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Sometimes you will have to face off against a group of enemies and there is no way around it. Of course, if you have godhand or roulette orbs you can rely on those, but if you haven't got them, or trying to save them, or you just want to do it without them, then you need some tactics to survive, especially when the difficulty level rises. Here, I presume that you have to fight multiple enemies - in most situations I'd advise just running away and then luring one enemy at a time, but if there's no way around it, here is what to use: Quick Launches If you get a chance to juggle or bounce an enemy, use a quick launch move to get them out of the way. Even better, use the Jump Turn Kick (up on the left analog + triangle on a juggled enemy) if you can, to hit other enemies as well. Axe Kick and other Juggles A good way to get a quick launch is to juggle the enemy first. This is the quickest way, since the only other ways to get a quick launch are countering an enemy (unreliable), or waiting for a guard stun or a full stun, which you can't guarantee at any moment. Juggling an enemy can be done relatively easily, and then once they are in the air, you can have a good chance of launching them away. The Axe Kick (up on the left analog + triangle on a knocked-down opponent) is particularly useful, firstly because it can knock the enemies high enough to guarantee the Jump Turn Kick, but also because it works on knocked down opponents. That means it can follow after you have done a counter hit dodge sweep, which will happen quite a lot when dealing with multiple enemies. In addition, you can just do the Axe Kick, and not follow up with the second kick, instead just do a quick launch, to separate the enemies as fast as possible. Dodge Sweep Your most effective tool in your standard techniques is the dodge sweep (up on the right analog to dodge, then immediately press triangle). The dodge evades high moves, and the sweep also evades high moves. There is the added bonus that if it is a counter hit (if you hit an enemy while they are attacking), then it will knock the enemy down. This can even work on multiple enemies if they are all attacking at once, you can take them all to the ground. This is handy just to give you some space for a couple of seconds, and even better, you can go for an Axe Kick, or another juggle move which works off the floor, or charge a slower move as they get up (especially Palm Smash since that is unblockable and undodgeable). Other High Evasion Moves Though I frown upon these moves, because they make the game too easy, they are also very effective when you are out-numbered. The best ones are Drunken Twist, Chin Rocker and Half Moon Kick. Basically, you know you are pretty safe if you are using one of these moves. Drunken Twist and Chin Rocker can be dodge-cancelled and repeated to stay almost 100% safe, and you can continue your game from there as usual, get them on the defensive. You will be dodging their moves automatically, and can easily score a counter hit, but even if they block it doesn't matter, just carry on. The Half Moon Kick is pretty safe too, and has a wider range. It starts with a sweep, and if it knocks them down then you get the second hit guaranteed, which is a juggle. This is good against groups especially because the sweep can knock down several enemies, who then all get juggled, then you can do what you want. Focus on one enemy at a time When possible, try to kill one enemy before moving on to the next. If you try to kill all of them without a particular focus, you will constantly be facing them all until they die - having to deal with all their attacks at once. But if you focus on one enemy in particular, and try to get as many hits on them as you can at all times, then they will die first, then you are dealing with one less enemy for the rest of the battle. That makes it a lot easier. To do this, use all the techniques listed here - if you launch them away, chase them quickly and beat them up some more where they are. If you launch another enemy, then use that space to find your focussed enemy and go after them again. Blinding Certain enemies will not hit you in the back, even on the harder difficulty levels. So if you can get between them and another enemy (so that one is in front of you and one is behind), then you can deal with them one at a time. This can be tricky as the enemy behind you will start to side step around you, but you can keep that in check and alter your position accordingly. Don't Get Boxed-in You shouldn't get too absorbed into beating up one guy. If your situation is bad, get out of there, normally using the dash / run to sprint to a better location. Obviously sometimes you will be facing a wall, in which case you will probably have to backflip, but avoid doing that if you can because it's dangerous and slow compared to running away. Herding The opposite of blinding, another tactic is to get all enemies in front of you so you can see them all, and deal with them all. This has its risks since they will all definitely attack you, but you can be pretty safe with the dodge, and dodge-sweep. Walls Getting enemies against the wall is one of the best ways to stop them interrupting you. First of all, they can't move backwards, or escape your juggles as easily. Secondly, you can do repeat wall-splats by dodge-cancelling a launch move after juggling them. Alternatively, there are some moves which are a guaranteed launch anyway, and if you are quick enough you can trap them with just that move alone - especially Palm Smash. Stun Moves and Pummels If you manage to get an enemy fully stunned,you should time the stun move well to suit what is going on around you. If you are in danger, use the move right away to become invincible. If you get the opportunity, score some free hits on the stunned enemy as usual before activating the stun move. If you really need to get enemies out of the way, do a juggle then Jump Turn Kick or quick launch. If it's a pummel move, try to wait until another enemy is about to attack you, that way they will end up right next to you when you activate, and they will get hit as well by the pummel, and then get launched by the final hit which is a real bonus in some situations. Water and Cliffs If there is any water or a cliff nearby, you can knock enemies off the edge for an instant kill. Remember that you won't get any item reward for this (can be especially bad against a Demon). But it is a quick way to deal with enemies if you really have to. One way is to just get their backs to the edge and keep attacking, and they eventually lose their balance and die. A quicker way is to launch the enemy, and it can be done from a distance too. Sometimes it's worth using a roulette orb for something like Divine Smash, as it can launch many enemies, and can kill all of them in one go if there is a cliff or some water. God Hand and Roulette Obviously, use these if you are really stuck. The best advice is to try to save these as a back-up for multiple enemy situations. So if you just have to face one or two enemies, try to get by without using Roulette or God Hand. That way, you will have them stored for when you have to face three or more, which is when you really have to worry. |
