Introduction
This guide is for the hardcore only and for those who have a lot of money to blow.
If you can build this Knight, then you are easily the second highest damage dealer in the game next to Blades, and will even wipe the floor with Blades up to level 89.
Not only have I tested this build, I preach this build, I swear by this build, and I live by this build.
I have found that the only class capable of outdamaging me after level 90 is a Blade using Angels Axes.

Note: This build is 100% Ringmaster required at all times! If you do not have one to train with, then your screwed, plain and simple.

Note #2: I feel I should say this ahead of time. By following this guide, you need a full +8 or full +10 upgraded level 75 Knight set. If you can’t get +8 or +10 upgrades on this set, this DO NOT follow this guide. I was not kidding when I said:

myself wrote:This guide is for the hardcore only and for those who have a lot of money to blow.

The Build
STR: xxx
DEX: 15
STA: 15
INT: 15

Yes, you are not going blind. No DEX, don’t even touch it, same with STA, Knights naturally have higher HP than all other classes anyway, plus a Ringmaster will always be with you, so HP will never be an issue unless your shoved into a bad situation.

My STR 1v1 Knight is what this guide is what this guide is being based upon. My Knight is level 93, rarely misses, and has not died in at least the last 8-10 levels, and currently grinds on mobs 10 levels above me, "Ghost of the Forgotten Kings" in Azria, which DO have a "rage mode", and I have no problem staying alive. So YOU shouldn’t have any issues either.

Buff Guide for your Ringmaster
Your RM must have MASTERED these buffs:
Accuracy (The most important!)
Cannonball (Equally as important!)
Haste
Heap Up

NOT required but nice to have:
Cats Reflex
Beef Up
Quick Step (Faster you can run, the faster you can grind)
Protect
Spiriture Fortune
Geburah Tiphreth

Make sure your Ringmaster DOES NOT use these buffs:
Mental Sign
Patience
Holy Guard

What skills should your Knight master?
Blazing Sword
Sword Mastery
Empower Weapon
Sneaker
Slash (PvP-Only)
Keen Wheel (PvP-Only)
Rage

Everything else is optional. Depending on how "extreme" you emerse yourself into this build, sometimes you will find yourself not using Rage to make up for some lost Hit Rate. You can master Pain Reflection as a replacement for Rage in this case.

So what buffs will I be using exactly? You can only use 14 afterall!
This is why I was so specific regarding the Buff Guide above for Ringmasters, there are more than 14 buffs that can be considered useful, so this section is here to tell you EXACTLY what you should use.

1-Heap Up               2-Beef Up
3-Accuracy              4-Cats Reflex
5-Quick Step            6-Cannonball
7-Haste                 8-Protect
9-Blazing Sword         10-Sword Mastery
11-Empower Weapon       12-Rage
13-Spiriture Fortune    14-Geburah Tiphreth

Of course, if there is anything in that list that you cannot use, then feel free to add buffs that I told you not to use such as Patience, use both Pain Reflection and Rage at the same time if you have the room.

But like I said before, if you find that your Hit Rate is suffering too much from Rage, then substitute Rage with Pain Reflection.

Getting from level 15 to 60!
There is no easy way to do this, but since this build is ONLY recommended to experienced players, this build should be restricted from and not be attempted by new players. I realize that this is inconvenient, but thats the way it has to be.
And unless you plan to do a blade-like build so you can plow your way to level 60 on your own with no help, and restat later at level 60 (after your advancement), then you can basically ignore this section completely.

Anyway, your going to need some help, because if your jamming all your points into STR until level 60, then your Hit Rates gonna be lower than the sags on your 90 Year Old Grannies face, and your going to go nowhere fast after about level 23 or so.
Get Plvled, or even ask a much higher level Assist or Ringmaster to spend some quality time with you so that you can reap the benefits of their awesome buffs so you can get to level 60 ANY way you possibly can.

The most dignified way would be to ask a Ringmaster friend of yours to hang out with you as a buffing station, I’m sure they get bored once in awhile from real grinding. You don’t know how many Ringmasters I see following Vagrants around so they can blast there way from level 1 to 15 (and oh so much higher) in 20 minutes.

