Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

Just started this masterpiece and I already love it. Do you have any tips to become better at the game ?

The basics of how to enemy-step are important i.e. learning how to do aircombos. You are very safe in the air, so knowing how to for instance do a SwordMaster aerial combo helps. Think of something like Rebellion + Cerberus and then do

Code:

Reb + O
R2
Cerb + Triangle
R2
Repeat

This basically keeps you in the air for a long ass time. Another tip is to hold down the Devil Trigger button, this charges any spare orbs you have (turns them red), let it go and you transform but also sacrifice that meter for a huge explosion which can rake up good damage. Other than that, stay on the offensive and don't ever let them attack you. If you need specific advice, let me know :)

Thanks, I'll try it
Cerberus fight was really good and I like his weapon too. I've seen a lot of people using a mod to change style mid-combo. I don't want to use it now but does it work well with the game ? I think the style's choice is a fundamental part of this title.

Personally, it absolutely butchers what the game tries to do and that's something I feel they didn't take into account in future titles either. Lots of weapons have overlapping moves or moves that replace certain styles allowing you to mix and match. The beauty of the system is learning how to play it with each kit combination and finding new uses of certain moves. Some moves, like Gunstinger, aren't that useful until you have a specific kit without a good Stinger move, and suddenly it is great.

So yeah, the mod is only good for combo-videos imo.

I've fought Agni and Rudra and I've almost won but the second phase is another thing (especially without healing items). I don't understand why after I heal myself and die the game revives me without that item. I'm already penalized for using it with a lower score so I think it's just old school design. However the game is amazing so it doesn't bother me too much.

There's a way to avoid the second phase

And yeah the healing items really are oldsk00l, just avoid using them if you can. Are you playing Special Edition or regular (Dante's Awakening)?

If I hit both of them during phase 1 I can avoid the difficult part because the last one doesn't heal himself in phase 2. I think it's the best way to deal with them. I'm playing the Special Edition (Steam version) so the normal difficulty is lower than the original one. It's not hard but I have to learn better my moveset.

yeah definitely enemy step/JC since it's universal.

I've beaten Vergil 1 on my first try, but it was easier than previous bosses, at least on this difficulty.

How you liking the game so far? Pretty rare to get a fresh opinion on DMC3 since it's so infamous!

I played DMC1 not too long ago and I really love that game. DMC3 is giving me the same feeling but it's also full of new things. Different styles are very interesting to learn and play, enemies are well designed and weapons too. Camera may be a bit confusing in some situations but it's the only flaw that I can find at the moment.

The style system really is amazing. I still find it a big shame they just threw them all into a blender for 4 and 5.

Just defeated The Lady. The camera was strange in that arena but I managed to beat her on my first try. A bit too much backtracking in these last missions but enemy encounters keep things interesting.

Yeah the backtracking can be a tad annoying for the first few runs, especially considering some levels turn into mazes. But the end-game is well worth it, some fantastic areas and fights imo. The Lady fight is one of the most interesting ones I feel. She's clearly outmatched, but still manages to become an engaging fight.

How did you like the second Vergil fight?

The second Vergil fight was fantastic. He has different moves and uses a lot his devil trigger too, the final phase was really intense. Thankfully after that I can use Beowulf, an amazing weapon.

Yeah that weapon really rocks, one of the best in the game, especially if you want to go for quick kills. Fun fact is that the Vergil fight changes per difficulty in fun and unique ways.

Ah DMC3 Vergil. Many the hour was spent fighting each version of him with different setups. Those were the days.

Mission 19 done. Then I tried the final boss a few times, now I understand why he's revered by the community.
By the way, should I activate turbo mode in the next run ? Do you recommend to grind some red orbs before attempting hard difficulty ? My health bar is very short and I have only three DT orbs because I bought almost all weapons upgrades.

The game is fantastic when played on Turbo Mode, really puts that adrenaline to the next level. Hard difficulty is pretty easy, I'd just use that for upgrades and further tinkering around if I was you. It isn't until Dante Must Die that the game gets insane. Very Hard is in between those modes, so you still have some ways to go.

