Lookin' for a bit of a scrap in Soulmask but unsure of where to begin? 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 starter tips before jumping in head first. So read on to get some information on the core combat mechanics on offer in Soulmask.
Soulmask early game combat guide
Early in the game, you'll be directed to make your very first wooden spear, which will act as your primary weapon for a little while and has all the other features of the other weapons you can craft later on.
Do note that for as gnarly as some of them look, tools such as 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 any of the primary combat features of real weapons.
So, let's discuss these features.
Weapons
Every 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 by holding LMB. Pretty common stuff, but each weapon also has access to a jump attack (performed by jumping and hitting LMB as you'd expect) and a special attack, which 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, seeing as it's the first weapon you'll get your hands on, and because, frankly, I find its special ability to be really quite funny if used correctly. Pressing F while using the spear will throw it at your target and tether it to you at the same time.
You can't go dragging people around willy-nilly, but what you can do is press F again to drag your target directly towards 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 also lends itself particularly well to hunting for food, as any skittish animals that bolt might find themselves rather unfortunately back within your range. (Such as this poor turkey in the image below.)
Another example of a weapon special attack is the one for blades, which will allow you to perform both a forward step slash and a back step slash when used in succession. This is really great against NPCs with large weapons such as hammers or great swords, as you can get two hits in and be back out of their range before they have a chance to let even a single strike fly.
Now, in both of these images, you may have noticed a red mark of sorts on the target. This is the lock-on feature (activated with MMB), which makes using special attacks far more consistent.
However, be careful not to rely on it entirely, as switching between targets isn't 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 on to someone else, you might miss a chance to do a 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 entirely untrue in this game, defense is still an important tool in your arsenal. All weapons can be used to block, which reduces your movement speed by 60% but provides a decrease to any damage from hits as you'd expect.
Shields can also be crafted, which provide the same movement speed debuff 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, whilst great swords, hammers, and dual blades cannot, as you might expect.
As mentioned previously, taking a hit while blocking will not completely negate damage, only partially, and it comes at the cost of stamina with every hit you deter. This is affected by the weapon and level of your enemy, so a level 1 outcast with their fists might only do 1 damage at the cost of 2 stamina while blocking, but a level 12 outcast with a great sword will do and cost more.
The best defense by far is to simply not get hit, which sounds self-explanatory, but using rolls and staying on your toes to stay out of range is by far your best bet. Rolling can be performed with Left Alt, but it's very important not to panic roll in combat as it comes at a high stamina cost of 29 per roll.
In both offense and defense, stamina management is key. Every attack costs stamina, and every block and roll does too. Each weapon type also has different values of stamina consumption, 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 does it matter?
Both you and NPCs have a resilience stat, and each weapon type does a different amount of resilience damage upon a hit. The resilience meter is shown below both your health bar and the health bar of enemies (in yellow).
If you drain an enemy of their resilience, you will be able to perform an 'execution' attack, but this goes both ways, meaning if you find yourself properly pummeled, you might also soon find yourself properly dead.
You can also drain the resilience of animals when hunting, but instead of being able to enter an execution attack, they'll simply remain stunned for a while which can allow you to deal some hefty damage.
And that covers some of the important combat mechanics in Soulmask. Keep in mind that as you progress, things will become more involved, but these core mechanics will be what you rely on the whole way, so be sure to practice, experiment with different weapon types, and pick your fights carefully.
If you're looking for more Soulmask content for the early game from us here at Pro Game Guides, check out our early crafting guide, and if you're looking to play with some friends, we've got a handy guide on setting up your own dedicated server.
