Wanna know all our best Code Vein tips? Well, here’s one: this game is just anime Dark Souls. No, seriously, the game makes no bones about almost directly copying that influential series from the ground up. Although Code Vein undeniably has a style and certain charm all its own. There’s a certain something about it that’s just hard to put down or walk away from — even if the game itself is pretty easy. Easy or not, though, there’s a lot of information to chew through. That’s why we’ve put together this Code Vein tips guide, with tons of hints and tricks to get you started on the right foot! Let’s get started.

You Can Turn Off Finishers – Code Vein Tips

This is probably one of our simplest Code Vein tips. However, it’ll be useful to a number of people. Special finisher animations don’t always trigger in Code Vein, but when they do, they last long enough to get slightly annoying. Luckily you can turn them off. Just open up your settings menu. Then go to Game Settings. The option to turn off finisher animations is the very first item on this list.

It’s Got That Dark Souls Death – Code Vein Tips

Code Vein looks like a Dark Souls, walks like a Dark Souls, and whacks you over the head like a Dark Souls. Seriously, the comparisons are downright uncanny sometimes… But the game doesn’t technically ever state that you drop your XP when you die (not until after you actually die for the first time anyway). That’s why I’m here to tell you: You drop XP when you die. Then you lose that XP entirely if you die again before picking it up.

Dig a Little Deeper and “Read Hint” – Code Vein Tips

Strangely buried behind a menu or two is the “Read Hint” button. This is an odd name for a very useful feature. If you go into the menu where you can swap out Blood Codes (basically your sub-class), you should see the option to press Square/X to “Read Hint.” This is less a list of tips and hints, and more like an index of important terms. It will tell you things like what debuffs do, what certain stats actually represent, and so on. Check it out to gain a better understanding of the world!

Sub-Weapons Are Lighter Than You Think – Code Vein Tips

Code Vein has an encumbrance… sorta. That is to say, carrying more weight reduces your ability to dodge and swing weapons. You can still equip items over your natural weight limit; it just lowers your nimbleness. There is one ray of hope, however. Your weight limit is only affected by whatever you have fully equipped. That means stuff in your inventory doesn’t count. Crucially, it also means that sub-weapons — the weapons you can switch to with a single button press — also don’t count unless you have them drawn. So don’t worry about overburdening yourself with sub-weapons! You can still dash around with a light weapon you have drawn without worry.

Finishers Don’t Always Finish Things – Code Vein Tips

Despite how very… final your finisher animations may look, and the fact that they do one-hit-kill weaker enemies, they’re not guaranteed victories. Some enemies are simply too strong to go down in one strike. This usually includes physically large and imposing “mini-bosses”: gargoyle and ogre-lookin’ jerks that move slowly, but hit hard. Don’t lower your guard just because you land a finisher!

Parry Early and Often – Code Vein Tips

The parry system in Code Vein seems a little wonky, to me. Maybe that’s just because Sekiro raised the damn bar so high earlier this year. Whatever the reason, though, it seems like parrying early is often better than doing so late. There’s a bit of a windup to the parry. Then the animations makes your character flash. That seems to be your window to smack attacks back into foes’ faces.

Always Eat Your Vitamins – Code Vein Tips

By “vitamins,” I of course mean regeneration upgrades. Regen is your equivalent of the Estus Flask from Dark Souls; it has a limited number of charges that reset every time you rest. You can burn a charge to heal yourself for a good number of hit points.

There are regen upgrades scattered around the world of Code Vein, too. They increase the number of charges you get and how much each charge restores. They don’t quite work like in “proper” Dark Souls games, however. You don’t have to return to a bonfire (Mistle in this case), or speak to a special NPC to use them. You just pop them like any other consumable. You need to pop them, though! Otherwise they will just sit in your inventory and not help very much.

Equip Your Passives, Too – Code Vein Tips

Speaking of things you need to adjust manually: the same goes for passives. Most Blood Codes you receive come with passive skills. Those skills, in turn, can be “inherited” — or unlocked for use on other Blood Codes. You just need to use a Blood Code long enough to inherit all of its skills. However, the number of passives you can equip are limited, and Code Vein doesn’t really point out how to wear them.

That’s why we’re telling you now; just check the two-by-two grid on your character menu (to the left of your equipped Blood Code icon). That’s where the passives go! You equip them just like active abilities (show to the right of your Blood Code). But you do have to equip them to get the benefit outside a given Blood Code.

Save the Haze for Leveling – Code Vein Tips

Haze has two purposes in Code Vein. It acts as experience points, and allows you to level up your character’s overall stats. It also lets you inherit skills from a given Blood Code earlier than normal. in our experience, though, the second option isn’t worth it. You will likely grind a bit between bosses anyway — inheriting skills all the way. Leveling up, by contrast, gets pretty expensive pretty quickly. It’s best to save your Haze for the stat boosts and just let the skills unlock naturally.

