Popular Post LancashireLad87 Posted December 11, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted December 11, 2022 (edited) @Rebourne07 @FreshFromThaDeli @Gommes_ @DeepEyes7 @Copanele @Yuber6969 @KindaSabbath @Jasmin-Harun @DrBloodmoney Quote My guide should not be reproduced on any website without prior consent! Disclaimer: The information within this post are from my personal experiments and observations with Nero who is my favourite character to use from the original roster. I'm by no means a professional writer but I hope anyone who reads through my notes understands what's written and it helps you on your journey to becoming a better Nero player. My experience within the hack and slash genre is incontrovertible and I'd consider myself far beyond trophy competent. I wasn't happy with the level of detail the trophy guides provide so I decided to write my own. Whenever I tackle a challenging game I usually create a google doc to take notes on a character which ended up being a lengthy document by the end of my platinum journey. I rarely publish my personal notes because I reserve them strictly for personal use. If you appreciate the amount of time and effort required to create this gameplay guide for you guys or if you found it useful then please post your success stories below for others to see. This project took an absorbent amount of time to research, proof-read, type and format to PSNP. I've previously posted my Vergil character guide on PSNP which encompasses a wide array of topics and explains his advanced mechanics which was very well received gaining 40,000 views, which is insane. I have linked the guide for your convenience. Devil May Cry 5 How to Master Vergil - Devil May Cry 5 - PSNProfiles Nero (How to Master) Table of Contents Brief Character Overview Fundamentals & Mechanics Mobility & Lock-on Mechanics Weaponry & Devil Breakers Comprehensive Move-list Nukes Combo-ability & Advanced Mechanics Training Regiments & Examples Match-up Knowledge/Tips and Tricks Nero's playstyle has gone through significant changes from his Devil May Cry 4 counterpart, he has access to various "Devil Breakers", destructible arms that provide a range of benefits including increased mobility, defensive manoeuvres, greater offensive pressure, and enhanced combo-ability. To play Nero at a high level will require a great deal of timing and physical execution however he's extremely fun to use, versatile with a LOT of mechanical depth. Mastering Nero is no small feat, therefore in great detail I will dive into his strengths, weaknesses and overall effectiveness including his defensive options and match-up knowledge to help you vanquish the game's tougher demons! Nero is an "honest" character because he lacks the ability to cheese his way through, and he requires a level of understanding to earn S ranks on the hardest difficulties. Regrettably, Nero doesn’t become a fully fleshed out character until you've cleared the game in order to gain access to his Devil Trigger which has an array of new moves and his "buster ability" has an advanced mechanic tied to it which you need to be aware of. Fundamentals & Mechanics To play Nero at a competent level you need to understand the fundamentals of his design and how he's meant to be played. You'll need to master and take advantage of these mechanics performing them to the best of your abilities, for a detailed breakdown please see below; Input buffering: Certain moves require you to hold down a button for a few seconds before performing them. If you're familiar with 2D fighting games and you main a "charge" character you'll already understand this concept. For example, "Hardway" requires you to hold down the Triangle button, there's a technique you can use where you can initiate a grounded sequence such as "Red Queen Combo D", during the last button press, hold down the Triangle button so you're already charging your next attack. Hit Stun Deterioration: Once you reach a certain threshold within your combo the opponent will inevitably break out of it due to hit stun deterioration unless you perform an infinite loop. Enemy Prioritisation: In Ninja Gaiden, it’s important to focus on "Priority Targets", and Devil May Cry is no exception therefore you should focus on the greatest threat within each combat scenario first. If you leave stronger demons alone to cast magic whilst you engage lesser demons, you'll regret it! Poise/Resistance: Poise refers to an enemies resistance or tolerance to specific attacks, for example enemies such as Riot, cannot be launched unless you attack them twice before the launcher. Every enemy is unique, therefore you'll need to change your strategy depending on the enemy at hand. Reverse Attack: It’s possible to change the trajectory of your attacks, especially those that require you to charge/hold down your inputs. For instance, performing Nero’s EX Streak whilst locked-on to an opponent, if you quickly release your lock-on and choose your desired direction before releasing your attack, you can change your attacks direction. As Dante you can reverse the direction of the following attacks, Redline, Long Revolver, Backslide, Revolver and Helm Breaker with either Rebellion or Devil Sword Sparda. Hyper Armour: Certain enemies within the game possess "Hyper Armour" a nasty ability. The term is used within the fighting game community but it applies to Devil May Cry and other hack and slash games. Hyper armour allows an opponent to run through you're attack whilst soaking/sponging the hit, which may result in you taking unnecessary damage if you don’t know how to counter it. For instance the "Hell Antenora" gains hyper armour if he's knocked down, he'll enter a rage-like state similar to Bane from Batman. To counter it you have several options you can simply jump over him, parry him which requires precise timing or you can grab him. Camera Manipulation: In Devil May Cry 5, you can manipulate which enemies are aggro'd by rotating the camera, as long as their not in your field of view they won't attack you! The main benefits of abusing camera manipulation is to taunt your enemies in complete safety, giving you a breather! Low-Profiling: If you're unfamiliar with the fighting genre you'll have no idea what this means, however it’s very simple to explain. Certain skills and abilities can be used to low-profile enemy attacks. If an enemy tries to strike you with a horizontal