It's the challenge that all newbie players face when first getting started with Minimum. How the hell do you fight against someone using a low-skill floor weapon that can mean a swift death if he hugs you? The simplest way is to... well... not let him hug you, but the following tips will display more specific information.

NOTE: Instead of images, GIFs, and YouTube videos, this guide will make the use of GFYs, which are basically 10x better than GIFs. Click the "gfycat" links throughout the guide to view them.

It sounds like a very silly question to bring up, but the Katana damage formulas are actually slightly more complex than gun damage formulas:

Let X = Katana base damage. Note that there are 3 slashes in one full attack combination.

1st slash deals X damage, weak damage.
2nd slash deals 2X damage, more damage.
3rd slash deals 3X damage, the most damage out of all slashes.

For example, if a Katana has 20 base damage, a full combination of slashes would deal 20 + 40 + 60 = 120 damage. With 25 base damage, that's 25 + 50 + 75 = 150 damage. Note that this is only on a full combo. Katana users can "miss" slashes, like missing the last slash which deals the most damage out of all slashes.

Also note that some Katanas, when they level up enough, gain the ability to deploy an outward "fire" burst that deals minor damage. The damage from that can be added onto the damage from a combination of Katana slashes. Refer to the "extra" damage column of the Weapon Damage charts for actual damage values on that: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AjHddqLPw4QEdE01eWh6RFhldC12LWJ1cmZwaktoSHc&output=html

(special thanks to WeaponTinkerer@HH for making the weapon damage information public, especially the Katana damage formula)

Assuming that you're the one against the usage of Katanas, you're probably just using guns, meaning that you already have a range advantage over those that are chasing you with Katanas. There isn't much else to say about this advantage but to make the best of it and aim your shots well for swift kills.

Demonstration: http://gfycat.com/HardTalkativeAfricanporcupine (notice that no damage was actually done with the Level 5 Bullet Hell here; the Katana user took just a little damage from my Napalm Grenade, then I quickscoped him with my Level 5 Explosive Sniper).

This is the most important tip to take from the guide, as evasion is essential in Minimum.

If someone is chasing you with Katanas, the first thing you may think is to just walk backwards and shoot. The problem with just "walking" is that... well... it's slower than his sprinting, and you risk the Katana user reaching you faster and cutting you up into tiny little cubes.

If you want to evade Katana-wielding chasers and utilize your range advantage to its fullest, you need to learn how to sprint away and to the side of the chaser's path and still deal constant damage at the same time. How do you do that? Take a look at the following demonstrations:

http://gfycat.com/BogusAgileCicada
http://gfycat.com/AcclaimedTerrificDarwinsfox (applying a little bit of it here, pardon my poor aim/leading skills)

What I do is sprint backwards, jump up so I can swivel myself while also keeping my momentum, fire bursts while my crosshair is on the enemy, and get back to sprinting. The cycle continues until the chasing enemy explodes into tiny cubes. To maximize your backpedaling momentum in mid-air, hold the Backwards key (S for WASD controls). If you hold the Forwards key, you're just gonna slow down in mid-air since you're facing away from the path you're flying in.

This is a technique that I'd like to label sprint-pedaling. Use it if you want to keep yourself away from Katana chasers 90% of the time. If the chaser, however, has Inferno Katanas to dash with, then sprint-pedaling to the sides works better than sprinting back, since that will bluff the Inferno Katana user when he makes his dash and only lands the first slash and nothing else on you.

http://gfycat.com/OnlyJaggedHornedviper
Just look at all the damage I'm able to tank before killing this Katana chaser. I probably tanked around 100 damage here and still kept going.

Survival, power differentials, and counterplay between players are improved greatly by crafting and upgrading your armors based on your playstyle and adapting to certain situations. It might sound like an obvious tip considering the nature and flow of Minimum's gameplay, but I've seen plenty of people run naked and complain why they always get "one-hit".

Now, if you're wearing armors that lower your damage resistance as a cost for the buff you get, you should just accept the fact that every weapon will seem like it deals more damage to you. However, if you're crafting armors for tankiness, jumpiness, or speediness, then that gives you an inherent advantage over Katana users since you'll be able to take more hits or evade more hits before dying.

Important things to note about armors (special thanks to WeaponTinkerer@HH for making this information public):

1) Level 1 armor pieces add +10 HP , Level 2 armor pieces add +20 HP, and Level 3 armor pieces add +30 HP. So if you have a full set of Level 2 armor, that's 20 + 20 + 20 = 60 HP gained on top of the 100 HP you already have, so you have 160 HP total.

2) HP buffs and debuffs don't actually affect your HP, but your damage resistance. Basically, if you have a % HP debuff, it means you take that % more in damage. A % HP buff means that you take that % less damage.

3) The way % stats are stacked is that they add onto each other instead of "multiplying" each other. So if you have a helmet that gives -20% damage resistance, a chest that gives you -20% damage resistance, and a leg armor that gives you -35% damage resistance, that means you have -75% damage resistance. Ergo, you take 75% more damage.

Brief tip here.

It can be frustrating to just back up and \ bump against a wall so that Katana chasers have a much easier time catching up to you. This is where good map awareness and general map knowledge comes in. Knowing the locations of different obstacles can help you judge the best positioning in different situations when it comes to dealing with Katana users. If you move out of the spaces "closed in" by several obstacles, and move into more "open" spaces, you can bring a fight with a Katana user further on your terms.

For example, in the Desert Canyon map, the creep farming lanes have a ton of rocky obstructions in them, forming small "closed" spaces that make dodging Katanas difficult. However, they also have these "pockets" of open space to do plenty of dodging in, so you can lure a Katana chaser in one of those spaces and utilize dodging techniques. The fight will be one your terms and you'll be able to terminate the Katana user with less effort than in the small, obstructive places.

Like it or not, a full combination of slashes from a Katana will always kill you, unless you're wearing extremely tanky armor pieces. Katanas will always be one of those low-skill floor weapons that offer an option for newbies to use to not completely get stomped all the time.

However, they can also be treated as something to kick your basic twitch shooter skills into gear. Katana users aren't unbeatable, but if that's the only weapon your enemy is using, then he's the most predictable enemy in the game. General rule is to not hug your enemy when you're shooting at him, lest you want him to surprise you with a Katana flurry. Utilize the range advantage you have with your guns, dodge well, aim well, and you will win 90% of Katana fights.

And the most important thing to remember: "Keep your head on the swivel and don't stay in one place for too long." - vifoxe

A fair warning that not even these tips will make you immune to Katana kills. They're meant to be as viable as any other weapon in the game, so if you still get killed by them, just accept your loss and try harder next time. Like it or not, there is such a thing as a "good Katana user", one that can utilize them effectively at high-level play (and believe me, it's very difficult to use Katanas against clutch players, so it's a valid title that should also be well-respected).