Combat lies at the heart of Lies of P, and players will be engaged in it for almost every second they spend in Krat. As a Soulslike game, fighting the frenzied puppets and crazed abominations will be naturally difficult, but that shouldn't be the case once players get used to how things flow.
Anyone who has played any FromSoft game should immediately feel familiar with how the combat in Lies of P plays out. However, those who haven't touched a title like this before will want to know the following things if they want to survive past the first few hours of the game.
How to Time Blocks Properly
If players are having trouble learning enemy attack animation timings by heart, then their next best bet for perfectly blocking attacks is looking at the enemy's weapon. As soon as their weapon arm (or appendage) starts swinging, hit the block button. This will result in a perfect block more often than not and even if it doesn't, players will at least take reduced damage.
Light vs. Heavy Attacks
Knowing when to use light and heavy attacks is crucial. Dealing more damage is great and all, but it won't matter if players sacrifice chunks of their HP just to make harder hits land.
As much as possible, heavy attacks should only be used once enemies whiff an attack with a long recovery time. Also, charged heavy attacks should almost always be reserved only for when a target's HP bar starts glowing — hitting them with a charged heavy at this time will cause them to stagger, opening them up to Fatal Attacks.
Staggering and Fatal Attacks
Delivering Fatal Attacks is often the best and safest way to deal damage to an enemy, and getting a target Staggered should always be a priority. Enemies in Lies of P have a hidden posture bar similar to Sekiro in the sense that when it is broken, they will become vulnerable to finisher attacks. Rear Fatal Attacks are almost always available if players approach enemy puppets from behind. This is possible even when in mid-fight.
Once an enemy's HP bar glows white, hit them with a charged heavy attack to stagger them. Using Fable Arts also achieves the same effect, so try to save P's strongest attacks for those moments.
Equip Emergency Consumables
Given how quickly Legion Arms can be used up and how fast weapons break, it's best to equip some emergency consumables onto vacant belt slots for when the need arises.
Fable Catalysts, Legion Magazines, and Venigni's Urgent Repair Tools are all incredibly helpful in a pinch. Having a handful of these items at all times is highly recommended.
Always Use Legion Arms
As much as possible, Lies of P players should be using a Legion Arm that best suits their playstyle. Some options like the Deus Ex Machina mine layer are situational, but others such as the Aegis shield are useful in every fight.
Other Legion Arms open up new ways to approach battles. Puppet String, for example, lets players re-engage after dodging or sprinting away, giving them better control of the space they fight in. Be creative with how a Legion Arm can be used.
How to Recharge The Pulse Cell
Charges of the Pulse Cell (healing item) can be regained even without resting at a Stargazer. The simple act of hitting enemies causes it to get recharged in tiny increments, but only after all existing charges have been used up. Fighting will eventually return one full charge, giving players an opportunity to heal some more while incentivizing aggressive play.
It does take a while before the Pulse Cell regains a charge, so try not to be reckless. Charging into a boss fight with no Pulse Cell charges available is still a bad idea.
Lies of P is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.