slash, you can weave underneath the attack to avoid taking damage whilst damaging the opponent in the process. Juggle: The key to reaching that "Smoking Sexy Style" is to juggle your opponents, naturally you'll start your offensive pressure from the ground before juggling them into the air. Mastering this technique is paramount to your success! Hard/Soft Knockdowns: After knocking your opponent down you can put them into a "Hard" or "Soft" knockdown state. The former means they cannot "Quick rise" off the floor whilst the latter means they'll immediately get back on their feet Mobility Options & Lock-On The majority of new players are under the impression that the game lacks a dedicated dodge button, but there is one, the jump button! Using this button, allows you to perform 2 methods of evasion. Jump: Jumping is simple to perform and doesn't require any input except the jump button. Jumping has invincibility frames during it's start-up animation, however at the peak of your jump you'll lose any invulnerability you had. While jumping is easy to perform, it doesn't leave you in an ideal position. Roll: Rolling is performed by locking on to an enemy and inputting either left or right whilst pressing the jump button. Rolling may seem more complex but it's simple to use but it does require a degree of timing. As a bonus you can shoot Nero's revolver whilst rolling allowing you to position yourself more favourably. Rolling becomes more pronounced when the move "table hopper" is fully upgraded. Lock on: Locking-on is one of the most important aspects within the Devil May Cry series and is compulsory to perform many moves within the game. Many players get confused with the directional inputs that go with the lock-on system. Back and forward are relative to your and your opponent's position. The directional inputs must be inputted before the button press or the attack won't come out. Mechanics Nero has a significant amount of mechanical depth for the player to master and incorporate into your playstyle. Everything from basic to advanced mechanics such as jump cancelling, bringer knuckle cancelling, parrying, devil bringer, and more will be covered below. Jump Cancelling: Quite possibly the quintessential mechanic that the entire franchise is based upon. In order to jump cancel you need to have unlocked/purchased the skill "Enemy Step" from Nero’s move-list. Enemy step allows you to continuously jump off an opponent's back, when performed correctly this will allow you to stay airborne indefinitely once you master it. Mastering jump cancelling allows Nero to drag an enemy into the air after a ground pound or launcher, after each successive JC you can take an opponent far beyond the reach of ANY opponent, allowing you to pick them off one by one in complete safety. Gun Cancelling: To perform Nero’s bread and butter aerial juggles you'll need to learn how to gun cancel your attacks. There are a few practical examples that I can provide to give you a solid foundation to build upon. The first example requires you to launch an opponent with "High Roller" don't hold down the button after pressing it. This will launch an enemy into the air, whilst you stay grounded. Wait for the enemy to descend and try to catch him before he falls with a single strike of your sword, then immediately cancel into a gunshot. The second example requires you to perform the aerial attack known as "Calibur", once the attack connects immediately cancel into a gunshot. When used in conjunction with jump cancelling you can perform multiple calibur cancels at once! Bringer Knuckle Cancelling: More commonly referred to as BKC within the Pro DMC community, You won't have access to this ability until you've cleared the game but what it allows you to do is fantastic! Bringer Knuckle Cancelling refers to cancelling an attack animation with an attack from Nero’s buster ability. This has several benefits, it increases the damage of your combos which rewards you with more style points and affects the properties of certain moves allowing you to incorporate them into your combos. It’s possible to BKC virtually every attack in Nero’s arsenal, listed below are some examples of what I’m referring to and why you should give a damn! Example 1: After launching an opponent into the air if you BKC a Calibur at the correct timing you'll perform a "cross-up" meaning you'll switch sides with the enemy, pretty stylish if I do say so myself. Example 2: After performing streak or shuffle you'll normally need to perform a wire snatch to bring the enemy close enough to continue your combo, however if you BKC either of these moves on hit it will prevent them from being propelled across the screen! Parrying: Parrying is simple in DMC. You simply have to time your attack so it strikes at the same time as your opponent. This may sound difficult in principle but it's actually quite simple because you have plenty of fast hitting moves at your disposal. The move "Shuffle" is particularly great at punishing baited attacks with parries. The most important enemies to parry are the ones that hit the hardest. You need to be patient and time your attack accordingly. Example 1: The enemy Scudo Angelo possesses a shield that offers protection from the front. If you continue to attack their shield whilst they’re blocking they'll eventually perform a running charge counter-attack, if you time shuffle correctly it will break their shield causing them to take full damage from the front! Alternatively you can jump over their shield and attack them from behind. Devil Bringer - You won’t gain access to the Devil Bringer mechanic until you're at the end of the game. Devil Bringer works similar to DMC 4. Pressing the Devil Bringer button near an enemy will cause you to perform a grab whether you're grounded or in mid-air. However, it's outperformed by the Buster Arm devil breaker which deals significantly more damage. It can be used like "Wire Snatch" to pull an enemy towards you, although this doesn't show any distinct advantages and seems to be more geared towards personal preference. Note: You can extend the grab animation on specific enemies by repeatedly tapping the Devil Bringer button. Exceed: The exceed system is a mechanic that allows you to greatly increase your damage output and style ranking whilst using Red Queen. It basically superpowers your sword adding amazing properties to moves, along with