Kill Knight Beginner’s Guide: Tips and Tricks

by Lordtoto01 / Articles, Misc. Guides / 01 Jul 2024

I’ve had the privilege of trying several demos during this Steam fest, and Kill Knight is among the top 5 games that I am looking forward to this year. For a demo, the game appears exceptionally well polished. Movements feel all buttery smooth, combat feels well-balanced and exciting, and the overall difficulty of the game feels both welcoming to new players and challenging to experts looking to break a sweat. Click here to view the gameplay.

However, it takes time to get used to the unique movement and control mechanics, so here is a quick guide to help you kickstart your journey.

Economize Your Actions

Although this is a general rule in most bullet hell games, it’s doubly important in Kill Knight. More so than in other games, the enemies here are super aggressive. Even when left alone for a few seconds, they swarmed me to the point that dodging was not an option, especially during the higher waves. Therefore, I figured that moving around, repositioning, and continuously spamming those attacks is super important, all while calculating my every move.

Relying on spamming AOE abilities is not an option as it comes with an ammo cost. So knowing when to move and which abilities to use is crucial when it comes to reaching those super high waves.

Use Melee ONLY During Reloads

The melee attack hits multiple enemies in an arc, dealing modest damage and is quite dull if used separately. But landing a melee attack at a certain point during reloads automatically chambers an AOE shot. This is a unique mechanic that not only incentivizes combo-based attacks but rewards high-level players that focus on mastering multiple moves instead of relying on a select few. It has gotten to the point that I use the melee attack exclusively when reloading.

Later weapons may have other functionalities that could encourage me to use melee more frequently, but as of now, attacking during reloads seems to be the most efficient.

Don’t Forget to Dodge

Given the wide range of attack options, I have to actively remind myself to dodge attacks now and then; that’s how good the attack mechanics are in this game. However, dodging becomes an important tool in the higher waves. Keeping up with the ever-increasing aggressive mob is no joke, especially when the dodge has a short range. It took me a long time to get used to the distance as most games in the same genre usually have much longer-ranged dodges.

Use Heavy Weapons Frequently

Heavy weapons consume ammo but are way more powerful than the primary weapon. For now, I’ve only managed to unlock the Ruinshot, which is a short-ranged shotgun. It also has the Wraith Burst, which hurls a ball of energy at the enemies and, upon killing them, drops healing orbs that recover a small percentage of HP. Till now, I haven’t come across any other forms of healing in-game and have been relying solely on the Wraith Burst for heals. It ain’t much, but it helps in the long run.

Although the Wraith Burst charges automatically over time, actively collecting Blood Gems dropped by the enemies charges it faster.

Note that you have to actively collect them by pressing a button. Walking over them doesn’t count.

Repeat the Tutorials

Kill Knight has a dedicated tutorial menu that goes over the basics of the game. Some are easy, while others are hard to master. I frequented the tutorials for guidance when I was starting out. It helped me a lot and saved a lot of time that I would have otherwise spent on trial and error. Go through the tutorials repeatedly to build your foundation. They are quite helpful.

Keep Moving

The arena is quite small. It changes shape and even gets smaller with each wave. Movement becomes difficult, especially with the ever-increasing number of enemies that crawl up the sides. To combat the aggro, I’ve found that movement is key. Even if there are no enemies nearby, I keep toggling the direction keys so that I can quickly pivot in any direction as quickly as possible.

Moving in one direction is also detrimental as it causes the enemies to eventually focus on me more easily. I usually prioritize ranged enemies first before doing away with the melee critters.

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
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