Gather round, oh ye condemned. Drink the magebane and speak the words. Cry out to the- oh. Uh…
When it comes to video games, there are certain things every player does, whether that be testing if the game’s fire burns your character or seeing if a basket over an NPC’s head makes it so you can rob them blind. Salt and Sacrifice is no exception.
An installment in the Soulslike genre of games, and the sequel to the acclaimed Salt and Sanctuary, this game has many facets when it comes to players messing about, poorly managing their resources, or otherwise doing what every other player does. If you’ve ever experienced a blunder of your own in the 2D side-scrolling RPG, fear not. You’re more than likely not alone.
10 Jump From High Places
It’s an age-old question. One that has been asked of any video game with verticality since the medium first came about. Do you think this game has fall damage? The answer for Salt and Sacrifice is yes, undeniably and knee-shatteringly, yes.
While falling from great heights won’t outright kill your character most of the time, it can put a serious damper on your journey. Always try to find a safe way down, or make sure you don’t miss that grappling hook, and be especially careful when hunting for a mage.
9 Fall Victim To Traps
Traps are not new to RPGs. They aren’t even new to Salt and Sanctuary. So why, then, is the first trap you run into so surprising? Just walking up the stairs, minding your own business, when suddenly you’re hurled across the map by a swinging log with spikes? Yikes!
Oh well, at least now you know, and you’ll be more careful. Until, of course, you come back to the area later and inevitably fall victim to the same exact trap for at least a second time. You’ve got to wonder, will it ever get better?
8 Use Up All Your Healing During A Chase
One of the changes from Salt and Sanctuary to Salt and Sacrifice was the introduction of Monster Hunter style hunts where you chase a mage throughout a map until eventually settling in their boss arena and fighting them one on one.
However, the journey is perilous! Some mage hunts can take you throughout an entire map, running into enemies you would rather avoid as well as summoning their own on top! It’s not uncommon, then, to finally reach the end of the road, locked in battle, and discover you’re out of healing items.
7 Run Out Of Stamina
Stamina management in games is generally difficult and can lead to the situation of being mid-combat and not having any stamina left quite often. However, you may find yourself running out of stamina in Salt and Sacrifice a bit more often than in other games.
There are many reasons as to why, but none of them make the reality any less frustrating. It’s practically commonplace to be fighting a mage and dodge roll out of the way of an attack just to discover you have no stamina left to capitalize on the mage’s downtime.
6 Get Killed By A Standard Enemy
It’s happened to the best of us. Whether it be overestimating your own abilities or underestimating just how much damage the enemy will actually do when it hits you, the embarrassment of being felled by a creature that usually dies in about one hit is immense.
If you play Salt and Sacrifice as a solo player, then take comfort in the fact that it’s something that happens to everyone, even the best players. If you play with friends, then that comfort may not save you from the embarrassment of them watching it happen. That’s alright, though. Your time to laugh will come when it inevitably happens to them, too.
5 Get Swarmed By Enemies You Thought You Could Run Past
A very common occurrence, especially during a mage hunt, is getting swarmed by enemies that you thought, or at least hoped, you could simply run past. Getting stuck in a corner with no stamina and no way out, with every failed block staggering you… I’ll stop before the memories start flooding in.
The next time you find yourself wanting to run past some enemies, keep in mind a couple of things. First, they will add up. If you run past 50 enemies, rest assured they’ll be right on you all at once if you stop to catch your breath. Second, remember that dying isn’t the end.
4 Try To Shoot A Ranged Weapon After You’ve Run Out
Ranged weapons are an excellent way of filling out your weapon kit, allowing you to rely on your primary weapon for melee ranged attacks while still being able to deal with enemies far off. It’s easy, too, to get into the rhythm of using your ranged weapon until you simply run out of ammo.
The worst time for this to occur is during a mage hunt or battle. Wanting to start the fight off with a ranged attack or two for some early damage only to find out you’ve nothing left is the worst and can feel like a massive wasted opportunity to do something much more productive in the fight.
3 Die To The First Boss
Yes, yes, yes, dying to the first boss is intentional. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating. If you’re new to the genre, this fight may feel especially unfair. You go from fighting the weakest enemies in the game, of which there are only three, to fighting a giant monster that one-shots you.
Unless you are incredibly skilled or practiced, you’ve fallen victim to this beast at least one time. Everyone has, and it serves as the most likely first of many times that you will experience obliteration.
2 Quit The Game
Soulslikes are notoriously difficult. Not usually in an unfair way, but in a way where it doesn’t care to make you feel like an unstoppable superhero. As a result, dying over and over, especially early on, can be incredibly infuriating.
Take no shame in throwing your controller or smashing your keyboard and walking away. Everyone quits the game, swearing they will never return. Some may even uninstall the game or threaten to refund it.
1 Come Back
But in the end, every player comes back. Well, maybe not every player, but most of them will likely return at some point. When you do, it’ll be with a clear head, fresh and ready to tackle and overcome the challenge that caused you to quit the game in the first place.
Salt and Sacrifice is a difficult monster to get through, with difficult monsters at every step of the journey. However, you will grow stronger and better at the game, and learn to overcome those monsters, much to your fist-pumping, laughing-at-your-monitor-in-victory joy.
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