DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition – How to Use the Arbiter

Yesterday we covered the angelic Osiris in DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition, a powerful weapon ideal for ranged attacks and spinning someone into the air. For today’s follow-up, it’s all about the Arbiter, an axe that takes a bit longer to swing, but comes with lots of power.

The Basics

Upon picking up the Arbiter in level two, you’ll put it right to work against shielded enemies that come at you from both the air and the ground. As the game goes on, you’ll be able to effectively use the Ophion Demon Pull to yank them away, but at the start, you’ll need to chip at their health.

To put the Arbiter to use, hold down the right trigger button and use your two primary attacks. The main one will let you strike opponents multiple times, although you’ll do it slowly. However, this is the most powerful weapon to use, so you should be able to take out most of them with just a few hits.

The second style of attack allows Dante to strike the axe into the ground, which then launches most enemies into the air. From there, Dante can jump and use his other techniques to chain together a combo. In addition, he can spin the Osiris around to keep them in the air, or use the Ebony & Ivory pistols to extend the combo. Whatever you choose will do the trick.

Using the Arbiter is recommended for larger, shielded foes, although it can rip apart smaller ones with no problem. Just be aware that Dante is much slower using it, and could leave himself vulnerable to enemies striking from behind. You can easily switch to a smaller weapon like the Rebellion or the Osiris to kill them quickly, then go back to the Arbiter. You simply need to be quick with the triggers and buttons.

Leveling Up

Although the Arbiter allows for fewer techniques than the Osiris and Rebellion, it’s still quite effective when it comes to what you can unlock.

Aerial Flush: This transforms the Arbiter into a throwing weapon that tears through multiple foes at once. However, keep in mind this can only be used on ground level, as its weight prevents it from being thrown at airborne enemies.  Power it up and you’ll be able to turn it into a grenade of sorts, with the axe head temporarily exploding on impact, taking out nearby foes.

Drop: the game enhances the Tremor technique with Drop, as Dante delivers a powerful ground attack that cracks into the Earth. Enemies nearby get launched into the air, giving him the opportunity to rip into these adversaries for an even bigger combo. On top of that, you can level this up to increase your fault line.

Flush: Finally, the Flush lets you hurl the axe at targets. Again, you can’t use it on aerial enemies, but it delivers a powerful blow to anything it hits. You can increase its damage by reaching level two.

Don’t forget you can add increased damage to your basic attacks through the shop, and you can execute a Trinity Smash by hitting the Y (or Triangle, depending on version) button twice, pausing and then hitting it a third time. This can be leveled up as well with an increased ground tremor.

The Demon Pull

Finally, the Demon Pull is a unique ability that Dante picks up by visiting his parents’ home. Using it, he can grab objects and create new platforms.

However, it has greater use when it comes to grabbing enemies. Not only can you whip away shields from bad guys, but you can also grapple and bring them straight to Dante, so he can hit enemies right away.

Keep in mind that stronger foes, like the chainsaw freaks and the brutes, can’t be so easily grabbed, and it’s best to wait until they are vulnerable before going on the attack.

DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition is available now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.