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Those impossibly pretty demon hunters are back in business and you’re probably after some Devil May Cry 5 tips to help with all the impending hacking. Whether that’s mastering the best Devil Breakers, the combat, getting more orbs or [checks notes] using chainsaws made of moterbikes… All while splitting your time between Devil May Cry 5 (opens in new tab)‘s trio of three different heroes, each with their own interesting skill set. There’s a lot to take in, especially for newcomers, so here are 12 Devil May Cry 5 tips to help you become a mean, lean, demon-killing machine.
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1. Do your history homework
If Devil May Cry 5 is your first dip into the series, knowing the history is especially important, but it’s still useful even if you’re a veteran. The story of Devil May Cry 5 supposes a lot of prior knowledge from the player, and it can be a bit overwhelming when all of these characters that aren’t Dante are thrown into the mix. Even worse, most of the protagonists look pretty similar so don’t be worried if it’s all a touch difficult to parse! Thankfully, there’s a ‘History Of DMC’ video on the main menu that should solve this problem and help later story beats land with an “Aha!” rather than a “Wha…?”
2. Explore the levels thoroughly
The team behind Devil May Cry 5 are clearly a bunch of devilish tricksters, as they love to hide collectables and crucial items just out of view. Whenever the game pulls you out of a cutscene or set piece, make sure you get into the habit of just turning the camera around – usually you’ll find some red orbs or some other useful resource. Make sure you also explore the carefully crafted levels thoroughly. As well as admiring the architecture, you can find secret collectables and pathways that offer fun challenges to eat up your time. So make sure you keep an eye out, especially for blue and purple orb fragments and secret missions (which provide blue orb fragments.) These permanent upgrades to your vitality and devil trigger gauges are well worth the effort of seeking out.
3. Kill healing and summoning enemies first
You’ll want to focus on killing enemies that heal or summon friends as soon as possible because things get very difficult with multiple enemies around. Wipe out anything that either heals or creates monsters as a matter of priority, and ignore the grunts until you do. During the early game Nero will be introduced to empusa insects with a green rear end that exist to heal their pals – kill them first or you’ll never get rid of the other bad things. This tracks for the mid-game eldritch maws that spawn lizard demons, and the late-game skeleton summoners that… you can work that bit out. Basically, always make sure you deal with anything that’s adding to your problems before you try solving them.
4. Don’t be afraid of using your Devil Breakers
Nero’s Devil Breakers are weaponised robotic arms with a multitude of uses in combat. Something like the Gerbera helps boost you up to high platforms, while the Punch Line launches a flurry of pounding rocket punch attacks and lets you ride it like a skateboard. You can only carry a few Devil Breakers at a time and it’s easy to worry about them because they break easily if you take damage whilst using them. But you’re going to use them up anyway by hitting LB/L1 to blow them up for a super attack when you’re in grave danger. So don’t worry. You can expand how many you can carry with upgrades and will always find more in the level as you play. Just get used to them being disposable – they’re far too useful not to use in combat and vastly help with your style ranking.
5. Use The Void training area to master your moves
You may think you’re comfortable with the combat but there’s a lot to master. Don’t ignore the game’s suggestion to enter The Void, a training mode where you can fight and practice your skills. The movements required to pull off some of the game’s most powerful attacks and combos are pretty precise, and getting the muscle memory locked in early will make your experience with the combat so much more fluid. The fighting in Devil May Cry 5 is the best part, so don’t stick to the easy combos – get out of your comfort zone and learn the devastating cocktail of moves that will boost your style, decimate enemies and just feel so cool.
6. Study the skill list
It’s no secret that you will forget some of the moves. There are way too many to remember. Keeping score of all Nero’s abilities, moves and Devil Breakers is tough. Plus Dante has far too many weapons to keep track of, and then there V with a whole new bag of tricks. It’s easy to forget options or get into a routine of what you can remember. So take some times between all the fighting to browse the skill lists and brush up on the buttons, attack and choice you have at your disposal.
7. Focus on mobility skills early on
Early in Devil May Cry 5, as you build up a bank of red orbs, think about spending them wisely on mobility abilities. Each character can unlock simple moves that makes them run faster, as well as a double jump and an ability that lets them bounce on enemy’s heads in battle. You’ll want these early because Devil May Cry 5’s combat is much easier to deal with when you can move faster – it’ll help with evading, and closing distances when you need to keep combos going. You might want to specifically upgrade Dante’s Trickster tree as well if you really want to double down on movement. As well as helping you fight it also means you’re well equipped to reach secret collectables when you come across them.
8. Purchase Gold orbs, and blue or purple fragments, from Nico
Gold orbs are basically extra lives in Devil May Cry 5, bringing you back from defeat and fully equipped to fight on. While blue and purple orb fragments raise your max health and Devil Trigger respectively. You can find them in the world, but like any good game, you can also buy them in the Devil May Cry van. You’ll want to consider spending cash on them early if you plan to survive. Especially on Demon Hunter difficulty as this game is challenging, and you’re going to want as much vitality and Devil Trigger juice as possible to stay afloat, as well as the ability to come back when you don’t. Sure, it’s a lofty price to pay when you’re picking and choosing at the start but it’s not like you’re ever really out of pocket, and you can replay levels to recoup losses.
9. Click the left stick to find your objective if you get lost
Some of the later levels can border on labyrinthian, with multiple crossroads and checkpoints that switch up the environment. This can disorient you, so make sure that you know how to fix it – click in the left analogue stick on your controller and the game will swivel the camera towards your objective.
10. Don’t forget to use Nero’s Exceed ability
One of Nero’s abilities is very easily forgotten, but it’s by far one of the most devastating. Exceed is an ability where Nero revs up his Red Queen sword to boost its attacks. (Don’t think about it too much.) This is done by hammering LT/L1 and aside from feeling very cool, will power up Nero’s sword and pistol to deal devastating extra damage. You can even unlock upgrades that let you tap Exceed after an attack to deal an aftershock explosion to your foe. Worth a few revs if you feel like you’re slamming your head against a brick wall.
