So, for anyone still wondering how to get through beginning of the game and about combat I have some insight on what I have found out myself while playing.
At the beginning after you get to hub area, there will be torch, take it immediately.
After taking torch, go back to crossroad, go top and right to "seemingly infinitely looping" corridor, go through it 7-9 times and you will unlock forbidden grounds go to the left and up into doors to supplies room, go all the way up until you find elevator, use it, go down and unlock shortcut to hub area, now go back to supplies room and search for graveyard key when you get it go back to hub area, save game, always do it in hub area, trust me. Now get out of save room and on crossroads go down, in next room go to the right and unlock graveyard. Go through graveyard as usual and loot stuff until you find *angelic voice singing "HEAVY ARMOR" *. Congratulations, now you can have a chance to fight against monsters of these dungeons. But be ready, you can withstand lots of damage and even mostly nulify damage from first boss Minotaur all enemies will have always extra turn against you, but if you have lots of healing and this armor, you'll manage. Oh and first major boss, Varn, (the one after Minotaur) will be a lot more manageable if you have this armor.
So armor means A LOT. Yeah, you can be slow, but at least alive and kicking.
Items are randomized, which means you can save at hub area and go to weapon chest as much times as possible till you get weapon that you want by reloading save.
Status effects are good, but not as reliable.
So stack that armor and counter percentage at any possible moment, trust me it makes game SO MUCH MORE EASIER.
After beating Minotaur I couldn't find how to get out of that arena, so I'll help you, there will be few jail cells, in one of them there will be hole in a wall, get in it. Voila! You are finally out.
If you just got infection status (brown square with some black lines) just reload save file. Yes, it can be cured by alcohol but it is NOT GUARANTEED that you will cure it when you will drink wine, which is dumb as hell, so better hold on to that wine like it's your firstborn child. Just reload save and try to avoid it at any cost. ESPECIALLY THE DAMN NAILS.
After beating minotaur you will unlock ability to aquire skills, some of them are ridiculously strong, which is good in game like this, some of them absolutely useless. So I'll tell about ones I'm using.
I don't remember names so I'll just describe them,here :
- you always attack twice but your hunger (guts) will lose 10 points each time. Trust me, it's a total game changer, take it, you'll thank me later.
(there is another one that gives you a double attack, DO NOT take that one, people say it's bad, really bad)
-randomly you will have a possibility to "cut enemy limbs". Take this one too, it's a free attack and strong debuff on enemy, only bad thing about it is that it's activates randomly but that's not a problem if you have "angelic voice singing " HEAVY ARMOR"* and you can tank a damage and stay alive for long time in battle.
- You are never getting attacked on your first turn. No. It does not work, don't waste your skill points
- You won't receive damage when you recede. Nope, doesn't work too.
-You will heal 10 hp every turn but you'll lose 10% of your max hp. TAKE IT. It's very good, and there is an item *name about something moon* that heals you for 10 hp. Use this skill and that item and you will have +20 hp ON EVERY TURN. Pretty neat.
- 20% counter. Take it, it's always great, I'm trying to get more counter % to see how far it can go.
-when you guard 3 times you get one free guard. It kinda works, but nothing impressive.
-when you guard attack with less than 50 damage, it gets countered. I mean it's alright.
- you get 10 guts after every battle. It's great with a build I'm explained here. Helps to use less food.
And that's it for the skills that I got myself. There a lot of others, but I skip lot of them because they basically useless.
Now on combat. Advancing and receding is quite important. Your weapon has range. Enemy's weapon has range, use that. For example, first major boss Varn. If you stay close to him he will miss most of the attacks, if he goes on middle or far range, you are probably dead. But if you have lots of counter, as per my build you can provoke enemies on certain range so they will do certain attacks wich is very good.
Always check the walls if they are illusory ones. EXCEPT THE ONE IN INFINITE CORRIDOR, IT BUGS THE GAME SO YOU CAN'T ENTER OTHER ILLUSORY ROOMS AND DIE.
Upgrade your weapons, if you have claymore and upgraded it you can cary it in one hand and have torch in other one(!). They get small damage buff and stuff like that.
Always, if there is possibility, backstab enemies. Especially rats, to hell with the rats. To do it more easier, you can come to them from behind, and then hold shift and run on them, even if you are only one block behind them.
Puzzles, here some I got from here.
Clock - 1206
Levers beside doll maker room - Left, right, center.
For now I got two major bosses and I'm stuck in the damn archives looking for damn pieces of painting. I need 4 and I have 3. I can't find it. I just can't. And funniest thing is, their location is RANDOMIZED on every playthrough. So yeah, I'm kinda losing my mind right now.
So yeah, I hope at least SOMEONE will find this rambling of mine useful and try this cruel, but fun game.
If will get some new worth of mention stuff, I'll probably add it here because we do not have wiki or anything.
Good luck!