This guide is meant for people who are either returning or starting the game.
Hints For Beginners And Else
Main Section (About)
After returning from a long time of not playing this game, I've decided it'd be better to write some stuff down for the next time, and there's nothing better than sharing information with friends and enemies alike.
Costumes
Hint #1 - Costume ColorsThere are a few things you might not know (or remember) if you're coming back at this game, for example, you can paint some of the costumes; the game will let you know you can color a costume with a colored arrow right below the costume. So even if you don't get the coolest looking costume in the game, you can still bring some joy into the life of your character. Keep in mind that costumes without an arrow below them can't be painted. Anyways, most costumes will have a color option.
It might sound silly, but not everyone is aware of this feature, and that's why people keep using black & white colors throughout the game until they reach lvl60 or something so make sure to right click the items you get, see if you can customize it or anything, check for colored arrows & stuff.
Hint #2 - Cloth WeightThe more weight a costume has, less movement you can make.
The lesser the weight, more movement you can make.
But Very few people are actually aware of the full-extent of the Weight Feature. For example, by wearing a light weight costume you'd imagine your character would move faster and make faster attacks, right? correct. But you'd never expect that by "fast", it also means you'll need faster reaction for chain-combos to work properly, which means you'll need to practice until you get used to that speed for chainning-combos together without dropping it into a different combo. Missing a Chain means you'll drop the combo into another stance's attack, which might not be desirable since it could be either a slower or less damaging move than the one you intended to use.
By wearing a slightly heavier cloth - lets say 0,5g heavier - you can then fix that issue, this will make the attack only a bit 'slower' so you can connect the proper chain-combo everytime you want, without dropping it into something else - yet not slow enough so that your opponent can counter or punish it with some other ♥♥♥. Btw, all other moves will also be affected by this. This is why there are so many costumes that are 0,3g~0,5g heavier/lighter than one another.
Hint #3 - Costumes Fixed Appearance- Some costumes will drastically change when fixed/repaired.
- Some others will not.
If you're just starting the game, don't bother fixing any costume, for a simple few reasons:
- 1st, you need money to buy items you might want near the end-game, fixing costumes will set you back with $0.0 by the end of the game.
- 2nd, you can also use the same money to buy that really cool weapon who does all that big damage for your main fighting style (also by the end-game).
That's pretty much it, just don't bother about fixing the costumes at the beginning, unless you know that's something you really want to.
Hint #5 - (Mostly For Newcomers)If you just started the game and you're sad because you can't wear all those cool costumes you've seen on youtube from all those Absolver's black-belts on youtube, lemme give you this advice: "The Beautier you look, The heavier you move"
All cool looking costumes will make your character move slowly. So looking cool in this game has its drags and doesn't really pays off in neither PVP or PVE (Specially if you're just starting!).
Move / Attack / Deck Building
Combat BasicsAt the beginning I really had a hard time figuring out the deck-building, I remember getting to lvl40 without fully understanding what was going, then I decided to stop playing Absolver to try out other more understandable games. It was only up 'till now that I figured out what it all means.
So if you're beginning, check that each card on your deck builder has two icons/symbols inside it, and two other symbols outside it.
To make it simple, the icons inside the card's move (attack move) will tell you if the move is armored and from which style that move comes from.
The other two icons (symbol) outside the card will tell you which position that attack begins from, which means that in order to start that attack (card) movement you will need to be in that specific stance, which can be either:
Q________________E
___your character___
Z________________C
Please, remember that each stance allows for a 3-hit combo according to your deckbuild.
This is what I'll refer to 'stance combo'.
Those are the default specific keys binded to the keyboard to change your characters stance. Which now leads me to explain the external icon by the right side of the card: it means that by the end of the execution-flow of that card, your character will end up on that specific stance, which can be either one of the four above: Q or E or Z or C.
Your current stance tell you which attacks will come after... But this is nowhere near the end of this explanation, please read below.
Stamina Bar & CombosNote that when you execute a move, a stamina bar appears and a small arrow at the top shows up. This very specific arrow tell you when to chain-link that move into other moves. Now remember what I just told you about cards having an external-left icon that indicates where your character stands by the end of it's execution flow? So, this is it. This is what happens when you miss (either by accident or purpose) that arrow at the top of the stamina: You just get on that stance.
However, when you press the button at the correct timing, your character will successfully chain-combo into whatever you set at the deckbuilder as the 3-hit combo (those are the 3 following moves at each given single line at the deckbuilder).
