is an action game like no other. For instance, what other game lets you create two main protagonists? And that's just the tip of the game's sharpened blade. Its combat system i💙s chock full of weapon types and combat styles. The open world is massive, with plenty of collectibles to find. Lastly, the game's ensemble cast opens the possibilities for various allyships.

While all of Rise Of The Ronin's features make it a fant❀astic experience, they're a lot to digest. For instance, how can you make the game more accessible while you learn the combat system? What's the fastest way to travel? And how can you effectively manage Ki? Here are some observations we think any beginner Ronin should know.

There Are Extra Difficulty Modifiers In The System Menu

You've already seen Rise Of The Ronin's three difficulty settings: Dawn (Easy), Dusk (Medium), and Twilight (Hard). As you raise the difficulty level, enemies become stronger but offer better rewards upon defeat. You can switch between difficulties at any time, and you'll return to the last Veiled Edge Ba🧸nner or latest mission ch♏eckpoint.

It's grand that Rise Of The Ronin allows you to shift difficulties at will. However, that difficulty shift may not be enough for an action game as brutal as this. Suppose you are playing on Dawn difficulty but get stuck on a formidable mission or impenetrable boss. In that case, two more difficulty settings are available exclusively to Dawn players. Here's how to find them:

1. Press the Options button to enter the Game Menu.
2. Switch to the System tab and open Game Settings.
3. The first three settings under the Basic Settings header control the difficulty. Here are the options available:
   • Overall Difficulty: This setting allows you to select one of three difficulties: Dawn, Dusk, or Twilight.
   • Increased Health Recovery From Medicine (On/Off): This extra difficulty modifier is available exclusively on Dawn difficulty.
   • Reduced Ki Loss From Attacks (On/Off): This extra difficulty modifier is available exclusively on Dawn difficulty.

Throughout the Prologue and during partner missions, you may only change difficulties while stationed at a Veiled Edge Banner.

Understanding Ki Is Essential To Victory

Even before you meet the Bladesmith, your first combat lesson will cover basic attacks, blocks, dodges, and Ki. However, if you don't understand Ki, access to the formಌer basic techniques will be stifled. So, let's review what𝓡 Ki is and how it works.

According to East Asian culture, Ki is the vital force contained in all living things. In Rise Of The Ronin, the concept is translated into the Ki Gauge, a stamina meter that decreases when you complete specifiꦺc actions and replen𓃲ishes over time.

Actions that consume Ki include:

• Basic Attacks
• Guards
• Martial Skills
• Dodges (In battle only)
• Sprinting (In battle only)
• Swimming Underwater
• Airgliding
• And that's to name a few

If you deplete all of your Ki, your character will become incapacitated, allowing your opponent to rip you to shreds. Conversely, you can exhaust your enemy's Ki, thus giving yourself an offensive opening. So, staying aware of your and your opponent's Ki is vital.

Offensively speaking, you want to use techniques like Countersparks and Martial Skills to diminish your o༒pponent's Ki and break their stance. When your foe's Ki is 🗹down, attacking them becomes safer since they have less Ki to retaliate.

Defensively, ending a combo string with enough Ki left over to defend yourself is vital. Successful guards use plenty of Ki, so dodging ﷽to create distance from your attacker is wise. You can anticipate that your opponent will attack when their Ki is high. Decide whether it's better to dodge tဣheir attacks until they exhaust their Ki or to break down their Ki with offensive measures.

Use Stealth Techniques Whenever Possible To Retain Resources

One-on-one fights are a rarity in Rise Of The Ronin. You'll often find yourself facing several foes simultaneously. M🉐aybe that isn't a significant risk when facing a horde of enemies with a lower level than you. But, high-level enemies are more problematic to face in groups. So, how can you pick off adversaries one by one?

Stealth techniques are the perfect tool for approaching big groups of combatants. If you can sneak behind a foe and assassinate them, that's one less enemy to battle. If your mark's comrades witness their assassination, they will become pani🧸cked. This panic will give you the upper hand in battle.

There are plenty of ways to assassinate foes. You'll only be able to sneak behind enemies at the beginning of the campaign. However, once you learn new skills and technologies, you can assassinate enemies from above on your glider or pull enemies toward you with your grapple hook and assassinate them without alarming others.