Don’t care how you get to level 60, just get there.

Finally a Knight!!
~Equipment: Level 60 (Checkpoint #1 of 3)
Wooo, you’ve reached the first of 3 equipment checkpoints. Basically what this means is that your equipment is only going to change 3 times in the life of your Knight.

Weapon of Choice:
Guardian Big Sword+3
+3 Any Element

This is the only answer, and to be honest, your going to see a HUGE increase in your damage as a Knight using this weapon.
Ever since the release of the new Upgrade Specialist NPC BoBoChan in Flaris, you can now remove and replace the element on your weapon whenever you need to for the small price of 100k Penya.
So use whatever element you need to use. ^^

Equipment of Choice:
Recorn Helmet+3
Recorn Suit+3
Recorn Gauntlets+3
Recorn Boots+3
2x Demol Earring+12
2x Vigor Ring+9
Gore Necklace (Any upgrade that you can afford.)

*Rescorn set for Females

The +3 upgrades would give you a +5% Hit Rate bonus, doesn’t sound like much, but take any bonus to your Hit Rate that you can get your grubby little hands on, trust me, it will be well worth it.
Obviously, if you can get higher than +3, then the better off you are.
Got jewelry better than Demol+12′s and Vigor+9′s? Well for god sakes use them!

If you use Plugs and/or Arek Rings, then I will have died a little inside. Please…
Do yourself the favor and DONT use Plugs and/or Arek rings just because you think your defense sucks and your Hit Rate sucks.
First off, +14 Dex from 2x Arek Rings+6′s will HARDLY increase your Hit rate by 2%, the +50-ish damage (each) from the Vigor Ring+9′s and +105 Damage (each) from the Demol+12′s will be MUCH more satisfying.

My Thoughts:
Your going to get +50 Defense Rate, +15% HP, and +20% Attack Speed from the Recorn Set, as well as +5% Hit Rate from the +3 upgrades.
Your HP should be good, if you get an Assist or RM to use mastered Haste and mastered Accuracy on you, then you will very quickly receive a small taste of how terrifying a Knights damage output can be.
Some people think a knights attack speed is slow, trust me, get your Attack Speed pumped up and those people will eat their words in a heartbeat.
You will now also have the "Swordcross" effect to double your damage just like a RMs HolyCross. The effect activates a good 25-33% of the time, every time you hit with your sword.
Reminder: Swordcross and Holycross do not stack.

Getting from level 60 to 75!
Your Knight just made one huge revolution with its equipment, so it’s a whole new world from now on.

Your going to get Rage at level 65, master it, BUT DO NOT USE IT. At max level Rages sucks 42% Hit Rate from you, and you DON’T have any excess Hit Rate even with RM buffs to keep you from missing 7-15 times in a row before landing a single hit if you use Rage. I will point out later in this guide when it would be appropriate for you to start using Rage, and trust me, its not anytime soon.
~You have been warned!

Grinding will be SO much easier from now on than it used to be. Just keep an Assist or RM with you for Haste, Accuracy, and Cannonball; And grinding shouldn’t be anymore difficult than it would be with any other class.

Note: The level difference between you and the mob DOES affect your hit rate, but only by a small (just barely noticable) amount. So you should still be fine if you want to be a meathead and kill monsters 8 levels above you.

Don’t go to Syliacas until your at least level 65, unless you have a full-fledged Ringmaster with you. In that case, you can go to Syliacas anytime you want.
I was killing Carrierbombs with ease at level 65 with a level 78 Ringmaster taking the time to help me, yeah, that was some FAST leveling. I was getting 0.29% per kill at Small Carriers at level 65 if I can remember correctly.

But like I said once before, grinding shouldnt be any harder or easier than it would be using any other class at this point. So you can sit back and relax, or go hardcore all the way to level 75 if you want.
Take a good Ringmaster with you and you can go grind on Watangka’s at level 74. 
*Cough*Thats what I did…*Cough*

Full-Fledged Knighthood
~Equipment: Level 75 (Checkpoint #2 of 3)
Yes…
This is the level you have been waiting for, this is the level which will provide to you your PERMANENT set of armor, however, this wont be cheap.

