Zuerst Samurai Duell geschnitten – Master -Schwierigkeitsgrad -Leitfaden und Tipps

This guide will show you how to handle and beat the hardest difficulty, the Master difficulty in First Cut: Samurai Duel.

Überblick

This guide is a friendly resource to help you conquer AI opponents and become the best. It provides written instructions with video demonstrations in between to showcase the methods.

I’m going to talk about the different types of AI in the game and how to beat the tough ones on high difficulty. This guide is specifically for the harder enemies, and I’ll explain how to take them down one on one. Easier enemies on lower difficulty levels are simpler to defeat, but these methods can still help if you want to make things even easier once you understand the patterns. I won’t cover all the basics, but I’ll explain some of them so you can use the strategies in the guide.

I’ve tested these strategies in Duels, and they also work in Scenarios. Persönlich, I can consistently beat Master level AI using these tricks, and I’m not even that good at the game. The strategies are a bit more challenging in Scenarios because you often face multiple enemies, don’t know their type beforehand, and some have variations that need a different approach to use the methods in this guide effectively.

Am Ende des Leitfadens, there’s a method in the „Standard/Mixed Type AI“ section that’s super effective against most AI types. Jedoch, it’s riskier compared to the methods listed in the previous sections. Let’s start with something simple, probably the easiest type to beat.

Aggressive/Charger Type AI

These guys are easy to spot. They’re always coming at you with a charged attack. You can notice it when their sword is pulled back, not facing you directly but ready to strike (check different stances with your character). They like attacking from above, and some of the weaker ones back off when you shove and attack repeatedly. It seems like they’re trying to swing high to go past your block at times. Beating the tougher ones is simple, but you need to understand something to do it effectively.

When you attack, the direction you’re holding affects your footwork. If you attack while standing still, there’s no movement. If you attack towards the opponent, your character steps into the swing. If you attack away from the opponent, you step back during the swing. The more you charge your attack, the more distance you gain.

The key to handling Aggressive/Charger enemies is using footwork that moves away from them during your swing. Charge a MID attack, let them rush in with their attack, and step back as you swing, cutting them down at the end of their attack.

For this strategy to work, there needs to be enough space between you and the opponent. The initial distance in Duels, and even slightly closer, is perfect. If the distance is not enough, you can create some by using an aggressive MID attack to close the gap, shoving the enemy away, and then dodging back a couple of times to charge your swing.

These enemies tend to copy your attack timing to clash swords if they’re charging an attack at the same time as you. You can use this to your advantage by making retreating swings to make the enemy mimic you and move themselves further back with their own footwork. Note that if you do this too close, they’ll start advancing after you with their swings.

Once you have the correct distance, start moving backward with a charged MID attack. The enemy WILL charge at you (you can tell when the attack is coming when they suddenly speed up). Unleash your attack while moving away from the enemy in that moment. If your timing is right, you will step out of the enemy’s reach and simultaneously cut them down with your own attack from the middle. If the timing is slightly off, you will clash attacks and need to create some distance to try again. If you’re too far away, both of you will miss.

Defensive/Cautious Type AI

They’re easy to spot because they stop moving just out of your reach and try to keep that distance. If you move back, they follow; if you approach, they back up. If you get too close swinging, they often dodge past your attacks, take counter swings from blocks, or attempt to shove you away.

Überraschenderweise, the method for beating these guys is the same as with Aggressive/Charger types, but the setup is trickier. These types almost NEVER initiate an attack first unless you stop playing altogether. They maintain a distance and try to wear you down with passive aggression. Jedoch, there’s an exception to this when they start holding a charge attack when threatened (you can tell when their sword is pulled back rather than facing you in front of them, check different stances with your own character).

To make this method work, you need to use some subtlety through footwork. Charge your MID attack and advance towards them a few steps at a time. They may react at different speeds, but this will make them start charging an attack of their own. When you see them react this way, back up a few steps to return to the default distance these guys like to keep you at. Jetzt, you have to coax that charge attack out of them by stepping towards them (doing a few steps forth and a few steps back is the safest method) until they try to rush you down (you can tell when the attack is coming when they suddenly speed up).

Unleash your attack while moving away from the enemy in that moment. If your timing is right, you will step out of the enemy’s reach and simultaneously cut them down with your own attack from the middle. If the timing is slightly off, you will clash attacks and have to create some distance to try again. If you’re too far away, both of you will miss.

Infighter Type AI

Everyone knows this guy, and everyone hates dealing with him. He’s the one enemy always dashing at you, slipping past, and disorienting you with his tricky positioning. You can spot him easily because he’s constantly dodging attacks, trying to get behind you.

