DmC Demo Tips and Tricks for Newcomers
DmC Dante plays like a combination of Nero and Dante. While he is able to switch between weapons on the fly he also has a supportive grappling hook move that he can use to pull enemies or to get towards them. For effective combat you should be combining all the various tools in your arsenal for a stylish combat exhibition.
THE BASIC MOVES (No Trigger/stance changes required)
This video covers almost all the moves seen in the demo
These are the standard moves for Dante that don't require any Triggers to be held down to access. The control inputs are listed for the PS3 version but the 360 versions are a 1 to 1 conversion (so /\ is Y, R1 is RB etc).
REBELLION
Hacker - /\,/\,/\ = The standard combo string of Dante. Just mash that Triangle button for maximum effect. If the majority of your combat involves this moves... then quite frankly you are scrubbish at the game. The 3rd hit in this move should almost never be used, as it has a lot of recovery and throws enemies away from you. Instead you should just do the starting 2 attacks and cancel into something else.
Death Coil - /\, /\, pause, /\ x 3 = This is a pause combo that allows you to have access to a separate string of combo just like in previous DMC games. After two attacks you pause and if you do it right your sword shines up and your controller vibrates (a feature that was not present in previous DMC games). Start attacking again when the sword light ups for a different string of attacks. This variant gives you wider attacks with more hits that are just right for raising up the style gauge... which is what you want to be doing in the game ALL the time. As always cancel out of the last hit of this attack as it too has a lot of recovery.
Hightime - O (hold O) = The standard launcher of the DMC series. NT has made it a lot easier to execute the launcher, no need to hold a direction or use the lock on (which is not present in this game by the way so don't go looking for it). Simply tap to send an enemy flying while you stay put or hold down O to rise up with the enemy to start an air combo. The standard opener with Hightime is usually two /\ attacks into O (hold). This is where the fun begins.
Aerial Rave - In the Air press /\ x 4 = The basic aerial combo for DMC. You want to do this combo right after a rising Hightime as it puts Dante at the perfect height for the Aerial Rave to all connect. The last hit sends enemy flying and just like your ground combos you want to cancel the 2nd attack into something else for more fancy combos.
Roulette Spin - In the air press /\ x 2, pause, /\, /\ = This is the alternative aerial combo that involves a pause attack. Using a similar timing method that you used to execute Death Coil you can perform the Roulette Spin in mid air which sends the enemy even higher. Use it as a follow up to Rising Hightime.
Helm Breaker - In the air press O = The standard aerial combo finisher of DMC. Dante comes crashing down with his sword. This will effectively end your air combo so use it when you want to finish an air combo. A basic air combo would be Rising Hightime, Roulette Spin, double jump, two hits, Helm Breaker.
Stinger and Trillion Stab - Forward, Forward + /\ (mashing /\ for Trillion Stab) = The dashing sword pierce attack that is the signature move of the DMC series. This allows you to continue combos after you have knocked someone away (like after the final hit of Hacker). The distance it covers is fairly long and he covers it rather fast. There is a final hit of Trillion Stab when it finishes which can be by passed as it knocks enemies back. So you can do Stinger -> Trillion Stab -> Hightime to start up a new air combo fluidly. Dude to the availability of other tools in the game like the grappling hooks and the higher focus on aerial combos... you will not be using Stinger that much in this game.
Drive and Overdrive - Hold down /\ and release (tap /\ more after releasing) = Dante charges up the Rebellion for up to 2 charges (each charge gives him more power and style points/hits) and then releases powerful shockwaves that travel a good distance. This a great move to use against enemies far from you or if you want to finish a combo in style.
Perfect Drive: One thing you should know about the mechanics of DmC is that EVERY single chargeable move in the game has a "perfect" version. You can perform the perfect version by releasing the charge at the exact moment it fully charges up. This is indicated by a flash on your weapon. Doing so will release a more powerful version of the attack that deals more damage, has more hits and of course gives more style. You know you did the perfect version of Drive if the projectile is completely red and hits more times. You should always be trying to perform the perfect versions of charge moves.
EBONY AND IVORY
Dante's trustworthy and staple pair of guns. In DmC the damage from the guns is the lowest of any DMC games meaning you will not be using this weapon to inflict serious damage on the opponent. It is instead use for it's supportive/style purposes.
Just tapping [] will fire the guns. You can use this to juggle enemies after a standing Hightime.
