Know thine enemy
Square Enix’ new adventure Forspoken sees New York queen Frey Holland facing down a wild menagerie of twisted creatures and mutated animals, all corrupted by Athia’s smothering phenomena known as “The Break”. And while Frey has fortunately found herself equipped with an array of magical powers, Cheers, Cuff, some of the beasties that she faces will take a little analysis in order to best asses the battle plan.
When Frey faces off against an enemy she is yet to encounter — be it a lowly zombie or some ultra-rare treasure guardian, it can often benefit the player to try and get the downlow on which of Frey’s magical abilities will be strongest and weakest in combat. This information is, for the most part, easy to ascertain, and we’ll explain how to do so right now.
Off the Cuff
First, before you get stuck into the fight, be sure to perform a “Cuff Scan” by pressing Up on the D-Pad (PS5). This will see cuff perform a quick recon of the scene, identifying all opponents and highlighting them in Frey’s field of vision.
From there, perform a second Cuff Scan, while focused on an enemy, (Click L3 on the left thumbstick to lock-on to a specific opponent), and the action will pause while Cuff analyzes the enemy in question, offering you a quick insight into its history, an idea of how it will choose to attack you, and any other pertinent information. If you glance at the top right, you will see a diagram of the various magics that Frey will gather throughout her adventure. The Up arrows signify magic that is strong against this enemy, while a down arrow signifies magic that is weak, or even completely useless in this encounter.
Running Through My Veins….
Note also that some enemies are susceptible to specific effects, such as Poison. In these instances, you’ll want to ensure that you hit them Attack or Support spells that utilize the specific status. The magic of Tanta Prav, for example, contains several spells that will inflict Poison on their target.
Generally, Frey finds herself outnumbered and outgunned in every Forspoken encounter. But by using Cuff to perform a little research, and by learn what magic is most effective against each of your opponents, you can help tip the battle in her favor, allowing her odyssey through the mythic kingdom of Athia to continue for, well, another day… At the very least.
