Combat: Gameplay Basics

Learn the core combat mechanics in Darksiders, including melee attacks with the Chaoseater Sword, Scythe, and Gauntlet, plus ranged options like the Cross-blade and Earthcaller.

Darksiders' combat revolves around War's powerful melee attacks, but also incorporates a variety of ranged weapons and special abilities. Mastering these will be key to overcoming the challenges ahead.

Melee Combat: War's primary weapon is the Chaoseater Sword, controlled by the X/Square button, used for ground and aerial combos. He can also acquire a Scythe (Y/Triangle) from Vulgrim, which is faster with a wider range but deals less damage, and a Gauntlet (also Y/Triangle) for pummeling, destroying blue crystals, and area-of-effect stuns. Only one secondary weapon (Scythe or Gauntlet) can be equipped at a time, changeable in the inventory.

Ranged Combat: Several ranged options are available: the Earthcaller, acquired early, stuns enemies in a cone of sound; the Cross-blade, found in the Twilight Cathedral, acts as a boomerang and can lock onto multiple targets or environmental hazards; Mercy, War's pistol (RT/R1), is good for weaker or flying enemies and juggling; and the Abyssal Chain, found in the Iron Canopy, serves as a grappling hook and can remove enemy armor or pull weaker foes.

Chaos Form: War's Chaos meter fills by killing enemies and performing combos. When full, he can transform into a powerful demon form, significantly increasing damage at the cost of some maneuverability.

Finishers: Once an enemy's health is low, a button prompt appears, triggering a stylish, instant-kill execution. Some weaker enemies can be finished without a prompt. During finisher animations, War is invincible, offering a way to avoid damage.

Environmental Attacks: Players can use environmental objects like lamp posts as melee weapons or hurl items like cars and tables as projectiles. These objects do not respawn.

Avoiding Attacks: War can avoid damage through Blocking (nullifies most melee, less effective against elemental damage), Countering (timing a block to stun an attacker, only works on melee), and Dashing (a quick dodge for unblockable attacks or boss fights).