Combat

The Pale Rider’s journey is fraught with danger, and Death is commonly drawn into furious combat—often with little warning. To better prepare yourself, let’s review the basics of battle in Darksiders II.

Death and Dying

Death’s health is measured by a green meter at the screen’s top-left corner. Hostile attacks that strike the Rider will drain some of his health. If Death’s health is completely drained, then his soul is lost, forcing you to restart at a previous checkpoint.

Use the Rider’s great agility to avoid attacks. Equip pieces of armor to reduce the damage he suffers when struck. When matters become dire, down a health potion to bring Death back from the brink. Each potion restores Death to full health, but it takes a few seconds for his health meter to fill, so don’t wait too long to drink one.

Death can carry a maximum of five health potions. Purchase more potions from merchants when his stock runs low, or destroy clutter in the environment to potentially find some. Don’t hesitate to use the fast-travel mechanic to return to merchants and replenish your supplies.

Creature Classes

Every monster that Death encounters falls into one of five general categories, as detailed here:

• Fodder: These lowly foes pose little threat to the Reaper, and are easily slain.
• Soldier: The most common enemy class. Dangerous only in groups; easily handled individually.
• Elite: These unique enemies possess some form of special talent, such as summoning or reviving other enemies. They’re not particularly strong or resilient, though.
• Brute: These monstrous foes pose a great threat to the Horseman. Their attacks are powerful, and they can withstand plenty of punishment before they fall.
• Boss: Many dungeons feature at least one boss enemy, commonly encountered at the dungeon’s end. Many bosses are unique and must be combated using special skills, or by exploiting the environment to the Rider’s advantage.

Focusing

Hold the Focus trigger to lock Death’s aim onto the nearest adversary. While focused, Death will move in relation to his current target, and the targeted enemy’s name and health will appear above its head. Focus on enemies during battle to avoid sensory overload. Use the right stick to switch Death’s aim to other enemies without breaking focus.

Evading

Dodging enemy attacks is paramount, especially when faced with larger, more powerful foes. Make liberal use of the Evade trigger to dart out of harm’s way and set up counterattacks. Tap the Evade trigger while standing still to make Death perform a long backflip—a great way to escape from swarms of smaller minions.

Scythe Attacks and Combos

The Pale Rider’s primary weapons are his twin scythes, which he wields with practiced lethality. Simply press the Attack button in rapid succession to unleash a basic yet blistering attack combo that is ideal for most combat situations. See the next chapter, “Skills and Combos,” to discover many more vicious attacks.

Secondary Weapons

Death can find and equip an assortment of secondary weapons that can be used either by themselves or in conjunction with his primary scythes. While there are many different types of secondary weapons, they all fall into one of two basic categories: melee or heavy.

• Melee secondary weapons inflict modest damage with each hit, and can be used to unleash combos with great speed and ferocity.
• Heavy secondary weapons inflict tremendous damage with each hit, but are slow and somewhat cumbersome to wield

Executions

Death has a small chance to instantly slay any enemy with a dramatic execution move. Whenever you see the Action button icon appear above a foe, press the Action button to finish them off with a flourish. Death is immune to damage while executing an enemy, so sit back and enjoy the show.

Skills

Death isn’t limited to simply attacking his enemies—the Pale Rider can also unleash an array of powerful skills to facilitate his foes’ demise.

Press down on the directional pad to pause the action and call up the Skills Radial. This special menu lets you unleash skills, drink potions, or switch out the special item that Death has equipped. You can assign any of these functions to various buttons on the controller by highlighting the desired function, holding the Skill trigger, and then pressing the desired button. You may then quickly perform actions such as drinking potions or unleashing specific skills in the heat of battle by simply pressing the Skill trigger in conjunction with the buttons you’ve mapped out.

Damage Types

Damage comes in many forms in Darksiders II. While every weapon will inflict normal damage, certain weapons can also inflict one or more types of additional damage, adding to their lethality.

• Arcane: This type of enhanced damage occurs when Death calls upon his Reaper Form. Certain attack combos will also cause Death to briefly unleash his Reaper Form during the combo, inflicting extra Arcane damage. See the next chapter, “Skills and Combos,” for further details.
• Fire: Some weapons can set enemies ablaze, dealing extra damage. This can inflict steady damage over time.
• Ice: Certain weapons have a chilling effect that freezes enemies for extra damage. This can slow enemies for a few seconds, making them easier to outmaneuver.
• Lightning: Some weapons may zap foes for added lightning damage. This can temporarily stun enemies, leaving them highly vulnerable.
• Piercing: Certain weapons can pierce through enemy defenses, dealing significant amounts of additional damage.

Critical Hits

The Horseman has a small chance to score critical hits when attacking enemies. These masterful blows inflict far more damage than normal attacks. Critical hits can make a big difference in battle, dramatically reducing a powerful enemy’s health with a single blow. Certain weapons and gear can increase Death’s chance to score critical hits—see the following “Death’s Attributes” section for more info.

Reaper Form

As Death gains experience and levels up, he’ll eventually gain the ability to unleash his Reaper Form at will. This powerful ability causes the Rider to reveal his true form and lay waste to foes with devastating Arcane attacks. Reaper Form can simplify challenging battles, but it doesn’t last long and takes effort to recharge. It’s therefore best to use it only when necessary.