Navigating skill trees can often feel daunting, particularly in challenging Soulslike games, where every decision directly affects your chances of survival in a brutally competitive environment.
The First Berserker: Khazan ranks among the more formidable entries in the genre, making it essential to arm yourself with effective strategies early in your gaming experience to maximize your likelihood of success.
Once you have unlocked the skill tree and committed to one of the three available weapon types, you might find yourself uncertain about which abilities to prioritize. If you prefer using a spear, you’re in luck—we’ve curated a list of six crucial skills that will enhance your gameplay significantly in the early phases of your adventure.
6. Reflection
Mastering the Parry
No true Soulslike title would be complete without a reliable parry mechanic. In Khazan, you must unlock this vital tool through the skill tree.
Within the Common tab of the skill tree, you’ll find the Reflection skill, which becomes an indispensable asset if your basic guard mechanics start falling short.
While regular guards are essential throughout your journey, they primarily serve the purpose of mitigating incoming damage, contingent on your stamina. The Reflection skill, however, not only allows you to parry attacks but also depletes your enemy’s stamina and temporarily disables their defense.
If executed correctly, parrying an enemy that has already expended energy may even leave them exhausted—giving you the perfect opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks until they recover, or worse, until they’re defeated.
5. Chaser
Unleashing Punishment
The Chaser skill pairs excellently with Reflection. If you’ve adopted Reflection, then integrating Chaser into your build is a no-brainer.
When you successfully exhaust an enemy through well-timed parries, the Chaser ability automatically activates, reducing the stamina cost for all your attacks during the enemy’s depleted state. This allows you to continue assaulting your foes without concern for your own stamina.
Utilizing Chaser effectively can be game-changing when facing formidable early bosses like Blade Phantom or in mowing down lower-level adversaries with ease.
4. Rod Smite
Counteracting with Precision
In Khazan, wielding a spear requires a degree of finesse and technique, highlighted by the Rod Smite skill.
To use this skill, you first need to perform a brink guard—blocking an enemy attack at precisely the right moment. Once you master this timing, the counter-attack potential of Rod Smite opens up.
Upon executing a successful brink guard, clicking your swift attack button will trigger a counter, enabling Khazan to strike back with the butt of his spear. While timing can be challenging, mastering Rod Smite equips you with a quick and effective counterattack that can be utilized repeatedly in battles.
3. Vital Strike
Closing the Gap
The spear’s natural speed and range can be enhanced further by learning the Vital Strike skill.
This skill becomes particularly useful as you seek faster ways to approach enemies in The First Berserker. When you sprint or dodge, pressing the potent blow attack button will propel Khazan into the air, executing an aerial strike against your targeted enemy.
A key advantage here is that Vital Strike doesn’t consume any spirit charges. If you manage your stamina well, you can repeat this tactic—dodging, attacking, and maintaining relentless pressure on opponents until you emerge victorious.
2. Endurance
Stamina Conservation
Endurance may sound unglamorous, but its passive benefits should not be overlooked.
This skill reduces the stamina consumption of guarding while you wield a spear, a crucial advantage throughout your gameplay.
As stamina depletion can lead to devastating consequences—such as being left vulnerable to unguardable hits—Endurance is a wise investment that allows you to defend effectively without draining your resources.
Once acquired, this skill works quietly in the background, enabling you to reap its benefits consistently throughout your adventure.
1. Shadow Reversal
Turning the Tables
Shadow Reversal stands out as the most advantageous skill for spear users in the early game. Once the second tier of abilities is reachable, make it a priority to explore this option.
This skill might appear more complex than others, but mastering it is invaluable for gaining a significant edge in combat.
To execute Shadow Reversal, you need to press the potent blow button during a regular swift attack, a dodge attack, or while using either the Zero Point or Rod Smite skills. This initiates a powerful jab with your spear that can pivot you into advantageous positions during fights.
If your attack successfully breaks the enemy’s poise, you can follow up with a swift movement to place yourself directly behind them—allowing a relentless assault on an enemy who’s now totally defenseless. Although it may be challenging at first, once you master Shadow Reversal, you can capitalize on its effectiveness to change the tide of battle.
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