Othercide: Complete Scythedancer Class Guide (Tips & Strategies)
Othercide may just be the most challenging game of 2020. (and just when we thought things couldn’t get any more difficult). This turn-based RPG will punish players for making the wrong decision and see them kill their lovelies to survive. Players will claw their way to the top only to be knocked back to the bottom again. Thankfully, they’re supposed to.
Don’t let constant failure be a deterrent. There are many different combinations of classes, skills, and memories that players can utilize to progress through the game. Each character plays an important role in beating these Bloodborne-esque creatures. The Shieldbearer is a player's tank. Her number one goal is attracting enemy aggro and absorbing as much damage as she can. The Soulslinger stays out of harm's way and fires off slug after slug of high powered death. Her 'Interrupting Shot' ability will be the most useful tool for players' early game. The Blademaster is the beating stick, albeit a weak one. 'Get in & get out' is her motto. This guide will focus on the Scythedancer class, and how players can best play the character in tandem with the beginning three.
Othercide is reminiscent of D&D campaigns of old. Players will start with three core classes. Shieldbearer, Blademaster, and Soulslinger. These classes will become a player’s best friends for the first two eras of the game before they are even able to add the Scythedancer to their arsenal. Midway through ‘The Maid’ boss battle at the end of Era Three, ‘The Broken Beauty’, players will be granted a Scythedancer to aid them. Of course, one can assume they are supposed to lose this first engagement. (Winners should probably head straight to their local casinos.) But fret not, Daughter, for the Scythedancer class will now be available for birthing even if (when) players lose the boss battle.
So now players have a Scythedancer at their disposal. How should they play her? Each engagement in Othercide comes with its own set of unique enemies. There is also the difference between Hunt and Survival engagements that require alternative strategies. Players should take some time to explore the Codex in the Inner Void to learn about each enemy's targeting behavior. It will take some getting used to, especially with Scavengers. Thankfully, most enemies will attack the closest daughter, so plan accordingly and make sure to keep track of the timeline.
The first two skills the Scythedancer can unlock are ‘The Reaping’ or ‘Dance of Revenge’. Offensively, ‘The Reaping’ will slash at an enemy twelve times, each time stealing armor AND doing damage. This effectively builds a shield around the Scythedancer while dishing out some deadly combos. Paired with the right memories, players can utilize this skill to kill one enemy while also armoring up for an incoming attack on the timeline. ‘Dance of Revenge’ is a passive skill, and will boost the Scythedancer’s initiative each time an ally is attacked. Use this in combo with a Blacksmith's Grace buffed Shieldbearer to nerf incoming attacks, and put the Scythedancer in a position to immediately counter.
At level 5, the Scythedancer can unlock ‘Deadly Dance’ or ‘Dance of Fury’. Action over time skills can be very useful if plotted out correctly on the timeline. ‘Deadly Dance’ will dish out damage and steal armor from enemies in range. Players can plot out 3 of these attacks for each 15 initiative units. Therefore, if an enemy is just going to stand there for a while, players would be wise to 'Deadly Dance' all over them. ‘Dance of Fury’ is more of an armor buff if anything. While granting a 60 percent attack boost, it relies on incoming attacks. Therefore, if the aggro isn’t on the Scythedancer, it could be a wasted skill.
Level 10 grants the Scythedancer ‘Dance of Binding’ or ‘Dance of Dead’. This one is a no brainer as interruptions are the key to making it out alive in Othercide. Therefore, players would be VERY wise to select ‘Dance of Binding’ to interrupt an enemy's first action and dish out up to 1200 damage. Using this in tandem with the Soulslinger’s interrupting shot will keep enemies from both moving and attacking. Perhaps the most useful strategy here is to enter into an encounter with The Scythedancer, The Shieldbearer & The Soulslinger. Together, these sisters will keep the enemies at bay long enough for the Shieldbearer to attract their aggro and tank through attacks. Buffing her with Blacksmith's Grace will boost her initiative and allow her to dish out attacks of her own. This, of course, relies on everything falling into place on the timeline, so make sure to keep track of it. 'Dance of Dead' grants the Scythedancer a 15% attack boost upon a kill. Unless surrounded, players would have to enter burst mode for the full effect.
At level 15 grants players the OP attack that they’ve been craving since the first encounter. ‘The Harvesting’ deals upwards of 850 damage to EVERY enemy on the map regardless of position. It’s not even worth mentioning the other level up option. This is a great way to vanquish some lower-level enemies before they even get a chance, as well as pre-damage mobs before they get close.
Once players have allocated their ideal skills, it’s up to them to slot memories into the available places. There is a vast variety of memories in Othercide, so it’s really up to player discretion as to what they’d want to use. Memories that buff based on percentages are better for high damage attacks as 20% of a 1200 damage attack will be far more than a measly +55 damage boost. Anything the stacks based on the associated skill is best. For example, using a memory that pushes initiative on the Shieldbearer's ‘Slam’ attack will make it far more effective. As far as the Scythedancer is concerned, she does lots of armor damage, so memories that shred through armor will make her far more effective.
The Othercide community will most likely see a spike in baldness as players continue to rip their hair out in frustration (arguably more frustration than fans of the Souls series have experienced) Adding the Scythedancer into the mix will certainly ease some of the pressure, but certainly not all of it. Repetition and practice are how everybody’s gotten good at everything, and Othercide will show no shortage of either.
Othercide is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC.