Summary
Set in early 20th century Poland,The Thaumaturgeexplores supernatural and social themes as players take on the role of Wiktor Szulski, a powerful Thaumaturge in contact with demonic spirits, who seeks to find answers surrounding the mystery of his father’s death. While much of the game is centered aroundhigh-quality narrative and writing, there is also a fun, turn-based combat system that enables players to see the extent of Wiktor’s powers.
Since his kind is generally despised, Wiktor finds himself engaged in lots of confrontations throughout the story, and players will need to master the art of combat to progress. Instead of using an inventory of weapons, Wiktor is primarily armed with skill cards for both him and his Salutors. Eachskill can also be further upgradedwith a variety of useful benefits as Wiktor earns Thaumaturgy Points. These points can be acquired by completing missions, interacting with objects, and defeating enemies in the game world.
1Use Healing Abilities When Necessary
Some Attacks Can Be Used To Regenerate Wiktor’s Health Points
In addition to dealing out damage and scrambling the minds of Wiktor’s opponents, some Salutors also come with extra unique abilities. One of the most useful which players will find very early on, is Upyr’sEerie Intoxicationability.
In addition to causing a mild amount of damage when the attack triggers, Eerie Intoxication will alsoheal Wiktor’s health points by halfand has a relatively short time in the overall sequence of attacks, meaning it can be used relatively oftenwhenever it is Upyr’s turn. It is worth noting that sometimes reinforcements may arrive once a set of enemies has been defeated, so ensuring Wiktor’s health is always topped up should be a high priority.
2Optimize Skill Upgrade Combos
Upgrades Can Be Used With Different Attacks To Grant Bonus Effects
There are two separate aspects to leveling up inThe Thaumaturge:Thaumaturgy Points and Skill Upgrades. Thaumaturgy Points will unlock new attacks and upgrades in different Dimenion categories, while Skill Upgrades can be applied in a separate screen to attacks to enhance their effects.
Since upgrades are separate assets from the skills themselves, they can be interchanged with different skillsin order to create devastating combinations. For example, pairing the Quick Attack card with the Gamble skill upgrade will give it a 60% chance of dealing double damage, which can greatly increase Wiktor’s overall damage output.
3Attack Several Opponents At Once
Using The Salutor To Weaken Enemies Can Help Level The Playing Field When Outnumbered
More often than not, Wiktor will be facing several enemies at once in combat, but he can string together moves that will affect several enemies in a single turn. Each round,the player will get two turns, essentially - one for Wiktor and one for his Salutor.
These attacks don’t necessarily need to be directed toward the same enemy, though some skills will work better in combination with a Salutor. Using theOld Woundattack can also help to weaken background enemies which dealing with others since this will passively deal out damage at the end of each round.
4Assess Enemy Weapons And Weaknesses
Taking Out Stronger Opponents First Can Give Wiktor A Fighting Chance
Enemy types can vary depending on the circumstances of the fight, but generally, enemies will fight eitherbare-handed, with melee weapons, or with pistols. Closed fists, of course, deal the least damage of these three, with melee weapons varying and generally pistols doing the most damage.
For this reason, it is important to target the most well-armed enemies first and attempt to induce certain States on them that will make them less effective. Enemies with strong combat Traits should also be targeted early since the differentSalutors can disable these Traitsand return the enemies to regular strength.
5Understand Sequences And Timing
Careful Strategizing And Combining Attacks Will Be Necessary Against Tougher Enemies
One of the most important aspects of combat to understand inThe Thaumaturgeis the timing and sequencing of moves, which is shown in the bar at the top of the screen during combat encounters. Divisions in the bar show the upcoming rounds, while the icons of each character or weapon show what is queued for the upcoming rounds.
Having an understanding of how this works will greatly simplify combat overall, and allow Wiktor to work better with his Salutors. While monitoring the upcoming attacks and sequences, it should be much easier to manage Wiktor’s health, as well as strategically plan attacks to interrupt enemy sequences.
6Be Mindful Of States And Focus
Ignoring States Can Be Costly, Both In Attack And Defense
In addition to health, combatants will also have an attribute calledFocus. Once either Wiktor’s or an enemy’s Focus is reduced to zero, they willenter the Breakdown State, making them more vulnerable to attacks while dealing out less damage.
The “Diversion” ability can be used to reduce enemy Focus, while Upyr’s “Liberium Veto” skill will also reduce the target’s focus while removing all negative states from Wiktor. It is important to monitor the active states affecting Wiktor in the lower left of the screen, beneath the health bar.
7Switch Salutors To Remove Enemy Traits
Change Between Salutors To Make Use Of Their Strengths And Weaken Enemies
As the game progresses, Wiktorwill acquire more Salutorsthroughout the game world, and each one has its own set of attacks and abilities. Once Wiktor has found more than one Salutor, it will be possible to switch between them during combat to disrupt enemy traits.
While actions can be queued in sequence for Wiktor and his Salutor, it will not be possible to stack multiple attacks from different Salutors in a single round. With that said, it is possible to switch Salutors each round to use the full range of their varied abilities.
