No Rest For The Wicked Together - Combat Tips & Tricks

Often mistaken for a Diablo-like, No Rest for the Wicked can shock newcomers with a complex combat system and a steep learning curve.

Players who come expecting a lighter hack-and-slash experience —with lawnmower-type powers that can devour through huge hordes of weaker monsters— might get frustrated when facing the enemies in No Rest for the Wicked, which are fewer and smarter, and they punish over-extending and button-mashing.

Even the hardened Souls' veterans can find themselves in unfamiliar terrain, since No Rest for the Wicked's parrying and blocking mechanics are reimagined, and force you to throw away everything you learned from games like Elden Ring or Sekiro.

Here's my advice on how to get the best out of the enemies, which I tested through multiple complete playthroughs, from the very first Early Access updates until No Rest For The Wicked Together Patch 1.0.

How to Improve Combat in No Rest For The Wicked

Positioning Is Key

In a game with such an amazing level design, controlling the gaps and the position of enemies will give you an edge in every fight; you can use this to gain tempo and pop a quick stamina potion, to have a lunch break and heal, or to move behind the opponent and backstab them.

If you keep your eyes on your enemy at all times, you will quickly understand their attack pattern —it usually follows the same rhythm for the same enemy classes. Heavy enemies, for example, have a three-hit combo, a push, or a charge attack with a swing. Right after they complete one of these sequences, they leave a window of opportunity —but you need to be sure that you are well-positioned to seize it.

Weight Classes

Although there are different weight classes for your character —Light, Medium, and Heavy—, determined by the gear you wear and your Equip Load stat, the game favors the faster or medium style of play.

The benefit you gain from an increase in armor level is not linear, and the greater armor score you have, the flatter the damage reduction curve becomes; this means that sacrificing speed for an extra 20 or 30 points of armor won't actually give you a significant increase in damage reduction —especially at higher levels. I am a firm believer that the best defense is not being hit at all, and to do that, we need to stay quick on our feet.

Play around with the armor loadouts: try going as light as you can by wearing only cloth armor, and see if you can dodge all the incoming damage. If you feel like you still need some paddinness, swap armor pieces one by one and re-test. In the end, you will get much more value from the enchantments on your gear than from the armor scores.

Weapon Types

While heavy weapons such as Claymores or Greatclubs can deal massive amounts of damage and be fantastic against certain bosses, they aren't as good against groups of smaller enemies, nor in PvP.

This is because, while parrying can be good against one large, predictable enemy, missing the parry window in a fight where you are being outnumbered —or where you are playing against a quick, smart human—will leave you extremely vulnerable.

In addition to that, wielding a weapon with slow animations will make the stagger more severe, since you will be defenseless for longer.

At the current state of the game, it's easier to play with long-range weapons like spears or quick ones like daggers, fists, or curved swords.

I found it very entertaining to use a fast-hitting sword like Talwar or Filleter to farm focus from weaker mobs, and then swap for a wizard staff to spend it all on a massive fire nova.

How Shields Work in No Rest For The Wicked

Shields have been redesigned in the latest patches, and they now offer an interesting synergy with existing builds. Using a shield does not cost stamina anymore, which makes it OP for PvP combat. However, for PvE play, I always felt that using heavy shields was excessive in defense. While you can tank strong attacks with it, you become unable to move while you block, which turns you into an easy target for area effects and other damage sources.

On the other hand, light shields allow you to run while blocking. Although their damage reduction is insubstantial, they may be useful for closing up quarters on ranged enemies. Nevertheless, you should never try to stop a boss attack with it.

Medium shields tend to strike the right balance between the other two; you can walk while you block, and they can be upgraded to a moderate level of damage reduction.

In the end, I would rather choose my shield based on its enchantments and the synergy with other items —such as getting a shield that recovers focus on block—, rather than using it as a consistent tool for defense.

How to Play a Magic User in No Rest For The Wicked

For those who would like to play a wizard or cleric, light attacks should be considered a method of focus farming, instead of a tool for dealing damage. These builds start slower than others but become really powerful mid to end-game since they are very dependent on gear enchantments that increase focus or focus regen.

Shields can be a good addition to this, especially if they provide passives that synergize with your magic. Plus, elemental damage has become mighty strong in PvE with the addition of the new Bleed damage, and the stacking of elements such as Searing (Fire + Infection) or Fester (Plague + Bleed). Therefore, I recommend placing diversified rune types on your staff or carrying several wands that you can swap mid-fight to combine the magic effects.

How to Choose a Playstyle in No Rest For The Wicked

If you are new to No Rest For The Wicked, I recommend that you don't spend all of your attribute points from the first few level-ups until you have tried out several fighting styles. One of the beauties of this game is that every weapon has its own animation set, and there could be an argument for you to pick whichever you think looks cooler or feels more intuitive.

Starting every new game naked on a beach, we are at the mercy of the RNG gods to get our hands on good gear, but if you farm enough silver through Mariner's Keep and the Orban Glades, you will be able to buy a few different weapons when you arrive in Sacrament.

If, on the other hand, you've already invested all your attributes, but you still want to try a different build, you may want to check this guide on how to respec.