The key to beating him is simple: engage in close combat yourself. There’s a blind spot in the game that makes your opponent’s swing miss you while yours cuts them down. This blind spot is more or less directly on top of the enemy themselves. You can use this strategy against all AI types, but it’s more challenging against certain variations due to their defensive play.

The most effective way to breach an Infighter’s defense and reach this blind spot is to force them to block you cleanly to bait out a counter-attack. This means their sword stops yours in a block. It’s crucial to recognize when this happens because if the enemy clashes with you using their own attack or dodges past your attack, they’re more likely to retaliate and cut you down. Dealing with dodging is the trickiest because the counter-attack from a dodge comes out faster than a normal swing with added momentum, so you have to respond correctly or risk getting cut down. Shoving is generally effective, but make sure to face them, or you’ll leave yourself wide open.

Persönlich, I make the situation more favorable by backing up while charging a MID attack to lure them into chasing me. As they approach, crash your charged up MID attack into their guard. The AI seems more inclined to block MID attacks, and they commonly dodge attacks from above or below. The moment you see your sword stopped by the block, quickly dodge into the enemy and deliver another MID attack. If done correctly and you land on their blind spot, the enemy’s swing will miss you entirely, and you will cut them down. Jedoch, if your timing and positioning are off, they will have the chance to retaliate after dodging or blocking your attack.

Note that distance is crucial for this method to work. You MUST be almost face-to-face with the enemy for your dash to land you in the blind spot, or you will get cut down. That’s why I recommend the charging attack method mentioned earlier, but you can try getting right in their face in other ways as well. Some scenario variations also dodge charge attacks, so you have to get more creative. Try to be slightly further behind the enemy rather than up front because, in diesem Fall, even if you overshot past the blind spot, they still miss their attack. (Bearbeiten: There are additional infighting methods at the bottom of the guide you might find more success with.)

Standard/Mixed Type AI

Here comes the tough part. Ironisch, the Standard/Mixed variations are the most challenging high-difficulty opponents to handle because their AI is more varied than the rest. They dodge attacks, block attacks, counter, shove, maintain close distance, and either chase after you or back down based on your actions. Identifying them is trickier because they can do a bit of everything, but a general rule is that if your opponent doesn’t fall into any of the previous categories, they’re likely a Standard/Mixed type enemy.

If you can defeat these guys, it demonstrates that you truly understand the game mechanics and can endure prolonged exchanges until your opportunity arises or have the precision to cut them down in a single stroke. I’ll list various methods and details here, but the most consistent and challenging means of dealing with these enemies is at the bottom of this segment.

The Standard and Mixed AI are quite similar, but Mixed types seem more inclined to occasionally attempt hitting you with a charging attack with a running start. Both types do it, but the Standard ones do it much less often. In diesen Fällen, you can use the Aggressive/Charger method mentioned earlier in this guide to cut them down. Ansonsten, things are about to get complicated.

The Infighter method mentioned earlier in the guide can be applied to all other AI types as long as you can get close enough. Jedoch, the challenge with Standard/Mixed type enemies is that they often maintain balanced footwork to retreat when pursued, making it much harder to land in their blind spot initially. The charging attack method I mentioned in the Infighter segment does work, but they often move back with the attack on block, so if you dash in at the wrong time, you risk getting cut down. While it can be effective and is how I often secure kills against these enemies, you need to be very attentive to whether they backed off with the swing or not. (Bearbeiten: There are additional infighting methods at the bottom of the guide you might find more success with.)

Attacking with both up and down swings, even in a quick alternated succession, almost always prompts the Standard/Mixed enemy to successfully dodge both attacks unless you manage to slip behind them through infighting. They are more likely to block MID attacks, just like many other AI types, allowing you to manipulate them into slipping up when they counter-attack. Never attack twice in a row when your first attack is blocked, as you are likely to get cut down.

Standard/Mixed enemies, insbesondere, consistently counter-attack (a sped-up flashing attack done immediately after a successful block) when you use a MID attack and are close to them. If you dash backward for the full length of your dodge in this moment, you can just barely get out of their range and use the opportunity to cut them down at the end of their own attack. I typically counter from the middle to avoid accidental stance feinting, which slows your attack down and might lead to getting killed if used at a bad time.

This trick works on all AI types prone to using the counter from a block but is more challenging to pull off if they back down instead of advancing during their attack. The Master level AI, insbesondere, can dodge this attack regularly, but it will land on them sooner or later if your timing is precise. This method consistently defeats Duelist level AI when executed correctly, providing ample practice against them.

The most consistent and skill-demanding method to defeat these tough opponents involves a strategic approach.

