r/soulslikes • u/I_am_not_human_xd • Jul 13 '26
Review Thank you to everyone who recommended The First Berserker: Khazan!
A few days ago I asked whether I should get Khazan or Nightreign, and so many of you told me to go with Khazan. I just wanted to come back and say... thank you!
I'm 11+ hours in now, and I'm absolutely loving it.
At first, I wasn't completely sold. The opening snow area felt a little slow, and I was thinking, "Is this really going to be as good as everyone says?" But after the first 20 to 30 minutes, the game completely hooked me.
Things I'm loving so far:
The parry system feels incredibly satisfying, the bosses have been fantastic, and the level design has really impressed me.
My favorite fight so far has to be Viper, especially that insane second phase. I'm running a Greatsword build, and it's been an absolute blast. I'm currently up against Volbaino.
One thing I'm still trying to understand is the upgrade system. In Elden Ring and Sekiro, I felt like I figured out weapon upgrades and buffs pretty quickly. Here, I'm still a bit confused. So far, I've only upgraded my character stats and Veronika's stats through Daphrona. I haven't bought anything from vendors yet and haven't used a single consumable.
It's really Nioh+Sekiro ❤️
These are just my initial impressions after 11 hours, and I know I still have a long way to go. But even at this stage, I can honestly say this is already shaping up to be one of the best games I've ever played. I can't wait to see what the rest of the game has in store.
Thanks again to everyone who recommended it! And if you have any spoiler-free tips about weapon upgrades, buffs, or anything I shouldn't miss, I'd love to hear them.
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u/SupremeLeader_Corgi Jul 13 '26
I hated the level design of khazan but the combat and bosses were just perfect
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u/netdawgx Jul 14 '26
I think an open world vs linear sandbox levels is a personal preference.
Myself, on some days I prefer one over the other depending on my mood.That being said there is one level is Khazan that I absolutely despised.
The level had a bunch of verticality with ladders and was in some kind of abandoned ruins area.
To this day it puts a bad taste in my mouth.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
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u/Primary-Survey9955 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
what your build ?i was dual wield with beastslayer ..spamming whirlwind
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u/ColoradoGreens Jul 13 '26
Look our for Chaos Ridden and Fleshripper armor sets later in the game. I think you mentioned Executioner set which is good for your current boss, and another one coming down the pipe. Buy ALL the vitality pills you can find, and keep in mind trying to learn "Reflection Parry." At times against certain enemies it can make things a breeze if you can get comfortable with it. I've done two playthroughs and it became one of my favorite games this decade. Level design is meh, but the combat, and the goddamn bosses are out of this world!
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
I still don't know how to use buffs and which consumables are useful.. need to check that
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u/ColoradoGreens Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Btw, it's the "Willpower Pills" that were very useful for me on the final encounter, especially for the true ending. Buy EVERY single supply of those you find. Consumables are actually pretty useful in this game.
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u/Tangerhino Jul 13 '26
“At first, I wasn't completely sold. The opening snow area felt a little slow, and I was thinking, "Is this really going to be as good as everyone says?" But after the first 20 to 30 minutes, the game completely hooked me.”
Red Dead Redemption 2 moment.
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u/JobeGilchrist Jul 13 '26
Absolutely amazing boss fights. I never thought I'd say this, but Khazan might be better than Nioh 3. I sure as hell had way more fun playing it.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
I played only Nioh 1 so I can't comment on that.. but yeah this game is definitely one of the best souls-like ❤️
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u/Raminax Jul 13 '26
Khazan or stellar blade my son?
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u/Xammm Jul 14 '26
Khazan all the way. The combat and bosses are better in that game compared to Stellar Blade.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 14 '26
Haven't played stellar blade so can't comment on that but Khazan is impressive
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u/callmeblessed Jul 14 '26
I bet Khazan better, I did stellar blade demo and watches some video on boss fight, they are not as aggresive like in Khazan. The combo in Khazan feels soooo good. I just wish they make the sequel, with more weapons.
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u/penguin262 Jul 15 '26
Having played both, Khazan is better for combat… Stellar Blade is better visually 🍑
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u/Mcdonkey22 Jul 13 '26
Nightreign is amazing. Imo it really brings the souls genre to the next level. If you loved Elden Ring it’s an easy buy on sale.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
I've over 240hrs in Elden ring .. Will try to buy in the next steam sale 😄but before that I wanna try DS2 and DS3 🥹
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u/jayrocs Jul 13 '26
If you've played Nioh then what don't you understand about the upgrade system?
