Half Sword Ranks Progression Guide From Beggar to The Baron
Progression mode in Half Sword challenges fighters to advance through 9 distinct ranks. By earning Rank Points and winning promotional tournaments, combatants unlock higher tier equipment from the Merchant, confront The Baron, and secure elite weapons and armor.
Overview of the 9 Progression Ranks
In Half Sword, progression mode challenges players to advance through 9 ranks in total. Fighters begin progression as a 6 kilogram 
Beggar owing 10,000 fenings of debt to a lord. Advancing up the ladder takes combatants through 
Peasant, 
Commoner, 
Militia, 
Soldier, 
Veteran, Man-at-arms, and 
Knight, before reaching the final 9th rank designated as The Baron's Armor. Speaking with The Jester in The Inn allows you to track standing, stake wagers to earn money, and enter matches.
The table below lists progression ranks and tournament hierarchy from the game's files.
| Rank | Rank # | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beggar | 1 | Initial survival tier in Half Sword. Beggars enter the arena barefoot in rags, forced to rely on fists and improvised tools. |
| Peasant | 2 | Rural combatant tier. Peasants contest the pit armed with rustic farming implements including pitchforks, axes, and sickles. |
| Commoner | 3 | Town dweller contender tier. Commoners field basic iron knives, hammers, padded gambesons, and woolen bycocket headwear. |
| Militia | 4 | Organized town levy tier. Militia fighters field kettle helms, spears, war staffs, bucklers, and protective jack chains. |
| Soldier | 5 | Regular infantry rank. Soldiers deploy into battle wielding arming swords, battleaxes, breastplates, and barbute helmets. |
| Veteran | 6 | Seasoned gladiator rank. Veterans field bastard swords, flanged maces, falchions, pavise shields, and open sallet helmets. |
 Man at Arms | 7 | Heavy cavalry and elite armored warrior tier. Men at Arms wield longswords, halberds, solid sallets, and complete cuirasses. |
| Knight | 8 | Noble tournament combatant. Knights fight encased in full articulated Gothic plate harness, wielding armets and poleaxes. |
 Baron | 9 | Sovereign tournament champion of Half Sword. The Baron commands the gauntlet donning a gilded plate harness and masterwork arms. |
Earning Rank Points and Winning Tournaments
Advancing between tiers requires accumulating Rank Points by completing regular arena fights. Once your points threshold is met, the promotional tournament unlocks. Each tournament requires winning 7 rounds to unlock the next rank. If you fall in combat at any rank, you enter the Abyss, where you must defeat the spirits of enemies you killed to preserve your tier, or pay off killings with the Shady Man at night.
Merchant Upgrades and Stipulations
Ascending through ranks unlocks superior weapon and armor options from the Merchant. Higher tiers grant access to heavier plate gear, sharp long swords, and polearms detailed in our best weapons guide. Each unlocked tier also introduces new maps, stronger enemies, and harder match stipulations that reward greater payouts of fenings.
Confronting The Baron and Boss Armor
The final progression rank culminates in fighting The Baron, known as the tyrant of Frankenberg, in the Lord Tourney. Instead of a title unlock, defeating him awards a piece of his gear. Beating him repeatedly across tournament rematches unlocks his entire golden armor set piece by piece: the Baron Armet, Baron Standart, Baron Cuirass, Arming Doublet Red, Baron Spaulders, Baron Vambrace, Baron Gauntlets, Baron Faulds, Baron Cuisse, and Baron Greaves. In addition to his armor, vanquishing The Baron allows players to claim his deadly weapons, including the Baron Sword, Baron's Mace, and Baron's Beak, making the equipment available for Free Mode.
