Aurora — a once prosperous kingdom and a haven for all across the land. But today, darkness has fallen upon Aurora and legions of demons and monsters have come to prey on the innocent. Humanity fought back against the unholy tide, but alas, their efforts were nigh futile.
With Aurora’s population bound for extinction, a glimmer of hope shimmers in the shadows of the soul of one amnesiac knight named Maximus. Cursed with dark energies within, Maximus wields his powers against his demonic foes as well as his prowess in swordsmanship.
Alongside three other brave heroes, can Maximus restore Aurora to what it once was? Will he reclaim his memories of the past? Will he be haunted forever by the curse that he bears? Only you can uncover the truth in Shadow of Death: Dark Knight.
Bravestars Games, the makers of titles such as Forge Hero, the Stickman Revenge series, and Legendary Warrior, has another action-packed title in their Shadow of Death series: Shadow of Death: Dark Knight.
Preceding Shadow of Death 2: Demon Soul, Dark Knight is the paid version of Shadow of Death: Stickman Soul. What makes Dark Knight different from Stickman Soul is that in Dark Knight, all four characters are ready for use. You may create a new character and play as them without having to pay to unlock them. But that’s mostly where the difference ends.
Shadow of Death: Dark Knight is an incredibly fast-paced sidescroller action game with RPG elements. Skill and reflexes are important, other than having good equipment, and making one false move amidst a combo could instantly ruin your run. The boss fights, if you aren’t prepared, are vicious and unforgiving.
Are you ready to avenge the people of Aurora and cleanse the land of everything unholy? If you’ve just bought the game and stepped into Maximus’ shoes, read our Shadow of Death: Dark Knight beginner’s guide below!
1. Pick A Character That Complements Your Playstyle
Because Dark Knight has all the characters unlocked, you are free to make any one of them. The catch here is that each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, so giving each of them a try should be a great way to find out who might be suited for you.
Here are who each of the characters are in summary:
- Maximus – The titular Dark Knight of the game. Maximus is an amnesiac bearing a curse in which his arm exudes unstable demonic energy. He is the most balanced character in the game and the easiest to use with decent range, mobility, and armor. What makes him powerful is his ability to exert burst damage with his skills.
- Quinn – A girl born to a family of dark sorcerers. Upon learning her magic, an unbreakable curse was bestowed upon her — the inability to age. Her youthful appearance notwithstanding, Quinn is the eldest character. She excels at ranged combat and area of effect. Her black magic makes short work of the enemy all from a safe distance, causing considerable amounts of damage as she wields it.
- Mount – Once known as a teenager named Ron passed away and had his soul captured by a cruel king. Now known as Mount the Cursed Armor, he seeks to fight for his freedom to move onto the next life. Despite being the largest hero in the roster, Mount specializes in an increased HP and defense pool, as well as big, heavy swings all around. His strikes also have the chance to debilitate his enemies.
- Lunae – A scythe-wielding Keeper of Time and Space, Lunae is known among her peers to be haughty and rebellious. Her impulsiveness sometimes contributes to her unpredictability in battle. Out of battle, she seems to be quick to fall in love. Lunae has a wide attack range, being able to attack enemies both in front of her and behind her. Her skills allow her to be mobile as well as shred the enemy to pieces with lightning-fast combos.
Much like actual classes in any RPG, this is as similar as it gets. Play a few levels with each of these characters, learn their different combos and abilities, and maybe you’ll find out who you like best. You may also try them out in PvP if you wish.
With that important note down, let’s now get on with the meat of the game.
2. Play Through The Campaign And Aim For 3-Stars Every Mission
Almost every RPG out there has its own campaign.
Most campaigns tell a story; the triumphs of the hero, the origins of the villain, the history of a kingdom, etc. To experience the game’s lore in its purest form, do not pass up the chance to play the campaign. Dark Knight offers you a horde of insatiable monsters ready to rip you to shreds when they have the chance. At the end of every chapter, Node 10, a powerful boss awaits you. Do you think you can fight your way through without killing your hero off?