Note that some enemies can be blinding or put off guard by the guns. The regular enemies seen in the demo can be guard broken by just firing at them, same for the flying cherub looking enemies who can have their guard down by the guns. Some attacks can also be interrupted by the guns. Don't get too trigger happy though.
Rainstorm - In the air hold down [] + X = An aerial move of E&I that has Dante spiraling down while firing his guns downwards. It looks cool as hell but don't expect it to do any real damage... just increase your style especially if you are hitting multiple enemies. Use this after you have launched enemies very high up in the like after a double jump into Roulette Spin.
Inverse Rainstorm - On the ground hold down [] + X = This is the opposite direction of Rainstorm where Dante rises up while firing guns around him. Basically follow up any basic launcher with Inverse Rainstorm to look cool as fuck. The same properties as Rainstorm apply here but while Rainstorm is used at the end of combos, this is used at the beginning of combos like after a Hightime.
Ricoshot - Hold down [] (release []) = The guns can be charged up and fired with shots that do actual damage. Not only do they do real damage now but they gain new properties. Ricoshot has 3 charge levels and each charge level gives more damage and more hits. The unique thing about this move is that the bullets ricochet off of enemies and keep them in stun lock... EVEN in the air. You can juggle two enemies then fire off a Ricoshot and the bullets well continuously travel between the two enemies keeping them juggled. This is a very core part of stylish combat that many people have been neglecting. The crowd control and combo opportunities this move provides is stellar.
Perfect Ricoshot = As Ricoshot is a charge move it too has a perfect version. The 3rd level of Ricoshot can be perfectly released and if you do it right you will instead release a big blue projectile. This projectile now has knockback property applied and can really cause a number on a group of small enemies. This isn't really recommended for style combo purposes... this is more for effective crowd controlling which is something you will be doing a lot in this game.
BASIC ABILITIES
Jump/Double Jump/Wall Jump - Press X = Pretty straightforward abilities here... you can jump, you can double jump and you can jump off of walls. Double Jump is particularly useful for extending combos or getting higher to reach up to enemies like after Roulette Spin.
Enemy Step - You can jump off of enemies as well which is denoted by a black cloud appearing (looks like an ink stain though). The unique property of this move is that enemy step can be used to cancel out of the attack animation of any aerial attack that contacts with an enemy. So you can do Helm Breaker -> enemy step which would negate the property of the Helm Breaker which brings down the opponent instantly yet still register as a Helm Breaker hit. This is the mechanic that if mastered leads to a immense combo potential as the ability to cancel animations of aerial attack into another attack is insanely useful. You can repeat Helm Breakers over and over again in mid air.
Dodge/Air Dodge - Press R1/L1 = Another straightforward ability, this is for getting out of sticky situations. Both the buttons do exactly the same thing. Dodging in the air without pressing a button just do a flip in mid air. This is useful for stalling in the air or getting more air time. Dodging left or right in the air is also possible but the distance is very short. While these dodges are effective... you almost always want to use the other dodge which is the Demon Dodge that will be discussed in detail under the Demon movelist.
Parry - Press an attack timed with an enemy's attack = Clashing your attack with an enemy will initiate a Parry. This is indicated by a specific effect that is hard to miss and is even listed under your style rank (all moves are listed as performed under your style meter except stuff like enemy step). Parrying will negate the enemy's attack and will put you at frame advantage against them, meaning they are open to your attacks and at best all they can do is block. The Parry is particularly powerful against bosses as it will knock them flat on the ground or stun them. Using a Parry on a boss is listed as "Epic Parry" while that on a regular enemy is listed as "Cool Parry". Parrying also does interesting things to other enemies like if you Parry an ice enemy's ice attack it will deflect it back and freeze the enemy instead. You can chain numerous Parries together and they are counted exponentially up with each parry. You can consecutively Parry up to 3 attacks and it will be listed as a Triple Parry.
General cancelling - There are various types of cancels you can do in a DMC game that will allow you to boost your combat and style efficiency to new heights. I already touched upon how you can use Enemy step to cancel out of attacks and that you can cancel that jump into another attack. You can cancel your normal attacks into either a jump or a roll for safety purposes. You can also cancel recovery of certain attacks by pulling out your guns briefly and then cancelling that animation back into an attack. So you can do stuff like Pop, gun shot cancel, Pop etc. You can't cancel out of special moves on the ground while they are active but the recovery of basic attacks can be canceled into special attacks (like you can cancel the recovery of the 2nd hit of Hacker into a Stinger/Hightime or into a jump/roll).