Use Earthenware Balls to distract enemies away from you. This is an excellent strategy for sneaking up on enemies. However, the distraction works for a short peꩵriod. So, act quickly!

Build Bonds To Become Stronger

Rise Of The Ronin's Prologue gives the false impression that it 𝔍is a linear, mission𒁃-to-mission game. However, that's not wholly true. Once you leave the Kurosu clan, you'll discover a vast open world filled with places to see, people to meet, and items to find. You could focus solely on the main story missions if you wish. However, that may leave you ill-equipped later in the campaign.

Rather than proceed from one story beat to the next, Rise Of The Ronin encourages you to build bonds in your travels. There are three types of bonds you can forge:

• Area Bonds strengthen your influence in a region's community and reveal hidden items.
• Character Bonds forge allyships between yourself and other characters, allowing you to fight alongside them in battle and learn their skills.
• Faction Bonds strengthen your alliance with pro or anti-shogunate factions. Forming these bonds will give you discounts at bases affiliated with the same faction.

As you can see, each type of bond offers unique rewards that will improve your character's skills and inventory. Furthermore, working toward improving these bonds will g🐟ive you plenty of opportunities to gain XP, become familiar with the game's various systems, and build a formidable combination of armor and weapons.

Keep An Eye Out For Crafting Materials To Save Coins

Suppose you're preparing for a critical mission and wish to stock up on as many hea𓃲ling items as poܫssible. In that case, you can purchase Medicinal Pills and Elixers from an apothecary, right? But what if you gave all your money to a Pilgrim Dog or spent it on a pricey weapon upgrade? Now, you're in a pickle.

You could travel around Japan, completing side missions and defeating enemies until you gather enough coins. However, that's time-consuming. Fortunately, you can collect resources and craft those healing items in minutes.

What if you have one ingredient to craft an item but not the other? It's not a problem! You can pay the difference and buy the missing resources to craft an item. So, you're still saving 𝕴money compared to purchasing the full-price items.

Do you want to make resource collecting easier? Enable Auto-Collect Items via Rise Of The Ronin's System settings. You'll find the option in the Controls menu. This feature lets you collect resources by walking beside them without pressing R1.

Disassemble Your Old Weapons To Upgrade New Ones

You'll get plenty of drops playing Rise Of The Ronin. These drops include numerous weapons and armor pieces. As you collect more weapons and armor, you'll likely amass many Standard rank items you'll never use and a handful of Excellent and Exquisite items that become part of your regular weapon rotation.

What's the point of garnering all these low-level weapons when you have enough reliable high-level ones? Visiting any Blacksmith will show you that those low-ranking weapons will strengthen your primary weapons via disassembly.

Most weapons require a minimum number of Iron Ores to upgrade and a fee. While there are many ways to earn coins, finding iron ores is more challenging. Fortunately, disassembling old weapons will give you enough iron ores to raise your primary weapons to higher levels.

Spend Skill Points To Unlock New Techniques

You're not getting everything Rise Of The Ronin has to offer if you ignore your Skill trees. Each Primary Stat, Str🔴ength, Dexterity, Charm, and Intellect boasts an abundance🌊 of valuable tools on the battlefield and off.

Regarding combat, you won't have access to techniques like mid-air and unarmed countersparks without developing your Strength skill tree. The Dexterity and Intellect trees have several new skills/upgrades for sub-weapons like shuriken, rifles, and revolvers.

Developing your Skill Trees can improve your daily interactions in various ways. You can learn speechcrafts, like Liar (Charm), Persuade (Intellect), and Intimidate (Strength). Furthermore, you can increase your bond acquisition rate or receive special store discounts.

The prior examples represent a sm൩all frꦦaction of the possibilities you'll open up by using your Skill Points and Rare Skill Points!

Your Map Is An Essential Travel Tool

Building bonds across the Land Of The Rising Sun sound🌸s swell on paper. But how tangible is it to travel from the urbanized Yamashita region to the countryside of Honmoku? With the🦹 help of your map, travel is a sinch!

You can open your map anytime by pressing Options or the TouchPad. From there, you can vie🅰w collectible objectives, mark important destinations, fast travel via Veiled Edge Banners, and enable Auto-Run to far-off locations. Here are the shortcuts you should know.