Code Vein is an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic era where most of humanity has become something else. They have become revenants, somewhat like vampires but instead of just biting down humans for blood, they can also opt for blood beads, weird fruits that grow on white trees growing all over this enclosed space they are in right now. And your enemies are the lost, revenants that have become crazies after not taking in blood beads or drinking blood from humans. They’re fast, crazy, and they have abilities that can one-shot you.
It’s a very dystopian kind of future with gas masks and weird fashion all over, but the gameplay ranges from fairly easy to overwhelmingly difficult if you are not prepared for it. Even mob monsters can kill you in one or two hits if you are not careful. Here are my tips on how to survive this wasteland and be on top of your game.
Always stock up on items
Sure, you can just hoard all of the items you want and collect them but the truth is each one of those items will be essential in your journey, in every area you enter. Your HP regenerator will be essential of course, which can be recharged on a mistle. A mistle in this game is a small white plant that you can rest on, recharge your HP and HP regenerator, and stock back your consumables that you’ve used in a battle. Trust me when I say you’ll use up your stock that you bought earlier so quickly that you’ll have to grind for more in-game money to buy more. So yes, stock up before going back to an area.
Prepare your consumables shortcuts always
Here’s the thing: essentially there are some enemies that you encounter in an area will have status attacks attached to their jabs and bites. Those items that you just want to collect? Well, those will be consumed when you panic. You might die on your first visit, but if you get away, make sure to prepare your consumables shortcuts to prepare for the worst. Poison enemies on your route? Stock up on items that can protect and remove poison. This will be an essential feature to use against bosses too since almost every boss you encounter in this game has a gimmick or a status attack.
Remove poison right away
Unlike other games that subtract health points in a slow pace, Code Vein makes you run around like a guy looking for a restroom. Poison attacks are so deadly here due to the slow time it wears away on your character, and the quick pace it takes your health points. And it does not leave you with 1 HP because it mercifully kills you when it hits the single digit of your points. Your partner is there to save you when he/she has the HP to spare, but you don’t want that to reach the point both of you are in critical states, right? Buy antivenom consumables right away and put that on your consumables shortcuts before it’s too late.
Upgrade your weapons and blood veils
This is one of the most basic tips that any game would offer, and essentially in this game it will make a big difference. Upgrading your weapons like the one handed sword and your blood veils, the stylish jackets that offer armor and stat buffs, will give your character a big boost in offense and defense. Whether you have an agility-focused or tank build, upgrading these two will save your from tons of deadly attacks from enemies. You can even get some sort of protection from stat attacks… well, to a degree of course.
Learn to parry and stealth drain
Code Vein offers the parry feature, which can be very helpful in a pinch. If an enemy flurries its attacks on you, you can just time it right and then parry that attack to make a counter. It then drains your enemies of ichor, the stuff that can activate your gifts (we’ll tackle on that a bit later) and deals tons of damage or even a one-hit kill. Very helpful especially you are handling a lot of enemies and getting surrounded.
Another technique is the stealth drain or the back attack as they call it. You can get behind enemies and then press the weak attack button to unleash the drain attack. Let’s face it: this is not Dynasty Warriors or any other beat ‘em up games that you can just unleash special attacks to kills tons of enemies. You will need to take them out one by one to gain the advantage, and this definitely helps tons. You can weaken them or kill them in one hit with this attack. Less enemies, better exploration.
Learn gifts as fast as you can
Gifts are just like abilities that you can learn by killing enemies and acquiring experience. There are a few lame gifts you can learn like create light ability, but almost all of them are very helpful. Some can protect you from status attacks, some increase stats, some unleashes special attacks, and there are also contracts that you can use with your partners in order to increase some abilities, but punishes your character with a debuff. Essentially, these gifts can turn the tide of battle especially if you died the first time because you didn’t learn these. The more gifts you learn, the more alternative abilities you can use to defeat your big bad boss.
Trade with the NPCs
My last tip that I can give you right now is to talk and gift your friends in the home base. If you give them the right items (they’ll react better), they will give you more points for exchanging the items that they have in stock. They can even offer you their precious customized weapons that they use. The better part? You can upgrade them to increase its power. So find those valuables all over the world and exchange them for points.