a cool fire effect! The sword can be manually revved by tapping and holding down the exceed button, however a more useful method of revving is through the Ex-Act ability. Please note you can rev up during an air taunt allowing you to gain style points and earn some exceed at the same time. Ex-Act: This is an incredibly useful mechanic to maintain exceed and is possible to perform during combos so it will not break the flow of gameplay like manually revving. If you time your exceed within the allotted time frame you can instantly build a full stock of exceed, however an improved version of this concept is the Max-Act system. Max-Act: Max Act is an upgrade that can be purchased in the customization menu. The Max-Act system is similar to the Ex-Act system but with one major difference. The timing is more strict but you're rewarded with 3 stocks of exceed instead of one. Please note the time window to perform a Max-Act is 2/60th’s of a second! Note: For further information regarding Nero's secondary weapon the "Blue Rose" revolver and his charged shots please refer to the weaponry section below. Weaponry & Devil Breakers Red Queen - Nero’s trusted sword from Devil May Cry 4, the Red Queen retains it's old move-set with a couple of tweaks/additions thrown in for good measure, however the exceed timing has been tweaked to make things slightly easier to time. Blue Rose Revolver - Nero's high powered revolver is a very useful weapon that can be used in many combat situations. The Blue Rose can be shot normally or it can be charged. Tapping the gun button will shoot a regular shot and holding it down will charge it. There's 2 types of charged shots that you can unlock as upgrades. These allow you to shoot a more powerful projectile than regular shots. Charged shots are essential for higher style rankings and higher difficulties where the enemies have a considerable amount of health. Blue Rose Utility Ranged Combat: Self explanatory, use the gun to attack enemies when you're unable to reach them through conventional means. Maintaining/Increasing your Style Rank: Regular shots don't increase your style rank all that much; it’s mainly used to maintain your combo rank or to keep your opponent in an airborne state. Charged shots deal a considerable amount of damage and they boost your style rank and can help you achieve higher style ratings. Combo Extensions: The Blue Rose is amazing for extending combos, the Blue Rose is an incredible juggling tool allowing you to keep an enemy suspended in the air, allowing you to combo them further with your melee weapon. Furthermore you can "gun cancel" various moves to style on your enemies helping you to obtain that Smoking Sexy Style! Devil Breakers If you own the deluxe edition you'll have access to additional devil breakers, specifically Pasta Breaker, Mega Buster and Gerbera-GP01. Since these are not available to use in Bloody Palace mode, I'm excluding them from the list below. Devil Breakers are destructible arms made by Nico that enhance Nero’s combat abilities, however they can break, replacing them can be expensive especially when you're low on funds! It’s possible to purchase devil breakers in bulk which will automatically give you one of each type, personally I would suggest against this because some devil breakers are simply better than others. Activating Devil Trigger does not enhance the damage of your Devil Breakers and the damage/mileage you receive in terms of damage from each one is enemy and difficulty specific. Not to mention enemies have strong and weak points where their defence is different. When equipping/collecting Devil Breakers there’s something you should consider, since you're unable to rotate your breakers on the fly you'll have to manually order them to suit whatever situation you find yourself in. The alternative is to simply break them until you find the one you want but that's a waste of breakers and orbs! Devil breakers have more than one ability, every devil breaker has a standard attack, and an ultimate attack which will result in the arm being destroyed or you can choose to destroy it yourself which can then be jump cancelled. Certain devil breakers have different effects whilst grounded than they do if you're in an airborne state. Finally, every devil breaker has a break-away move that can be very useful in certain situations such as escaping a grab! ~ Overture (Cost: 500 orbs) Rank S ~ The first Devil Breaker you're introduced to is in my opinion one of the best! Overture deals reliable damage, and can extend your combos provided the opponent is laid down on the ground, using Overture's standard attack on an opponent who's laid down will act as an "off the ground" or OTG allowing you to combo them further. They're relatively inexpensive to replace and have one of the most potent attack combinations, the infamous "Triple Overture" bomb. Although this requires 3 Overture devil breakers to perform, the amount of damage in return is well worth the investment. Overture’s standard attack (Circle) known as "Battery" is a great combo ender and it can be used to parry an opponent's attack as it covers a large area ahead of you. Whilst the powered up version "Exploder" impales an enemy with a ticking time bomb which will detonate over a short-period of time or you can speed up the process by shooting them with the Blue Rose revolver. ~ Gerbera (Cost: 500 orbs) Rank S ~ If you feel you need more mobility then this is the Devil Breaker for you! Gerbera is arguably the best Devil Breaker in the game because of its abilities which I'll go into detail below; It’s standard attack "Jockey" is a fantastic parrying tool allowing you to open your opponent up before landing a full combo. You can perform evasive manoeuvres whilst airborne which has the same property but it allows you to stay airborne for longer and deflect projectiles back to their source! Unlike Overture, Gerbera has 2 different powered up attacks that you can use, one is a grounded laser called "Stamen Ray" whilst the other is an airborne attack known as "Petal Ray" which sends miniature laser beams all over the screen that bounces off walls! ~ Punchline (Cost: 500 orbs) Rank A ~ Punchline’s standard attack sends a flurry of fists at your opponent which is an excellent juggling tool whilst dealing damage over time. Unfortunately, it’s not very effective at breaking through armour. Upon sending a flurry of