Whether fans are drawn in by its cell-shaded art style, its background as a part of the Dungeon & Fighters franchise multiverse, or its alluring difficulty as a new Soulslike, The First Berserker: Khazan is worth checking out. For players who are either veterans of Soulsborne and Soulsike games or are newfound fans of this subgenre of Action RPGs, The First Berserker: Khazan is sure to be a challenging experience all throughout.
Admittedly, The First Berserker: Khazan’s difficulty curve can be quite steep at first, but as players come to understand and master the game’s unique mechanics, this difficulty curve can be overcome and lead to some highly satisfying combat and exploration throughout. Alongside some of the various layered progression systems that players can take advantage of to improve their character’s strength and survivability, there are also a handful of unwritten rules that players should be mindful of to stand the best chance of survival in The First Berserker: Khazan.
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The Unwritten Rules of The First Berserker: Khazan’s Combat
Farm Bosses for Top-Tier Armor and Weapons in The First Berserker: Khazan
It’s not too common for Soulsborne and Soulslike games to allow players to revisit bosses that players have already defeated, yet doing so in The First Berserker: Khazan is not only relatively easy but it’s also required for players who want to craft and collect the full set of any boss’ armor and weapons. Players can quickly revisit the optional and main bosses by fast-traveling from the Crevice to the Blade Nexus checkpoints located right outside the boss arenas. Overall, the armor and weapon sets in The First Berserker: Khazan that are exclusive to the bosses are generally much better than those that players can find naturally throughout exploration or as loot from common enemies, so it’s worth the effort to go back and farm old bosses for top-tier gear.
Change Armor and Skill Points Often, But Choose Your Stats and Weapon Type Wisely
Because of how the different armor set bonuses can be useful in different situations, players should consider keeping a few armor sets in their inventory at all times to switch between. However, when it comes to weapons, players might still want to keep a few different weapons on hand, but it’s recommended that players pick one overall weapon type and commit to it for the long haul. This is because each of the three weapon types in The First Berserker: Khazan scales with separate stats, and unlike how players can respec their skill trees for free, respeccing stats can be quite expensive.
In general, it’s arguably best to prioritize the Vitality stat for increased health and Endurance for increased stamina, along with whichever two other stats apply to the player’s weapon of choice, instead of opting for a well-rounded stat build. The three weapon types each come with a slightly distinct playstyle, though they are all viable throughout the entire game, so players should choose based on personal preference and then invest their stats accordingly.
Exploit an Enemy’s Stamina to Create Opportunities For Big Damage
Most major enemies and bosses in The First Berserker: Khazan will give players very few natural opportunities to get free attacks. So, players must utilize a wide range of skills and attacks that can efficiently reduce an enemy’s stamina or break through their guard to eventually leave them vulnerable to Brutal attacks and long combos. Players might be tempted to invest solely in offensive skills for higher damage, but this is quite a risky strategy in The First Berserker: Khazan, whereas balancing offensive and defensive skills is generally much more reliable since it allows players to create openings for long combos and big damage, as opposed to sneaking in one or two free attacks.
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The Unwritten Rules of The First Berserker: Khazan’s Exploration
Optional Missions Are Almost Always Worth the Effort
Players will have access to stat upgrades and the character and weapon skill trees in The First Berserker: Khazan through natural progression, though some of the additional progression systems and equipment upgrade mechanics are locked behind optional missions. There’s also a unique type of collectibles scattered throughout the game that players will only be able to find after completing a certain optional mission, which can allow players to purchase some of the best helmet armor in the game after obtaining enough of these collectibles. Not only are these optional missions a good source of extra Lacrima and gear between the main quests, but overall, players will be missing out on a lot of features by sleeping on optional missions, which can inadvertently make The First Berserker: Khazan more difficult.
Expect Typical Soulslike Secrets, Traps, and Secret Traps
There are several hidden pathways and secrets that players should be on the lookout for while exploring each region in The First Berserker: Khazan to find some of the best crafting recipes and gear, but there’s a catch. Whenever players see an unsuspecting enemy that seems vulnerable to a sneak attack, or the glowing beacon of a rare loot drop in The First Berserker: Khazan that looks too good to be true, it’s best to assume that, 100% of the time, it’s a trap.
This can be quite a harsh learning curve and mindset for players who aren’t Soulsborne and Soulslike game veterans to grasp, but the environment and overall level designs will regularly tempt players to walk right into a trap, time and time again. Throughout a playthrough, getting into the habit of exercising caution over greed to be able to spot these kinds of traps before it’s too late can ideally prevent players from losing their Lacrima by avoiding dying in unfortunate spots, saving a lot of frustration and allowing players to upgrade their stats more frequently.
- Released
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March 27, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Neople
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