Weapon of Choice:
Historic Big Sword (Any upgrade you can afford)
Element: +5 Water or Greater (Highly Recommended)

Such a sweet, sweet reward…
+15% Hit Rate and +10% Attack Speed, this has just become the weapon of your dreams for the next 15 levels.
Oh yeah, and your going to Pinkies at level 75 until level 88, so you better get those water cards packed on this baby, because your going to be fighting nothing but Fire-Element Mobs until level around level 89 or 90.

Equipment of Choice:
Warpon Helmet+8 or +10
Warpon Suit+8 or +10 w/ (4/4) +16% Attack Rate or Higher
Warpon Gauntlets+8 or +10
Warpon Boots+8 or +10

*Warspon set for Females

Huh? Don’t give me that look. >_>
If you can’t get +8 or +10 upgrades on this set, then don’t waste your time with this build. Obtaining these upgrades is the key difference between an awesome 1v1 Knight and a simply "decent" 1v1 Knight.
Your going to have this set of armor for the rest of your life, the better the upgrades, the better you are going to be, and the better off your going to be, because your defense isn’t going to get any better after this.

+8 Upgrades will reward you with +30% Hit Rate
+10 Upgrades will reward you with a priceless +45% Hit rate

Among other juicy bonuses such as +20% HP and +15% Block Rate…

Your going to be at Pinky Roaches in the Dekane Mines for a very long time, pack as much Water defense as you can onto that Warpon Suit, you can remove the element later for a measily 100k.

My Thoughts:
So…the time has come to add things up here, lets take a look at how much Hit Rate we have aquired:
-Blazing Sword (mastered) gives +10% Hit Rate
-Accuracy gives +20% Hit Rate
-Historic Big Sword gives +15% Hit Rate
-Full-Warpon set gives +15% Hit Rate
-Cannonball gives +20 Dex
And finally it comes down to your upgrades, so lets add it all up:
+90% Hit Rate with +8 Upgrades
+105% Hit Rate with +10 Upgrades
Note: Max Hit Rate is capped at 96%.

Now, Hit Rate isn’t calculated like people may think, I will say that this Hit Rate/Block Rate calculator is accurate however:
http://eflyffdata.fortunecity.com/HitFlee.html

Your upgrades will now determine whether or not the Rage buff you’ve held off for so long is even worth using, but since we will be fighting Pinky Roaches at level 75, I’ll take the liberty in calculating what your Hit Rate would be with the +8 and +10 Upgrades if you were to use Rage
Level 75 vs. Level 87 Mobs

+8 Upgrades:
Without Rage: 96% Hit Rate (Max!)
With Rage: 89% Hit Rate

+10 Upgrades:
Without Rage: 96% Hit Rate (Max!)
With Rage: 96% Hit Rate (Max!)

Based on personal observation, I believe the "With Rage" results are slightly lower than what it the calculator tells us, but even if it REALLY was a 7% difference, it seemed to have made a huge impact on how often I was hitting while I was grinding with Rage, so I label these results as slightly unreliable.
Plenty of people already know about the Hit/Block Calculator, so I simply decided to add in my results and then my opinion for the sake of argument.

Simply put-
Got +8 Upgrades? Don’t use Rage.
Got +10 Upgrades? Use Rage!!!

You now have all of this awesome Hit Rate and a sweet +15% Critical Rate to go along with it from the Warpon Set.

By following this guide, having +10 Upgrades, +16% attack rate suit, using Rage, +8/+8 Water Historic B.Sword, and a good Ringmaster partner, I was dishing out 4700+ damage to Pinkies at level 87 with just what I have listed here. 9400+ Swordcross damage, and breaking 13,000 Damage criticals with Swordcross, doing over 10k damage was EASY and it happened VERY OFTEN.
You will laugh in the face of all Blades you meet at Pinky Roaches, because right at this very moment, YOU ARE the top damage dealing class in the game until Blades finally outdamage you at level 90.

Getting from level 75 to 90!
Pinkies, enough said.

Pack those water cards into your weapon and suit, your going to be there until your level strikes 88.