fists towards your opponent you can call the Devil Breaker back at any time and even ride it as a hoverboard! Performing various tricks in the process this skill is known as "Jet Gadget" whilst the fully charged attack "Boost Knuckle" performs a powerful uppercut, the only downside is it takes a long time to charge, just like Showdown! ~ Helter Skelter (Cost: 1,000 orbs) Rank B ~ I typically only use this Devil Breaker in specific situations which is why it's rated a B. The main attraction with Helter Skelter is it’s standard attack "Drill Rig", why? because it’s fantastic at breaking through armour, especially against "Death Scissors". Whilst the powered up version "Drill Master" creates a tornado effect that will hurl several opponents into the air, which has a great area of effect (AOE) resulting in several enemies taking damage. ~ Buster Arm (Cost: 3,500 orbs) Rank S ~ Buster Arm is by far the most expensive Devil Breaker in the game but does it warrant its hefty price tag? Absolutely! Its standard attack "Neo Buster" acts as a grab which is essential during your initial playthrough because you won’t have access to one! Its powered up attack "Super Buster" is the single most damaging attack with Nero which can be performed in both an aerial and grounded state, and is most useful for destroying the toughest enemies in the game. Especially on DMD difficulty because it allows you to defeat certain enemies before they enter their devil trigger state. ~ Rawhide (Cost: 1,000 orbs) Rank B/C ~ The standard attack of Rawhide acts in the same manner as wire snatch except it’s a slightly upgraded version because it actually deals damage! The damage is proportional based on the distance between you and your opponent. The enhanced version can pull enemies towards you that you wouldn’t normally be able to. By the way, did I mention this is a passive buff? The standard attack of Rawhide "Side Winder" is a wild area of effect melee swing/combo that's fantastic for parrying with. Whilst the powered up version "Loop the Loop" is a fancy grab attack that looks like it was heavily inspired by Spiderman. ~ Ragtime (Cost: 2,000 orbs) Rank B/C ~ Ragtime is another devil breaker I use for specific occasions because it can be used to slow down time allowing you to prepare your next attack or lay the smackdown on your enemies whilst they’re under a different time zone. The standard attack "Slow Sphere" creates a spherical void that slows down time within its radius, however it doesn’t linger for very long. Whilst the powered up version "Slow World" lasts considerably longer and affects your entire view with the slowdown effect so nothing escapes it. Both the standard and powered up versions are useful against the Fury and Hell Judecca enemy types. ~Tomboy (Cost: 1,000 orbs) Rank B/C ~ The final devil breaker in Nero’s bag of tricks is tomboy. Admittedly, I rarely use this devil breaker but that doesn’t mean it's bad! Once activated, tomboy will increase the damage output of Nero’s sword the Red Queen, the downside is, it takes away your control! Whilst active you're unable to perform exceeds and charged shots with the Blue Rose. If that doesn’t sound bad enough you're unable to lock on to your enemies! Its standard attack "One Night Stand" slightly powers up your weapons, whilst the powered up version "Rendezvous" gives you the most benefit! Furthermore, you can enter a Third Person mode where you can shoot and aim freely at anything you desire. Whilst tomboy is active it powers-up your grab attacks, the wonderful thing about tomboy is you can activate and deactivate the devil breaker whenever you wish, therefore if you're smart, you can implement the added damage from tomboy whilst never breaking the arm. Example: Launch an opponent into the air performing an aerial combo, ensure you finish the combo into a Payline BKC, as soon as you BKC the Payline, activate tomboy whilst in mid-air and perform the aerial spiral move which you can BKC as you descend. As soon as you land, deactivate Tomboy and finish the combo with an aerial/grounded grab! Move-list (Total Cost 3,719,100) There are many unlockable skills/abilities you can purchase for Nero. I will discuss each one briefly and rank them according to my personal tier list. Please take into account this is my personal opinion and individual experiences may differ. Before purchasing a skill from Nico you're able to try before you buy, a nice quality of life feature, after-all there’s no point purchasing a move or ability if you cannot perform it. Please be aware, I have not included EX versions because they require stocks of exceed, therefore only the base move-list will be covered. Tiers S Rank: Amazing A Rank: Great B Rank: Useful C Rank: Poor D Rank: Useless #1 Running Dropkick (Cost: O orbs) Rank D: The amount of damage this move inflicts is laughable, you're unable to exceed it, and it doesn’t have much utility but it’s fun to throw in your combos every now and again. #2 Speed (Cost: 4,500 orbs) Rank B: Although this ability is relatively inexpensive to purchase, all you're getting from it is the ability to sprint therefore I cannot recommend purchasing it until the later stages. #3 Table Hopper (Cost: 3,000 orbs) Rank B: Without question one of the best skills for Nero because it allows you to reposition yourself and get behind your opponent which is a bargain for the amount of orbs it'll set you back. #4 Table Hopper 2 (Cost: 10,000 orbs) Rank A: This version grants all the benefits of the original but provides you with the ability to evade and counter in any direction you see fit. #5 Table Hopper 3 (Cost: 25,000 orbs) Rank S: The fully upgraded version of Table Hopper is the one you really want, but it’s pricey! This is arguably the best defensive ability for Nero in the game, a MUST buy. #6 Wire Snatch 2 (Cost: 8,000 orbs) Rank A: This version gives you slightly longer reach than before, not a bad way to spend 8,000 orbs. #7 Wire Snatch 3 (Cost: 40,000 orbs) Rank S: Easily the best version in the game because it allows you to grab enemies from a greater distance and allows you to extend your combos whilst grounded and airborne. #8 Air Hike (Cost: 20,000 orbs) Rank A: Air Hike is essentially a "double jump" which will allow you to stay in an airborne state for longer, resulting in your character being safer and you can extend your aerial combos further. You use this in the games platforming