NPC Allies Help in Multiple Ways – Code Vein Tips

Allies are downright nasty in Code Vein. The game isn’t super hard to begin with, but throw in a multiplayer friend…? Even the hardest bosses become a breeze. You don’t even have to go online! Shortly before the first boss, you unlock the ability to bring NPC allies into battle. These A.I. partners offer extra damage and a friendly meat shield to draw enemy attention. More than that, though, they offer tactical info that actually comes in handy. For instance, if there are enemies hanging overhead and about to drop in front of you for a surprise attack, your allies will often warn you beforehand. It’s super useful for avoiding ambushes.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Drop Dead – Code Vein Tips

Seriously. NPC allies don’t die in Code Vein — at least not permanently. Whereas some A.I. companions in Dark Souls and Dark Souls-like games die permanently, or require you to re-summon them, your buddies in Code Vein are basically immortal. If one “dies,” they will just reappear with you the next time you rest or respawn at Mistle.

Embrace the Bayonet (At Least Early On) – Code Vein Tips

The Bayonet is Code Vein talk for a gun. Yes, your main attack is still stabbing and swiping at foes with the actual bayonet part, but the Bayonet also lets you just shoot enemies from great distances. This only costs one Ichor (the game’s word for mana). A Bayonet shot also staggers most normal foes, fires rapidly, and does significant damage. The first boss is a complete breeze with the Bayonet… if you keep your distance. The damage seems to drop off a bit once you get into the second zone, but we promise you that this weapon will make the introductory zone so much easier. You can always upgrade it at your home base, too.

Might as Well Use Up Ichor – Code Vein Tips

You accrue Ichor when you land a stealth attack, hit enemies with a charged Blood Veil strike, or… just deal damage at all, really. Ichor is not hard to come by, whereas health is a little more valuable. That’s why it’s a very good idea to use up your Ichor as much as possible. You can save yourself from getting hit, by using ranged attacks and other helpful skills, and will just build the mana back up in a jiffy. Don’t hoard the stuff!

There Is Very Little Cosmetic Armor, but… – Code Vein Tips

Code Vein has a very deep character creator. That’s good, because you don’t really pick up or craft new armor throughout the game. Your weapon, Blood Codes, and Blood Veil (a magical jacket that does actually change the appearance of your character a bit) are all that change. But don’t fret too much about how your character looks. Once you beat the first boss, and reach your new headquarters, you can change almost anything about your character’s looks — just like if you were starting the game for the first time. The only things it seems like you can’t change are your gender and in-game name. Once you select those, you’re locked in for the whole playthrough!

Listen for Unfamiliar Voices – Code Vein Tips

After you beat the first boss in Code Vein, you will receive your first Vestige. It’s one of many, many proper nouns you need to worry about in the game. It’s also very useful. In Code Vein, Vestiges are used to unlock special abilities on unique skill trees.

However, unlike a lot of unlocks in the game, these items are mostly found just lying on the ground — often hidden in the world. The best way to find them is by listening for strange voices. Every Vestige whispers strange tidbits about side stories you can view once you can collect them. If you get near a Vestige, you will be able to hear the whispers, and should stop to look for it.

Is There Fall Damage? – Code Vein Tips

Yes… Yes, there is fall damage. Fairly early on in Code Vein, the game points you toward a large hole in the ground with multiple ledges to fall down and use as a ladder. There are also literal ladders, and shortcuts, and the like. Anyone whose played Dark Souls should be familiar with the exact layout — almost to a fault. Before you leap, however, understand that there is fall damage. And it’s pretty brutal. That’s even more true in a game where you can die in four or five hits.

Hang Onto “Valuables” for a Bit – Code Vein Tips

At first, Valuables seem like your typical “junk”: useless items you sell to vendors for cash, or in this case Haze. That’s not quite the case in Code Vein, however. Valuables instead build up a special kind of currency with specific NPCs. Each Valuable is worth one point of this goodwill, and every relevant character will give you different items in exchange for the points you build up. The items are different between different characters, though! You should hang onto your Valuables until you see some special wares you really want. There are even NPCs outside of your home base that will trade Valuables for other goodies.

You Need to Fully “Rest” to Heal – Code Vein Tips

It’s not enough to just unlock a Mistle. In order to heal, and restore your regeneration charges, you actually need to stop what you’re doing and select “Rest.” Again, this isn’t one of our bigger Code Vein tips, but it will probably come in handy early in the game.

Let Lost Items Guide Your Way – Code Vein Tips

Code Vein has a strange sort of map system. You have a mini-map at all times, and it fills in with a trail you leave behind, but it’s not really a map until you fulfill certain requirements. That means finding special corrupted spots in the world, activating Mistle, or defeating bosses.

Any one of these will fill in your map bit by bit. However, even the empty mini-map has more uses than it seems. Besides your footsteps, nearby enemies, allies, and (crucially) items also appear if you get close enough. Items on the ground can be easy to miss and very useful. This makes them easier to find! More than that, they also guide your path. You can use lost items as an indicator of where you haven’t explored yet, or which direction you might need to traverse next.

Code Vein Tips Guide - 19 Things the Game Doesn't Tell You

We've got Code Vein tips, and I'm not just talking about all the fangs.

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