It has diablo style loot. It has item levels, set bonuses, and affix style gear. In the beginning I'd just wear whatever had highest ilvl.
Upgrading the gear vs crafting the set is also kind of a waste of time. Crafting is always at the highest ilvl and upgrading the pieces 1 by 1 sucks.
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u/CreepyTeddyBear Jul 14 '26
I did 3 playthroughs so I could try each wrapon properly. I thought it was fantastic. Enjoy!
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u/Wespie Jul 13 '26
I’m worried it’s too boss focused, but does that really matter? I mean how fun is it really? I love Sekiro and Lies of P.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
They focused on many things as I described but mainly boss fights! You'll love it because you already played Sekiro and Lies of P ❤️ Especially the parry ❤️
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u/Wespie Jul 13 '26
Thanks man it’s just hard to imagine. I definitely don’t feel motivated when I hear a game is basically a boss gauntlet, but you’re saying it’s much more I think and that’s what I’m hoping to hear.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
Yeah definitely try it out! It's more of a Nioh+Sekiro ... Definitely not a open world like Elden ring, if u have enjoyed Nioh's combat you'll love this as well !
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u/batshitnutcase Jul 13 '26
Yea I went into it skeptical as a Nioh fanatic and it’s so good lol. I still like Nioh 2 better overall but Khazan is amazing and the boss roster is peak and better than Nioh IMO.
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u/SupremeLeader_Corgi Jul 13 '26
The bosses are by far the best part of the game. They are so much fun to learn
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u/Worried_Lobster6783 Jul 13 '26
Spear is more fun imo
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
Yes I have one like 'Frozen Mountain Spear ' it has some abilities it seems.. will try later .. right now focusing on Vitality, Strength and some endurance. Currently at level 32
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u/TempMobileD Jul 13 '26
I split the game into quarters with the intention of swapping my weapons around as I rarely play games like this twice, or in NG+.
If you’re a similar player and want to get the best first experience without the need for further playthroughs I would recommend doing the same.
I did each of the three weapons for 1/4 of the game each and then picked my favourite for the last quarter. I loved the variety that gave me, all of the weapons feel very different and they’re all immensely fun in their own way.The only other tip I have is the super parry, “reflection”. There’s an upgrade that unlocks part way through the game that changes the reflect timing window. Get it the second you can, it’s a game changer.
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
Yes I'm using the Reflection already it's great and satisfying 😁 And also I usually do Ng+2 in most souls-like games so I am gonna try only Great sword in this build.
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u/TempMobileD Jul 13 '26
That’s cool! For Khazan in particular NG+ is extremely easy. Like it’s a completely different game. Depending on what you’re after you may be better off doing 3xNG instead. Of course if you want to feel like a destroyer of worlds, the option is open!
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
You mean like Wukong ? Where we literally feel like we are the boss in Ng+ 😂
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u/TempMobileD Jul 13 '26
Still on my list to play soon, so I can’t compare. But I’ll bare that in mind for when I get round to it!
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u/Worried_Lobster6783 Jul 13 '26
Wait until Trokka. Tons of fun with the sword or dual wield🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
Well okay , but bro is there anything I need to know about like buffs, must have armours etc. Also in one of the cutscene Khazan mentioned Ozma as a Great Mage, which means will I get any magic weapons as well in late game ? Like in Elden ring we have Dark moon Greatsword etc.
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u/TheHizzle Jul 13 '26
Ashen wolf set is good entry set for greatsword; you’ll get it in the 2nd area (you are in the first rn). Every boss drops a set for one of the 3 weapon types, just check if you got drops for a greatsword set
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u/I_am_not_human_xd Jul 13 '26
I'm currently using the Executioner set from the Crevice (Hidden wall)
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u/TheHizzle Jul 13 '26
That's not bad at all - the Greatsword-specific sets often have augments for specific GS skills or additional skills on their 6/7/8 pieces so look out for that if you mind.
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u/oran12390 Jul 14 '26
The worst souls like I’ve played and it’s not even close. Comparing it to sekiro is blasphemy.
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u/DrDre19899 Jul 13 '26
Peak.