sections to get around more efficiently. #9 Trigger Heart (Cost: 15,000 orbs) Rank A: Having the ability to extend your Devil Trigger is never a bad thing! #10 Enemy Step (Cost: 45,000 orbs) Rank S: Enemy Step is the essence of jump cancelling. A technique that allows you to perform the most stylish combos by cancelling your animations and resetting your attacks. I highly recommend purchasing this skill however, keep in mind that it does need some practice to use effectively. #11 Get More Orbs (Cost: 50,000 orbs) Rank D The ability to gather Red orbs from further away is absolutely trash and should not be purchased unless you have Red orbs to spare because the ability doesn’t help you in combat. #12 EX Provocation (Cost: 3,000,000 orbs) Rank C: The most expensive ability for Nero is a very long-drawn out taunt that plays a great theme song and builds a lot of style points, regrettably it’s not very useful in actual play and thus not worth it’s price tag. #13 Colour Up 2 (Cost: 1,800 orbs) Rank B: Colour Up allows you to charge an extra shot with the Blue Rose revolver which will provide you with a few benefits, you'll deal more damage and the attack itself will provide more hit-stun to the enemy allowing you to combo them further. #14 Colour Up 3 (Cost: 35,000 orbs) Rank A: Naturally the best version costs a lot more but is it worth it? Yes it is, you get an additional charged shot meaning you can fire 3 powered shots which do a ton of damage and hit-stun. #15 Charge Shot 1 (Cost: 7,000 orbs) Rank C: Charge Shot is a more powerful version of Colour Up, unfortunately it’s very unimpressive when it comes to damage unless it’s fully upgraded so think of this skill as an investment. #16 Charge Shot 2 (Cost: 18,000 orbs) Rank B: The next upgrade adds an additional shot meaning you can fire twice, not a bad thing! Your goal after-all is to deal damage and this is a great way to deal it from afar. #17 Charge Shot 3 (Cost: 45,000 orbs) Rank A: The final upgrade of Charge Shot is the one you really want. Not only do you get 3 shots but after each shot a secondary explosion will occur dealing additional damage. Launching your opponent in the process allowing you to combo them further. #18 Streak (Cost: 800 orbs) Rank A: One of the best combo starters in the game not only is it the most inexpensive skill to purchase but its range and damage is exceptional. Did I mention, you can bringer knuckle cancel it? Well you can! #19 Streak 2 (Cost: 8,000 orbs) Rank S: This version gives you increased range and slightly improves the damage over the original. Is it worth 10 times the cost of Streak 1? You bet your arse it is! #20 Split (Cost: 1,200 orbs) Rank S: I frequently use this move to finish my aerial combos with and for good reason. You can input-buffer into Hardway whilst you descend from the air allowing you to extend your offence, you can BKC it and it leaves the opponent in a hard knockdown state. #21 Red Queen Combo B (Cost: 2,500 orbs) Rank A: This combo string staggers opponents fairly well and can be cancelled during each hit. The only downside is you have to commit with each attack. #22 Red Queen Combo C (Cost: 5,000 orbs) Rank S: Red Queen Combo C is a safer/faster combo string than Combo B, furthermore each attack can be quickly cancelled into another. #23 Red Queen Combo D (Cost: 8,500 orbs) Rank B: Personally I believe this is the worst combo string. I would strongly advise picking this skill up towards the end of your playthrough. #24 Roulette Spin (Cost: 7,000 orbs) Rank S: This is Nero's best aerial attack, and is great for building style points. It deals more damage than his aerial combo and keeps you suspended in the air, unlike split. #25 Shuffle (Cost: 8,000 orbs) Rank S: Shuffle is very useful in specific situations. It’s one of Nero’s best defensive manoeuvres because you can parry attacks whilst being relatively safe. Furthermore it’s a great combo starter, especially when you pair it with either wire snatch or bringer knuckle cancelling. #26 Payline (Cost: 15,000 orbs) Rank S: Payline is by far one of the most useful tools in Nero's skillset. It’s essentially his dive-kick and allows him to reposition himself without displacing the enemy. #27 Hardway (Cost: 20,000 orbs) Rank A: Hardway is a great follow-up to moves like split and payline which sends the enemy spiralling away from you. Upon contact, hardway causes a ground bounce which allows you to further extend your combos. #28 Calibur (Cost: 25,000 orbs) Rank S: Calibur is everybody’s favourite move to jump cancel. Using a gunshot in mid-air will allow you to chain multiple jump cancels together. This allows you to perform calibur cancels which will significantly raise your style rank! #29 Exceed 2 (Cost: 3,800 orbs) Rank B: Having the ability to stock a second level of exceed is too good to pass up. After-all, if you exceed your attacks you'll benefit from higher damaging/stylish combos. Not to mention, if you have 2 levels of exceed this will change the attack properties of your next 2 attacks! #30 Exceed 3 (Cost: 12,000 orbs) Rank A: Upgrading your exceed is crucial as it allows you to increase your damage output which is very useful when tackling the higher difficulties. Remember, you can manually rev the sword up as you traverse through the missions or you can time a max exceed, which is significantly harder to do. #31 Max Act (Cost: 45,000 orbs) Rank S: Undoubtedly, this is the best exceed you need to master because it will give you every single stock of exceed, the downside is you have 2/60ths of a second time-window to activate it! Don’t forget every attack in the game including Nero’s air taunt you can max exceed. #32 Showdown (Cost: 25,000 orbs) Rank A: If it wasn’t for the charge time, this would be an S Rank skill. Showdown is exclusive to Nero’s Devil Trigger, however it’s one of his most powerful attacks, and is very useful for finishing off tougher opponents once you get them into a hard knockdown state. #33 Maximum Bet (Cost: 50,000 orbs) Rank C: Personally, I don’t think this move is worth the orbs required to purchase it, although the attack looks cool, it lacks substance! You can charge it and choose to release it after one or two flashes but even then it’s far less effective than showdown. #34 Flat Top (Cost: 50,000 orbs) Rank C: Unfortunately this ability falls into the same category as maximum bet. It simply makes you descend from