www.gamespot.com
The First Berserker: Khazan might be a Soulslike, but if you're coming into it expecting battles to play out like they do in FromSoftware's games, you're probably in for a surprise. Khazan plays like a mix of Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Sekiro, with several quirks of its own, and it'll probably take a while and several failed encounters before you pick up on how to play.This First Berserker: Khazan tips list is designed to make that transition a bit easier, with some handy help for anyone, but especially for those approaching it with other Soulslikes in mind. Dodge with careKhazan's dodging works a bit differently than you're probably used to if you're coming to this from Dark Souls or Elden Ring. Dodging still grants you a small period of invulnerability, but the timing is slightly later than in FromSoftware's games. Usually in those, if you dodge as an attack approaches you, the game counts it as a miss and keeps you from taking damage. In Khazan, you have to dodge the moment before the enemy or weapon makes contact, which is often a second after they start their attack animation.A good example is the tutorial guardian, the large man with a spear who chases you around a cave. When he performs a horizontal attack, if you dodge when he starts the swing, you'll just move into the oncoming hit. You have to wait until the spearhead almost makes contact to dodge if you want to evade the hit... Parry oftenOr you can just parry. Khazan is more of a hybrid Soulslike and Sekiro-like, one that assumes you'll understand when the best time to dodge or parry is with barely a moment's notice. In most cases, when your stamina isn't depleted, parrying is the much better choice. Enemy recovery times are quick, so dodging away from an attack often gives you no room to follow up with one of your own.The time window for performing a perfect parry--and, as a result, losing no stamina--is unusually forgiving for a game like this, so once you know your opponent's attack patterns, you can feasibly block every incoming attack and save your stamina for your own offensive maneuvers. Build your stamina earlySpeaking of stamina, given how important that stat is in Khazan, you should devote several stat upgrades to that in the early game, ideally before challenging the first major boss. Khazan's stat increases are divided between increasing his health, strength, and carrying capacity, but the last two--Willpower and Proficiency--primarily govern his many stamina stats.Stamina recovery and reducing stamina loss are important, of course. However, you'll want to increase his stamina damage and guardian stamina damage. Guardians are enemies with purple stamina bars, the stronger foes and the boss enemies Khazan faces. Dealing more stamina damage to them means you can perform critical hits more often and deplete more of their health more quickly. These stats are also the ones that show the most significant progression in the early game. Giving Khazan 10 more strength might see him do 20 more damage with his basic attacks--helpful, but hardly game-changing. Boosting his guardian stamina damage by two levels lets him take a noticeable chunk of the enemy's stamina bar out with one hit, which is going to have far more useful results. Compare more than statsWeight and basic stats are typically what matter when you're putting a build together in Elden Ring or Dark Souls, but Khazan goes a bit deeper with its gear. You'll end up with several copies of the same basic items, though they (usually) have varying levels. It's worth checking when you pick up anything new, in case you can eke out some extra defense.However, sometimes, it's worth sacrificing the best stats for better benefits. Khazan has several gear sets that come with special bonus upgrades if you equip two or more pieces from that set. One early example is Frozen Mountain armor. Two pieces give you a recovery boost, and wearing four will reduce incoming damage by a substantial amount, enough to negate the advantage of slightly better defense if you wore something of a higher level from a different set. Look over your shoulderThis is a small thing, but Khazan has an annoying habit of manifesting enemies behind you when there weren't any there before. And we don't mean you'll overlook them easily; they literally pop up from nowhere. You can expect this any time you enter an area with one or two enemies visible in front of you, so just be aware that threats you can't see are probably going to show up, as well. Build out two weapon skill treesThe game is rather stingy with skill points, but it's worth building two weapons so you can handle any situation that might pop up. The dual-wield option you begin the game with is suitable for most enemies, for example, but dealing with bigger foes is much faster and easier when you're using Khazan's great sword. Target ranged foes firstThis might seem like an obvious one, but ranged enemies are far deadlier and more obnoxious in Khazan than they are in Souls games. They attack more frequently, and their hits deal more damage than even some melee attackers. If that weren't enough, you're also contending with the environment. Khazan favors open areas with few things to hide behind, and ranged attackers will, after missing a few shots, reposition so they can target you clearly again. Regardless of the situation, take out ranged enemies first. Pick your battlesOne of Khazan's more inscrutable quirks is that it lumps normal enemies with guardian-class enemies and treats them like mini-bosses, with purple stamina bars and seemingly unavoidable battles. Some of them even respawn when you interact with the blade nexus like standard enemies. However, you really don't have to engage with them, and you shouldn't, after the first time. There's no penalty or extra reward for doing it. It's a waste of resources and time for diminishing returns, so save your consumables and patience for a more worthwhile trial.
