Best Phantoms In The First Berserker: Khazan

Summary

• Unique weapon and Phantom customization in Khazan offers diverse gameplay and build opportunities.
• Players can freely swap Phantoms with specific buffs in combat to tailor their playstyle.
• Phantoms like Wulfric provide consistent damage boosts, while Keshta focuses on stamina management and survivability.

In order to keep things feeling distinct from the traditional FromSoftware titles, developers of Soulslikes have been attempting to add unique features and characteristics that set their game apart from the rest of the pack. Lies of P, for example, turns weapon customization up a notch by allowing players to swap weapon heads and handles to create new and interesting combinations and mix up the gameplay through a long playthrough. The First Berserker: Khazan is no different, introducing Phantoms that each bring their own set of passive buffs that can be leveled up and upgraded over time.

The great part about Khazan is that almost any playstyle can work, and the game is balanced around having as much variety as possible, whether that be respeccing skill points or giving players a similar level of power regardless of what weapon they choose to equip. The same goes for phantoms, which can be swapped between freely once unlocked, and each gives the player very specific benefits that can help the challenging combat feel just a bit easier. While it is true that any of the Phantoms can work well in the right circumstances, there are certainly some that are more consistently powerful, and players should decide whether they want to focus in on a tailored build or keep their options open with more reliable buffs. For those looking to make the most of this feature, here are the best Phantoms in The First Berserker: Khazan.

8

Veronika The Advocate

Aiding An Ally

• Effect: Spirit of Advocacy DMG increase
• Awakened: Gain 1 Netherworld Energy when a Spirit of Advocacy dies
• Awakened: Restores the Spirit of Advocacy’s health by 30% upon using Netherworld Energy

Veronika, as cool as she looks, is unfortunately right at the bottom when it comes to the other Phantoms. It is solely down to the fact that her effect is completely useless for 90% of the game, as players can only summon Spirits of Advocacy when fighting bosses. Now, when they are summoned, they provide a pretty hefty amount of help to the player. They can tank a fair amount of damage and juggle the aggro of the boss well enough to let the player back off and heal, before returning for some heavy blows.

It is nice being able to buff up an ally during a difficult fight, and the ability to not only be healed but heal the Spirit is a welcome addition to harder boss fights. But when it comes to progressing through the majority of the game, having an effectively blank Phantom slot whilst fighting through large groups of spiders, dragons, and zombies feels pretty bad to play with. Some may prefer to use Spirits to aid in the boss battles, and it is a perfectly fine approach to take, but even when summoning them, the player is probably better off with any of the other Phantoms available, both for boss combat and outside.

7

Atlante The Precise

Shooting From Afar

• Effect: Ranged Attack: DMG increase
• Awakened: Gain 0.5 spirit upon defeating an enemy with the Javelin
• Awakened: Increases damage by 15% for 30s upon attacking weak spots with the Javelin

The Javelin is a nice tool to have when dealing with larger groups of enemies, as it allows the player to pick off any annoying archers from a distance or stop any fast enemies from getting too close. While it is fair to say that it has its uses when it comes to taking on larger enemies and bosses, in most cases, those precious spirit points are better used for actual abilities and skills that deal significantly more damage and help tackle the tougher foes. Atlante is by no means weak; having a fairly substantial damage buff as a reward for good aim is going to be fairly useful no matter the circumstance.

The problem is that the Javelin skill tree already has a bunch of buffs attached to it that perform similar jobs Atlante. Spirit refunds, headshot multipliers, and damage increases for charged shots are among the examples, so the Phantom doesn’t actually add anything new to the lineup aside from a general damage buff that, while nice to have, is outclassed by plenty of other Phantoms. It is a fun Phantom to take out for a spin and certainly has its moments, but it is lacking in a lot of ways when it comes to standard combat techniques like guards and dodges.

