Rabbit & Steel is an unlikely union of bullet hell and MMORPG raiding, successfully combining the intricate attack patterns of the former with complex boss mechanics of the latter to captivate fans of both genres. Players have quickly realized, however, that executing an MMO-style rotation while precisely dodging bullet curtains and correctly resolving puzzling mechanics can be exactly as difficult as it sounds.
However, the indie game isn't all about intense difficulty and harsh punishment. As players progress, they'll be able to select from a variety of random items and skill upgrades to improve their chances at victory. With each run, players will begin to learn more about their class, discover new items, and concoct devious combinations that can break the game wide open. Here are some basic tips to get you started.
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ABC - Always Be Casting
Dodging incoming attacks is an important factor to succeeding in Rabbit & Steel, but equally important is dealing enough damage to defeat the boss in front of you. One of the best ways to achieve this is to make sure an attack is always being used, no matter the situation, whether that's taking advantage of a lull in the enemy's offensive by using your character's strongest attack, or resorting to weak, homing potshots to deal poke away at the target while you focus on surviving. The specific attacks will vary based on the player's chosen class, so be sure to read into the options available and find which ones work best.
Learn Your Rotation
Every class in Rabbit & Steel is unique, and that means players will need to learn the intricacies of their chosen class to maximize their chances at success. The tooltips for every ability provide detailed information, including its damage, cooldown, and any bonus effects the attack may have, such as boosting the damage of another ability, providing a buff, or special conditions that can grant bonus effects. These specific details will help teach you how to optimize your class's damage, whether that's spamming a high-damage attack, fishing for random procs, or setting up for a long-cooldown nuke.
Use Defensive Abilities
In the face of an incoming wall of projectiles, it can be tempting to rely on your precise dodging to avoid attacks, but it's often possible to safely navigate through dangerous situations by making good use of your defensive abilities. These abilities are designed to give a period of invincibility to players, allowing them to escape scenarios where taking damage is all but certain, and relocate to safety. Every class has a unique defensive ability, so it's important to take the time and learn how they work and which situations they're most effective in.
The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
Stocking up on defensive items can seem like a good idea to increase a run's longevity, but players should be careful of over-investing in defense. The longer a fight is prolonged, the more attacks and mechanics will be thrown at the player, and in some of the harder boss fights, surviving certain patterns once can be hard enough already. By placing some focus on improving your character's damage, enemies can be defeated much more quickly, reducing the number of attacks players will need to dodge or skip certain mechanics altogether. On harder difficulties like Hard and Lunar, enemies will even begin to enrage after a certain duration, dealing periodic unavoidable damage if the player is unable to defeat them in time, further emphasizing the need to prioritize offense over defense.
Play as a Duo
Enemy attacks and mechanics in Rabbit & Steel scale based on the number of players in your party. While playing solo, enemies will assault the player with dense patterns of projectiles, but while playing in a group, these patterns are replaced with boss mechanics reminiscent of encounters from MMORPGs like Final Fantasy 14, adjusting based on the number of characters participating. Those that are struggling may find greater success playing with only two players, rather than playing solo or in a full group of four. Playing as a duo replaces the bullet hell attacks that are used in solo playthroughs, while reducing the clutter that can occur when playing with four characters all on the screen at once.