Missing the arrow on purpose allows you to switch stances (according to the card on your deck as mentioned before) and trick the opponent into thinking he is free to punish you; but remember that this also enables your opponent to punish you more easily with any armored attack or any other quick move he might have on his deck.
Besides missing it on purpose, you can also dela your chain-link with the same idea in mind (which is sort of different, because here the stance combo won't change) - to trick your opponent into thinking he is free from your evil clutches. Of course, the success of this will depend on how fast/slow the move recovers among other few things, sometimes one or the other is better for tricking your opponent (this really depends on the move, and not really how you execute the delay on purpose).
Learning New Moves
To learn new moves you must block/dodge/parry them from your enemies:
1st, PVP battle allow you to learn new moves regardless of who wins the battle. That means you can lose as much as you want, and you'll still get card/move experience. So never miss a PVP chance, you still win, even if you lose.
2nd, Beating up NPCs: however this requires you to win every single NPC match. That means if you die, you don't get the move experience.
There is a 3rd method for learning new moves: You can join a school and once you've joined a school, you'll need to equip the style they use, then you'll need to use all of the moves you want to learn until you get enough experience to make them your own.
Once you've succesfully done that, the move is your to equip on your own deck.
Learning New Styles
Styles differs from moves because not always they make a fighting Deck Available out-of-box when you learn them (Like the FaeJin Style). The style will rather give you access to a new dodge/parry and skill systems. However, you'll need to join schools in order to learn them, plus the only way to make a Style permanently yours is to either start the game with it or grind the ♥♥♥ing ♥♥♥ out of it until you're max level. Which means that you'll lose that style skills & deck as soon as you change the school for another one.
FaeJin is the only permanent style you get without any required grinding, but only when you become a Full-Time Absolver and it also requires Level 9 on the "Tower/Fall" mode thing, which means you'll need to be at the end-game, which must be something around lvl45 (can't say it for sure).
But don't worry about the FaeJin style, it comes without a deck build and it mostly consists of parrying & counter system, not really good for beginners, it requires proper deck building, time & experience, and least but not last, it requires ♥♥♥ing good reflexes. So don't bother about not having it until you have at least 40h into the game. Plus, the FaeJin style doesn't come with any Deck, you need to either build your own deck, from fighting both NPCs and Players alike or from joinning any of the schools that might have FaeJin available for you. By learning FaeJin from a school, it will come with it's own optional deck, but the style does not become permanent. Your progress in the style will remain once you leave, but the style will disapear.
If you really want it that bad, you can just join the goddamn school, but don't say I didn't warn you, without real mad skillz or a good deck build (which will depend on the school), it will be useless, specially against the NPC Opponents, since they simply read inputs in fighting games, you'll have a really hard time parrying them.
There's also a Drunken Style. It gives you a pretty darn good Deck Moves, but it ain't all that of a big thing neither. The moves in the Deck does very little damage, and will probably get you beaten by people who constantly focus on DPS builds. The Drunken Style can also easily be punished by Armored Moves. The only people you'll be beating with Drunken Style are the complete noobs - just as you might have seen on youtube. Plus, it also requires being at the end-game. Plus, I won't be covering the requirements.
The Windfall style is one of the best imho, and you should consider starting the game with it. For one main big reason: you'll eventually need it, either for PVE or for PVP. Trust me on this. It's the only style that allows you to dodge by spending very little stamina and also has better recover than the regular dodging/evading system that is available by default.
Notice that this is the only Style that allows you to dodge from both high attacks and low attacks, like sweep kicks and give you a frame advantage by allowing you to punish them before they do anything else. Note that both faejin and drunken style also has this, but it only allows you to dodge sideways. They also spend a little more stamina bar as well. A lot of NPC Opponents will abuse both Circular attacks & Straight punches, so you can neither evade backwards or skill dodge sideways <= that's when they're not abusing moves that will drain your stamina completely on-block. The windfall solves this problem with the forward-ducking dodge and it's enhanced sideways system of evasion. Why risk the chance of taking a punch to the guts by parrying, when you can simply avoid & dodge it?
Source: https://gameplay.tips/guides/6363-absolver.html
More Absolver guilds
- All Guilds
- Absolver - Where to Find Jinn Mesca?
- Absolver - How to Build Your Deck
- Absolver - Hidden Achievement: Calbot
- Absolver - Everything You Need to Know About Stats
- Absolver - Leveling, Locations, Fighting Tips, Classes and Loot
- Absolver - Pyramid Locations
- Absolver - Detailed Map
- Absolver - Farming Angrel
- Absolver - How to Make a Better Deck
- Absolver - Mastering the Forsaken Style