With so many customization options to get in Stellar Blade, sometimes we forget the real bread and butter of this game: its combat. The fighting is a combination of mechanics from Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and even Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, so clashing with even the weakest Naytiba can be overwhelming. However, if you’ve been paying attention to the in-game tips or seeking a combat guide such as this for Stellar Blade, knowing the ins and outs of the essential mechanics can make a world of difference when controlling Eve.
Stellar Blade Combat Walkthrough
Stellar Blade combines many combat systems that might be confusing for some people without a proper guide. As mentioned, you have prominent features we’ve seen in other games that, while on paper, shouldn’t work. They actually mix together pretty well. Stellar Blade has the right amount of everything: a bit of parrying for those who like precise inputs, a dash of button-mashing for our trigger-finger fans, and enough skills for those eager to make a build.
Learning Your Combos
The first thing we deem necessary to mention in this combat guide for Stellar Blade is the game’s combo system. Initially, the game won’t show any of them, nor will they appear explicitly during your first hours. However, you can perform different combos by combining the square and triangle buttons. For example, the basic combo is square, triangle, triangle, and triangle, but that’s just the first. You can mix and match the inputs to make longer and more powerful combinations. While button-mashing sounds fun, I recommend not going too crazy on them. Enemies can cancel your inputs quickly, meaning you can lose a lot of health while performing a combo. Try to learn which one adapts against different enemies.
The Ins and Outs of Beta Skills
While Eve unlocks many skills throughout her journey, it is important to familiarize yourself with the first ones, Beta Skills. You can equip four of them and activate them by holding L1, followed by the required input (square, triangle, etc.). If you look closely at your skills, you’ll see a small number next to them. This indicates the amount of Beta Energy you need, or as I call them, Beta Bars. Let’s say Triplet has a number two in its icon. That means Eve needs two full bars of Beta Energy to execute the skill. It can be confusing at first, but once you learn the cost of each ability, you can perform them at any time as long as you manage your resources.
Colored Attacks
Contrary to other games that usually have a big red marker pointed at an unblockable attack, Stellar Blade has a few more indicators that we want to mention in this combat guide. Most foes have attacks that vary in color. You’ll see yellow, blue, and purple moves. Yellow ones are unavoidable and unblockable, so it is better to run away from them. Blue ones can be dodged if timed right and by moving the left stick to the front. Purples can also be dodged by pressing the right button at the right time and moving the stick backward. Thankfully, Eve’s blade will emit a light of the same color as the attack, indicating which move you have to perform.
Don’t Get Too Comfortable With Blocking
Most games with parry mechanics usually have a stamina system that allows the player to withstand attacks without losing health. That doesn’t happen in Stellar Blade. Here, there’s a thing called chip damage. This means that even if Eve blocks an attack, she’ll lose a bit of health. This can lead her to die just by blocking, so you have two options: dodge or parry, whichever you’re more comfortable with. When fighting, always watch your HP, and if you feel your blocking isn’t doing much for you, it’s time to change tactics.
This is, of course, just a combat guide for your first hours in Stellar Blade. As you journey through this post-apocalyptic Earth, you’ll encounter new things, such as ranged weapons, Burst Skills, and much more. While the combat is deep, we’ve also discovered it is so flexible that you can adapt to any playstyle you prefer. Whether you like to dodge or parry, shoot from afar or pull off combos, or just throw consumables at enemies and go in for the kill, Eve is a force to be reckoned with.