Great to hear you like it so much!

Ok, I'll activate turbo mode. Yesterday I finished normal difficulty and started the hard one (I did just Cerberus fight). I'm really loving this game, one of my favourites, no doubt !

Awesome to hear man, it really is one of the best games made in the genre if you ask me. You planning on tackeling all the modes?

Yeah, I want to learn this game as much as I can. I've just did the first ten missions on hard (turbo mode on) and the combat system is more fluid and enjoyable.

Ok, hard difficulty done. I used Royal Guard against Vergil, but I had to repeat the fight several times to learn his timings. He was my only problem, other parts were fine. Very hard difficulty seems another matter, enemies are much more aggressive and dangerous. I really like these changes!

Fantastic to hear man, Royal Guard is indeed very useful against Vergil and tends to be the most used style in that fight (or any fight). Really powerful Style, especially since you now still have to choose.

I used to love Very Hard the most since Dante Must Die changes so much, but once you get into the latter difficulty it really gives a new perspective on the game I'd say. How you finding the challenge on Very Hard? I remember having some trouble with Cerberus.

Cerberus was a tough fight, but I was able to defeat it after some tries. It must be very difficult to get SS rank.
After completing hard difficulty I bought all moves and upgrades, plus I leveled up every style, so I can use everything.

Cool to read someone getting into this game. DMC3 is what really got me into the genre years ago.

Getting interested in Nevan, after ignoring it for the longest time since the immobility at summoning. But it's just so rad slaying with a bat-electric guitar.
Any primers for a novice, 'sides the experience of cranking it up for blue orb statues?

The most interesting part of its moveset is that the bats destroy projectiles, which is a joy to toy with. Especially against Enigmas.

Royta/Raeng wrote:I used to love Very Hard the most since Dante Must Die changes so much, but once you get into the latter difficulty it really gives a new perspective on the game I'd say. How you finding the challenge on Very Hard? I remember having some trouble with Cerberus.

Upon realizing that I never cleared any diff past Hard on SE, I charged myself to remedy that. Yellow Orb, Turbo Mode. No to yellow orbs (don't do it, man) and yes to turbo. Past first Vergil now. Cerberus not a prob, but was surprised several times by the guard twins. Keep pounding one, keeping keen on the other was intensified. I'm nowhere near aggressive wrecking the game system as any "pro" would prever. I'm still at the point where I use the "weakness weapon" on bosses. Like A&R on Cerberus and the Cerber-chuck on Agni and Rudra; funny. Tried out the first two DMD and it seems clear to me that a lot has to change in my, uh, understanding to get a boot up this backside.

Fantastic! Yellow Orbs aren't that interesting to me either, they really make fights lose tension and most missions are short enough as it is.

DMD can be quite a shock for sure. Biggest game changer is that you should not kill enemies, but instead wittle them all down first as killing makes them DT.

Ok, then. I file that for later use. Weaken, not wrecking.

I anticipated trouble with Leviathan's Heart(s), but none was given. Nevan went by fast, too. But old pal Beowulf is a real beauty. I'm maxed out lifebar-wise and I get hit way to often. Adapting. I notice minor changes in devil-fodder appearences. Blood-goyles instead of ol' dust-boys and Abyss' from the, er, depths. Glad Jester is optional after the first bit. The phases are just too numbing, where just one of two is able to seriously attack. Going trough in A style. Fine tuning reserved for after clearing.

> beowulf
As shown in the cutscenes, his eye is his weakspot. Hit it and he'll be dazed and randomly hit around himself. Royal Guard is great against his punch-punch-pound combo. You can use sword-pierce to nuke his cages easily (requires sword-master though).

Right. It's about the only time where he is mindless enough to stand still and to get a few more chops in.
Even then to get out of range of his trashing is required.
That one is about strength. He's brutal if underestimated. It makes it all the more fun to vanquish.

Arrived at the Last Vergil. Might put up a siege here.

