Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-14610890-20130810021400/@comment-4830106-20130810185015

Ordoct wrote: Blake honestly struck me as the having the lowest raw damagin force, being more the stealthy, agile type. Her swords don't have the same force as Cresent Rose or Myrtenaster's Dust attacks, and the gun is like a simple side arm, not as destructive as Cresent Rose's hign impact sniper rifle or Ember Celica's shot guns. I suppose what I meant to say was that Gambol Shroud does more area damage than any of the other RWBY weapons, when Blake uses it in flail mode. But it's not so much her weapon that makes Blake so dangerous, it's her fighting style--she's constantly jumping around and flying through the air, all at a ridiculous speed.

But I suppose you're right--area damage won't be too useful in a duel, or a 4 on 4 battle. Blake is most effective in a small group against a large number of weaker enemies.