Devil May Cry 4

Combo Basics

Success in Devil May Cry 4 hinges on your ability to string together combos to both keep opponents indisposed and to build your style meter that earns you new skills. Unlike some other games, simply mashing buttons won't do you much good. It's important to thoughtfully string together attacks that build off each other.
Red Queen (sword)

The basic sword combos you execute on the ground (rapidly press the sword attack button) are generally a good way to start a combo, but don't rely on them entirely. Ground sword attacks have a large hit radius in front of you that's good for stopping opponents and setting them up for air combos. Tag an opponent with a couple of shots and move into a High Roller to start an air combo.

It's important to quickly move the combo from the ground to the air. While on the ground, you are very vulnerable to enemy attacks from behind and even from enemies you may think you're hitting. You can still be hit while in the air, but it's less likely. As well, you have a slight invulnerability at the moment you jump that's good for dodging attacks.


Devil Bringer (hand)

While the sword is good for starting combos, it's the unique Devil Bringer attacks that make for spectacular finishes and can even infinitely extend combos. After successfully stunning an opponent with a basic sword attack, you can usually attack with the hand. Simply tapping the Devil Bringer button will execute a slam attack that deals massive damage, making it a good way to end a combo as the slam will quite often deal enough damage to finally kill an enemy.

The grab has another use, however, and though it's not as straight-forward in its damage dealt it's arguably much more useful. While holding the lock-on button, press the Devil Bringer attack button and Nero will execute a grab that pulls enemies toward him. You can use this grab on the ground or in mid-air to extend combos after you've knocked opponents away from you. Note that some enemies will be resistant to the grab until after you've stunned them with a normal sword attack.


Stylish Fighting Tips

When you've understood the basics of combat, you need to focus on making your fighting more stylish. Stylish combos earn you more orbs and more chances to upgrade your skill set. Two main elements contribute to the stylish rating of your combo.

Combo Length — The most obvious factor in the stylish rating of your combo is the length of the combo. After starting a combo, note the meter that appears under the combo rating in the upper-right corner of the screen. As long as you continue to hit opponents, the meter will not deplete, keeping your combo active. If, however, you stop attacking, the meter will begin to deplete, threatening to break your combo and reset your stylish rating. When you kill an enemy, immediately move to another enemy to continue the combo. If the closest enemy is to far to attack, try using the Devil Bringer grab or stall the combo meter by unloading gun shots from a distance while you move in close.

Attack Variety — A long combo isn't itself enough to catapult your combo into the upper rankings of style. To achieve S rank for a combo, you need to tap into the depths of your arsenal and mix up your attacks to keep things fresh. Mix it up with air grabs and ground grabs, throw in a full ground chain combo followed by a shot from your guns, and keep it rolling. Successful comboing in Devil May Cry 4 requires a consummate knowledge of your repertoire so that you can plan your combos for length while simultaneously free forming the variety necessary for style.