Summary
Hyper Light Breaker’s combat challenges are one of the most important aspects of gameplay in this roguelike adventure. From smaller enemy encounters to large-scale boss battles, there’s plenty on hand here to master. But, if you’re just getting started fighting your way through the Overgrowth, where should you start?
In a roguelikelike Hyper Light Breaker, survival is key, and oftentimes the best defense is a good offense. Hyper Light Breaker’s combat system is a fair combination of both simplistic and streamlined, and richly detailed. For this list, we’re covering everything from early-game combat tricks to more advanced, high-level techniques.
Currently, Hyper Light Breaker is in Early Access. This means this info is subject to change with the launch of the full game!
10Keep Rhythm
One, Two, Three And One, Two, Three
Hyper Light Breaker is a game that’s all about pace. If you go diving headfirst into combat, hacking and slashing with abandon, you’ll likely get mowed down. However, move too slowly in combat, and you’re bound to get caught off guard by newly spawning enemies.
Think about your rhythm as you go through combat,especially as a beginner player. You want to use everything in your kit to help you out. This means you shouldn’t just stand in one place and attack. Dash, then attack a bit, then dash away, then attack again, and so on.
9Cycle Between Melee And Ranged Attacks
Stay On Your Toes
You have two primary methods of attacking in Hyper Light Breaker. You have your Rails, aka, your long-ranged weapons, and your Blades, or your melee weapons. While every player is going to have a preferred style, it’s best to be constantly cycling between these two as you play.
For large swarms of enemies, dive in with your melee to break them up and wear down their defenses. Then, dash away and take some ranged shots at flying enemies that are hard to get from the ground. Then, as you go back to melee attacks, you can let your Rails recharge as you go in for kills.
8Pay Attention To Weapon Effects
The Devil Is In The Details
Almost every weapon, be it Blade or Rail, has some kind of effect or perk. You should pay close attention to these as you work on your build over the course of your campaign. Some weapons have effects like Hack or Rot, which can deal extra damage to enemies or short out their abilities temporarily.
The more you understand how these abilities work, the better you can strategize in game as you fight through waves of enemies. For example, using a weapon to apply Hack to a larger enemy might slow them down long enough for you to take out their lesser minions.
7Keep An Eye On Your Cooldowns
Everyone Needs A Rest Now And Then
Cooldowns are incredibly important in Hyper Light Breaker. Not all of your abilities are on cooldowns, but some of your most powerful ones are. These include your Amp, Blade Skills, and your Flash Step. Your Rails also have a cooldown in the form of recharging their ammunition.
Blade Skills and your Amps are especially powerful, and best used if you can keep one on cooldown and one off cooldown at all times. This means, you’ll always have a devastating final blow at the ready, especially if you have an Amp that does big damage.
6Use Staggers To Break Up Enemies
Push ‘Em Back
Staggers are an incredibly important mechanic to master in the Overgrowth. So much of Hyper Light Breaker’s combat is about breaking up enormous groups of enemies without letting them overwhelm you. The key to this is staggers.
Each enemy has a white stagger bar under their health. When it’s full, you can use a Flash Step to stagger them. While staggered, enemies are vulnerable to huge amounts of damage, and won’t be able to attack for a little while, so make use of this whenever you feel surrounded.
5Executions Deal Massive Damage
Judge, Jury, Executioner
When an enemy is staggered, you also have the chance to perform an Execution attack. Execution attacks are typically finisher-type moves that tend to take out an enemy altogether. It’s important to get into the rhythm of staggering an enemy, executing them, and then moving onto the next one.
However, Executions do take time to build up, so if you’re extracting or surrounded by a lot of enemies, this isn’t necessarily a great idea. Also, Executions don’t work on every single type of enemy, namely bosses or larger assassins.
4Prioritize Attack Amps
Call For Backup
There are lots of different Amps available to you in Hyper Light Breaker. You can find these in the Cursed Outpost or out in the Overgrowth. However, not all Amps are as effective in combat, and some are primarily defensive.
While these can be helpful, most of the time, you’re going to want to prioritize an Amp that has some sort of attack functionality. This can include Amps like frag grenades or drones that help aid you in combat. Whatever your preference, just make sure you have some extra offense on your side before diving into bigger encounters.
3Perfect Your Parry
Timing Is Everything
Getting the parry mechanic right in Hyper Light Breaker is essential to survival. In fact, there are many different types of enemies that have attacks that can outmaneuver your dash or even hoverboard. The only way to get back at these baddies is to use your parry effectively.
Practice makes perfect. You’ll get used to the timing of these attacks as you play, but in short, watch out for when enemies or projectiles glow or flash, this usually means it’s about time to parry. Plus, if you have certain Holobytes, getting a parry right may even restore some of your health or armor.
2Marry Your Strategy To Your Build
Definition Of Insanity
As you run through the Overgrowth, you’re going to experiment with a lot of different Sycom and Breaker builds. If you’re new to roguelikes, this may be a new concept. One combat strategy might not work for the other. It’s best to take into consideration how you want to fight enemies depending on your build.
For example, if you’re running a tankier Sycom and Breaker, that means you’ll want to ensure your Blade is extra powerful and take advantage of your sturdiness in close quarters. However, if you’re running a more offensive, squishier build, perhaps focus on your Rails and Rail-based Holobytes instead.
1Take Out Small Enemies First
Work Your Way Up
A lot of the time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with multiple waves of combatants. Particularly in boss battles with the Overgrowth’s Crowns, their annoying little minions can really get in the way. That’s why it’s important to take them out first.
If you have Holobytes or other abilities that can restore health with parry’s or critical hits, taking out smaller enemies can help restore health before you take on the big bads. Plus, there’s nothing worse than having to forfeit a run because a smaller enemy took you out with a random attack from behind you didn’t see coming.