an aerial state slower than usual, not exactly exciting or ground-breaking. Note: You're able to purchase additional slots for devil breakers which greatly increase in price, but if you have the orbs to spare, it’s not a bad call to have an extra slot. The total cost for all 5 of these upgrades is 105,000 orbs! Fun Fact: Did you know that Nero’s entire move-list is named after gambling and casino terms?, well it’s true! Most Potent Combinations Have you ever asked yourself, jeez if only I knew what Nero’s most powerful "nukes" are, I would own this shit! Well you’ve come to the right place, some of these combinations are resource and execution dependent for further details please see below; Nuke 1: Triple Overture Bomb: Naturally you'll need to have 3 Overture devil breakers equipped to perform this nuke. Simply power up each Overture separately and "plant the bomb" within the enemy, repeat 2 more times and either wait for the bomb to detonate or shoot to speed up the process. Nuke 2: Buster Arm (Powered up): Without question Nero’s most powerful nuke, depending on the enemies type/defence and where you perform it you'll receive a different attack animation and damage value. Obviously this breaks the devil breaker, however whilst grounded against a Hell Caina, you can grab multiple times to greatly increase its power. Please note you’re not safe while performing the animation, so if you're going to abuse this tactic/strategy use it on the final enemy. On DH difficulty against a Hell Caina this attack including the additional follow-ups deals 4,500 damage! Nuke 3: Showdown: Dealing around the same damage as the triple overture bomb with its follow-ups. The trade off here is the attack will require most of your devil trigger gauge to perform but you’ll regenerate health. Nuke 4: Ragtime RS Exceed loop: Out of all of Nero’s nukes this is stronger than showdown and doesn’t require any devil trigger, however you need execution to perform it. You'll need 2 Ragtime devil breakers, a Buster Arm devil breaker and a launch-able enemy, such as Vergil! When an opportunity to deal damage presents itself, use the powered up version of Ragtime to slow down time and launch him into the air with High Time. Here comes the tricky part: you need to be holding down the next powered up version of Ragtime whilst performing the following combo, since you need at least 1 stock of exceed you'll have to time you're exceed on the second hit of roulette spin, now jump cancel RS and rinse and repeat for 3 to 4 reps per devil breaker. Once you’ve completed all your EX Roulette spins, finish him off with a fully charged mega buster! This combination deals around 40% of Vergil’s health on Dante Must Die difficulty! Combo-ability & Advanced Mechanics If you wish to truly master Nero, you'll need to understand how to perform intricate and execution heavy combos that incorporate multiple devil breakers, devil trigger and last but certainly not least it’s possible to perform 5 things at ONCE which will be explained below; if you can do this then you're a fantastic Nero player. 5 things at once, are you mad?: The secret to mastering Nero is being able to perform the following actions at the same time whilst utilising his devil breakers for maximum style. You can charge the Blue Rose revolver, initiate an attack, bringer knuckle cancel the attack, land a Max-Act and charge your devil breaker's most powerful move! Combo Structure Knowing how to create combos will drive your curiosity, thus giving you the building blocks to move forward. Naturally you'll need to know how to start a combo, what the best moves or combinations of attacks to use are, how to extend aerial combos, and what to use as a combo ender. All of this will be explained below with a few examples, however this will not be an exhaustive list. Combo starters: Some of the best combo starters are as follows; Red Queen Combo C, Streak, Shuffle and Table Hopper. Please note unless you've completed the game you'll have to wire snatch after a streak/shuffle because you don’t have access to BKC. Aerial extensions: To extend your aerial prowess you've a few options, you can use any of the following; wire snatch, charge shots, roulette spin, enemy step and air hike. Combo finishers: You've a few choices when it comes to ending your combo. I would recommend the following moves; Split, Devil Buster (Grab), Aerial combo, and specific devil breaker moves such as Overture’s battery attack. Training Regiments The developers have given you the opportunity to hone your skills within the games training arena "The Void" therefore you should utilise this privilege because it's predecessors lacked this luxury. Ideally you should practise building combos, experimenting with different ideas and concepts, parry timing, and enemy knowledge to get the upper hand. To get you started, I'll provide you with a series of training exercises for aspiring Nero players. Entry: Practise jump cancelling once you've purchased the "Enemy Step" ability, I would recommend practising in this manner. Launch the opponent with "High Time" and follow the enemy into the air, land a single hit of his standard aerial combo, as soon as your attack strikes the opponent press the jump button to JC off him. Intermediate: Here you're going to practise how to BKC or Bringer Knuckle Cancel after Nero’s moves. This will give you more style points and increases your overall damage output. Remember you can BKC off any move including his aerial taunt, BKC also provides unique properties to certain attacks therefore you should experiment with different moves. Advanced: Learn the exceed timing then try to incorporate both Exceed and BKC together! I would recommend learning some of Nero’s advanced tech such as his aerial infinite against a Hell Antenora. Alternatively you can perform/execute the same thing on the ground by landing a single attack and then jumping the moment your attack connects. Another method is to have the opponent remain stationary (idle) and practise jumping off him by timing your button presses. Once you're accustomed to this, you can attempt multiple jump cancels within a combo to add another layer of depth to your gameplay. You can practice launching the opponent into the air with "High Roller", but don’t hold the button down after pressing and timing your single or double attacks with the start-up of Red Queen Combo C then cancelling