Your damage is going to start off fairly low at Pinkies, this is perfectly normal at level 75, with my +8/+8 water Historic Big Sword I was only doing damage in the 1400′s without Rage.
(I didnt have a +10 set until level 78 or 79)
Your damage is going to go up FAST, i’m talking             +350-424       damage per level. (It slowly goes down, but remains around +300 damage per level until you pass 4000 damage, then it decreases sharply)

At level 80 I was dealing much more damage to pinkies and killing faster than blades that were 5+ levels ahead of me.
By level 83 I was killing pinkies so fast I couldnt even count to 5 (quickly…) before they dropped dead.

And the wonderful part about this, is that it should be no different for any other 1v1 Knight that follows this, because I wasn’t using anything special or fancy to do what I was doing. If you can afford a +10 warpon set, then you can duplicate my results, from there its up to you on you wish to enchance the power of your Knight.

Anyway, finish off that final dreadful level 87 and hit 88. You can’t train on Pinky Roaches anymore once you hit level 88 or your going to receive a very harmful EXP Penalty for killing mobs that are a lower level than you.
Now you have 2 Choices, before V11 you only had 1 choice, lol.
You can either go to kerns to get to level 90…
Or you can get an Azria Ticket and gring on Mutant Augu’s until 90.

Whatever method you choose, just get to level 90.

"You can never have enough power…"
~Equipment: Level 90 (Checkpoint #3 of 3)
This is it, the final checkpoint, and ironically only 1 things changes here:

Weapon of Choice
Angels Big Sword (Any upgrade you can afford)

Element here depends on where your going to dedicate yourself, but its all going to lead to the same result anyway.

If your going to grind in Azria, then slap a +3 Earth Element on the sword this way you can grind on Ghost of the Forgotten Princes for a few levels.

if your going to grind on kerns for a little while longer because you can’t get an Azria Ticket, then just stick with your water elemented Historic Big Sword for now.

Eitherway, after Princes you go to Kings which are wind element.
After Kerns are Glaphans which are also wind element.

So in the end, see if you can +5 (or greater) Fire your Angels Big Sword.

My Thoughts:
+35% Critical Damage
+15% Critical Rate
This Combo = Awesome

Hit Rate w/ Angels Big Sword & +8 Upgrades
Level 97 Mobs
Without Rage: 96% Hit Rate (Max!)
With rage: 71% Hit Rate (

Hit Rate w/ Angels Big Sword & +10 Upgrades
Level 97 Mobs
Without Rage: 96% Hit Rate (Max!)
With rage: 87% Hit Rate

These results look much more reliable than the results I got last time, but I’m still putting in the same disclaimer that I bolded above. At least here you can clearly see the difference between the +8 and +10 upgrades.

Your done with equipment. Do not use the level 90, 105 or 120 sets, and do not use the 105 or 120 Green weapons.

Grinding at level 90+
You’re already used to this, and by now I’m sure you already know what you want to do and where you want to go.
People can’t lead you around forever.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Note: Never use Two-Handed Axes for 1v1.

This video has been posted plenty of times recently, so I think I’ll post it just so I can say something about it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UekaR7V-pJc

Yes, this is an STR/DEX Knight, this I can tell because the damage he/she is doing is significantly lower compared to a STR Knight.

I’m criticizing this video just to prove a point as to how superior Pure STR is compared to a Knight that has a decent amount of DEX.

The knight in that video is using an Angels Big Sword and is doing about 4500+ normal damage…

When I attempted this same feat, I was doing over 5300 Damage.
With the new awakening system, I was able to get +%Attack Speed stats to max my attack speed, I was hitting MUCH faster than that Knight was (we’re only talking a 4% attack speed difference anyway…)
And my critical damage numbers shot into the 25-28k range, and could have gone higher.
My RM was not using HolyCross.
And I was NOT using Link Attack, god forbid if I was, I would have been doing over 6000 damage per strike.
Granted yes, my equipment has changed quite a bit since I hit level 90, so I am stronger than most who would follow me, but I’m not saying this to brag, but merely to show that full STR really does make quite a difference over someone who has DEX, and to encourage more people into making a 1v1 Knight.

We are few and spread out, but 1v1 Knights definately stand among the cream of the crop.

I did a lot of editting to this, so don’t be surprised if I missed something and messed something up.

Credits go to magnosan.