ambushes. Greater mastery allows detection of monsters in <> status.


 * Searching
 * Hiding- allows for a person to disappear only works on targets that use visual tracking
 * Weapon Guard
 * Allows use of weapon to defend against attacks instead of a shield.


 * Knife-Throwing
 * Battle Healing
 * Tracking
 * Pursuit
 * Requires «Tracking» to unlock. Raises effectiveness while hunting monsters. Can be used to pursue a player whose name is known by displaying their footprints from a certain time, which can be increased with greater mastery of the skill.

Various skills unrelated to combat can also be learned including smithery, leather working and sewing, and everyday skills such as fishing, cooking and playing music.

Trivia

 * The light novel series is the first place winner for the 10 light novel rankings in the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2012 awards. It placed fourth back in 2011.