There are a few things that you may have to first consider: your loadout and your skill (as a player, not the skills of your hero). Any skilled player of this game will be able to handle the enemy horde with little-to-no trouble. But if you feel that you aren’t as confident, a good loadout will save your hide. What are we preparing you for, exactly? To 3-star a node, that’s what!
Earning 3 stars in a node is a big deal. You get a special prize whenever you gun for it. At the stage select screen, you will see a meter below the nodes: a trio of chests which each increase in size. The rewards from these chests vary but they may contain gear, crystals, and other impressive prizes. Again, these chests will only be unlocked once you’ve earned their corresponding amount of stars. A usual set of objectives for a node looks like this:
- Complete all objectives
- Clear within 120 seconds
- Damage taken less than 30% max HP
Having good gear will help mitigate damage and being deft and skillful with your attacks and dodges will help you fulfill at least two of these objectives. Having a good weapon will also help you dispatch your enemies easily, so keep these upgraded at all times!
Dodging is usually an issue since some enemies are more unpredictable than others.
3. Dodge Often
You see the enemy coming at you, weapon in tow! You see some projectiles fly out! Would you block it with your face or move out of the way?
Dodging in most video games is common practice. Some players can be more skillful than others when it comes to this, being able to weave through enemy attacks here and there. It’s especially popular in many action games available today. With Dark Knight having very fluid controls, there’s no excuse for you not to dodge.
This flashy and otherwise helpful maneuver can keep you alive. While it’s a matter of observation, making your character dodge also has the passive ability to block some damage (you can upgrade this in the skill menu). Be warned that dodging brings you at a distance closer to your enemy. There is no contact damage (this means taking damage from touching your enemies), but be careful if you’re trying to avoid your enemy’s melee attacks.
But dodging doesn’t limit itself to its defensive capabilities. You may use the dodge button to also get within spanking range. Get into your opponent’s face, tap the attack button, and give them the smackdown they deserve! Just be careful to not let them get the jump on you after this. This technique is called a Dash Attack. Dash Attacks usually deal a lot of damage and are great openers for combos, especially if you use the likes of Maximus, Lunae, and Mount.
Don’t get too dodge-happy, though! There are things that could stop you… painfully.
4. Watch Out For Hazards
There are just some things in the world that make it feel more alive… or dead.
The different areas of aurora are filled with dangerous things here and there. Many warriors would find themselves severely injured when their complacency gets the better of them. Spatial awareness and alertness are important if one wants to survive this darker and deadlier new Aurora. Watch your back, hazards abound!
Hazards are conditions or objects that are dangerous and may cause harm or injury to a person’s health. These may range from extreme weather conditions to exposed wires… in real life, anyway. In most video games, these represent themselves as bottomless pits, spike traps, falling objects, turrets firing at you from the background, unkillable enemies, etc. Shadow of Death has some stages rife with these.
Pictured above are falling rocks. These are especially dangerous because they can stun you and open you to enemy attacks. At some point, you might encounter a giant alligator monster that cannot be killed by any means. Dodging these is quite important as failing to do so could easily turn a run sour. If you need practice, repeat the level as much as you like until you understand how these hazards behave.
One surefire way to earn your 3 stars is to quickly destroy the objective monsters if there are any.
5. Kill The Objective Monsters
In almost every level, you are bound to encounter what is called an Objective Monster.
There are specific triggers that will advance you to the next phase of the node. While it’s common to see the objective as “Kill All Monsters”, that isn’t always the case. Occasionally, the game will assign an Objective Monster for you to slay. These monsters should be made your top priority if they pop up.
Objective Monsters, indicated by an arrow on top of their heads, may range from a group of small monsters to a few elite monsters. The speed of which you take these enemies out will affect your stars rating. Of course, the bigger monsters will take some time to defeat since many of them are classified as elites which means more health, more movement, more damage. Upon destroying all the Objective Monsters for the node will cause all other monsters to die out. This means you will have finished the level or, if you aren’t done with the level yet, move onto the next phase of the node.
Repeating levels isn’t just to memorize hazards and perfectly time your attacks towards Objective Monsters, mind you. You may also do this for boss levels!