When you get close to a Standard/Mixed typed enemy with a charged attack, they often attempt to charge their attack to clash with yours or cut you down first, similar to how Defensive/Cautious type enemies behave. Jedoch, this occurs at a much closer range than with those enemy types. The range for this behavior to manifest is approximately where the enemy lands when you shove them once. A good reference for the maximum range where you should attempt this is the gap between you and the enemy when a Duel starts.

You need to start charging an attack and approach the enemy at this close range, then back up with your swing the moment they attack you. If your timing is right, they will miss and get cut down. If you swung too early or were too close to them, you will clash swords. If you swung too late, you’ll get cut down. There’s also a chance for your swing to barely miss if the positioning is slightly off. While this method can work on all AI types, the techniques listed in the earlier segments are generally more consistent overall.

Tipps und Tricks

• Oft, attacking serves as your best defense. When you take a swing on approach against an enemy, you force them to react. If they attack as well, your swings clash with no consequences. If they dodge, be prepared for their quicker counter-attack out of the dodge. If they block, you can ready yourself to counter their counter. Approaching with charged MID attacks like this is the second-best option for initiating an exchange with an enemy, aside from the up + dodge bait.
• Shoving proves highly effective in covering your tracks. If your opponent solidly blocks you and is about to counter? Shove wins. If your opponent dodged your attack and is planning a swift counter, Shove wins. Use the shove as a safety net for when you make a mistake or don’t have another plan in mind. Jedoch, be aware that a shove can be dodged, leaving you vulnerable. It also has a brief cooldown if you attempt to spam it twice in a row and won’t activate at all if you’re not holding a directional input for it, potentially leading to a similar situation. Trying to shove an enemy from too far away can also result in getting cut down. Use the back + shove move to swap positions when cornered, providing more room to work with, especially in crowd control situations when facing groups (they might even end up cutting each other down in the process).
• When using counters from blocks, I recommend delivering them from an opposing angle. Zum Beispiel, if you blocked from above, hold down + forward as you hit your counter-attack window to make your character sprint forward and deliver the strike. The sprinting counter works effectively up to Duelist level opponents. Jedoch, be cautious as mistiming might result in a slower stance feint, leaving you vulnerable. Wenn Sie zu nahe sind, most enemies will try to shove you back. Um dem entgegenzuwirken, move back during your block, preventing the AI from attempting a shove due to the perceived distance being too far.

Countering from blocks is inherently less safe than countering out of dodges because you have to be right out of three options (hoch, runter, mid), whereas when dodging, there are only two options to worry about (up dodge for verticals, ducking for horizontals).

• Holding up + dodge down forces the enemy to take a MID attack since it’s the only one that can hit you in this position. You can then transition from a standing dodge to a ducking dodge and sweep an advancing attack up at them. An attack from a successful dodge comes out faster and with extra momentum (you may have experienced enemies suddenly becoming faster without realizing why). The running start to the attack doesn’t happen if you didn’t either dodge an attack or dash past the enemy themselves.

Many lower-level AI opponents are swiftly defeated using this technique, especially if you employ the up-down or down-up flow of attacks that come out faster when alternated in succession. Ansonsten, it’s an effective means of forcing your enemy to approach you as desired. This is an easy way to achieve the dodging accomplishment, provided you dodge only when an attack is imminent. Note that if you dodge before your opponent visibly starts their attack, they’ll adjust and cut you down. You can also use this as another method of infighting against Master level enemies by dodging into the enemy’s blind spot at the end of the exchange, as explained in the „Infighter Type AI“ Segment.

• Another effective method to engage in infighting with your enemy is to run at them in MID stance and perform an up + dodge the moment you see them take the bait and swing at you vertically. This allows you to slip behind the enemy and attempt to cleave them in two right then and there. Note that in Duels, your character automatically faces your opponent, but in Scenarios, das ist nicht der Fall. You can also execute some sneaky dodge counters by facing away from the enemy and sliding behind them when they run in for a swing. Higher-level AI types (Duelist-Master) can often dodge, shove, or block the initial swing you take from behind them. Against them, you’ll likely have to aim for the blind spot explained in the „Infighter Type AI“ Segment.

• You can extend your dodge distance by dodging during the initial windup for a charge attack. This involves charging an attack, releasing it while moving forward, and dodging immediately before the actual swing comes out. The momentum of the advancing charge carries over to the dodge. This technique can be used to close the distance between you and the enemy, often charging straight past them and positioning yourself right behind them if executed correctly. Adding another dodge in a row can help you get that positioning just right.

Das ist alles für den Moment, as this guide has become quite extensive. I hope it was helpful. Feel free to ask any questions if you’re struggling with something or if there’s anything you don’t understand.