The amount of regeneration on part of the boss of bosses is disdainful to experience and downright nasty to survive. This would be a point on my argument of Regenerative Bosses in Action Games: What The Hey.
On other diffs I only mildly antagonized the Vergil when in Devil Trigger state. Here I feel pressed to go for it on principal. It adds too much life to just look over and chop up later. As a reaction I get ripped apart much faster. Need to sharpen up.

Any ideas on how to get rid of the rotating Force Edge? Shooting Kalina Ann seems to work. But that's only on the ground.
All Devil Arms I use don't pack enough of a punch. Maybe Beowulf's jump attack. Risky, huh?

If you want to nuke him, JC'd killer-bees with Beowulf is the best damage output you'll get against him. The safest (SS) strat against him is bringing Nevan, Beowulf, Katalina, E&I and Quicksilver. Using QS when he does his summoned swords so you can Nevan them away safely.

During his DT state you can keep up the pressure, just be sure to not get tagged for monsterous damage.

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Good to hear that mentalityshift already got you on the right track. DMC3 is a fantastic game once you start delving in its plethora of tools. One thing I really enjoyed is that there is no 'best' setup.

For example, against Cerberus, on DMD he has a really hard to dodge set of spikes that he can summon. Now you can do a few things:
- bring Quicksilver to dodge them, rewarding meter managament, but leaving you with little options
- using Agni+swordmaster to nuke the fight asap
- using gunslinger+shotgun to quickly destroy the head that does these attacks
- using trickster to do a combination of wallruns and dashes to avoid the spikes
- using 'FREEZE' from swordmaster+Cerberus to shield yourself

They all work, and the fight has a statue beforehand so swapping is easier. Some chapters are rougher, forcing you to play the entire stage with your setup, making for some interesting problem-solving. Add some elemental-damagevalues and it's just a game that keeps on giving.

> DMC=combos
A sad modern reality. The series had such a strong balance between efficiency and style originally.

> low difficulty
Tbh I found VH to be pretty rough, but DMD is a sport of its own. Isn't there a cheat-code? I remember something of that nature.

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> DMD unlock
Totally forgot about that too lol. Been a solid decade since I had to unlock things in that game.

> bossrush skip
Neato! The power of PC.

> batlady
She's weak to ice afaik, so you can use that for certain setups. You can also use swordmaster's Hammer(?, the circle input from Beowulf) with JC to absolutely melt her. If you use it with the DT-damage bonus and an explode (explode first, then do the hammers in the remaining 3 DT orbs) it's curtains for our performance artist. There's a pretty fun TAS afaik.

> vergil as a character
I liked playing as him, but also feel he's more an after thought. His spiralsword setups melt most bosses if you know the setups (Cerberus can't even do a single move) and his damage output is insane in general. Really NOT a fan of having to press 'ranged' every few inputs for those daggers - you get used to it eventually by incorporating the taps, but it feels annoying. Also not a fan of a lot of his moves being re-used in general - looking back he's far more developed in DMC4. I never played his DMC5 version (no way in hell I'm paying more for that game).

> Arkham
Legit makes me want to go to Arkham Asylum. Aside from massively limiting your options by removing styles, it's just such a derpy boring boss. Probably one of the worst in the genre paired with Dagra Dai from NGII.

Never liked how OP Vergil is in any of the games. If you want any sort of challenge you have to limit yourself too much. V5rgil is basically V4rgil 1.5. Same kit, slightly expanded and rebalanced to make for a more pleasant experience. Probably the most broken he's ever been aside from Distortion in 4.

As for DMC3, the thing I like the most about the game is the crowd control aspect. To truly get good you need to know how to control each enemy position and to either isolate them effectively or group them up for a quicker but riskier fight. Crazy Combos are great for stunlocking groups and moves like Stinger are great for repositioning enemies. I also love how many cancel windows Dante has, both on the ground and in the air with JC.

>Arkham
He has both an annoying gimmick, too much HP and guts your kit. Even 2/3 would be fine, but no, you gotta have all 3. He and Geryon are the only bosses I didn't care to learn. I just spammed Holy Waters against them.