Buffering - This is the mechanic of inputting a move during the animation of a previous move. This is useful for charging up moves as you can start charging up Ricoshot during the animations of your other attacks so that you don't have to be a sitting duck while charging. Moves like Drive can have their initial start up animation masked a bit by buffering it into a previous moves. Moves like Rainstorm can also be used via buffering.
Combo/Weapon switch mechanic - This is a mechanic that allows you to perform charged moves of other weapons while starting from a different weapon. This makes no sense when I say it like that so I will have to give an example:
(Rebellion) /\, /\, pause , /\ -> This will perform the Death Coil move.
(Rebellion) /\, /\, pause and hold down R2, /\ -> This will perform the Arbiter move Trinity Smash after the initial 2 Rebellion hits.
The pause transfers over to the switched weapon allowing you to do the more powerful version of the attack without having to start over from /\, /\, pause. This also applies to aerial moves as well.
(Rebellion) In the air /\, /\, pause and hold down L2, /\ -> This will perform the Osiris move Double Up.
Devil Trigger - L3 + R3 simultaneously = DT is a powerful mode of Dante that consumes your DT energy (under your health bar) while it's turned on. It makes Dante's attacks very strong and regenerates his health over time. New to DmC is that weaker enemies are instantly launched by the DT and time is slowed down dramatically. You don't get access to DT nearly as much as you do in previous games and you don't build it as fast but when you get it... it's extremely powerful and boosts the damage/style gain of your attacks to insanely high levels. Use it against tough enemies or bosses only... don't waste it on a pack of fodder enemies. Another important note on DT is that there are certain enemies that require a certain weapon to attack them... in DT mode that requirement is completely nullified and you are free to use whatever weapon you want.
Basic combat mechanics explained
Here's a video on Parrying and Enemy Step cancels
This video covers numerous advance mechanics like cancelling, jump cancelling, buffering and perfect timing mechanics
DEMON ABILITIES/MOVES
The Demon side of Dante is accessed by holding down the R2 (Right Trigger). You will know that you are in the current form if Dante's portrait on the top left corner of the screen has red colored eyes. In the demo you have access to the Arbiter weapon but in the full game you will also have access to Eryx, a pair of demon gauntlets. Demon weapons specialize in raw damage over speed and coverage. They aren't fast but they pack a punch.
ARBITER
Judgment - RT + /\ x 3 = Basic 3 hitting combo of Arbiter. Very slow but packs a punch. This is usually used to smash the shield of some enemies or to deal good damage.
Trinity Smash - R2 + /\, /\, pause , /\ = This is one of the most powerful moves in the game. The final hit is actually a triple hit and will deal damage of 3 Arbiter hit in quick succession. This is the move of choice of dealing high damage to a single enemy but be warned that this move has a ton of recovery and frames to it so you have to know you will not get hit when performing this move.
Flush - R2 + Forward, Forward + /\ = Dante tosses the Arbiter like a projectile and knocks back enemies in a straight line. Very good move to throw out at long distances. Note that using this move on an airborne enemy will knock it up instead of back so this can be used for combo swag as well.
Aerial Flush - In the air R2 + /\ = The aerial version of Flush and it generally has the same properties as the ground version.
Tremor - R2 + O - Dante smacks the ground with the Arbiter and it causes a tremor to travel straightforward across the ground. The tremor shockwave will launch enemies in front it at a long distance meaning this is a safe way to start combos from a far. This can relaunch already airborne enemies for fancy combos.
Drop - In the air R2 + O - This is essentially the aerial version of Tremor. Dante brings down the Arbiter like Helm Breaker and releases a shockwave that launches enemies.
ABILITIES
Demon Pull - R2 + [] = One of the bread and butter abilities of Dante. This acts like the Devil Bringer of DMC4 in that it pulls enemies towards you from long distances so that they can be comboed. It can also be used from the air. An attack that either knocks back enemies, knocks down or knocks up enemies at a distance should be followed up by this move. It allows combo continuation from situation where it wouldn't be otherwise possible. So you can do stuff like Aerial Rave which tosses an enemy far away and then follow it up with a Demon Pull to do the whole thing again. You can do a long distance Tremor into Drive then pull the enemies in. Lots of possibilities with this tool.
Kicker - During Demon Pull, press [] = Dante delivers a kick after a Demon Pull. Not much to say on this move, it's just there to look bad ass. There is a cinematic angle that pops up if you time the input properly.
