The First Berserker: Khazan: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide

A combat-first guide to Neople's cel-shaded soulslike set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe: how stamina and guarding really work, choosing between the three weapons, spending Lacrima and Skill Points, the Crevice hub, and what to do after the credits.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the July 28, 2026 PC stability patch (the last content-relevant patch was the April 1, 2026 1st Anniversary update, Steam build 565386). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Stamina is the fight. Both you and enemies run on stamina. Drain an enemy's stamina and it staggers, opening it up for a brutal attack. Run out yourself and you are helpless.
• Learn perfect guarding. Guarding at the last moment (Brink Guard) is the core defensive skill. It protects your stamina and wears down the enemy's.
• Pick one weapon and commit early. Dual Wield, Greatsword and Spear each have their own skill tree. Skill Points go further in one tree.
• Respec is free and available anywhere. Experiment with skills constantly; there is no penalty.
• Lacrima is your XP. Spend it on stats. If you die, go back to where you fell to recover it, and don't die on the way.
• Use the Crevice. The hub is where you upgrade gear, change attributes, buy and sell, and collect mail.
• Claim your free gear. After clearing Mission 2, check the Crevice Mailbox for the anniversary and celebration packages (see below).
• Summons are allowed. You can call a spirit ally for help in hard fights. The only cost is the "Standing Alone" achievement.
• Easier difficulty is an option. If a boss wall kills your enjoyment, switching down is legitimate. Just note that one achievement is for finishing the harder journey.

Core Combat

Stamina, stagger and brutal attacks

• Every attack, dodge and guard spends stamina. Guarding normal hits drains yours; perfect guards drain theirs.
• When an enemy's stamina breaks, it becomes vulnerable to a brutal attack, a heavy finisher that deals big damage. Landing one is the "Finishing Strike" achievement.
• Bosses have stamina bars too. The whole boss loop is: survive, perfect-guard or punish to drain stamina, then brutal attack.

Guarding and dodging

• Brink Guard (perfect guard) is the defensive centrepiece. Timed guards reflect stamina damage back to the attacker.
• Dodging is useful for attacks you can't guard and for repositioning, but a guard-focused game drains bosses faster.
• Breakfall lets you recover when knocked down. There is an achievement for defeating an enemy using a breakfall, so it's also an offensive tool.

Spirit and skills

• Landing hits builds Spirit, which powers weapon skills without spending stamina.
• Skills are bought with Skill Points in each weapon's tree plus shared trees. The best skills often add counters, stamina damage or Spirit gain.
• Javelins are a ranged option for pulling enemies, finishing runners, or chip damage.

Blade Phantom and the Netherworld

Khazan survives his own death through a pact with the Blade Phantom, a spirit of the Netherworld. The mechanics that tie in:

• Lacrima recovery: return to your death spot to retrieve lost Lacrima ("Tears of the Soul").
• Soulstone: upgrades your abilities by unleashing Soulstone power.
• Dormant ghosts: you can wake sleeping ghosts in the world, which has its own achievement ("Awakened Ghost").
• Spirit of Advocacy: the summonable spirit ally for tough fights (finishing the game without one is the "Standing Alone" achievement).

The Three Weapons

Weapon | Feel | Strengths | Weak points

Dual Wield | Fast, combo-heavy | Great Spirit generation, constant pressure, easy stamina chip | Low reach; needs to stay in close

Greatsword | Slow, heavy hits | Huge stamina damage per hit, strong brutal attack setups | Punishing recovery if you whiff

Spear | Mid-speed, long reach | Safe spacing, strong poke and counter play | Less burst than the Greatsword

Beginner pick: Dual Wield is forgiving because it builds Spirit fast and recovers quickly. The Greatsword rewards patience and strong guard timing. The Spear sits between them and is excellent if you like spacing.

Weapons are shared between male and female Khazan, and the free gift weapons cover all three types.

Progression

Lacrima and stats

• Lacrima from kills is spent to level your stats. Stats split between survival (health and stamina) and damage.
• Priority for a first playthrough: bring health and stamina to a comfortable level first; you learn bosses faster when you survive longer. Then push the damage stat your weapon and gear favour.
• Oksana in the Crevice alters attributes on gear (the "Kaleido" achievement).

Gear and sets

• Gear drops in rarities and comes with attributes. Wearing a full set grants set bonuses and sometimes set-specific skills, so it can outvalue slightly higher raw stats.
• Qazumaka the blacksmith crafts gear, dismantles gear for materials, and handles augmenting.
• The Crevice merchant handles buying and selling consumables and items.
• You can augment, change attributes, and change appearance (transmog) on gear.

