User Guide

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THE REAVER
Both Kain and Raziel are armed with
different incarnations of the same
weapon — the legendary Reaver
blade. Kain wields the sword in its
physical form, a blood-drinking blade
forged by Nosgoth’s ancient Vampires
as the weapon of their prophesied
hero. Raziel bears the sword that the
Reaver is fated to become — a soul-
devouring wraith-blade.
Each bears the Reaver as his sole
weapon, and both Kain and Raziel earn
enhancements for the blade over the
course of the game, enabling them to
employ elemental sorcery in their
attacks. Like Raziel, the wraith-blade is
a spectral entity; but Raziel can
summon the wraith-blade into the
Material Realm to wield it in combat.
FEEDING THE REAVER
Like Kain and Raziel, the Reaver has an
insatiable appetite for its enemies’ life-
force. With each strike, the Reaver
absorbs a little of its victim’s energy,
and the Reaver Gauge begins to fill.
Because the energy in the Reaver
Gauge decays over time, Kain and
Raziel must maintain an intense
assault to build the Reaver to a full
charge.
When an enemy is reduced to a
vulnerable state, Kain and Raziel may
forego drinking the victim’s blood or
devouring its soul, and instead feed
the victim’s life energy to the Reaver
blade, increasing its power temporarily.
•
Press the ˇ button near a stunned
or vulnerable enemy to finish it with
the Reaver, feeding its life energy to
the blade.
More elaborate combos and finishing
moves will fill the Reaver Gauge
more rapidly. (See Combat starting
on page 22.)
REAVER CHARGE
When the Reaver Gauge is full, the
Reaver becomes charged and its
combat performance is temporarily
augmented. The effect varies based on
the current Reaver enhancement. For
instance, the Reaver may temporarily
deal more damage, or inflict paralyzing
or stunning force upon its victims.
When the Reaver Charge ends, the
gauge is completely depleted.
REAVER CHARGE STONES
These arcane stones enable you to
build the Reaver to a charge by striking
the stone with multiple attacks.
REAVER SPELL
A second effect occurs when the
Reaver Gauge is full. A Reaver Spell is
armed, indicated by a glow around the
Reaver Gauge. The spell can be
triggered at any time.
•
Hold down the Í button to gather
the spell’s energy.
•
Release the Í button to launch
the spell.
The effect of the Reaver Spell depends
on the current Reaver enhancement.
•
Some spells inflict damage to all
enemies in the area.
•
Other spells affect Raziel or Kain,
enabling them to turn invisible
temporarily or unleash an flurry of
extra-dimensional attacks.
•
Some Reaver Spells are useful for
solving puzzles.
REAVER ENHANCEMENTS
You can unearth ancient Vampire
enchantments that increase the
Reaver’s effectiveness in combat, and
may help you solve puzzles or defeat
obstacles. These are Balance Emblems
and Elemental Forges.
BALANCE EMBLEM
Kain discovers fragments of the
Vampires’ Balance Emblem. Each shard
of the talisman represents a different
principle that enhances the Reaver.
Kain’s Balance Emblem appears on and
can be activated from his on-screen
display (see page 10).
ELEMENTAL FORGES
Within the ancient ruins of the
Vampire Citadel, Raziel discovers
arcane forges that permanently
enhance the Reaver with elemental
powers. Raziel’s Elemental Reavers
appear on and can be activated from
his on-screen display (see page 16).
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