Rebellion
Rebellion is Dante’s trusty sword, handed to him as a memento from his dear old dad Sparda. Handy for slicing demons in half, deflecting bombs, countering attacks, and buttering toast. It’s the first weapon you acquire in the game, and the one you’ll be spending the most time with. Your best upgrades for this one are Trillion Stabs, Overdrive, and Roulette.
Trillion Stabs is exactly what it sounds like; you lunge towards your enemy and mash on the attack button for as long as you can. Overdrive is an upgrade to the Drive attack, only you can create three sword slashes instead of the one. Slash an enemy once, hold the attack button, then let ‘er rip. Roulette works the same way that Death Coil does, only in the air; you slash twice, pause, then attack again to watch Dante spin in the air and slash at his enemy like a beautiful dancer.
Demon Weapons
Yeah, demons are no good, evil tricksters that seem to get off on making everyone’s lives miserable. But you gotta admit that they make some pretty good weapons. Your dad Sparda’s gone, but the closest way you’ll get close to him is tapping into his bloodline with these slow but powerful heavy hitters. Alternate between them with right on the D-pad and access them while holding down the right trigger.
Arbiter
Another gift from your father acquired in Mission 2, Arbiter is a mighty demon axe. While it’s a slow weapon that leaves you open to attacks, it breaks shields with just a few swings and creates deadly shockwaves that send your enemies up in the air. When you have upgrade points to spend, it’s advised to grab Trinity Smash, Flush, and its Aerial attack.
The first is a ground strike that’ll knock enemies back after three hits, perfect payback when you’re fighting a demon with shields. Flush hurls your axe towards enemies a distance away, and it’s a good follow-up when combined with Trinity Smash or Tremor. Aerial Flush has you performing Flush, just in the air. It works best if you’re attacking enemies below while dealing with another in the air.
Eryx
Powerful demon gauntlets, given to you at the end of Mission 7, Eryx combines Arbiter’s slowness with Rebellion’s power. It’s the best close quarters weapon for Dante when he’s dealing with stronger enemies, especially when you charge your attacks for a stronger impact. Snake Eye Showdown is what you’ll want to grab first.
Launch an enemy into the air with Uppercut, put a few rounds into them with Ebony and Ivory, then smack them back down to the ground with Showdown! Like a high five, only instead of hands meeting, it’s fists… meeting a demon’s face. Snake Eye, meanwhile, is a counter for any enemy that tries to introduce your face to their sword. Charging this attack has the added bonus of breaking shields or knocking an enemy back, so be mindful of that. Sad thing is, you’ll never be able to play Angry Birds with those giant hands of yours. Booooooooo.
Angel Weapons
Hailing from your mother Eva’s side of the family, these put the “quick” in “quick and the dead”. Angel weapons are fast and flashy like fireworks. Sharp on the edges, the only thing you have to worry about is making sure you don’t end up slicing off your own fingers. Switch between them by pressing left on the D-pad and access them by holding down the left trigger.
Osiris
Another weapon you grab in Mission 2 is Osiris, a deadly Angel scythe meant to reflect your Angel heritage from your mother. Faster than Rebellion, and much more flashier when using Karma or Cleaver, it deals less damage but becomes more powerful when fed with demon energy. You can use it to deflect bombs and break enemy attacks at the right moment. It’s a weapon best used for propelling multiple enemies in the air and keeping them there, which is where Shredder is worth the upgrade point.
You can hold it down to extend the spin time, and finishing it will send the enemy flying. Or you can let the poor demon fall back to the ground and finish it off with a blast from your trusty shotgun Revenant. When you’re in the air, Double Up will take you higher in the air with your enemy. You’ll believe you can fly… and also slash demons in half with a scythe the length of an average giraffe’s neck.
Aquila
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a ninja, look no further than Aquila. Acquired in Mission 10, Aquila is a pair of Angel shuriken that are quick and deadly, like a child who just ran away after farting. Cutting through weak enemies with Tornado and using Round Trip getting through the barriers of Witches is this weapon’s specialty. An upgrade to Tornado lets you hold down the button even longer and cut through demons like tissue paper. Bring your enemies together with Buy In, then rip them to shreds.
Throwing a spinning blade with Round Trip traps any enemies caught within, freeing you up to deal with other enemies or prepare for another combo. Trap an enemy in its deadly spin, stick some darts into them with Kablooey, then blow them up to add insult to already sharp injury. Just be warned, some enemies can redirect Round Trip right back at you. Imagine how embarrassing it’d be to take hits from your own weapon.
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