Free gear packages

Package | When | Contents

Triple-Crown Celebration Package | From Nov 27, 2025 | 2 hairstyles (M/F), 1 armour set (M/F), 1 weapon of each type

1st Anniversary Gift (Immortal Fury Set) | From Apr 1, 2026 | 5-piece Immortal Fury armour (Helm, Gauntlets, Cuirass, Leggings, Combat Boots) for M/F; Greatsword of Chronicles, Dual Wield of Immortal Adamantine, Sanguine Vanguard Spear

Both arrive in the Mailbox, which becomes available in the Crevice after clearing Mission 2. If your inventory is full, make room and try again.

Structure

• The game is split into main Missions, launched from the Crevice, plus Bonus Missions that revisit areas with new objectives. "Countless Tales" is the achievement for completing every bonus mission.
• There are 16 bosses in total; the Ultimate Challenge's Berserker's Bloodshed mode runs all 16 back to back.
• Named bosses and storylines tracked by achievements include Hismar the Berserk Dragon and "Tragedy of Pell Los". The main antagonist is Ozma, Khazan's former best friend and fellow dragon-slayer (the two killed Hismar together), and choices near the end determine which of three endings you get. Only one ending achievement exists ("The Challenger's Journey"), plus "The Expert's Journey" for finishing on the harder difficulty.

Boss Strategy (Works on Every Boss)

• First attempts are scouting. Watch for the attacks you can perfect-guard safely and the ones you should dodge.
• Track the stamina bar. Push it when it is low; back off to recover your own when yours is low.
• Save Spirit for a skill that punishes the boss's big recovery windows.
• Brutal attack every break. That is where your damage is.
• Summon if stuck. A spirit ally splits the boss's attention.
• Respec for the fight. Swap skills for more counters, guard benefits or stamina damage; you can change back afterwards.

Collectibles and Achievements

• Collection items: lore traces scattered through levels.
• Danjin's jarlings: hidden jars in missions; finding them is tied to achievements ("Danjin's Jars" and "Jar Enthusiast").
• Special scrolls and crafting: obtaining a special scroll ("Special Scroll") and crafting a special item ("Artisanship") are separate achievements, and having Qazumaka craft gear is another ("Skilled Blacksmith"), so craft when you can.
• Achievements also cover the story endings, completing all bonus missions, a no-summon run ("Standing Alone"), and starting New Game+ ("A New Path").

After the Credits

• New Game+ keeps your progress and raises the challenge.
• Ultimate Challenge resets your stats and equipment and gives each mode its own progression system:
• Great General's Crucible: a gauntlet of themed boss groups.
• Berserker's Bloodshed: all 16 bosses in a row.
• Battle tokens from these modes buy special gear and new weapons.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Blocking everything. Normal guards drain your stamina. Perfect guards are the goal; dodge what you can't time.
• Emptying the stamina bar on offence. Leave enough to guard the boss's reply.
• Spreading Skill Points across three weapons in your first playthrough.
• Hoarding Lacrima. Spend it at every checkpoint so a death costs nothing.
• Ignoring set bonuses for small raw-stat upgrades.
• Forgetting the Mailbox and missing the free Immortal Fury and Triple-Crown gear.
• Skipping bonus missions. They give materials, gear and practice.

Advanced Tips

• Guard-counter loops: skills that reward perfect guards turn defence into your main damage source against aggressive bosses.
• Stamina-damage stacking: gear and skills that increase stamina damage shorten the time to each brutal attack.
• Weapon swapping per boss: a slow, telegraphed boss favours the Greatsword, a fast multi-hit boss often favours the Spear's reach or Dual Wield's recovery.
• Performance: the March 2026 patch integrated AMD FSR 3.1.4, including AI-based frame generation and upscaling support on Radeon RX 9000 cards.

FAQ

Is Khazan harder than other soulslikes? It is demanding, especially its bosses, but free respecs, summons and an easier difficulty option make it manageable. The developers even campaigned for the Steam Awards "Best Game You Suck At" category.

Which weapon is best? None is strictly best. Dual Wield is the easiest to learn; Greatsword has the highest stamina damage per hit; Spear gives the safest reach.

How do I get the free anniversary gear? Clear Mission 2, then open the Mailbox in the Crevice. The Immortal Fury set and the three anniversary weapons are there.

Can I respec? Yes, skills can be reset any time, from anywhere, for free.

What is the Ultimate Challenge? Post-game modes with stats and gear reset: Great General's Crucible (themed boss groups) and Berserker's Bloodshed (all 16 bosses in a row).

How many endings are there? Three, decided by your choices in the final confrontation with Ozma.

Is there a female Khazan? Yes. The gift packages include separate male and female armour and hairstyles, and weapons are shared between both.

Sources

• Steam store page
• Steam store API description (Ultimate Challenge details)
• Steam achievements list
• Patch notes, April 1 2026 (1st Anniversary)
• Patch notes, March 24 2026 (FSR 3.1.4)
• Patch notes, Nov 27 2025 (Triple-Crown package)
• Patch notes, July 28 2026
• Wikipedia: The First Berserker: Khazan