into a gunshot to juggle your opponent. Combo Examples (Beginner) Beginner Combo example 1: Red Queen Combo C, High Time, 2 hits of Aerial combo into Split. (705 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Beginner Combo example 2: Red Queen Combo D, Hardway, High Time, 2 hits of Aerial combo into Split. (1,035 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Beginner Combo example 3: Streak, Wire Snatch, Red Queen Combo C, High Time, 2 hits of Aerial combo into Split. (825 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Beginner Combo example 4: Shuffle, Wire Snatch, Streak, Wire Snatch, Red Queen Combo C, High Time, single hit of Aerial combo, Jump Cancel, into 3 hits of Aerial combo. (1,050 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Once you have a basic combo structure and a degree of precision with jump cancelling, try to incorporate devil breakers into the equation. I'll provide some combo examples with a few of my favourite Devil Breakers to get you started. Combo Examples (Intermediate) Intermediate Combo example 1: Shuffle, Wire Snatch, Streak, Wire Snatch, Red Queen Combo C, High Time, single hit of Aerial combo, Roulette Spin, Jump Cancel, single hit of Aerial combo, Payline, Hardway, Overture standard attack when opponent is grounded use this twice, neutral jump into an air grab followed by an aerial taunt. (1,770 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Intermediate Combo example 2: Shuffle, Wire Snatch, Streak, Wire Snatch, Gerbera forward and Circle (without lock-on), Air grab, Air Hike, Air taunt, Split, Hardway, Red Queen Combo B. (1,509 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Intermediate Combo example 3: Shuffle, Wire Snatch, Streak, Wire Snatch, Red Queen Combo D, Hardway, Punchline standard attack, Run, Neutral jump, Air grab, Air taunt, Split. (1,557 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Intermediate Combo example 4: Shuffle, Wire Snatch, Streak, Wire Snatch, Red Queen Combo A, Hardway, Rawhide standard attack hits multiple times for the full animation, Wire Snatch/run, into High Time, Roulette Spin, Jump Cancel into Aerial combo all 3 hits, then add an aerial taunt to finish. (1,857 Damage Vs a Hell Caina on DH difficulty). Once you've learned everything described above, it’s now time to attempt some high level shit. Here you'll attempt to master multiple Devil Breakers, charged shots, JC’s, Devil Trigger and BKC within a single combo! Combo Example (Advanced) Advanced Combo example: Hold lock-on and charge Blue Rose revolver, Shuffle (BKC + Exceed), EX Streak (BKC), Streak (BKC), Red Queen Combo C (BKC attacks 1, 2 and 5 + Exceed), EX High Roller, Roulette Spin (Exceed off the 2nd Hit), Release charged shot, Devil Bringer, Aerial Combo (single hit + Exceed), EX Double Down. Shot, Explosion, running dropkick, Overture standard attack x2, neutral jump into Aerial combo (all 3 hits), Payline, Hardway (Charge Overture bomb), Implant the bomb, Gerbera forward attack, aerial shot, aerial grab. Gerbera breakaway, jump cancel, Punchline attack, High Roller (Don’t hold down the button), move around or roll and shoot the enemy whilst airborne, reposition yourself so you can land a single hit of his melee combo and cancel into a gunshot and repeat for a few reps, after the launcher perform 2 calibur cancels, the second one you should BKC to cross up the opponent. Aerial combo (single hit + 1 lvl Exceed), Double Down, shot whilst the enemy's airborne into punchline’s powered up attack then taunt. Note: Once you’ve completed the game, you can substitute wire snatch for devil bringer, for that Blue stuff which naturally looks better. Training Examples Practise the following training programme to step your game up, practise each routine until you're comfortable on both sides of the screen. This will ensure maximum retention (Muscle Memory), and if that's not enough, you’ll have no problem pulling them off in actual combat! Routine 1 Step 1: Practise how to jump cancel "Shuffle" until you can perform it 10 times in a row without failing. Step 2: After you’ve mastered the first step, try and execute "Calibur" as low to the ground as possible after the JC Shuffle. Why is this important? Well here’s the theory behind it: shuffle is an evade and counter move, however you're able to jump cancel during the back-dash. The move is great for parrying enemy attacks, however if miss-timed, you can quickly JC it to make yourself safe because neutral jumping has frames of invincibility then you use calibur as a punish, to start your offence. Routine 2 Step 1: Set any opponent to attack you and practice evading their attacks by rolling to the side or neutral jumping at the correct time. Ideally you should have "Table Hopper" fully upgraded allowing you to evade in style. Step 2: Avoid an enemy's attacks using only Table Hopper. The theory behind this routine is very simple, you’ll have a better understanding on how to evade enemy attacks, and if you master the final step you're rewarded with style points. The final step of this routine is punishing your opponent after a successful dodge roll or neutral jump. Remember to lock-on to an opponent first otherwise you're unable to dodge roll! Routine 3 Step 1: Many new players struggle when it comes to closing the distance between you and your enemy, they end up running towards them before attacking, this is not advised because it puts you at risk. You should utilise Nero’s Wire Snatch or Devil Bringer to pull enemies towards you, but this doesn’t work on larger enemies such as the Behemoth, Hell Judecca or the Empusa Queen to name a few. The theory behind this one is to bring the enemy towards you, not the other way round. You can pull enemies towards you whilst you're airborne as a way to start your offence. After all, its safer and practical! Routine 4 Step 1: Experimenting in the lab (Training Mode) will give you a tremendous advantage when faced against any opposition. Here are some key things you should practise to exploit their weaknesses, if you launch them into the air, do they resist it? If you use Hardway do they bounce off the ground? Can you pull them towards you with Wire Snatch/Devil Bringer? If you know your enemies weaknesses it makes them so much easier to overcome them! Routine 5 Step 1: Practise parrying an enemies attacks since this will provide you with an opportunity to land damage, if