Jumping into a playthrough of The First Berserker: Khazan is not exactly for the faint of heart. As the latest big addition to the Soulslike party, Khazan has staked its claim already as one of the most challenging entries in the genre to date.

While the game has already received a patch to re-balance things a bit, there’s still plenty of challenge to be had with this one. Don’t be surprised if it soon becomes the latest member on the list of games that were simply too hard for most players at launch.

Still, if you’re starting this journey and have found yourself drawn the most to the dual wield weapon class, there are some skills you can invest in right off the bat that will set you up for as much success early on as possible.

Here are the six dual wield build skills you should save up for right away in The First Berserker: Khazan. Pair this info with some additional early game tips and tricks, and you might soon find your way to victory. Maybe.

6 Reflection

Blocks Are Good, Parries Are Better

From the start of Khazan, it will become abundantly clear that negating enemy damage via the block mechanic is crucial for survival. This system works well enough, but you can make this action even more useful with the purchase of the Reflection skill, found in the Common tab of the skill tree.

This adds an actual parry to Khazan’s repertoire, which is certainly harder to get the hang of than a regular block, but worth the effort once you figure it out and adapt.

Not only does this move prevent you from taking attack damage, but it also drains a nice chunk of stamina from your enemy, getting them closer to becoming fully exhausted, giving you have a window for a few free shots once they fully deplete their energy.

Like in most games, not every single attack in Khazan can be successfully parried, so you will still have to learn the proper times to put this skill into action.

5 Whirlwind

Path Of Destruction

Adding a diverse offensive moveset to your arsenal as a dual wield user is never a bad idea. In general, dual wield builds will be a little uncomfortably close-ranged, so whatever you can do to make combat more likely to go your way can make a big difference.

One skill you should consider adding early for this purpose is Whirlwind, an attack that spins Khazan into the air with the additional option to twirl quickly back down to earth for a particularly devastating and immediate combo.

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This skill is triggered by your potent blow button and chains directly into a combo you’re already in the middle of doing if you’re swinging away with swift attacks, making it an easy, powerful move to throw in to really pummel an enemy into the ground.

There are other heavy combos you can earn later that will ultimately be more useful, but Whirlwind is still a great option to grab early before other moves unlock.

4 Outrage

The Distance Closer

Often times throughout Khazan (and especially as a dual wielder), you’ll simply feel too far away from enemies as you approach them, or after you’ve dodged away from danger.

Timing is absolutely everything in this game, and sometimes you simply can’t waste an open window to get an attack in before your enemy regroups and gets back on the offensive.

This is especially true for the game’s intense boss fights, as you’ll often find yourself panic dodging away from danger, then simply being too far from the action to inflict an damage.

The Blade Phantom boss fight in particular will punish you repeatedly if you’re not keeping yourself within range to strike whenever you can.

Outrage is the best early counter for this exact issue. This one allows you to sprint full speed at an enemy, then launch immediately into an extra-powerful, distance-closing potent attack with the press of a single button.

3 Blazing Assault

Would You Like That As A Combo?

Blazing Assault is unloackable immediately after gaining access to the skill tree, and you’d be remiss to not heavily consider it as your first purchase.

By default, the dual wield weapon type will allow for four consecutive swift attacks before placing an automatic break in your attack pattern. This combo reset can spell disaster when misplaced, and can also end an opportunity to burn an enemy’s HP down to zero before they even have a chance to react.

Blazing Assault is pretty straightforward, simply adding a fifth swift attack that you can now do in one, single attack combo. If you’re spam attacking an enemy and trying to defeat them as quickly as possible, this extra fifth move can be all the difference you really need.

What’s nice about this one too is that it doesn’t require any additional button combination to pull off. It’s just an inherent skill that Khazan will be capable of from this point forward, making it an easy one to quickly turn the tide of any encounter.

2 Dragon Slayer

Say Drake

Dragon Slayer is one more example of a dual wield ability that can quickly close the distance for you in a fight. As a dual wielder, you automatically have the least range of any weapon class in the entire game.

This trade-off, of course, comes with benefits as well, like the fact that your moveset is also the fastest of the group, but the fact remains that you’re going to be way more up close and personal with enemies much more frequently than anyone that mains a different weapon type.

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Dragon Slayer specifically relates to your heavy attack. Now, instead of charging a heavy and praying that your opponent doesn’t either move out of your attack range or counter you with an attack of their own before yours is fully charged, you can keep a bit more of a safety buffer as you power up a strike.

Your fully charged potent attack is now equipped with a forward dash, allowing Khazan to immediately close some precious ground before swinging away with a nice smash.

1 Blowback

The Best Offense Is A Good Defense

As previously mentioned, The First Berserker: Khazan is a title where you’re going to spend a lot of time blocking and guarding. Because of this, any skill you can pickup that makes your guard capabilities stronger is an easy win, and absolutely something you should consider investing in.

If you time a block precisely as an enemy strikes lands, it becomes a brink guard, which just means that you timed the move perfectly, and it won’t drain as much stamina from you as a nice, additional perk.

Blowback makes a brink guard even better, dealing a small amount of damage to your attacker whenever you block at just the right moment. This can be repeated several times during a single enemy attack combo.

Yeah, the damage you inflict from this skill isn’t substantial, but if you’re going to be guarding against attacks all the time anyway, this extra chip damage will absolutely stack up and give you better odds of victory every single time.

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The First Berserker: Khazan

Released March 27, 2025

Developer(s) Neople

Engine Unreal Engine 4

PC Release Date March 27, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date March 27, 2025

PS5 Release Date March 27, 2025

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