Extinction Beginner’s Guide — Skills, Rune Strikes, & Other Essentials

It’s hack ‘n’ slash mixed with monster hunter. It’s Darksiders combined with Shadow of the Colossus. It’s David vs. Goliath. It’s Extinction — and it’s also pretty darn hard! But this beginner’s guide is going to help you get started on the right foot. 

Yes, the latest action-packed release from Killer Instinct developers Iron Galaxy is deceptively difficult, largely due to the timed structure of its missions and it’s unforgiving checkpoint system. However, don’t fear! We’ve got your back.

Whether it’s the best way to take down the largest enemies in the game or the ideal way of avoiding damage, the important tips in this guid should improve your chances of survival considerably. Extinction may be tough in the beginning, but this beginner’s guide should help ease you in. So what are you waiting for? Dolorum isn’t going to save itself!

Hit the Ground Running — Time is of the Essence

Extinction is certainly a game where time is of the essence. It challenges the player to maintain focus due to its mission conditions. Yes, if too many civilians are killed or too many buildings are destroyed, you practically fail the entire mission — ultimately forcing you to play through it again from the start. And who wants to do that?

One philosophy that will better equip you for the hard road ahead is to always “play the mission” so to speak. In other words, don’t get distracted. 

If the main goal is to protect the watchtowers, then it’s probably best to tackle the Ravenii closest to the buildings rather than the ones further away. If the core objective is to protect a certain number of civilians, then the wisest thing to do is wipe out the enemies who are attacking them. It probably sounds like it should be common sense, but it’s easy to lose focus in the game’s semi-open-world stages.

One game changer (quite literally) comes in the form of the randomly generated missions that you’ll come across later on in Extinction — completely changing the placement of buildings, enemies, and portals. It means that you won’t be familiar with the environment, so it’s even more crucial that you make the most of your time in order to survive these challenges. Extinction is  a lot more punishing than you might think, and if you waste time looking at the pretty art design for too long (or following the wrong objective), you’ll quickly find that Extinction can be a cruel play.

Liberally Spam Your Dodge Roll 

Given how tough the mission structures can be, it’s probably no surprise that the actual combat follows suit. But even though your attacks are more or less based around one button combos, one of the most useful actions in your arsenal is actually the dodge maneuver. Stand around swinging into thin air for too long without protecting yourself, and you won’t stand a chance.

Rather, Extinction requires you to get out of the way of incoming attacks far more than other games of its ilk. This is particularly apparent in the earlier portions of the game when you haven’t upgraded your health. In fact, a couple of blows from the minions will drain your life bar to near depletion, forcing you to flee the premises in order to recuperate.

However, dodging becomes even more crucial when going toe-to-toe with the massive Ravenii. One hit from these bad boys can put your lights out so staying nimble and evading their powerful whacks will pay off in the long run. Some solace comes from the fact that you respawn when you are defeated, but touching on our first tip, can you really afford to waste crucial seconds in a game which is time-based? The answer is an emphatic no.

Upgrade Your Abilities Regularly

Game protagonist Avil might be one of the infamous last sentinels, but he’s still got plenty to improve upon when you take the reigns at the start of his journey. Thankfully, Extinction allows you to upgrade his abilities in a separate skill menu/skill tree, and even better, they’re all abilities which greatly improve your chances of survival.

So take it from us — make sure you splash out on improving his powers whenever possible.

You facilitate this by completing objectives, fulfilling side-mission conditions, rescuing civilians, and (obviously) slaying the mighty Ravenii. Doing so will grant you SP (Skill Points) which can then be used to expand your health meter, allow you to soar higher, give you more time to focus your Rune Strikes, and various other handy perks. What’s more, even when you fall on the battlefield, any SP you earned during that run will carry over — meaning no run through is a waste of time.

Tips for early ability upgrades would be to focus on upgrading your health bar and invest in expanding your combos. Do this and you’ll be in with a better chance of making it through to the end.

After every stage, you’ll get the chance to access the skills menu and make use of those hard-earned SP. Our advice would be to do it ASAP because you never know what the next mission might bring!

Build Up Your Rune Strike Halfway Before Tackling Ravenii

You might think Jackals are easily disposed of at the beginning of Extinction, but things certainly take a turn for the scary when the first huge Ravenii are revealed. These large ogres wander through cities obliterating buildings and wiping out civilians at will with the unenviable task of extinguishing them falling on the shoulders of Avil. So what’s the best way to tackle these barbarous beasts? By making sure you are well prepared before taking them on in the first place.

Yes, because Ravenii can only be defeated using the Rune Strike ability, you’ll need to make sure you’ve filled up the correspondent gauge to unleash it. You can power up your Rune Strike by rescuing civilians, defeating Jackals and dissecting Ravenii.

However, the smartest way to go about it is to have your meter built up halfway before approaching these huge eyesores. Why? Because you won’t be able to decapitate them (the only way they can be vanquished) unless the Rune Strike meter is maxed out. 

Slicing limbs and breaking chains on the Ravenii will add to it, but you’ll soon find that it’s not enough to fill the gauge. Doing these other tasks first is the ideal way to approach matters, giving you some much-needed Rune Strike energy, and ensuring that by the time you make your way to the beast’s head, you’ll have the power to land that fateful final blow!

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And there you have it: four vital tips that will aid you on your perilous journey through Extinction. Don’t be put off by the game’s steep learning curve — you’ll be bouncing off trees and dismembering foes in no time! And stay tuned to more Extinction guides!