Demon Dodge - R1/L1 + R2 (timed with an opponent's attack) = This is one of the most powerful and useful abilities in the game. On the surface this looks exactly like a regular dodge but upon performing a perfect evade with this Dante's weapons/hands start glowing red. This applies a short duration buff on Dante after which every one of his attacks will deal significantly more damage. As style is tied near proportionally to damage... the hits following a Demon Dodge raise your styles near exponentially while also dealing great damage. Combining Demon Dodge with some of Arbiter moves can cripple even a boss.
This video covers Demon Dodge more indepth
ANGEL ABILITIES/MOVES
In contrast to Dante's Demon sides, the Angel abilities and moves are faster and more focused on agility and crowd control. The attacks don't do that much damage but they make up with their reach and speed. Angel abilities also give Dante more mobility during combat and it's more similar to the Trickster style of previous DMC games. You hold down L2 to access the Angel side and Dante's eyes on the HUD turn blue.
OSIRIS
Karma - LT + /\ x 4 = A wide covering multi-hitting series of slashes designed to hit all around Dante. The attack doesn't end with any type of knock back but it still has a lot of recovery at the end.
Cleaver - LT + /\, /\, pause /\ x 3 = A fancier combo string of Osiris that is more concentrated initially on a single target while moving Dante himself forward. Use it for more style point gain.
Prop and Shredder - LT + O, press O again after Prop = Dante spins his scythe which pops up an enemy, essentially acting like a standard launcher. Holding O after the initial Pop Dante continuous to spin the sword which keeps hitting the opponent and locking them in place. Great move to use for combo/style purposes. As there is no rising version of this move, follow it up with an Inverse Rainstorm for max swag.
Rake - In the air LT + O = Dante scoops up enemies while hanging in the air. This is a great move to pick up enemies beneath you safely while you have completed a combo on another enemy. The range on this move is immense, it is possible to pick up even 4 enemies with this. It also locks Dante in place while you use it so it's excellent for extending air time as well.
Streak - LT + Forward, Forward + /\ = Dante dashes forward while swinging the scythe. Use it to maintain pressure after you have knocked someone away similar to how you use Stinger. This has more coverage than the Stinger so if you are going balls deep in a pack of enemies, use this move over Angel pull or Stinger.
Raze - LT + /\ (hold /\) = Dante charges up the scythe for 2 levels and then spins in a 360 arc while rising up. This will launch all enemies around Dante while hitting them for a ton of style points. As this is a charge move, a perfect version is available that is denoted by feather effects around the scythe and gives more style points while hitting more often. Look all charged moves it's best to buffer this in from a previous move.
Hanger - In the air, LT + /\ x 3 = Very similar to Aerial Rave of Rebellion but has much more range. Use this if you plan on comboing more than one enemy at once.
Double Up - In the air, LT + /\,/\ pause, /\, /\ = Very similar to Roulette Spin but has much, much more range. Use this if you plan on comboing the max number of enemies possible.
Feed - A passive ability of Osiris that powers up the scythe the more you use it in combat. This ability kicks in very fast if you use Osiris the way it's meant to... cleaving through crowds of weaker enemies. The damage boost isn't substantial but it's something to work towards.
ABILITIES
Angel Pull - LT + [] = This is the opposite version of the Demon pull. Instead of pulling an enemy towards yourself... you hook towards the enemy and fly toward them. Think of it like a pseudo teleport move. Use this move if you want to play aggressively and travel from enemy to enemy.
Pay Off - During Angel pull press [] = Dante follows up the Angel pull with a beastly uppercut. This can be used in mid air just like the pulls so this can be used as a relaunch move. Using this move over and over again will allow you to take enemies to heights never before seen!
Air Glide - LT + X - An standard air dash that has quite the range on it. Using it very close to the ground allows you to cover a lot of distance very fast. Note that you can use this move to glide to a wall then use the wall to jump off and perform another glide... you can keep this up for a very long time if the environment allows this to happen (not really possible in the demo for long but maybe there is a section where you can use this). Use the Air Glide to get out of bad situations but be wary of its recovery time.
Angel Teleport - LT + R1/L1 - An extension of the normal dodges, this attaches a phasing teleport at the end of a regular dodge that gives you more distance traveled by the dodge and even allows you to pass through enemies. While you almost always want to use the Demon Dodge for your dodging needs.. use this when you think you need the extra distance to get out of a bad situation.