After a long wait and a couple of delays, Bandai Namco’s new action RPG is finally out. Before you dive in, though, here are four things you should do first in Code Vein.
Unlock All Gifts in the Base Blood Codes
Once you start the tutorial level in Code Vein, you’ll be given three basic Blood Codes: Fighter, Ranger, and Caster. They’re meant to cater to your general play style, but you’ll most likely leave them behind after you get your first real character Blood Code.
Nevertheless, it’s worth unlocking all of the Gifts that these three basic Blood Codes have to offer. The thing that Code Vein doesn’t really tell you is that Gifts are not exclusive to the Blood Code you have equipped. Once you unlock a Gift, you can kill a certain number of enemies with the associated Blood Code to become proficient with that particular Gift.
Once you attain max proficiency, that Gift can be equipped anytime, regardless of which Blood Code you have on. As long as you have the stats for it, of course.
Because of this, it’s highly recommended that you unlock all Gifts from the three Blood Codes first. You’ll get passive Gifts that boost your stamina and health, as well as ability that lets you know if there are lootable items nearby, which is very useful. If you don’t want to spend time farming enemies to max out proficiency, you can also spend some Haze and use the Awake items to instantly max it out.
Hoard Your Valuables
As you play through Code Vein and explore the world, you’ll inevitably pick up junk items like Old World Materials and other mundane things like a Classic Camera. You might think that these are probably for selling, but you’d be wrong.
In fact, they’re meant for trading with NPCs back at Home Base. By giving these valuable items to an NPC, you’ll accrue trading points with them, which can be exchanged for even more useful items like Chrome and even their beloved weapons.
However, I highly recommend hoarding all your valuables, at least until you’ve recruited a few more people to Home Base.
Another interesting thing that Code Vein doesn’t tell you is that certain valuables will reward you with more trading points if you give them to the right NPC. Besides, with how expensive it is to get the NPC weapons, and how rare it can be to pick up valuables, you’ll want to expand your options a little before committing to one.
Choose Your Ideal Partner
One distinct feature in Code Vein is the ability to have an AI partner follow you wherever you go. At the start of the game, you’ll only have Louis and Yakumo, but as the game continues, you’ll gain access to more partners with more varied abilities to help you in combat.
I’ve found that Yakumo serves as a really good partner for the early parts of the game, as he’s generally pretty tanky and hard-hitting, and he can easily take out mobs for you and absorb a lot of hits. Louis is faster on his feet, but also way squishier, so you’ll more than likely end up having to cover him from time to time.
Either way, as you unlock more partners in Code Vein, make sure to pick one that best complements your build and play style.
Talk to Everyone in Home Base
Finally, once you gain access to Home Base, you’ll want to progress through the story by going to the next area, then come right back.
Upon your second visit to Home Base in Code Vein, you can talk to all of the characters hanging around, and most of them will give you a new Blood Code. This is especially important, as Coco actually ends up giving you one of the best early game Blood Codes, called Mercury.
This Blood Code focuses on exploration, and even allows you to apply Lightning effects on your weapon, and increases the amount of Haze you get from defeating enemies. It’s perfect for early game exploration, and amassing a good amount of Haze for leveling up and unlocking Gifts.
Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our Code Vein guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
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