Punch plus 12 weapon families are described in the public FAQ.
Weapon inputs and success cues
Forgotten Stories QTE
Forgotten Stories QTE rules vary by weapon family: some use shrinking circles, moving markers, targets, direction checks, visual or sound cues, and Rune matching. The Forgotten Stories QTE page records only the Normal and Critical conditions published in the official FAQ.
Verified4 primary source routes · checked 2026-09-13Sword and Greatsword move a marker into yellow or green.
Wand and Staff require the matching Rune.
Lobby timing can be adjusted when reactions are consistently early or late.
Official evidence, practical consequences
Rules and clarifications to check before your next run
Latest evidence check 2026-09-10T07:36:13.104Z. Individual check dates are retained in the source ledger. Changelog statements, older FAQ edits and dated notices are labeled separately; these are not claims of in-game testing.
Question and evidence dateWhat the source establishesLimits and next step
September 10: Greataxe QTE made slightly easier
Official changelog · 2026-09-10 UTC
Racco's September 10 changelog says Greataxe's QTE was made slightly easier. The official weapon FAQ, reread for this review, still instructs you to press A or D on the side without branches, climb to the top, then press A or D to finish. It describes a faster completion for Critical. Try the current timing again if an older run or guide put you off this weapon.
The announcement gives no exact time limit, input-window increase or success-rate change. It does not announce a damage buff, a new input sequence or easier QTEs for every axe. The WIP Greataxe card still lists Speed −0.70, Cleave at 4 Energy and Sharp Sweep at 6 Energy with a 3-turn cooldown. No in-game timing measurement was performed.
Message-level references are grouped in this page's source ledger.
Source-linked records
Normal and Critical conditions by weapon
Choose a weapon to read its input sequence and success cue. Offensive QTEs are separate from the defensive key drill below.
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Punch
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click as the shrinking circle reaches the green area.
- Critical
- Click at the innermost white circle.
A critical has different damage and applies Exposed.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Sword
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click when the moving sword marker reaches the yellow part of the bar.
- Critical
- Click when the marker reaches the green part.
Compare the damage result.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Greatsword
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Watch the accelerating sword marker and click in the yellow part.
- Critical
- Click in the green part despite the accelerating movement.
Compare the damage result; do not assume a constant marker speed.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Mace
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click the brown rocks, avoid spiked balls, and keep misses low.
- Critical
- Hit every brown rock without a miss and avoid every spiked ball.
A critical changes damage and applies Exposed. The FAQ gives no numeric miss allowance for Normal.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Greathammer
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Hit the brown rocks while avoiding spiked balls; too many misses fail the sequence.
- Critical
- Complete all brown-rock targets with no misses or spiked-ball hits.
This shares the Mace pattern; a critical changes damage and applies Exposed.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Greataxe
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Use A or D on the side without tree branches. Climb to the top, then press A or D to finish.
- Critical
- Complete the same branch-avoiding sequence faster.
The September 10 announcement says this QTE became slightly easier; it does not publish a time limit or replacement input sequence.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03ZWeapon QTEOfficial Discord
Claw
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Swipe the cursor across the heart until the counter reaches zero.
- Critical
- Bring the counter to zero faster.
The FAQ does not publish the critical time threshold.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Bow
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Hit most of the targets before time runs out.
- Critical
- Aim at the red center of most targets.
A target turning purple confirms a center hit. The source does not specify an exact required target count.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Dagger
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Wait for the red button to turn green, or use the sound cue, then click.
- Critical
- React to that same cue faster.
Use the damage difference as feedback; clicking before the cue is not the stated condition.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Rapier
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click the small buttons in the sequence.
- Critical
- Complete those clicks faster.
The damage difference is the published feedback; no exact time window is given.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Spear
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click while the spear points toward a gap in the circles.
- Critical
- Align with the middle of a gap when clicking.
The center hit has a special sound and briefly changes the circles to purple.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Wand
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Click the matching runes.
- Critical
- Match them fast enough to cast while the timer is green.
The timer color at casting is the published critical cue.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z
Weapon QTEOfficial Discord
Staff
Official FAQ
- Normal
- Select the runes that match the displayed pattern.
- Critical
- Finish matching and cast while the timer remains green.
Staff uses the same published matching pattern as Wand.
Checked 2026-09-11T01:32:03Z9 more source-linked records remain.
Separate defense practice
Defensive key memory drill
Recall the defensive keys here. This exercise does not simulate the weapon QTE timing described above.
Input memory drill
Dodge left
Select the published defensive key. This drill does not simulate timing or undocumented enemy attacks.
Practical route
Putting it into practice
- 01
Select the weapon family
Filter the archive before practicing so the expected visual or sound cue matches the equipped weapon.
- 02
Learn Normal first
A successful Normal condition matters before the faster or more precise Critical condition.
- 03
Separate offense from defense
Weapon attack timing is different from A, S, D, Space, and F defensive responses.
Source-linked media
Images and demonstrations
Limits to keep in mind
- The archive does not copy or reverse-engineer game code.
- The public FAQ explains conditions but does not publish every exact timing window.
- Visual color changes are always described with text so success is not color-only.
Direct answers
Common questions
How many QTE families are published?
The official FAQ describes Punch and 12 weapon families.
What makes a QTE Critical?
The condition depends on the weapon and usually requires a faster, more precise, or error-free result.
Do Wand and Staff use the same QTE pattern?
Both require clicking the matching Rune; faster completion can be Critical.
Is the QTE the same as dodge controls?
No. Offensive weapon QTEs and defensive reaction inputs are separate systems.
Primary evidence
Sources and check dates
Official DiscordOfficial weapon FAQ: Greataxe inputs
Posted 2026-08-21T18:45:09.382Z; checked 2026-09-10T07:36:13.104Z.
Official DiscordWeapon QTE FAQ, continuedClaw, Bow, Dagger, Rapier, Spear, Wand and Staff conditions; checked September 11, 2026.
Official DiscordCombat FAQDefensive inputs, grapples, Training Wheels, and Offset.
Official DiscordRacco: Greataxe QTE made easierPosted 2026-09-10T05:19:36.123Z; checked 2026-09-10T07:36:13.104Z.
Connected field routes
Related guides
01MechanicsSpeed and affinity guide
Plan affinity pools, Physique, Runesight, Resilience, and turn thresholds.
02Encounterspublic enemy directoryBrowse public enemy stats, types, elements, and region labels.
03EncountersAggrovant boss statsForest · Verified public boss evidence.
04EncountersCarnage evidence recordForest · Verified public boss evidence.