Congratulations first off on buying a beautifully made game and hats off to you who have tried Hardcore first. (Unlike me)

Props to Dean Dodrill for spending so long to make a game by hand, and for producing such a great game that anyone can enjoy.

I personally enjoyed the hell out of the game when I played it the first time and I honestly will never forget it. The story, the characters, the scenery, it's all amazing.
I can agree I struggled myself, but through a few trials, both being a pun and the Cirelian trials, I learned the combos I was missing and just was surprised Dust had 3 more moves that really helped.

Nightmare Mode, Veteran, Tough, Hell, Dante Must Die, Heaven or Hell... all have one thing in common.. they and Hardcore Mode are in a sense merciless, here are the immediate differences:

*Fangs of Bloodlust
Enemies are Much stronger in the fact that two-three hits from even the first creatures are capable of knocking down the turquoise warrior.





*There is no saviour
In the other difficulties, if you are hit and had more than one health point, you'd be spared to heal yourself and keep fighting. In Hardcore, you're given no such grace. If you get hit for 300 damage, you will die if you have less than 300 health. The only salvation you find comes red. The red crystals are no longer fodder for the shopkeepers, they will save you, but do not come cheap. (8000 Gold)

*Skin of Steel
The enemies have increased health, so until Dust is leveled up enough, he'll still be taking a seat after cutting down a few enemies in Hardcore.

In order to get through Hardcore, you must be paying attention at all times. You need to gauge in your head how far Dust can jump, what he will target with the Aerial Dust Storm, and when to use Evasion.

Starting from the top:

Always keep your health within a blink of an eye's visibility.
This may be irrelevant in the early stages, but further into the game, you'll need it in plain sight.

Slow down
Though the combat of this game is fast-paced, you can't get careless in Hardcore. A telegraphed attack from a giant may be blocked by Fidget's projectiles, and or the visual effects of Dust's attacks. Secondly, if you are trying to traverse an area and you're speeding through with the Aerial Dust Storm, you may run right into an enemy's magic attack and effectively doom yourself.

One second to spare
Unseen in the demonstration in the tutorial, Dust's Parry technique has a hidden quality.
If you hold the Light Attack button after you strike an enemy just as it's about to hit you, you have a whole second on an invisible timer for that enemy's hit to connect and be his undoing.
An example:
Dust faces a slime - Slime prepares to stab him - Player presses and holds Light Attack at the right moment and hits the slime AND parries the blow - Slime is hit for one Ahrah swing and is left stunned.

Left or Right, LEFT OR RIGHT?!
Make smart use of the Evade buttons, you need to keep Dust out of harm's way. This is especially aimed toward the platforming sections. If you press the button at the wrong time, you'll be crowning him with thorns in no time.
Also, if you have too many of Fidget's projectiles going everywhere on the screen, get out of the way if you are unsure where the enemies or their attacks are so you don't get hit in the towering infernos. Special point of interest, Dust is invulnerable while he is in the spin of the evade, but remember he crouches for a brief moment to catch his breath.

Brick Wall, or Glass Cannon
If this is your first time playing Hardcore, I sorely suggest you take the road of a Brick Wall, use the Gems to increase Dust's Health and Defense first to the point you will will be able to withstand a few hits. Only choose the Glass Cannon option if you've mastered Dust's arsenal and are looking for a challenge.

Combo-Breaking
Dust is very agile. Never forget that. If he is in the middle of a long-winded combo on the ground and needs to be elsewhere, Evading left or right, or jumping straight in the air will make Dust break his stances immediately.

Fidget, Fidget, Lovely little Fidget
Never underestimate her or her abilities, and make proper use of each spell.

Weiss Cohete (Why-s Co-he-te): Fidget's first spell isn't worthless. Weiss Cohete breaks up in the Dust Storm and homes in on the enemy, bashing them continuously and lifting them into the air, effectively removing them from the battle either dead, or stunned while recovering.

Pillars of Wrath: Fuse's spell, learned by Fidget: This one is much more tailored to crowd control. When broken, the spell transforms and hovers over creatures' heads slightly and as soon as the bolts are affixed to one, it summons the Pillar. Controlled but is quite powerful either way.

Static Lightning: Fidget's last spell learned from observing Lady Tethys. When broken, it arcs across the screen where an origin point was made and fires off Electricity into every enemy on screen and gets them in the air. Impressive, universal, but costs the most Energy.

One last note on Fidget's spells, they can be broken in three ways; Standing Dust Storm, Aerial Dust Storm, and The Fallen. (Down + Dust Storm Button)

A Turkey, A Chicken, Pizza, and Pretzels
Never be without food, sell everything you find and stock up on a few food items to keep Dust healthy. You don't want to be caught leaving the nearest Merchant without at least 10 decent food items.
Note: Consuming even the most meek food item will replenish the Energy bar, so if you're battling a Phantom in the Sorrowing Meadows or so, you won't have to wait until you can get a melee combo going.

In Hardcore, you will find yourself will quite a lot of coin, of course the items you find are all well and said, but it would be much wiser to spend the gold wisely.

Void the Pocket (Dimension)
Don't bother holding onto petty items. If you pick up 40 scraps of paper, sell the 40 scraps of paper and purchase a cupcake. Sell everything when you can. More than likely, if you're spending time training Dust and Fidget and are more than capable of handling yourself, a wise idea would be to sell everything and hold on to the gold until you need to rebuy a certain about of a crafting material or food.... or for doing every Fale quest in one (albeit) long conversational go.

Which key unlocks the Infinity +1 sword?
If you are serious about Dust's survival and collecting as many free collectables as possible... buy and locate every key and find those companions. It won't take long at all to find the keys, or rake in enough cash to hold them.

Why, oh why, didn't I buy the Red Crystal?
Buy Teleport Crystals if you're in a desperate hurry to finish a quest or so, but it's much more advantageous to spend a few minutes blowing through an area and collecting cash and craft materials... but don't spend all of your cash on Resurrection Stones at once, if you are absolutely sure you won't navigate somewhere without Death grasping your shoulder, buy one or two...

The rest becomes Trial and Error... observing the enemy's patterns and a test of whether or not you can stand a few death sequences if you're unlucky.

Until I construct another guide, this has been my first.

Good Luck to every Hardcore mode Dust player and continue enjoying this game!


Right to Fanart for the Logo goes to Twigilea of Deviantart
Breezy Hair Dust Artwork goes to Yelowfox of Deviantart