Daimon Blades, much like its predecessor E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy, is cryptic and kinda janky. So if you've got no idea what's going on, don't worry - I've been there too.
Hey folks, I'm Ash and today I wanna share 13 things I wish I knew when I first started, so you can skip the whole trial-and-error phase and just focus on having fun. So without wasting any more time, let us begin.
Video version of this guide (~9 minutes)
1) Characters are cosmetic
Once you first launch Daimon Blades you'll be greeted with a character selection screen full of text and no real explanations. The good news is - there is no wrong choice. Choose whatever character looks coolest, and then grab whatever weapon catches your eye.
All characters are identical, and your progress is account-wide, so you can freely swap around. As for the weapons, you'll unlock loads of them by playing the game, so you'll be stuck with your starter gear for maybe half an hour at worst.
Not a single thing here actually matters
2) Know your upgrades
At the end of each level you will be presented with either a new weapon, or three upgrade stations that will power your character up for that run. Here's what they do since the game doesn't really tell you:
• The black Obelisk of Power boosts your weapon
• The venerable Daimon Heart - the spooky reliquary thing - gives you 30 max health
• The Alchemist's Corpse - which looks exactly like it sounds - grants you spells
• The white Ritual Obelisk gives you extra healing potions and healing-related buffs
• The blue Transcendental Obelisk powers up your ranged projectiles
• The metal Chest gives you new trinkets, weapons or resources - but nothing for your current run
Personally, I'd recommend using the Alchemist's Corpse once to grab a spell, and then focusing primarily on Daimon Hearts for survivability and Obelisks of Power to beef up your damage.
3) Health is king
Unlike most roguelites, defenses in Daimon Blades actually matter - even on lower difficulties. A lot of enemies will either one-shot you or leave you so crippled a stiff breeze might just finish the job.
And since you get the best rewards if you actually finish a run, give yourself the best shot at victory by prioritizing survivability. It’s not flashy, but it’s easily the most important thing you can do - unless you like seeing how cool your character looks sprawled on the floor.
Even a single HP upgrade can make the difference
4) Clear corruption
Every time you die, your Corruption meter will go up. Once it hits 100, your run will automatically fail and you’ll lose most of your loot. So keep a close eye on it and reduce it whenever possible.
You can lower your Corruption by chopping up the giant eyeballs scattered through the levels, or by visiting the Sanctuary map that sometimes appears as a choice between levels. And if you find sacrifices pinned to the walls, don’t accidentally (or intentionally) kill them. They increase your corruption in exchange for a full heal - a trade that is almost never worth it since healing potions replenish fairly quickly.
5) Staying alive in combat
Both you and your enemies deal a lot of damage, so the key to survival is constant movement. Even if a mission objective forces you to hold a position, try circling around it to give yourself some much-needed breathing room.
When attacking, dive in, do some damage, then dive out. As long as you manage your stamina, and more on this in a second, this tactic will keep you standing through most fights - even on the hardest difficulty.
The defense objective area is bigger than it appears
6) Stamina is precious
Heavy attacks, dodges, and blocks all use stamina, which makes it one of the most important resources for staying alive. So do your best to never let it hit zero. Always keep a little bit in reserve so you can dodge away from a potentially deadly hit.
And if you do run out and find yourself surrounded, don’t be a hero - just use your grappling hook and get out of there. You really don’t want to fight while you’re vulnerable.
7) Parry ranged enemies
You can parry both melee and ranged enemies by blocking at the right time. Parrying melee enemies, however, is a lot riskier than dodging and rarely worth the trouble.
Parrying ranged attacks, on the other hand, is awesome! The timing window’s generous, so with a bit of practice you'll be able to make those annoying imps explode themselves with their own fireballs.
And best of all - you can even parry bosses! So if you’re not sure how to handle a big attack, some combination of dodging and parrying is almost certainly the answer.
I love that you can parry explosions!
8) Don't forget your loot
Elite enemies and bosses have a chance to drop little glowing pyramids that give you massive buffs for that run - but they’re unfortunately really easy to miss.
So after killing a boss or a tough elite, always do a quick sweep of the area to see if they left anything behind. The same goes for Sanctuary locations. They always give you a stash of goodies, but the items tend to blend into the environment, so take a moment to look around before moving on.
The upgrades can really blend into the background
9) If struggling, try multiplayer
While the multiplayer can be a bit laggy, it’s still a great way to get comfortable with the game’s mechanics. Having other players around will take some weight off your shoulders, and the increased enemy counts will give you more frequent fights to practice with.
So if you’re having a rough time solo, definitely give co-op a try - it really helps. As long as you don't join someone on the other end of the planet anyway!
10) Try higher difficulties
Once you’re comfortable with the mechanics and have a few upgrades under your belt, don't be afraid to push into higher difficulties. The jump between the tiers isn’t that dramatic, and the increased challenge level can make the game a lot more engaging.
Plus, once you reach B or S difficulties, you’ll start finding legendary weapons, which makes the climb even easier. So it’s definitely worth diving in, because even if you can't finish the entire run, you'll still get plenty of goodies... and maybe some bragging rights!
Even if you lose, you can still bring back some great loot
11) Keep yourself topped off
Once you start playing on higher difficulties, it’s incredibly important to keep your health topped up. Even if you’re only missing 20%, it’s still worth using a potion to get back to full. Combine that with health-boosting upgrades whenever you can, and you’ll avoid a good chunk of random one-shots.
And don’t stress about wasting potions - they replenish fairly quickly once you start slicin’ and dicin’.
12) Weapon upgrades
As you explore each level, you’ll find red orbs that are used to upgrade your weapons. But there's a catch. Those upgrades are locked to that exact weapon - not the weapon type, that specific blade.
So before you sink your orbs into a weapon, make sure it’s one you actually like using. That said, don’t overthink it or hoard your orbs forever. Just upgrade your favorite toys and use them to earn even more materials.
13) Meta progression
Blue orbs are used for permanent, account-wide upgrades, which come in two flavors: basic stats which are available from the start, and books that give unique passive effects, but have to first be found out in the world.
Books are random, so there’s not much you can do besides making sure you unlock them once you actually find them. As for the stat upgrades, focus on Strength and Endurance - they power up the two things that matter most: damage and health. Because who needs brains when you can hit people with a giant sword!
You can never, ever go wrong with more health
Got any questions?
And there you have it, 13 tips that will hopefully make your first dive into Daimon Blades just a little bit less hellish. If you have any questions, about the game or the guide itself, drop them in the video's comments. I'll do my best to help out.
[Note]: I welcome you to also check out my review of Daimon Blades detailing what the game's truly about, what it does well, and whether it's worth playing this early.