you understand how to create a "bread and butter" combo this could lead to a TOD or "Touch of Death" which will be invaluable on harder difficulties. The bottom line is to have fun! Use the training mode to experiment with new combo ideas, and implement different devil breakers to spice things up. Learn how to exceed and bringer knuckle cancel to ramp up your damage output and look stylish as hell doing it! Match-Up Knowledge Tips and Tricks! To conclude my Nero breakdown we will get into some enemy specific tech that will help you throughout your playthrough’s. Some of them require certain devil breakers to perform but if you heed the advice provided, you'll be smacking demons around in no time. The key to victory is to "Know your Enemy"! ~ Lesser Demons ~ Hellbat: The Hellbat is a unique enemy because it has 2 phases, a standard and ignited form. It’s in your best interest to prevent it from igniting because in it's standard form this foe is a glass cannon. Once ignited it receives an insane defensive boost, rendering your attacks useless. Upon death it will begin to swell up before exploding, this will cause an AOE blast damaging nearby enemies, if you have access to Nero’s devil buster you can throw the Hellbat at any enemy you want! Tech: If you parry his flaming spit back at him with a well-timed Double Down you can grab him straight away which is invaluable on the harder difficulties! Hell Antenora: During your initial playthrough you don’t really have an answer to this foe, especially when it enters it’s enraged state. However there are a few things you can do to escape it’s wrath, the easiest method is to simply evade it’s attack, alternatively you can throw him out of this state with either Nero’s devil buster arm or using Rawhides powered-up grab which will put him back into a neutral state. Regrettably, it’s not possible to keep this enemy in a juggle state unless you have enough execution to perform the infinite. This involves starting a combo with Red Queen, launching him into the air performing a single strike of his aerial combo, gaining at least 1 stock of exceed. Now cancel the attack into the EX version of Split known as "Double Down" then jump cancel immediately after and repeat the process. ~ Greater Demons ~ Hell Judecca: On the harder difficulties this enemy is a pain in the arse to deal with because he only lets you hit him a couple of times before he teleports away, but what if I told you, you can loop the son of a bitch! First you need to use Streak and the first 2 hits of Red Queen Combo C, now use High Time to launch him into the air followed by Roulette Spin, jump cancel into an air grab. Once you land, perform another streak into a single hit of Red Queen Combo C, High Time, Roulette Spin into an aerial grab. Rinse and repeat until he dies! You can use Ragtime to make it easier, if you wish! Behemoth: The most effective method of dealing with these gigantic demons is to use an Overture devil breaker and then detonate it to break through its armour, now walk round to its mouth while charging the powered up version of the Buster Arm devil breaker to get rid of him! Fury: Here's everyone’s favourite villain, the Fury! This is in my opinion the hardest enemy outside of bosses to defeat, if only there were an easy way to defeat him? Well, there is! You'll need to use the standard attack with Nero’s Ragtime devil breaker. You need to wait for him to stop attacking you and then slow down time around him with the orb, quickly strike him with the first 2 hits of Red Queen Combo C and then grab him. Once the grab animation has completed, use the orb again and strike him once whilst he’s slowly falling then quickly re-grab him! Alternatively, you can defeat him with a mega buster very easily, simply wait until he spawns, as soon as his eye glow, he's vulnerable, hit him with Hardway then mega buster him into oblivion! Death Scissors: Death Scissors can be dispatched in a number of ways, the easiest method involves using the Helter Skelter’s standard attack to break each half of its weapon, exposing its weak-point which can then be either shot or grabbed. The advanced method is to successfully parry any of its attacks which will expose the head for a brief period, quickly finish it with a gunshot! Scudo Angelo: Having a shield to protect yourself is an invaluable asset but a shield is no use if it’s broken. There are a few ways you can dispatch these enemies, the easy method is to simply jump over them, exposing their unprotected back, kind of like the Phalanx boss and minions from Demon's Souls. Whilst the harder method requires a well timed parry to destroy the shield when they charge towards you. Generally they'll perform their charge attack if you're attacking their shield whilst they block your onslaught. I highly recommend using Shuffle to break their shield! Infinite loop 1: Double Calibur into BKC (Advanced): Calibur, JC, Calibur (BKC Delayed), Single hit of his aerial combo, JC. Rinse and repeat! Infinite loop 2: Calibur, JC, Gerbera (Forward and Circle), JC. Rinse and repeat! Edited December 16, 2022 by LancashireLad87 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zizimonster Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Thank you for tips, @LancashireLad87! ? DMC5 has been in my wishlist for so long, I'll give this a read when I finally play the game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancashireLad87 Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 1 hour ago, zizimonster said: Thank you for tips, @LancashireLad87! DMC5 has been in my wishlist for so long, I'll give this a read when I finally play the game. No worries this is only a fraction of my personal guide, I have over 30,000 words left to convert to PSNP eventually. I'm going to try and get my next guide out before the end of the year! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gommes_ Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Wow man! That is detailed as f***. Thank you for this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancashireLad87 Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 6 hours ago, Gommes_ said: Wow man! That is detailed as f***. Thank you for this. Thanks man, I was thinking of recording some videos so people can see what each combo should look like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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