Infinity Blade II Game Guide

After the success of the critically acclaimed, best-selling iOS game Infinity Blade comes a sequel that will definitely hit the marks. Infinity Blade II continues to raise the bar for triple-A mobile gaming. Journey into the world of the Deathless tyrants and their legion of Titans. Build skills and upgrade characters… all while delving deeper into this mysterious, timeless adventure.

Combat Styles

So now you know how combat works. But what style of combat should you use? In the first Infinity Blade, you only got one choice: sword and shield. This time around, you have a few options for how to attack your enemies.

• Light – Your standard sword and shield. This is definitely your bread and butter of all three combat styles, as you’ll have full access to blocking with your shield, and your sword swings easier and requires less precision when it comes to timing it versus enemy strikes. Swipes are also quicker, making this combat style a great way to get a feel for combat and prepare for the other two modes.

• Heavy – The two-handed set of weaponry. This is a tough style to master, but you’ll also see huge damage numbers if you can get the right rhythm in a fight. You can’t carry a shield, so you won’t be able to block in the traditional sense; instead, you’ll be able to block directionally with your weapon as opposed to dodging. Your swings are also slower, so make sure to adjust your swipes accordingly. This is a great choice for large, slower enemies, like the hulking beasts you’ll encounter.

• Dual – Dual-wielding swords. This combat style also removes standard shield blocking, but will actually replace the shield with an additional dodge button, making this a fun and fast-paced way to fight. You’ll be able to attack faster, but you’ll also need to rely on dodge and parry breaks, making this the most interactive of the three styles. No holding down the block button here!

Every weapon combo works well enough, but specific types of enemies may require you to switch styles to fight the most effectively. Seeing as how there are over 50 types of enemies in Infinity Blade 2 for you to encounter, you’ll want to at least have general knowledge of all three, so take each one for a test drive early on in-game and get familiar.

Equipment: Mastery and XP

There are plenty of pieces of equipment in Infinity Blade 2; in fact, there are so many choices, it’s often tough to decide what to equip. Early on, you’ll equip items based on what you can afford; later, you’ll be choosing based on stats and abilities on each piece. Rings in particular offer a variety of spells, though we recommend spending the cash early on and picking up one with a heal attached to it. You’ll thank us later when that heal bails you out of a tight spot, trust us.

Now that you’re out and about, you’ll be getting XP for your efforts as you down each foe. Once a battle is over, you’ll receive XP for the fight (including bonus XP), and then XP for each piece of equipment you’re wearing. Once you’ve maxed out a piece, it’s considered “mastered,” which will cause two things to occur: one, you’ll get a point to spend on your character stats, making it lucrative to max out your stuff; and two, you’ll stop getting extra general XP from that item, making it necessary to upgrade if you want to continue getting the maximum XP from each fight.

Once you’ve maxed out a piece of equipment, consider swapping it out for something else so you can reap the XP benefits of an unmastered item and keep leveling up as swiftly as possible; however, also consider leaving a piece on if it’s highly beneficial to you and you’re willing to take the XP hit in exchange for a particular stat or spell.

Gems and You: A Starter Manual

The equipment in this game sees a fairly major overhaul, as they’ve added in gems to make your gear customizable beyond just fixed stat items. You’ll be able to add item/gold drop increases (our favorites), attack power, defense, added effects like poison and ice, and contextual gems that award bonuses based on things that happen during combat.

Gemming your gear is easy: just drag a gem into the appropriately shaped slot, and you’re set. Keep in mind, though, that to remove a gem, it’ll cost you gold; in fact, the value of the gem directly affects the cost to remove it from one piece of equipment for use in another. The best way to pick up new gems is to stick an increased gem drop jewel in your gear and keep upgrading it as you pick up better ones.

So far, we’ve seen as high as +330% increased drop rate for gems, which is really helpful when upgrading your gear and making sure you’re as powerful as possible for later fights. You can sell off older or less powerful gems for extra gold, too, so equipping that specific type of “increased gem drops” gem is great for making money and gearing up.

Source: G4TV.com