6. Observe A Boss’ Attack Patterns
So you’ve finally made it. The enemy horde has been weakened and now it’s time to square off with the big, bad boss.
The boss monster — massive, scary, powerful, deadly. Many times, they are the bane of every player’s existence. Sometimes, some games have “that one boss” that separates the wheat from the chaff. Depending on which boss that might be (the Vampiric Wyvern, maybe), there will always be a boss fight in which the player will struggle greatly. If you’re one of those players who have a hard time fighting bosses in general, then allow us to enlighten you.
Let’s get something out of the way first: don’t “Leeroy” your way through a boss fight unless you can (e.g. if you have overleveled gear). If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a really old meme called Leeroy Jenkins, wherein the titular player rushes headlong into a room of difficult enemies during a World of Warcraft raid.
Despite his team coming up with a painstaking strategy, Leeroy still gets his whole party killed when everyone else decided to chase after him. In other words, don’t rush at a boss, especially if it’s your first time encountering them. That will only get you killed rather swiftly.
Most bosses in almost any video game have an attack pattern. This may entail things that they do in repetition, or things they do based on how you behave. Watch how they move and dodge their attacks accordingly. It may take a while for you to master a boss since they’re designed to keep the player on their toes. They aren’t bosses for nothing, after all. If you couldn’t 3-star the boss, come back stronger and try again next time. Your skill will also have improved by then.
Some other bosses, apart from having attack patterns, have weak points. Take for instance, the boss called The Heart of the Swamp, has a large, pulsating weakpoint in the very middle. The two gaping maws on the opposite ends of the screen are immune to all damage. While this weakpoint is something you should focus on, it’s a bit tough to get to since you’ll be dodging attacks here and there. Regardless, observe how these attacks work and dodge accordingly.
If bosses are just too easy for you, how about fighting other players?
7. Fight In The Arena
Welcome to the arena where every warrior is worth their salt!
The Arena is where players test their skill and their builds against one another. With the fights being brutally short, every warrior keeps coming back for more. You will win some, you will lose some, but that’s the way it is.
Fighting in the Arena is as rewarding as it is fun. Upon reaching a new rank for the first time, you will be given rewards that will help you get even stronger. Once you receive anything from the Arena’s rewards chest, do not spend them until you figure out what it’s for (we’ll talk about it in the next bullet).
If playing PvP isn’t your strong suit, we have you covered. Let’s lay down a few techniques for you to try out first. Just imagine other players like bosses of their own but much smarter than a regular boss with a more unpredictable attack pattern:
- Try luring your opponent into using all of their skills and then attack when their guard is down. This will require you to dodge a lot, though, so attempt this if you’re feeling confident.
- Get the jump on your opponent by performing your skill first. This should be a skill that will propel you forward. Be careful because some opponents will predict this.
- If you have Ancients equipped, save them for when you see the opponent wide open. Some of them, like the Dark Scroll can cause significant amounts of damage if used at the right time.
- Keep an eye on your opponent’s pet. Pets like the Eight Eyes Black Fire Fox are especially dangerous with their Black Tornado skill. This skill can immobilize you if you happen to get caught in it. Conversely, if you have one of these, you could be at an advantage as having your opponent trapped can make an opening for a lot of combo opportunities.
Winning a battle will earn you stars needed to move up to the next rank. If you happen to have a winning streak, you will earn more than just one star at a time. If you think you might be on a losing streak instead, try getting better gear.
With your wins, you should be earning Essences necessary for gear crafting. This is how you can get stellar gear in a short time.
8. Craft Gear
Any great RPG has a crafting system.
You earn materials from killing monsters, bosses, or maybe from mining them. But in Dark Knight, crafting materials are mostly won as spoils from battling in the arena. These rewards, Essences, are given to you after reaching a new division.
Essences are divided into four types: Magic (Blue), Rare (Yellow), Legendary (Red), and Ultimate (Purple). Having these will allow you to craft different types of high quality gear that may be difficult to find in the campaign. After earning some, it’d be safe to now check the Crafting menu which can be found in the lower portion of the main screen.
