On September 6, the Virtual Athletics League hosted the Defense of Rokar Championship. Three top-skilled Rune Knights competed against the clock in an epic battle. The tournament required the finalists to complete a run and defeat the Aether Horror on Nightmare difficulty using the twin katars, the Gemini Stranded and Gemini Esper.

Qualifying for the event were three talented players and active Discord community members: Ketha’al (16:20), Impatient (16:00), and Krosis (15:42). All three came into this tournament new to the esports scene, but more than proved their capabilities as true competitors.

We asked the three finalists to elaborate more on their experience with Until You Fall (UYF) and the VR Fitness Summit.

When or how did you discover Until You Fall?

Impatient: I learned about Until You Fall over a year ago now, when Tempex played it on YouTube.

Ketha’al: I discovered Until You Fall last December through the VR store on Steam, and immediately thought "How is this not first page?"

Krosis: I actually discovered Until You Fall shortly after I got my first VR headset! I was checking the Steam store every day for new games for virtual reality, and on the day that UYF came to Early Access, I started to watch a few of the videos. I originally thought, 'This looks cool as hell, how have I never heard anything about this???' and it was an immediate buy for me. I was in the game within an hour, streaming, with the developers already cheering me on. It was at this moment that I knew I was in love.

While the Defense of Rokar Championship required you to play with the dual katars, what is your typical go-to weapon combination?

Ketha’al: Knight-blooded Crest and Duelist's Edge.

Impatient: My favorite weapons combination outside of the Meta™️ is the Engraved Arming sword in my left hand, which I use to block, and the Mistcutter in my right hand, which I use for combos. Both of them are very long swords that make getting connections very easy, and the Bulwark ability of the Engraved Arming sword lets you relax a little bit and stop worrying so much about damage. The Mistcutter's level 10 ability which Stasis traps enemies at the end of a combo also helps you take on enemies one at a time, making it that much more reliable.

Krosis: My favorite weapon combination is by far the Knight-Blooded Crest and Mistcutter. It’s a combination that really caters to my aggressive play style, allowing me to very quickly shatter enemy guard, as well as giving me a lot of crowd control across both weapons’ Supers. Mistcutter also has the amazing ability to Stasis Lock any enemy you finish a combo on, giving you ultimate control on every difficulty, including Nightmare. Add this all in with the absolutely amazing guard damage you put out, and enemies barely get to interact with you. The downside is of course you only have one weapon to block with, and it's heavy, so definitely not a weapon combination for the faint of heart. However, I think my favorite part of the Mistcutter is the reach.

Clearing the qualifiers and making it as one of three finalists for the Championship is an impressive feat! You truly are a Champions of merit. What advice do you have for Rune Knights who are just starting their battles in Rokar?

Impatient: One piece of advice would be to never take the aether. The farther you get in the campaign the more and more aether you receive just from playing, so it's better to take a reward that helps you get farther.

Krosis: To be patient, give yourself the chance, the confidence, and the peace of mind to give it your very best. We all had to start the game for the first time at some point, and even I was getting slapped around by Knights and Captains when I first started. So my advice? Focus, dial in... really set yourself to each encounter that you do, commit to learning with every mistake, and you will become a sword god in no time. It's easy to run away from attacks you are not familiar with, but super satisfying to finally be able to stop them in their tracks.

Ketha’al: If I had one piece of advice, it's to not give up and keep trying. Even an average player like myself can become a Champion with a bit of persistence, practice, and determination.

We were so impressed with your performances and astonishing skills! Looking back, what would you say was the highlight of your VR Fitness Summit experience?

Impatient: Definitely speedrunning in the qualifiers. I kept bringing my time lower and lower and I didn't have to deal with any extra lag.

Ketha’al: The highlight for me was hearing everyone's positive feedback, the feeling of camaraderie, and promoting my favorite game all at the same time! It really was an amazing experience and I'd be excited to do it again

Krosis: I think my personal highlight was when I was in the middle of my final run to try and drive the nail in the coffin of my competitors, and to hear that I had already won; this moment was both bittersweet but incredible at the same time. I wish that both Ketha'al and Impatient had been there with me at the finish line. But at the same time, I was immensely relieved that I could continue burying the Unraveled without a second thought, hesitation, or worry in relation to the tournament itself.

The VR Fitness Summit’s Defense of Rokar Championship streamed live across YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, and Oculus Venues - and recordings of the full event can be found on Twitch or YouTube.

You can also find more of this trio of Champions on our Discord server! Here, Rune Knights come together to chat about the game (or other things, too!), share helpful battle tips and strategies, and compete against one another in monthly challenges. Additionally, many members of Until You Fall’s development team actively engage with the community. We look forward to welcoming you to Rokar!