Codex HOW TO PLAY Combat & Danger

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Combat & Danger

Knap stone into knives and spears, string a bow, or carry a heavy club to hunt beasts and fend off rivals. Strike from range where you can; cornered prey and hunting predators both bite back.

Wounds do more than drain health. A bladed or piercing hit can leave you Bleeding (bind it with Cloth or a Bandage); an animal's bite may fester into Infection; venom and tainted water leave you Poisoned, retching and weak; a fracture or a sprung trap can leave you Shocked and stunned. Treat each before it finishes what the blow began. Long falls and open flame are just as deadly.

SPECIAL ATTACKS

Aim (hold the right mouse button) with a melee weapon, or bare-handed, and your special attacks are listed at the bottom left. Each key recharges on its own: its row greys out while it recharges and flashes gold when it is ready. Every special costs Stamina, and only one plays at a time. Each weapon names its own moves (a katana's E is a Spin Jump, a spear's a Spear Rush), but they all fall into these kinds:

  • E, the heavy blow. Heavy weapons SMASH: double damage, and the victim is knocked flat for a moment, sometimes losing their weapon. Spears and long blades THRUST, and knives STAB: double damage that leaves the victim bleeding. Some weapons, tools and bows have no E move.
  • F, the guard-breaker. Every weapon, and bare hands, can BASH: a lighter blow that shoves the victim off balance and briefly downs them. With a shield in your off hand it becomes a Shield Bash.
  • R, the kick (needs the Nimble skill). A hard kick that knocks the victim down for a moment.
  • X, from behind (needs the Shadow skill). With a knife, blade or club it is a silent kill: triple damage, and no alarm is raised if it kills, though the dead are missed all the same (see CRIME). With a Blackjack or bare hands it is a knockout instead, leaving the victim senseless and helpless for a while. Knocking someone out where others can see is a crime.
  • X, from the front (needs the Berserker skill). The Berserker Leap: triple damage, the survivor is left on the ground, and your war-cry sends nearby foes fleeing. It costs a great deal of Stamina.
  • Q, the throw. Hold Q while aiming to take a throwing stance, then click to throw, or let go of Q to change your mind. A thrown weapon hits for double damage at range, but it leaves your hand: blades and points stick where they land, blunt weapons fall, and you have five minutes to pick it up again. Bows, guns, shields and tools cannot be thrown.

Out of a fight, E, F, R and X give way to whatever that key does nearby, such as looting, butchering or opening; once you are in combat, they always strike.

FINISHING A FOE

A foe knocked down by a smash, a bash, a knockout or a leap lies helpless for a few moments, and anyone brought under 20% health collapses for six seconds. Only a foe with less than 10% of their health left can be finished: with the Executioner skill, press X beside them to do it at once. The mark over a downed body turns red when it can be.

DEFENDING

  • Block. Hold aim and jump with a melee weapon or bare hands to raise your guard. It takes most of the damage out of a melee blow, and a special you catch on it neither floors you, bleeds you nor tears your weapon away. Two things still get through: a BASH, which is made to break a guard, and anything from behind. Every blow you catch costs Stamina, holding the guard drains more, and it breaks when you run dry. It does nothing against arrows and bullets.
  • Parry. Raise your guard just as a warrior winds up a blow (watch for the red warning) and the whole blow is turned aside, leaving them staggered. It works against the folk of the world, not against other players.
  • Dodge. With the Nimble skill, aim, hold a direction and tap sprint to roll clear: a blow that meets you mid-roll misses entirely.