We recommend prioritizing a weapon first before your armor. A great weapon will carry you far in both PvP and PvE. The way you maneuver your character through enemy attacks should be enough to buy you time before you could craft better armor or accessories.
Further emphasizing on crafting as a whole, your previous equipment could be handed down for your pet to use. This will make them much stronger and give them an edge in any battle. This can be repeated up until both you and your pet possess Ultimate-grade gear. Just don’t forget to upgrade them, too!
Upgrades sure are expensive, aren’t they? We’ll tell you the easiest way to get more souls fast.
9. Spend Your Crystals On Souls
As if it wasn’t already apparent, Dark Knight is a dark fantasy RPG.
The condition of Aurora has certainly seen better days. Innocents have been tortured, killed, and eaten, the bodies of water that once gave life to Aurora are now teeming with death and ravenous creatures, and demons prowl the lands looking for fresh meat. Businesses no longer take gold as compensation — they are now paid in souls.
That’s right, souls; the very essence that gives life to a being. From where these souls come from and who they belong to is a mystery, but they are needed for you to improve on your gear, mostly. The latent powers within them somehow temper your weapons and harden your armor, granting your character more strength and a better chance at vanquishing stronger monsters.
Perhaps, in a way, the souls themselves also contained the hopes of the people who have been slain in these dark times and it’s up to you to fulfill their want for peace. But souls can become scarce as you play on.
You’ll be needing more and more souls the higher the grade of your gear gets and you will eventually run out. To combat this scarcity, you will have to use the crystals you earn from achievements, quests, and more. These crystals are a premium currency which can be bought with real money.
In turn, you can use these crystals to buy souls. We recommend saving at least up to 1000 crystals, because that can buy you a whopping 80k souls. You’ll be able to strengthen your gear a few levels and then some.
10. Watch Ads For Bonuses and More
Ads are everywhere these days.
Even in video games, they seem to almost be a necessity. Without them, the developers won’t be able to earn from free-to-play games but this is all at the expense of the player. Ads often interfere with a player’s gaming experience and this could greatly affect their interest in playing the game. Fortunately, there are some games out there that give incentive to players who watch the advertisements and Dark Knight is one such game.
While the ads are not invasive, there are some prompts in the game that will let the player watch ads for extra stuff. For instance, after completing a level (pictured above), the player has the choice to get extra equipment or even more souls/EXP.
This choice is purely at the discretion of the player. It can also help with the player’s need for more items, especially if there is a bonus for extra souls. Be warned that watching ads comes at the cost of video tokens.
You may also use your video tokens to watch ads in the card shop. With these, you’ll be able to procure free gear ranging from Common to Ultimate. If you’re feeling lucky and don’t wanna craft your own gear, give that a shot!
Every player is limited to at least 10 video tokens. This means that they cannot watch more than 10 videos in one sitting. After consuming some video tokens, you may have to wait a couple of hours before you can watch again. If you’ve run out of video tokens, it’s a good idea to put the game down and take a break. Who knows? Maybe when you’re ready to play again, your video tokens have been replenished.
To wrap this all up, Dark Knight’s strategies are fairly simple:
- Familiarize yourself with a character of your choice. Play a few levels with each character if you’d like.
- The campaign is the best place for you to learn the ropes of the game. Always aim for 3 stars.
- Practice dodging every time.
- Always keep an eye out for hazards. These can compromise your stars.
- Killing Objective Monsters will help you advance through a stage more quickly.
- Bosses have attack patterns. Mastering the patterns will help you survive.
- Fight in PvP to keep yourself sharp.
- Craft gear from your earnings in the Arena. This is also one of the fastest ways to get stronger.
- If you’ve been earning crystals, spend them on souls for upgrades.
- Ads are good for you. They come with a lot of rewards.
And that’s that for our beginner’s guide for Shadow of Death: Dark Knight. Aurora is in danger. Take the wisdom from this article and cleave through the darkness!
Do you have any tips of your own? Is there something you’d like to share with us? Do any of our tips require correction? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!