Enemy Types

Master Senua's Saga: Hellblade II's combat by learning the attack patterns and weaknesses of Swordsmen, Shadow Swordsmen, Bludgeons, and Defenders. Get the upper hand!

Alright, let's talk about who you'll be facing in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Knowing your enemies is half the battle, and these guys can definitely catch you off guard if you're not prepared. We'll cover the regular baddies here; the big bosses have their own sections.

Swordsman

These are your bread-and-butter enemies, the ones you'll see the most. While they seem like the weakest, their ability to dodge and block can make them surprisingly tricky, especially early on. They usually get knocked off balance by your quick hits, and definitely by your stronger attacks. Their moves are a lot like yours, just a bit slower.

• Watch out for dodges: They love to sidestep, sometimes right in the middle of your combo! If they do this, your attacks won't land, and they'll usually counter. Be ready to break off your attack and dodge or block.
• Guarding: If you see them holding their sword up, they're blocking. A heavy hit will break their guard (though it won't damage them), but spamming quick attacks will just get you parried and leave you open.
• Attacks: They have a quick thrust (low damage, blockable/parryable), a fast horizontal swing (like your quick attacks, low damage, blockable/parryable), and a slower, heavier vertical swing (medium damage, breaks your guard if blocked, but can be parried after you get Gramr).

With Gramr, a full combo of Fast Strikes (\[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\]) will usually take them down. A full combo of Heavy Strikes (\[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\], \[Square/X\]) will always kill them.

Shadow Swordsman

These guys look like Swordsmen but are shrouded in shadow. You can't hurt them at all until you get rid of that shadow. You can still block and dodge their attacks, though.

• Dispelling Shadows: The first time you see them, you're stuck. Later, you can use a burst of Focus (\[Right Stick Click\]) to clear the shadows off everyone on screen. Be quick, though, as enemies that spawn during the Focus effect won't be affected. After you get Gramr, a perfect parry or certain heavy attacks will also dispel shadows with a flash of light.
• The Danger: Even without shadows, these guys are different. They're partially transparent and have wisps of smoke around them. The big deal is that your Focus ability doesn't slow them down! This means if you're fighting a Shadow Swordsman and another enemy, and you use Focus to slow the other guy down, the Shadow Swordsman will still be at normal speed and will likely interrupt you. You *must* deal with the Shadow Swordsman first in these situations. In the very final fight, Gramr gets an upgrade, and they *will* be slowed by Focus.

Pay close attention to them; they can be more dangerous than regular Swordsmen, especially when they team up.

Bludgeon

You'll start running into these mace-wielding foes around the same time you encounter Surt and Valravn. They're pretty similar to Swordsmen but hit harder and have more health.

• Staggering: Fast Strikes usually won't stagger them. You'll need a Melee Attack or Heavy Strike to knock them off balance first.
• No Blocking: They don't block your attacks like Swordsmen, but they can still dodge.
• Attacks: They have fast horizontal swings (always in pairs, blockable/parryable), a fast diagonal swing (single attack, blockable/parryable), and a heavy vertical swing (blockable, but breaks your guard and can be parried after Gramr).

With Gramr, a combo of Fast Strikes (\[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\], \[X/A\]) will kill a Bludgeon on normal difficulty.

Defender

These guys show up around the same time as the Bludgeons. They're armed with a mace...