From weapon combos to finding secrets with the Spirit Realm ability, there’s a lot to keep track of while playing as Astor. Here are my top 5 beginner tips for Astor: Blade of the Monolith to make your starting journey easier.
Top 5 Early Tips for Astor: Blade of the Monolith
Buy Combo Skills First
Astor gives you a variety of Sword skills right from the start to unlock and I recommend you focus on the active combo skills. Moves like the Launcher, Runic Combo, and Combo Extended are much better and more impactful than just passive damage upgrades.
For example, the Runic Combo will allow you to make use of your blue Runic Power bar to perform AOE magic Sword attacks. If you’re struggling with blocking and parrying in a crowd, then the Shield Bubble is also a great unlock since it will block and parry in all directions.
Air Combos For Safety
Like in many spectacles fighting hack-and-slash games, there are air combos in Astor. I would highly recommend you unlock the Launcher skill and get used to propelling enemies into the air and following them. Launching an enemy, performing a light attack combo, and then finishing off with a heavy attack slam down is an excellent way to do damage but also keep yourself safe. Most enemies can’t attack you while you’re in mid-air. Surprisingly, you can even launch and air combo larger enemies, whereas most hack-and-slash games don’t allow you to do that.
You’ll Get Prompted for Spirit Realm
You don’t have to worry about missing hidden Spirit Realm platforms or passages since the game will notify you that there’s a Spirit Realm secret when you’re near one. When you see a prompt, activate Spirit Realm and look around in your close vicinity for any platforms that may have spawned. Alternatively, a passage might have been revealed that’s otherwise just a wall.
Activate Spirit Realm in Combat
Make use of the Spirit Realm ability in combat as well as exploration. Activating Spirit Realm in combat increases your damage and reduces your HP. However, one lesser-known effect is that it replenishes your Runic Power meter when you pick up any kind of orb during Spirit Realm. This can allow you to chain together multiple Runic Attacks during combat, whether through the Runic Combos or the Runic Parry.
Wait For the Mount to Explore
Astor is filled with certain semi-open world sections, and I would recommend getting your mount first before exploring them since it’s much faster. The mount can be acquired within your first hour or two of gameplay by reaching the small Diokek village in the desert and speaking to Tyut. He’ll point you to the Sacred Cave, where you can grab your mount.
Those are my top 5 beginner tips for Astor: Blade of the Monolith. For more Astor guides, check out the best difficulty for the game.
