One of the things that makeEnotria: The Last Songstand out among other soulslike is its exciting combat, which might appear extremely challenging at first, but is quite fun when you get the hang of it.
Combat is an essential part of this game, and you will realize this as soon as you step out of the tutorial. There’s a lot to learn in this game, and while you may figure out most of it on your own, the following combat tips may make your playthrough slightly easier and a lot more fun.
Practice Parrying
Parrying is one of the most crucial mechanics in this game’s combat and one you will utilize the most during combat. You canparry most of the attacksthe enemy throws at you, whether you are battling a regular enemy or a boss.
Learning to parry can be fairly difficult asenemies have unique movesetsand different types of weapons. Dealing with some enemies can be extremely difficult if you don’t parry their attacks because they won’t leave an opening otherwise and will keep swinging at you. you may easily deal with such enemies by staying in their faces and only focusing on parrying their attacks.
You can also parry ranged attacks, including bolts, arrows, and magical projectile attacks.
Successful parries fill theblue bar under the enemy’s health, and when the bar is full, theenemy becomes Unraveled. You can launch a Finishing Attack on an Unraveled enemy, and this is exactly how you will be dealing most of the damage againstsome mobs and bosses.
The best way to improve your parrying is by watching the enemy’s hand. Parry exactly when they start swinging their hand to attack you and you’ll be able to execute a successful parry.
Dodge To Create Distance
Aside from parrying, dodging is another important combat mechanic that allows you to evade enemy attacks. However,dodging isn’t extremely reliableup close as the timing is super strict, and youmay get clippedby certain attacks.
For that reason, the only situation where you should focus on dodging is tocreate some distance and avoid attacks that cannot be parried.
Attacks that aren’t directly aimed towards the player, or that cover a large area cannot be parried.
Dodging also allows you to get out of unfavorable situations, but you have tobe wary of your surroundings. You wouldn’t want to die because you gotblocked by a wall while dodging repeatedlyto avoid a combo attack.
Use Jump Attacks
Jump attacks are incredibly useful in this game. They deal a ton of damage and may interrupt your enemy, especially if you’reusing a colossal weapon.
Jump attacksmay not be worthmuch if you areusing a longsword or any shorter, quicker weapon. However, it may become yourprimary sourceof damage if you’re using agreatsword or ultra greatsword.
Jump attacks are also quite fast, allowing you to land a hitwithout getting countered by the enemy. You can also set up a jump attack right after using a Finishing Attack on an Unraveled enemy.
Utilize Mask Lines
Aside from weapons that have an innate elemental affinity, Mask Lines are your bread and butter for dealing elemental damage. Some of these attacks are quite powerful and creative. Picking the correct Mask Line may make all the difference in a battle as some enemies are weak to acertain type of element.
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However, there is one major flaw with most Mask Lines. Most Mask Lines are fairlyslow to executeand may not be practical in the middle of a battle as your enemies may not be kind enough to wait for you to finish attacking.
But, that doesn’t make these abilities useless. You have to be creative in how you use these Mask Lines. Some of these abilities can be used while the enemy is getting up from theground after a Finishing Attack, or you may use it when the opponent is approaching you from a distance. Mastering the use of these abilities can take you a lot further in this land of Italian folklore.
Use The Right Parry Gems
There are three types of Parry Gems that you can get as you start the game. Each Parry Gem has aunique effectand is suitable against different enemy types.
It is recommended that you equip different gems in different Loadouts to provide wide coverage to your defense.
While you’re able to execute a perfect parry with each gem, the choice affectshow much damage will be negated. If you attempt to parry an attack that has beeninfused with magic with a Hard Stone Gem, you will get slight chip damage even with a perfect parry.
If you want no damage done to you at all while parrying attacks infused with elements, you will have to use theIndaco Tear Parry Gem. Recognizing which Parry Gem to use against different enemies can be extremely effective in the long run.
Consider Your Build Before Investing In The Path Of Innovators
In the early game, you get alot of points to invest in the Path of Innovators. However, as the game progresses, these points become fairly difficult to acquire.
you’re able to equip a total ofsix perks in each Loadout, so it’s important to pick the ones that suit your playstyle. These perks can have a significant impact on how you choose to play the game.
Once you have acquired a perk from the Path of Innovators, you cannot refund it. It is important to spend your points wisely, especially in the early game.
Think carefully about how you would want to play the game. If you like usingMask Lines, invest in the Battlemage’s Path. The Bruiser’s Path favors the players that likeclose combatand the Trickster’s Path allows you todeal increased damageand finish off enemies with low health. The Elementalist’s Pathbuffs weapon infusions and elemental defense.
The Worth Of Aspects
Aspects allow you to drastically alter your Virtues. At the start of the game, you only receive Aspects that increase a specific type of Virtue. But, as you progress through the game, you’llreceive Aspects that can affect multiple Virtues, alongside providing additional passive benefits.
In this game,weapons and Mask Lines have certain stat requirementsthat you might not be able to fulfill often. In these cases, equipping a relevant Aspect can allow you to equip the Mask Line or weapon in question by increasing your Virtues.
Some Aspects also reduce some Virtues, at the cost of buffing other ones. You have to be mindful while equipping one as it may make some other weapons and Mask Lines unusable.
Try Out Different Weapons
There’s no shortage of weapons in this game, and you’re able to find several of them worth using. There areseveral weapon categories, and not all of them may suit your playstyle.
For example, you may not like touse colossal greatswordsif you like attacking repeatedly as those weapons are all about single strikes.Longswords give you the opportunity to attack multiple times, even between opponents combo if you’ve successfully parried or dodged an attack.
Luckily, the game allows you torefund enhancement materialsso you can try experimenting with different types of weapons. However, note that theMemoria used for enhancement can not be refunded.
Manage Your Stamina
Every action in this game costs Stamina, so you have to make sure you have enough for your next move. You have to be careful managing it while attacking enemies as it consumes a lot of stamina, and you would want to save enough to dodge. Otherwise, you’ll be in a very unfavorable situation.
There are perks that can reduce Stamina consumption after certain actions when equipped.
Avoid Greediness
Like every other soulslike, you have to watch out for being greedy. Many enemies in this game willpunish you harshlyif you attempt to be greedy and attack them while there are no openings.
This is especially true against bosses, and you have tobe mindful of your attack window. If you attempt to squeeze in one more attack, you will likely get countered by the enemy’s attack.
Be patient, and try tostudy the patterns. It also depends on what type of weapon you’re using.Doing multiple attackswith slower weapons, such as the greatswords,can be very costlyagainst bosses that attack and recover quickly.
