Darksiders II Guide Essentials Skills and Combos
Moves and Combos
Moves and Combos
Here we review the many different combat moves and attack combos that are available to Death. Some of these are known to the Pale Rider from the start of his adventure, while others must be taught to Death by special trainers found in the realms. These trainers are Thane and Draven, located at Tri-Stone and the Eternal Throne, respectively.
Scythe Combos
Until Death acquires a secondary weapon, he’s limited to the use of his scythes. As you’ll see in the following table, the Reaper is capable of dispensing plenty of mayhem with these trademark tools. Scythes have the advantage of being quick to wield. Longer scythe combos will cause Death’s true incarnation to briefly appear, delivering powerful blows that deal extra Arcane damage. Once Death can access his Reaper Form ability, every enemy he slays with his scythes will generate a small amount of Reaper Energy for him. This is the most straightforward way to build Reaper Energy, making scythe kills particularly important after Reaper Form has been unlocked.
| Move | Commands (Xbox) | Commands (PS3) | Trainer | Trainer’s Movelist Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Slash |
|
|
— | — |
| Return Slash |
,
|
,
|
— | — |
| Double Slash |
,
,
|
,
,
|
— | — |
| Twin Humanities |
,
,
,
|
,
,
,
|
— | — |
| Razor Slash |
, delay,
|
, delay,
|
Thane | Razor Combo |
| Razor Wheel |
, delay,
,
|
, delay,
,
|
— | — |
| Razor Strike |
, delay,
,
,
|
, delay,
,
,
|
— | — |
| Harvester Spiral |
,
, delay,
|
,
, delay,
|
Thane | Whirlwind Combo |
| Harvester Whirlwind |
,
, delay,
,
|
,
, delay,
,
|
— | — |
| Harvester Blade |
,
, delay,
,
,
|
,
, delay,
,
,
|
— | — |
| Harvester Slam |
,
,
, delay,
|
,
,
, delay,
|
Thane | Harvester Slam |
| Twin Cannon |
(
+ BACK) +
|
(
+ BACK) +
|
Thane | Twin Cannon |
| Harvester Revenge |
during Forward Evade
|
during Forward Evade
|
Thane | Harvester Revenge |
| Crossover: Side Saw |
after any basic
attack
|
after any basic
attack
|
— | — |
| Crossover Special: Buzz Saw |
after any Crossover
|
after any Crossover
|
— | — |
| Twin Humanities |
after any Crossover Special
|
after any Crossover Special
|
— | — |
| Sky Slash |
(Air)
|
(Air)
|
— | — |
| Sky Cross |
(Air)
,
|
(Air)
,
|
— | — |
| Sky Smash |
(Air)
,
,
|
(Air)
,
,
|
— | — |
| Hellraiser |
(Air)
,
, delay,
|
(Air)
,
, delay,
|
Thane | Hellraiser |
| Flip Saw |
(Air) ++
or
during Quick Fall
|
(Air)
+
or
during Quick Fall
|
Draven | Flip Saw |
Melee Weapon Combos
Melee weapons are light, easy to wield, and blistering in their combos. The short attack range of these secondary weapons favors single-target combat. There are four basic types of melee weapons: bucklers, claws, gauntlets, and tonfas. The following table reveals the various combos that can be performed with melee weapons.
| Move | Commands (Xbox) | Commands (PS3) | Trainer | Trainer’s Movelist Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Swing |
|
|
— | — |
| Killer Intent |
,
|
,
|
— | — |
| Triple Threat |
,
,
|
,
,
|
— | — |
| Blackout |
,
,
,
|
,
,
,
|
— | — |
| Tremor Smash |
(
+ BACK) +
|
(
+ BACK) +
|
Thane | Tremor Smash Series |
| Earthbreaker |
during Tremor Smash — mash
(up to 5 times)
|
during Tremor Smash — mash
(up to 5 times)
|
— | — |
| Power Geyser | automatic finisher after 5 Earthbreakers | automatic finisher after 5 Earthbreakers | — | — |
| Godfist |
during Forward Evade
|
during Forward Evade
|
Thane | Godfist |
| Rising Upper |
during Godfist
|
during Godfist
|
Draven | Rising Upper |
| Crossover: Frenzy |
after any basic 3 attack
|
after any basic
attack
|
— | — |
| Crossover Special: Wildstorm |
after any Crossover
|
after any Crossover
|
— | — |
| Blackout |
after Crossover Special
|
after Crossover Special
|
— | |
| Double Cross |
(Air)
|
(Air)
|
— | — |
| Return Strike |
(Air)
,
|
(Air)
,
|
— | — |
| Gut Check |
(Air)
,
,
|
(Air)
,
,
|
— | — |
| Vital Edge |
(Air)
,
,
,
|
(Air)
,
,
,
|
— | — |
| Berserker Fury |
Claws: hold
(release to strike)
|
Claws: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Berserker Fury |
Claws: hold
(timed release)
|
Claws: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Claw Training |
| Berserker Dive |
Claws: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Claws: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Berserker Dive |
Claws: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Claws: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Claw Training |
| Wind Blade |
Tonfa: hold
(release to strike)
|
Tonfa: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Wind Blade |
Tonfa: hold
(timed release)
|
Tonfa: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Tonfa Training |
| Wind Strike |
Tonfa: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Tonfa: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Wind Strike |
Tonfa: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Tonfa: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Tonfa Training |
| Sidewinder |
Gauntlet: hold
(release to strike)
|
Gauntlet: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Sidewinder |
Gauntlet: hold
(timed release)
|
Gauntlet: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Gauntlet Training |
| Seismic Hammer |