6

Constantine The Devoted

Take On The Phantom Form

• Effect: Phantom Form gauge gain increase
• Awakened: Gains 5% of the Phantom Form gauge for each unit of spirit consumed
• Awakened: Increases the amount of Phantom Form gained by 20% for 15s when Phantom Form ends

Constantine is one of those Phantoms that has fringe benefits that, unfortunately, don’t outweigh the lack of consistency. Phantom Form is unlocked just over halfway into the game, and it has a similar effect to the transformations seen in Black Myth: Wukong, where the player can change into a powerful state for a brief period of time, boasting its own health pool and set of attacks whilst protecting its own HP. The issue in Khazan is that the Phantom Form is actually fairly underwhelming, and while it can be good to get a decent chunk of damage off of an elite enemy’s health, having no benefits when not in that form certainly hurts the player’s survivability and damage output.

There are some good use cases, such as using the Phantom Form for farming routes, as the timer downside is pretty much negligible when the player is going to reset the area quickly anyway. The form does become significantly better as the game goes on, and by the late-game, it can actually take off significant chunks of boss health bars in one use, so having the ability to charge multiple in a single encounter can be pretty powerful by the end. But the irony of Constantine is that, although equipping him does make the meter charge much faster, it already builds pretty quickly to begin with.

5

Adelhaide The Philanthropic

Keep The Fight Going

• Effect: Health Recovery increase
• Awakened: Gain 1 Netherworld Energy when using a brutal attack when you have no Netherworld Energy
• Awakened: Decreases damage taken by 20% for 30s upon using Netherworld Energy

Health is arguably one of the most important stats in the entire game. The ability to sustain and heal up any damage is invaluable, and in terms of the number of heals available (outside of consumables), Khazan has a much lower quantity when compared to other Soulslikes, with players often running out and losing the war of attrition. Adelhaide is a very interesting Phantom who has a lot of value, almost all of which is available without meeting any conditions. The health recovery is a nice boost and buffs any healing received, which means, after using several Netherworld Energies or any other healing sources, players will actually struggle to run out of heals before the boss falls. This is made even easier by the reduced damage, which lasts a pretty long time for how big of a reduction it is.

The problem with Adelhaide is the first awakened effect, which grants additional heals with brutal attacks when the player is at zero; it’s sort of counter-intuitive to the rest of the Phantom’s effects. If the player is taking significantly less damage, is healing a decent chunk more, and is overall higher on health and heals, then it is very rare that they will find themselves running out of heals and needing to execute a brutal attack just to keep things going. Some of the later fights can be pretty brutal, and by having a way of recovering from heals, players can actually win through a straight battle of healing without having to learn all the ins-and-outs of a fight. She is always useful, even better in some fringe cases, but overall a fairly average Phantom compared to others.

4

Conrad The Swift

Speed Is Everything

• Effect: Dodge Stamina cost decrease
• Awakened: Increases damage by 10% for 15s upon performing a brink dodge
• Awakened: Increases damage by 5% upon performing a brink dodge (max: 5 stacks) and removes all stacks upon taking damage

When dealing with countless lightning-fast attacks and an onslaught of blows from menacing foes, being able to block consistently, parry, and dodge is incredibly important. Conrad aids significantly with the latter, not only making dodging more desirable but also providing an enormous buff to the player that is very easy to access. Other Phantoms will often gatekeep their effects behind some kind of specific condition or set of circumstances, but Conrad lets players deal huge amounts of damage simply as a reward for being good at dodging.

There is one issue with using this Phantom, though. It turns out that brink guards are pretty good, and being able to execute parry after parry against bosses is one of the best ways of depleting their stamina bar quickly, without losing a single ounce of HP. The best use case for Conrad is to combine the damage buffs and ability to dodge more with some of the mobility-based skills that incentivize brink dodges. It’s also recommended that players pick up some weapons with attributes related to dodging. Then, with all that in mind, the player can continue to brink guard the large portion of the incoming attacks whilst stacking up the dodge damage multiplier for when the stance breaks and hellfire rains down on the enemy.