> Vergil OP
Never dove in too much in his DMC4 version, shame to hear he was even more busted and same in 5. Did they give him something unique in 5 or was he basically just a redo?

> CC
To add to that, I love how the DT forces crowd-control too. You can either divide damage among enemies early, so that when they DT you can kill them quickly, or you can brute force enemies down asap and kill the lone one at the end if you're quick /efficient.

> Arkham
Yeah his HP is out of this world. If I was 'allowed' to remake it within constrictions, I'd simply make it so that killing his 'fish' also damages him, and lower his HP. I think the gimmick is 'fun' for what it's worth.

> Geryon
Pretty fun fight honestly, but a bit too much waiting around at times. You can quite easily skip phase 1 with Spiral canceling. Phase 2 can be played fairly, or you can use a specific loop on him with Shin Shoryuken.

>V5rgil
He has some cool new moves (some got shifted a bit, like Rising Sun which is now at the end of Kick13 instead of after DT Lunar Phase) and SDT modifies a lot of his combos (wish Dante got this too). Aside from that he has the disgustingly busted super moves which are admittedly very cool visually but boring to use and broken as fuck and the Doppelganger which is a goldmine for combomadders but not of much use for everyone else aside from making JdC spam even stronger. Overall he's a more finished/polished version of DMC4 Vergil, which wasn't exactly what I wanted but still decent nonetheless.

>DT forces crowd-control
I said this before but DMD really fixes one of the biggest problem with DMC3's combat. With enemy DT you have another big factor to consider instead of mindlessly juggling enemies one by one. I'm also shocked at how much this mechanic still filters people to this day.

>I think the gimmick is 'fun' for what it's worth
It could be decent but it just boils down to jumping around and shooting KA every once in a while. It doesn't help that the fishes/dolphins/whatever have only one attack and can't be interacted with that much.

>skip phase 1 with Spiral canceling
Spiral + Drive really melts him.

>loop with RI
Tried it but couldn't make it work. I have to retry it but I really dislike him in general. He runs around and teleports too much. When I replay his mission I just exit when I reach him, same with Arkham.

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> greyon
Yeah a lot of action bosses (especially today) are done in by plenty of waiting around.

> DT enemies filtering
I do feel the mechanic got nerfed significantly in later entries. In DMC3 even regular enemies become quite a potent threat when DT'd, also being harder to stagger and juggle. Didn't feel like later entries had this as much, just gave them an HP boost which in later games pushed me towards more efficient play ironically.

> Centipede
IIRC the chapter that took me longest to SS-rank thanks to him. It's a fucking hard chapter to begin with, only for it to end with this nightmare of a fight. Tried the Royal Guard strat but I always fuck something up.

>Gigapede
Learn to either use RG or to parry his projectiles back at him for massive damage. Also using Doppel seems good for his fight in particular.

>Arkham
To dodge just run around the edge of the arena while constantly jumping just once while Vergil does the dirty work. It's not fun but it's the only thing that works.

>why would someone not like it?
They find it's too limiting and don't like how tanky DT enemies get. I just say skill issue. And now we have DMD in 5 which is easier than Very Hard in DMC3.
In general I agree that just an HP and armor boost is boring, but it's supposed to punish the player. You have to play around it. That said I would have preferred if enemies got maybe less of an HP boost but got also sped up a bit instead.

> Gigapede
Yeah my strat was to use the shield to absorb his hits and counter them from that little corner. But after such a long stage, it was super easy to get hit at least once I felt. I don't recall if I SS'd that stage, I think it's the only one I gave up on.

> DT
I once saw the argument that the increased HP-pool was to make it easier to make combo videos and my heart sank haha.

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Before DMC3 was out in my country I used to eagerly watch any videos I could find.

One of the first ones I ever saw happened to be someone fighting Gigapede. They used Royal Guard with Agni & Rudra to use the first slash to hit a projectile, then RG cancel. They did this repeatedly and took out a whole volley of projectiles. I found it amazing back then.