And that’s why we’ll be sharing some tips on how to excel in combat within your first couple of matches. This Deathverse guide will outline how to come out on top.
Be Aggressive
One of the key ways that Deathverse stands apart from the wider Souls-like scene is that the only real way you can heal yourself is by attacking other players. Sure, there are mushrooms that can increase your health in a pinch, but they are few and far between, leave you open to attack, and often give less than 10% of your health back.
Playing the offensive, however, will not only get you back up to full health quickly — providing you’re hitting more than being hit — but will also grant stat boosts, like increasing your attack power temporarily.
Use Your Sensor
A quick tap of the Triangle button will give you a first-person infra-red view, which will highlight all nearby enemies, even through walls and scenery. Make them your prey!
Gather Power and Sub Skills
When you spawn into the battlefield, you only have part of your arsenal ready to go. One of your first stops should be the Power Pods, which let you pick up a charge for your Main Skill – you won’t be using it otherwise, and you really should be. They can be either offensive or defensive – the katanas have a few notable skills; the Void Katana allows you to automatically counter enemy attacks for a time, and the Steel Katana lets you break enemy shields with a single hit. Vital stuff.
Sub Skills are another thing that you’ll need to source from around the arena. These don’t require charges like your Main Skills; instead, they operate on a cooldown. They vary from flash grenades to anti-shield bombs and decoy bombs that look like your avatar. In a word, they provide lots of ways to mess with your rivals.
Take Advantage of Verticality
This means two things. Timed right, a knock-back can send a player careening off the stage for an instant kill. There are a few precarious mushrooms and Power Pods near ledges too, so if you can do away with a rival contender while they’re otherwise preoccupied, all the better.
The other thing is that it’s incredibly effective to sneak attack from above. A well-timed drop attack onto another player who does not see you coming, quickly followed up by a Deathblow or a combo, can spell goodnight for them very quickly.
Reverse Strikes Aren’t Parries
But, it does hit hard. The reverse strike is a regular attack from behind your shield in response to an attacking foe, which does bonus damage. It is interruptible though, so you have to make sure you time it right by going in after they finish their combo.
Do Not Fight the Hunter – Lure Them to an Enemy
The Hunter, an AI-controlled combatant sent to make your short, hellish life worse, will kill you if you so much as send a stern word their way. The play here is always to run. That said, if you can see another player around, you can up the pressure by leading the Hunter straight to them.
Find a Weapon That Works for You
It may seem like an obvious point, but each of Deathverse’s weapons has very different Deathblows and Main Skills, modulating the weapon type’s base attack set and affecting your playstyle as a result. Make sure you read our crafting guide to get on the road to unlocking them all as quickly as possible.
All of Deathverse’s weapons are viable choices out in the Jamboree, with the decision between them mainly coming down to how they feel and what gels with you as a player. And if you don’t like a base weapons’ moveset, a variant may well surprise you, as they can vastly differ.
Machete: Deathverse calls this the beginner’s choice, but by no means write it off on that basis. It’s super easy to use, and the base model catches on fire for your Main Skill. Katana: Quick and brutal, with high damage output. It has a three-hit combo that you’ll see a lot in the Death Jamboree, which you’ll no doubt come to hate when you’re on the receiving end of it. Hammer: It’s a bloody great big hammer. It’s slow, it knocks people flying, and its special attack takes an agonizingly long time to wind up – but it’s lights out if you land it. Arms: Tear shields to shreds and pin people to walls with this savage device. All the variations have electric skills too, so you can truly keep people from retaliating with a well-played shock. Buzzsaw: Here’s your faster weapon. It may not hit as hard, but the Deathblows and Main Skills across the variations give you a lot of mobility, and you can quickly overwhelm your foes when you get the hang of it.
With those combat tips and tricks, you’re ready to take on anyone you come across in the Jamboree. It’s up to you to use this knowledge to come out on top.