3

Keshta The Unyielding

Everybody Knows The Importance Of Cardio

• Effect: Stamina recovery
• Awakened: Increases stamina recovery rate by 30% for 15s upon exhausting all stamina
• Awakened: Restores stamina by 15% when an enemy is exhausted

Keshta is the very first Phantom unlocked, but that doesn’t mean anything when it comes to his power level. Stamina is incredibly important to manage, and there is nothing worse than having the stance meter broken and not being able to recover in time to react to the next hit. Keshta gives the player a kind of second wind, letting them brush off the exhaustion in no time and be ready to go back in for some heavy hits and rapid blocks. The best part is that the initial effect stacks with the awakened, which means that the base rate of 30% for 15s is actually far higher overall, turning the player into a marathon runner who has some ridiculous uptime when compared to other Phantoms.

There’s even the extra benefit from breaking an enemy’s stance; sometimes, the player might have to use the last slither of their stamina to knock them down and won’t have enough energy left to get a few extra hits in before the brutal attack. Having the restoration kick in right when the player needs it feels great, and it is hard to swap to other Phantoms after using Keshta. The trade-off is, of course, zero damage buffs, with the entire point of the Phantom being to keep the player in tip-top shape to survive the fights. This means that, if the player isn’t struggling for stamina, it might be worth considering another Phantom, but overall, Keshta is a great choice for any fight and any encounter.

2

Wulfric The Resilient

Take The Fight To The Enemy

• Effect: Frontal Assault: DMG Increase
• Awakened: Gain 0.5 spirit upon a successful perfect counter
• Awakened: Gain 0.5 spirit upon a brutal attack against an exhausted enemy

No conditions, no last-second buffs, just straight-up strength for playing the game normally. Wulfric is, in terms of consistent damage output and overall power at all stages, one of the best Phantoms in The First Berserker: Khazan, predominantly due to the simple effect of having increased damage when attacking from the front, which is something that will happen 99% of the time. The percentage increase is pretty significant as it levels up, and not having to worry about building up a meter or meeting a niche condition other than attacking normally is incredibly nice and can sit in the background, allowing the player to focus on the important stuff like perfect movement and weapon usage.

The awakened benefits are also very nice to have, as players will be accustomed to using perfect counters regularly throughout boss fights and brutal attacks as well. This means that, without even thinking about it, they will be generating way more spirit points throughout a fight, which can be very valuable in helping to finish off a fight. He doesn’t have any defensive buffs or sustain attached to him, so other Phantoms certainly win in that regard, but having a base damage buff that exists throughout an entire fight is more than enough to warrant choosing Wulfric, and the abilities will simply fly out thanks to the extra spirit points gifted by this Phantom.

1

Maximilian The Impenetrable

Offense In The Face Of Defense

• Effect: Guard Stamina DMG
• Awakened: Restore 150 stamina upon performing a brink guard
• Awakened: Increases stamina damage by 5% upon performing a brink guard (max: 5 stacks) and removes all stacks upon taking damage or performing a normal guard

His name says it all. Maximilian really makes the player impenetrable, and he is probably the best Phantom to pair with a greatsword build, as the skill tree for that weapon has plenty of tools to incentivize precise blocks and guards. The parry mechanic in Khazan feels amazing and is well worth learning, as it deals pretty significant stamina damage from the start and prevents HP and stamina loss at the same time. But with Maximilian, it turns the player into a razor-sharp porcupine that deals huge chunks of stamina damage, all by keeping up the defense and standing strong.

The one caveat is that brink guards, when compared to dodges and traditional guards, are quite a bit harder to pull off, which means that if the player can execute them, Maximilian is borderline overpowered. If not, however, he can be rather underwhelming, and the player will probably be better off with an alternative Phantom. But for those looking for a challenge with a high skill ceiling and an even higher reward, this is the perfect Phantom to choose, and it lets players quite literally melt through boss stamina bars in a matter of seconds just by being good at the game.