Looking to learn more about Thymesia combat? This new soulslike set in plague-ridden medieval times is littered with morbid enemies to defeat. As such, you'll need a good grasp on the combat system to lay waste to all those foes.
In this Thymesia guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about combat. That includes how to fight enemies, ranging from low-level grunts to intense, mammoth bosses. Alongside a look at how the weapon reaving system works, you'll be ready to take on battles in no time.
Elsewhere, feel free to check out some guides to the biggest mobile games around. We've got a Genshin Impact tier list and AFK Arena tier list for two massive gacha games. That's alongside a YuGiOh Master Duel deck list for the card game taking the world by storm.
How do I fight in Thymesia?
Combat in Thymesia is mainly done through the shoulder buttons and triggers. In that sense, it works very similarly to other soulslike games such as Elden Ring.
Most of your time will be spent using the base attack, called a slash. You perform this by pressing RB on Xbox, or R1 on PlayStation. This is a fast attack that deals less damage than other approaches, but can be chained together up to five times once you've unlocked the right skills. Equally, you can upgrade your sword to increase its efficiency.
Once you've used the slash attack enough times, the enemy's health bar will turn red. This indicates that they are dazed, just one hit away from an execution. To pull it off, all you need to do is press RB/R1 again, for the execution animation to trigger.
Pressing RT/R2 performs a Claw Attack. This takes longer to build up, but deals more damage and prevents the enemy from regaining health. You'll find yourself using the Claw Attack slightly less due to how long it takes to charge up, which can be the difference between avoiding an attack or death.
click to enlargeHow to dodge in Thymesia
Speaking of which, you'll need to be just as familiar with dodging enemies in Thymesia as fighting them. The most common way is through the standard dodge, performed using the B/Circle button depending on your platform. Doing this causes Corvus to roll in your chosen direction, avoiding any attack.
You can upgrade the dodge as you progress through Thymesia to make it more effective. Early on, you can add another roll to the dodge, meaning you can leap out the way twice in quick succession - something fans of FromSoftware’s epics will welcome. That's alongside a long dodge, which pushes Corvus further out of the way. If you're fighting an enemy with long-range attacks or a two-handed weapon, it's a good way to protect yourself.
How to reave weapons in Thymesia
The most unique element of Thymesia's combat is the weapon reaving system. In this, Corvus uses magical abilities to inhibit the weapons of enemies, using them against their wielder. Initially starting off fairly weak, you can upgrade them throughout the game to unlock more reaved weapons, and increased damage.
To reave a weapon, hold down RT/R2 while the enemy is dazed. This performs a heavy attack alongside Corvus reaching into their soul to steal their weapon's capabilities. You'll then notice in the bottom-right corner of the screen a neon-coloured weapon, indicating which one you have just weaved.
You then use the reaved weapon by pressing Y/Triangle. This causes Corvus to conjure up a spectre of the weapon in question, before performing one last heavy attack with it. Reaved weapons can only be used once, and from there you'll have to reave another one to use the ability once more.
That's pretty much everything you need to know about the combat system in Thymesia! A mixture of attacking strategy and knowing when to dodge is the best way to ensure you don't get battered by the range of intense bosses littering this dystopian fantasy land. It won't be easy - but then again, what soulslike is?
If you’re into difficult games, check out our Cuphead Chef Saltbaker guide. It’s one of the hardest of the lot, and a great way to gauge your interest in the tricky run n’ gun platformer.