Ninja Gaiden 4 features a tight and responsive combat system, which you expect from the franchise. While playing as a new protagonist, Yakumo, there are some new mechanics as well to consider. Initially, the players must adapt the basic maneuvers of combat, including combos of light and heavy attacks, bloodraven forms, ultimate attacks, and defense in general. However, it won’t be long before players step into the actual missions to progress the main story. This is where players have to focus on acquiring strong combat skills, which will grant them more mobility, deadly attacks, and better defense. In this guide, we will tell you the best combat skills to get early in Ninja Gaiden 4.
Acquiring the new skills for Yakumo comes about after 30 minutes of tutorial and prologue of the game. As players step into the first main mission and pursue the objectives, they will come across Ninja Coins by defeating foes and opening chests. The Ninja Coin is the primary currency in Ninja Gaiden 4, which Yakumo uses to purchase consumables and unlock new skills.
Each skill requires a specific amount of Ninja Coins to unlock. To unlock a skill, the player has to speak with Tyron, a Bloodraven mentor, whom players can call at every checkpoint within a level. As Tyron arrives, a menu will open, allowing you to learn new combat skills at a cost of Ninja Coins.
There are 10 main Combat Skills to acquire in Ninja Gaiden 4. As you acquire a skill, its respective upgrade will become available for you. Honestly, the upgrades make the crucial skills more lethal, allowing you to have more control of the fight, even against some of the tougher foes. Now, we will mention the combat skills and their upgrades that you must get early to make your early and mid-game a bit easier.
The first combat skill to acquire is the Flying Swallow. It is a no-brainer, as it is a returning skill and gives you the aerial momentum to strike foes. This skill is excellent for closing in gaps with your foes, especially the ones with firearms and firepower. You can swiftly close the gap to them in mid-air and land a strike. To make this skill more lethal, purchase the Flying Swallow Barrage. It will let you perform the aerial strikes on a foe up to three times, resulting in a possible death.
The next must-have skill is the Izuna Drop. This skill lets you take an enemy into the air as you perform the combo, and as the perfect command registers, Yakumo slams down the enemy into the ground, potentially killing the enemy and damaging the ones in the drop radius. However, the command for the Izuna Drop skill depends on the type of weapon you are using. For every weapon, you must remember the corresponding command to perform the Izuna Drop. Make sure to check the skills list to see the command for every weapon.
After acquiring a couple of aerial attacks to take care of the foes, you must get a few defensive skills. Playing defensively in Ninja Gaiden 4 is crucial, especially against tougher enemies and boss fights. The first defensive skill that you should get is the Fatal Flash. Hit the enemy as it is about to hit you to strike hard at the enemy, which will drop the Blood Essence Orb. The Blood Essence Orb will heal you and charge the ultimate gauge. Now, there are two upgrades for the Fatal Flash skill: Perfect Fatal Flash and Perfect Fatal Flash (Bloodraven Form). Both of these work in the same way as the original skill, but let you hit harder, ensuring the kill on a perfect strike. However, these upgrades are a bit expensive to get in the early game. If you manage to get enough Ninja Coins, we recommend acquiring these upgrades.
Another skill that you get after the Fatal Flash is the Perfect Block. Blocking an incoming attack at the perfect time will leave the opponent vulnerable to your attacks. It is best for breaking the enemy’s stance, which is effective in a lot of boss fights in this game.
Now, you cannot block attacks indefinitely, but you can increase the limit of attacks you can block. To do this, get the Art of Defense skill. It is a no-brainer skill to get, as it allows Yakumo to block more attacks. You can use the blocking technique to your advantage to defeat tougher foes. Block the enemy’s combo and, as it is about to land the final strike, perform the Fatal Flash to take control.
Lastly, it is better to get some new skills and upgrades for Yakuma’s ultimate attacks. The first one is the Ultimate Guidance. It is not a new ultimate attack, but more of a passive skill that allows the ultimate gauge to recharge faster every time you absorb the Blood Essence Orb. The small orb recharges the gauge by one charge, and the bigger orbs charge it by two. With this, you can perform the ultimate attacks repeatedly.
The next skill that you need to unlock is the Ultimate Technique: Final Charge. It will allow you to target two enemies when you charge up the ultimate attack. With the Ultimate Guidance and the Fatal Flash by your side, you will be absorbing blood essence orbs repeatedly to perform ultimate attacks on multiple targets. All these skills combined let you take control of the fight.
For the final early skill, get the Landing Ultimate Technique. It allows Yakumo to charge the ultimate attack faster as soon as he lands on the ground. As you will be taking foes into the air and fighting a lot of aerial enemies, it is a perfect skill to have by your side. From the moment you have the charged ultimate gauge, hold down the heavy attack button as soon as you land to unleash the ultimate attack without waiting as usual.
In addition to these combat skills, you will also have the weapon-specific skills. For early weapon skills, we recommend Heel Strike and Spiral Shadow. However, to unlock the weapon skills, you must gain much experience with the corresponding weapon.
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