Quick Links
Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawnmight not be as hard as other soulslike games out there, but it’s certainly no walk in the park. Nor’s quest to drive the gods back into the Realm Below is full of danger, and you’ll need a good mix of caution and aggression if you want to survive.
For your first attempt at the game, keep these helpful tips in mind. They’ll make sure that you progress at a good rate and survive more fights, obviating the need to backtrack and recover lost Reputation.
Take Your Time And Explore
Every area in the game has things hidden away, tucked into corners or hidden on hard-to-reach ledges. When you’ve cleared the enemies from a location, it’s a good idea tostop and look aroundbefore moving on. At the very least, you’ll find some crafting materials, but chances are good that there’s also a collectible nearby that can enhance your stats or grant extra Reputation.
Look around using Rifts whenever you activate a skull; there are often areas that you can’t access without Rifts, even if you couldn’t see them from the ground.
Save Crafting Materials At First
The companions that wait for you at Campfires can upgrade your gear, but unless you’re really stuck on a particular enemy it can be a good idea tohold off on upgrades. That way, when you settle on equipment that you want to use for the long haul, you’ll be able to get them to a high level right away.
You don’t need to wait until the endgame to spend your resources; just be stingy with them for the first few hours of gameplay, and start spending around the time you reach the city of Writ.
Buying skills upgrades your attack stats in addition to unlocking new abilities, so spending your Reputation that way is a good means of making up the difference before you start enhancing weapons.
Flintlock’s tutorial shows thatranged attacks like the pistol can interrupt enemy attacks.That’s a very important piece of strategy, especially when a red dot flashes indicating an unblockable strike. However, until you learn an enemy’s attack pattern, it’s oftensafer to dodge big attacks than attempt to interrupt them.
Nor’s dodge animation is instantaneous, while shooting for an interrupt has a slight delay. Until you’ve had some practice, it’svery easy to get hit while prepping a pistol shot. You’ll ultimately need to master both techniques, but dodging is what will keep you alive.
Landing a hit immediately after coming out of a dodge earns a Reputation multiplier.
Guns Have Separate Ammo Counts
Each foray into combat requires you to manage your resources, especially ammo for your ranged weapons. While your pistol can recover charges simply by landing melee attacks, theonly way to recover musket ammunition is to rest.This means you need to be very judicious about how you use your handful of bullets.
Once you get a second long gun, however, you’ll effectively have double the ammo. Each firearm’s shots are tracked separately, so by switching between guns you can shoot more targets. Just remember that each gun works very differently from all the others, so consider your loadout carefully!
Your firearmsaren’t loadedwhen you set out from camp - reload before entering combat!
Remember To Attack With Enki
Enki’s normal attacks don’t really do any damage, but they’re important for building up enemy Prime Gauges. Your godly companion can alsoinflict status ailmentson enemies once you find some Curse Stones to equip him with. Remember to send him after your foes whenever you’re able to, especially at the start of a fight.
Enki’s Witherings, on the other hand, are themost powerful attacks in the game, and can dispatch entire groups of enemies. They take a while to charge up, but don’t be afraid to use them when they’re available - they’re agood way to build up a large Reputation bonuswhile getting multiple simultaneous kills.
Play Sebo At Every Opportunity
Any time an NPC hasthree dots over their head, it means that you can play Sebo with them. While the minigame isn’t as exciting as wading through armies of the Dead, it’s a lot safer and you canearn Reputation for winning.
Most characters will only reward you the first time you beat them, but you canplay Sebo against Baz repeatedly at the Campfire, and his reward grows as you progress the main story. It’s always worth taking the time to play a round or two, especially if you’re just shy of an upgrade that you want.
Some opponents, particularly those with coins that let them push your tokens, are almost impossible to beat without finding special coins in wells hidden throughout the world.
Watch Out For Snipers
Enemies aren’t always in plain sight when you enter a new area. Often, you’ll be spotted by an archer or musketeer hiding above the path or around a corner. Until you know where every enemy in a location spawns, always keep your guard up andbe ready to dodge incoming shots.
Pushing R3 periodically as you explore can sometimes expose obscured enemies by targeting them.
There are also rooms withexploding enemies waiting to jump youas you enter, often with powder barrels nearby that will guarantee your demise if you’re caught in the blast. Don’t take safety for granted in this game!
Slide For An Easy Reputation Bonus
The best way to build up Reputation multipliers is tovary your combosand use every weapon at your disposal, all whileavoiding damage.Before entering a fight, you can start your combo goingsimply by sliding.Sprint, then hold the dodge button once you’ve built up speed; sliding grants you afive percent Reputation bonusin addition to anything else you build up during combat.
The same goes for Perfect Reloads and Rift Travel, so work those into your approach when available.
