Looking for some scrap in Soulmask but not sure where to start? With Soulmask having a surprisingly strong core combat system and a pretty extreme reliance on it, it’s understandable if you’d like to get some initial tips before jumping in head first. So read on to get some information about the core combat mechanics offered in Soulmask.
Soulmask early game battle guide
Early in the game, you will be directed to make your very first wooden spear, which will act as your primary weapon for a while and has all the other characteristics of the other weapons you can craft later.
Note that because of how vile some of them look, tools like axes, pickaxes and the really brutal looking scythe cannot be used as weapons properly. They’ll deal some damage if you’re caught off guard and need a weapon in a pinch, but none of them have access to some of the major combat features of real weapons.
So, let’s discuss these features. Each weapon in Soulmask has access to a few core methods of attack and one of defense. You can perform a regular attack with LMB, and you can perform a heavy attack holding LMB. Pretty common stuff, but each weapon also has access to a jump attack (done by jumping and hitting LMB as you would expect) and a special attackwhich you activate by hitting F.
Special attacks are unique to each weapon type, so a sword won’t have the same special attack as a spear, for example, but they can be pretty game-changing in what they can do.
Let’s take a look at what the spear can do, since it’s the first weapon you’ll get your hands on, and because, frankly, I find its special ability to be really quite fun if used correctly. Pressing F while using the spear will throw it at your destination and tie it up to you at the same time.
You can’t go dragging people willy-nilly, but what you can do is press F again for drag your target straight to you This is great for single target position control as you can move your target to some more favorable terrain if you find yourself on the back foot. This is also especially good for hunting food, as any needy critters that boil over could find themselves unfortunately back in your range. (Like this poor turkey in the picture below.)
Another example of a weapon special attack is the one for blades, which will allow you to perform both a forward slash and a backslash when used consecutively. This is really great against NPCs with big weapons like hammers or greatswords because you can get two hits in and get back out of their range before they have a chance to let even a single blow fly.
Now, in both of these pictures, you may have noticed a red mark on the target. This is the key function (activated with MMB), which makes using special attacks much more consistent.
However, be careful not to completely rely on it, as switching between targets is not a perfect science, as your closest target will always be prioritized. This could mean that if an enemy misses a swing and you’re locked onto someone else, you might miss an opportunity to counterattack while their guard is down.
How to defend in Soulmask
You know what they say: the best offense is a good defense, and while that might be completely untrue in this game, defense is still an important tool in your arsenal. All weapons can be used to blockwhich reduces your movement speed by 60% but gives a reduction in any damage from hits as you would expect.
Shields can also be created, which provide the same movement speed degradation but provide greater protection and damage negation.
However, while all weapons can be blocked without a shield, you cannot use a shield in combination with every weapon. Swords and spears can be used with a shield, while greatswords, hammers and double blades cannot, as you might expect.
As mentioned before, taking a hit while blocking won’t completely negate damage, only partially, and it costs stamina with every hit you block. This is affected by your enemy’s weapon and level, so a level 1 outcast with his fists might only do 1 damage at the cost of 2 stamina while blocking, but a level 12 outcast with a greatsword will and will cost more.
The best defense by far is to just not hit, which sounds obvious, but using rolls and staying on your toes to stay out of range is by far your best bet. Rolling can be done with Left Altbut it is very important not to panic roll in battle because it comes at a high stamina cost of 29 per roll.
In both offense and defense, endurance management is key. Each attack costs stamina, and each block and roll also costs. Each weapon type also has different stamina consumption values, with swords costing the least stamina on a regular hit at around 6.8 and hammers costing a whopping 20.5.
What is Resilience in Soulmask and why is it important?
Both you and NPCs have robust stats, and each weapon type does a different amount of resistance damage on hit. The durability meter is shown below both your health bar and the enemies health bar (in yellow).
If you drain an enemy of their stamina, you’ll be able to do an ‘execution’ attack, but this goes both ways, meaning if you find yourself properly beaten, you may soon find yourself properly dead as well.
You can also deplete the stamina of animals while hunting, but instead of being able to get in an execution attack, they will simply be stunned for a while, which can allow you to deal a lot of damage.
And that covers some of the important combat mechanics in Soulmask. Remember that as you progress, things will get more involved, but these core mechanics will be what you rely on all the way, so be sure to practice, experiment with different types of weapons, and choose your battles carefully.
If you’re looking for more Soulmask content for the early game from us here at Pro Game Guides, check out our early game guide, and if you’re looking to play with some friends, we’ve got a handy setup guide. your own dedicated server.