Gauntlet: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Gauntlet: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Seismic Hammer |
Gauntlet: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Gauntlet: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Gauntlet Training |
| Fortress Stance |
Buckler: hold
|
Buckler: hold
|
— | — |
| Fortress Blast |
Buckler: hold
(release to strike)
|
Buckler: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Fortress Blast |
Buckler: hold
(timed release)
|
Buckler: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Buckler Training |
| Fortress Drift |
Buckler: (Air) hold
|
Buckler: (Air) hold
|
— | — |
| Fortress Smash |
Buckler: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Buckler: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Fortress Smash |
Buckler: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Buckler: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Buckler Training |
Heavy Weapon Combos
Heavy weapons are incredibly large, making them somewhat slow and cumbersome to wield. However, their wide reach and devastating attack power make them quite versatile. These weapons are capable of both beating back swarming foes and dealing great damage to a single target. There are four basic types of heavy weapons: axes, hammers, maces, and glaives.
Heavy Attacks
| Move | Commands (Xbox) | Commands (PS3) | Trainer | Trainer’s Movelist Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Slash |
|
|
— | — |
| Heavy Double Cross |
,
|
,
|
— | — |
| Crushing Blows—Power Slam |
,
,
|
,
,
|
— | — |
| Gravel Wizard |
(
+ BACK) + hold
(release to strike)
|
(
+ BACK) + hold
(release to strike)
|
Thane | Gravel Wizard |
| Painbringer |
during Front Evade/Dash
|
during Front Evade/Dash
|
Thane | Painbringer |
| Widowmaker |
timed
during impact of Heavy Power Attacks
|
timed
during impact of Heavy Power Attacks
|
Draven | Widowmaker |
| Riftbreaker |
timed
during impact of Heavy Power Attacks
|
timed
during impact of Heavy Power Attacks
|
Draven | Riftbreaker |
| Crossover: Cyclone |
after any basic
attack
|
after any basic
attack
|
— | — |
| Crossover Special: Hilt Strike |
after any Crossover
|
after any Crossover
|
— | — |
| Power Slam |
after Crossover Special
|
after Crossover Special
|
— | — |
| Falling Star |
(Air)
|
(Air)
|
— | — |
| Rock Breaker |
Hammer: hold
(release to strike)
|
Hammer: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Rock Breaker |
Hammer: hold
(timed release)
|
Hammer: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Hammer Training |
| Rock Crusher |
Hammer: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Hammer: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Rock Crusher |
Hammer: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Hammer: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Hammer Training |
| Grand Slam |
Mace: hold
(release to strike)
|
Mace: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Grand Slam |
Mace: hold
(timed release)
|
Mace: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Mace Training |
| Moonshot |
Mace: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Mace: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Moonshot |
Mace: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Mace: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Mace Training |
| Tempest |
Axe: hold
(release to strike)
|
Axe: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Tempest |
Axe: hold
(timed release)
|
Axe: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Axe Training |
| Tornado |
Axe: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Axe: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Tornado |
Axe: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Axe: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Axe Training |
| Knight Spear |
Glaive: hold
(release to strike)
|
Glaive: hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Knight Spear |
Glaive: hold
(timed release)
|
Glaive: hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Glaive Training |
| Dragonslayer |
Glaive: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
Glaive: (Air) hold
(release to strike)
|
— | — |
| Super Dragonslayer |
Glaive: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Glaive: (Air) hold
(timed release)
|
Draven | Glaive Training |
Mixed Weapon Combos
Death is a practiced combatant, able to switch between his scythes and secondary weapons in mid-combo with violent results. Don’t simply attack with only his scythes or only his secondary weapons; mix things up to perform longer and more lethal combinations.
Other Moves
Death can unleash a handful of special moves that do not require the use of his weaponry. Reaper Form is one example, and the highly effective Evade Counter is another. The following table details the Reaper’s non-weapon-based moves.
Other Moves
| Move | Requirement | Commands (Xbox) | Commands (PS3) | Trainer | Trainer’s Movelist Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razor Kick | — |
+
or
during most attacks
|
+
or
during most attacks
|
— | — |
| Meteor Strike | — |
(Air)
|
(Air)
|
Thane | Meteor Strike |
| Reaper Counter | Level 5 | timed + against incoming attacks | timed R against incoming attacks | — | — |
| Reaper Form | Level 10 |
+
|
+
|
— | — |