Can't get the hang of combat, stuck

[Trixie Pixie]

I'm now 15 or so minutes into the game and loving it so far. However I am now on the second of the "real" fights and I am stuck. I just can't survive 2 or 3 attackers at once. I can land combos just fine, I try and block when they swing at me and dodge when the voices warn me, but with 3 attackers at once things happen just too quickly, and I keep dying.

I set the combat difficulty to Easy already but it doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference. I've also read a few tutorials that tell me to do what I am already doing. One tutorial mentions kicking but I don't know how to do that even, there's no button for it.

Any other things I can try?

[Satchel Rat]

the kick should be defaulted to the "F" key and can be mapped differently in the settings. There are also keys to quick swap targets either left or right which can also be re-mapped. My only other advice would be to use your "focus", on Senua's right hip there is a gold talisman and after enough combos/hits the runes will charge up (total of 3). you can press "E" to activate, it slows time and allows easy combo hits. best of luck!

[洋摩]

Parry. Block at the last second before the enemy hits you. On easy difficulty, if you follow up a parry with the heavy attack, almost every enemy in the game dies in 1 hit.

[CombedPumpkin]

I got stuck in the same part. The combat scenes are not this game's strong points, that's for sure.

[Haddock_Dundee]

I'm stuck same part. Tried and retried again. Only to have deeper frustration each time. I'm out of this game I paid for. Very disappointed. The graphics and animations are simply the best I have ever seen and the story looks great. But the combats just killed my interest to go further. What's the point when you end on the floor each time? Even on easy these combats are to difficult for any average player. Did developpers test this with end users above 60? I wonder.

[Jackfrost]

I'm using a gamepad so I don't know how combat feels with kb+m.

As for general advice, I would suggest going for timed blocks only if there is one or maybe two enemies around.
With multiple enemies I just abused the dodge to no end.Just dodge an attack, get a couple of swings in and repeat. As long as you dodge after the enemy starts hitting you will not take damage, no matter the angle of the attack etc. Works with multiple enemies hitting simultaniously too.
The kick I mostly used on the shield guys. Otherwise they just block everything after the initial hit. I don't think it's necessary for other enemies.
And, as others mentioned before, focus is your friend.

[CheekyFox]

Dodge over and over again. The voices will say things like "behind you", "watch out", etc.

[Haddock_Dundee]

Sorry but I'm done with this beautiful game. To much combat. Euros down the drain.

[LightShard]

lolwhat, there are maybe 10 fights in the whole game. Plus I played the first time in hard difficulty and I died less then a dozen time (I felt more frustrating losing while running from the fire)

[Trixie Pixie]

Thanks! The timed block thing really helps, and I was able to get past that fight. But yeah, the combat in this game is really pants, kind of a shame for a game that is so visually appealing and well made otherwise.

[Haddock_Dundee]

Agrees with Trixie. I bought this game for the awesome visuals and the story. The singular adventure and story alas turned into repeated battles for sword savy. I may take a pose and retry it with my Steam controller as I have wrists issues now not allowing me to do to much wasd.

[Lieste]

From the start of the "Sea of the Dead" and onwards you have the very powerful 'hold heavy attack', with the blue glowing blade, which if coupled with a dodge gives a safe charged heavy hit, which will break shielded guard, pretty much one-hit the weak sword enemies and staggers anyone (it will also hit 'shades' in much the same way as the focus mode, but without using up the 'healing' and recovery aspect of focus).

Another useful technique is the 'sprint' with a kick/stab/hew - when these land they do a lot of damage and stagger the opponent. Not always wise to use, but effective in the right situation.

[JD Wolf]

For multiple enemies, dodge to the side, rotating around, until all enemies are in front of you, lined up. This will help you be able to fight them one at a time.

Blocking takes timing; if you're not getting it, concentrate on dodging to the side or back. Dodge back will keep them lined up if you have room behind you.

Also, you can remap your keys to whatever's comfortabe for you. For example, my parry is Q and my dodge is Shift-<move>.

I actually loved the combat; difficult set to Auto. Died many times but made it to the end. Loved it. Worth it.

[OkayIshGamer]

I read the OP's post before i started this game and was expecting the combat of this game to be like Dark Souls levels of hard but when i actually started playing i found this game to be one of the easiest games i've ever played. No seriously this game is easy as hel (heh heh, get it?). No offense but if you have such a hard time with the combat of this game then maybe the problem isn't actually the combat but the player itself?

[Haddock_Dundee]

At Gates. TYSM for that very positive and constructive comment..... Nothing interlligent to add to your remark to another player.

[洋摩]

Originally posted by Von Snipe:

At Gates. TYSM for that very positive and constructive comment..... Nothing interlligent to add to your remark to another player.

Gates actually does have a point. If you have issues with Hellblade's combat, you're likely to have issues with myriad other games that are way more popular, so it does seem odd to pick an obscure title like Hellblade to complain about combat difficulty, as opposed to Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, Dark Souls, Bayonetta, NieR Automata, or Metal Gear Rising. The point is this thread distorts the view of Hellblade as a difficult combat game because comparatively, it isn't. And considering Hellblade is made by Ninja Theory, the guys behind Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry, I don't know why anyone is surprised about the combat's dynamism. Ever moreso considering that Hellblade has the easiest combat system to both learn and master out of any of Ninja Theory's games, with the sole exception of Enslaved. It's almost as though the OP wishes Hellblade's combat had the difficulty of Dynasty Warriors; which gets routinely lambasted for being so mindless.
So in short, Gates' point was that Hellblade is, in no way, an exception here. If anything, it falls below the bar, compared to a multitude of other games.