Beginner’s guide with tips for Rise of the Ronin: We have put together the many features of the game mechanics for you. This is how you get started in 19th century Japan.
Rise of the Roning beginner tips About the fight, the weapons, fighting styles or even areas, level-ups and more: We offer you initial tips for beginners on Team Ninja’s open-world epic. Game elements from Nioh, the Souls-likes but also Assassin’s Creed and Ghost of Tsushima are mixed together. Menus and game mechanics are extensive, intricate and can be overwhelming for beginners. In this guide we’ll cover the most important things in Rise of the Ronin for PS5 to make it easier for you to start playing. If you’re planning on taking a virtual trip to Japan, you should definitely read our review of Rise of the Ronin.
This is how the fights work
There are a lot of factors to consider in the combat system of Rise of the Ronin (buy now). In addition to your own actions on the offensive, you block or counter on the defensive. However, how efficient you are depends on the types of weapons and fighting styles. So in duels, pay attention not only to your gray life bar, but also to your stamina – the so-called Ki. If this runs out, you are at the mercy of the enemy’s attacks. Stealth kills are just as possible in the PS5 adventure as critical hits on opponents who no longer have any Ki (stamina). Status effects, buffs and healing items will be added later. Stronger enemies also use attacks with red mist, which you should avoid. On top of that, you often encounter groups of opponents where you eliminate the leader in order to demoralize all opponents.
Double characters
In some missions the game places an NPC at your side. Your advantage: You can switch back and forth between characters in battle. The other person automatically fights at your side. In this way, you can set different weapon sets and fighting styles for your partner and ensure variability. In combat, it can also happen that you cannot effectively use the so-called counter spark against a boss, but your partner can. This gives you an advantage. If you go down with one of the double characters, the game switches to the other. For using a healing item, you can then revive the other person. There are lots of characters that you can unlock.
Counter Spark and Blade Flash
If you quickly press the R1 button after an attack, you use the blade flash, which immediately replenishes your Ki stamina bar slightly. This ensures that you don’t run out of stamina in the attack chain. With the so-called counter spark you can deflect enemy attacks using the triangle button. The catch: Not every fighting style can counter every weapon. So pay attention to the three fighting style types Ten, Chi and Jin.
Fighting styleEffectiveIneffectiveTenKatana and normal weaponsSabers and light weaponsChiOdachi and heavy weaponsKatana and normal weaponsJinSabers and light weaponsOdachi and heavy weapons
To the right of the enemy’s energy bar you can see to what extent your fighting style is effective against your opponent’s weapon. With a red arrow pointing downwards you have poor chances of counterattacks. With a blue arrow pointing up, your counterattacks are more effective. Later in the game you can also switch between other fighting styles and improve them. In a duel against a boss, your partner can also turn the tide with a compatible counter spark. Counters are quite difficult to time in Rise of the Ronin. In addition to the right fighting style, it also requires good timing. In hectic duels, dodging is often the better option.
Lots of weapons
At the start of the game, you select a special finishing touch when creating your character, which is designed to recommend a weapon. Basically, however, you can use any weapon. However, the four directions of strength, skill, intelligence or charm influence efficiency. You choose between Uchigatana, spears, nodachi, double blades and more. During the course of the game you will also find many weapons with different levels of value. If you don’t need weapons, simply sell them to the dealer.
Combat skills, Ki and critical hits
During combat, hold down R1 and then use Square or Triangle to minimize the enemy’s Ki. If this is exhausted, you can land a critical hit using the triangle button, which significantly reduces the opponents’ life bar. Especially with stronger opponents, you should minimize their Ki and then finish them off with critical attacks. If an opponent panics in Rise of the Ronin, you can significantly reduce their Ki upper limit using combat skills.
Rifles, pistols and bows are very powerful
In the Japanese adventure, rifles and bows are very powerful weapons. This means you can easily eliminate opponents from a distance with headshots. The bow offers a silent advantage, but rifles are significantly more powerful. Be sure to use one of the two secondary weapons so that you can thin out groups of enemies and thus avoid the sometimes painful close combat. If you land a hit in the head with the rifle, the opponent falls to the ground and you follow up with a critical attack.
Equipment including item sets
In addition to weapons, you also get equipment for the head, body, hands and feet. Some of these also offer set bonuses. You also choose an accessory that promises you a higher loot rate or optimized Ki consumption and more. You also equip items with which you can heal yourself, buff yourself or add elemental damage to your weapon. You can set up to three different sets and change them as you wish during battle. This option will be particularly helpful later in the game of Rise of the Ronin.
EXP, Karma und Level-Ups
In contrast to Souls-likes, you don’t level up through souls, blood echoes or similar, but instead collect XP for your player level and karma through fights. If you then use the banners, a full karma bar is converted into skill points or special skill points. You can then put these into attributes. The higher your karma level, the more rare skill points you receive. For some skills you need several skill points.
Rare Skill PointsCollectableStrengthPersonal Bonds, Fugitive Rewards, Completion RewardsSkillPersonal Bonds, Training Rewards, Completion RewardsCharmPersonal Bonds, Cat Collection Rewards, Completion RewardsIntelligencePersonal Bonds, Photography Rewards, Completion Rewards
You get EXP by completing missions and defeating enemies. You then level up and also receive skill points. In addition, the stats for health, primary attack, secondary attack and defense also improve. You accumulate karma through successful fights and convert it. However, if you lose in a battle, you lose the accumulated, untransformed karma. Then the so-called blood feud is triggered. After you die on screen, you return to the enemy that knocked you down. Give him a critical attack or take him out to get your karma back. But be careful: If your opponent defeats you again, you will lose this karma forever.
Build bonds with areas and characters
You build bonds in Rise of the Ronin. Your Ronin bond depends on titles, items or even yesterday. You also build bonds with NPCs with whom you fight and complete missions together. For each level up you receive rewards in the form of equipment or charm points. So visit NPCs from time to time to play more missions and strengthen bonds. You also build bonds with regions. Here you collect objects, restore public order or catch fugitives and much more. There are also completion rewards for this.
Useful collectibles
You find treasure chests, pet cats, find shrines or do photography in Rise of the Ronin. At the same time, you increase the connection to the areas and their residents and provide new special skill points and more. The higher the collection rate in one of the areas, the higher your bond level and your benefits. You capture fugitives for the Shogunate, and some of the villains give you new fighting styles. You need raw materials such as ores or herbs from pharmacies or blacksmiths or simply sell them from traders.
We will deliver more to you shortly Tips for Rise of the Ronin. Keep an eye out for videos and many other articles on our PS5 game topic page. Leave us comments about your entry-level experiences or hurdles when getting started on the adventure. Do you have any further tips? Then leave us a comment as well.