Lugaru Combat Strategy

Unarmed Combat

Basic unarmed strategy is fairly straightforward. Beat up your opponent(s) and reverse their attacks and reversals. There are a few things that might not be immediately obvious:

• Whenever you attack someone and knock them down, run up to their body and attack it. You will perform a quick soccer kick which is unblockable. Get in the habit of always doing this - it will add more damage to your attack. It also adds an extra attack to the mix which is significant for the following reason:
• If you always do a round house kick, for instance, your opponents will catch on and soon they will reverse every round house kick you throw at them. Three attacks of any type in a row will inevitably lead to the last one being blocked and/or reversed. Make sure you vary your attacks.
• One way to disarm an opponent is by tackling them and pressing the pick up key while you are on top of them. It is also possible to grab the weapon in the same way during a leg sweep, punch or leg cannon.
• Wall-kicks and "leg cannon" attacks are extremely powerful but they very rarely work unless your opponent is near death or distracted. The wall-kick is useful as a show off, finishing move but not much else since your opponent will simply roll under it if they're not about to die. However, adding a flip just before you kick off from the wall can greatly increase your chances of a hit with this kick, since it serves to distract your enemies momentarily. It can be used in the midst of a group attack, and may result in knocking one enemy into another, but just as often you merely knock yourself down or get grabbed and thrown.
• The leg cannon is extremely useful, but only if you time it right. Attacking from behind is almost always successful with proper timing, but get too close and the enemy will sense you (his ears will twitch) and he'll reverse your kick and flip or throw you to the ground. If you use it when your opponent is getting up from the ground, it will work 100% of the time. Two successive cannons will work most of the time: one knocking the enemy into the distance from behind, the next from the front while they are returning to the attack, still dazed from the first cannon. Attempting a cannon on an in-coming airborne enemy may result in a "Nice Aim" kill, but it often kills you, too, especially if you are weak.
• You can pull enemies out of the sky if they happen to be jumping over you. Simply attack while they are overhead. This also works with swords and staffs; slash or clobber them as they fly by.
• Enemies of course can do the same to you, but you can avoid it by flipping in mid-air (press crouch). By flipping in mid-air, all of your opponents will be stunned for a second or two.
• If an enemy is near-death and is fleeing for help, you can tackle them, knocking them out or killing them instantly.
• You can move silently and quickly by rolling instead of crouch walking. This will let you get close enough for stealth kills more effectively.
• If you are stalking a wolf, it is best if you stay downwind.
• For a quick way to evade around a corner, try performing two handsprings, the second one rotated 90 degrees from the first.
• Jump high into the air while the enemy gets near you. Do some flips in the air: the enemy will become confused. Now "leg cannon" him. Look for a body and get behind it, when the wolf approaches again, throw the body into him, or try the "leg cannon" again. If stunning fails, dodge and repeat the trick.
• It is almost impossible to sneak up behind a wolf because crouch-walking is too slow. They will notice you when you get too close. Instead, try jumping at them from a distance. They won't have time to react before you perform a spine-crusher.
• Crouch-attack a dead or unconscious body to throw it. If it strikes an enemy, it gives a great deal of damage (enough to kill most rabbits in Easy mode). It also knocks them down, giving you time to run away.

Weapons

Weapons are common in the later levels and are very useful to your survival. You can pick up weapons on the ground by crouching over them and pressing the pick up key. However, if you are slick, you can roll over the weapon and press the pick up key instead. This is much more useful in the heat of combat. Swords and knives can be sheathed in your belt. You can carry two weapons by sheathing one and holding the other. Normally, you can only sheath or unsheath weapons when standing still, but you can actually (un)sheath them while rolling or doing a flip in mid-air.

If two people using weapons attack each other at the same time, they will hit each others weapon. This often repeats until someone's weapon flies out of their hand or breaks.

Knives

See Category...

The knife's main use is as a thrown weapon. As a melee weapon, you are probably better off using your bare hands. If you slice an enemy wolf with a knife, their current attack will not be cancelled. That is, if a wolf is about to kick you in the face, and you slice him first, you will find yourself painfully hurtling across the map while the wolf has a tiny spot of blood from your weak knife. A good way to swiftly kill a wolf when you have a knife is to sweep him and stab him when he's down.

The knife is the only weapon that can be thrown, and it is extremely deadly. Against any un-armored rabbit, it's a one hit kill, otherwise it will take two hits. So, you can use it to stealthily dispatch most enemies without even being near them. If an enemy has already seen you, they will dodge the thrown knife most of the time. In a wolf's case, they will even catch it. To avoid this, make sure that you throw the knife as they are getting up from a fall or throw it from mid-air as you are doing a flip.

Tips:

• Some enemies (most notably wolves, but also armored rabbits) will survive a thrown knife and you can see it sticking out of them. If you knock them over, you can actually pull the knife out of them by pressing the pick up key while you roll over them. They may also pull it out themselves and use it against you. If you don't roll or cartwheel while you pull the knife out of the enemy, you will simply pull it out harmlessly.
• You can clean your knife of blood by stabbing the ground (crouch and attack). This is crucial when you are stalking a wolf -- they will smell the blood and your cover will be blown.
• Sometimes you need to retrieve your knife buried in a dead body, but they happened to have fallen face down. Simply kick the body by running toward it and pressing attack or kick it up punch it pressing crouch and attack.

Swords

See Category...

The sword is definitely the most powerful weapon in Lugaru. It has long range, it causes permanent bleeding damage, and it is indestructible. You want this weapon.

To acquire a sword, you must successfully reverse an enemy holding it. This is a dangerous task, but very easy once you know what you're doing. It is tricky because the range of the sword is greater than the range of the reversal, so potentially you can get slashed without the opportunity for a reversal. Note that you can always dodge the sword by performing a handspring (hold back and attack) which will change into a dodge animation. The most effective way to disarm an enemy with a sword is to run at them so that you are as close as possible and reverse their attack.

Killing enemies is not as simple as it might seem. After a few attacks you will find that your slashes will constantly get reversed. To avoid this, make sure you attack your opponents before they are in reversal range. An easy way to achieve this is to simply hold down the attack button - you will automatically attack the instant an enemy gets in range. This in turns pushes them back out of range and you can repeat this until the enemy is dead.

Tips:

• You can attack an enemy on the ground with your sword by holding down crouch and attacking. This is extremely hard to do when the enemy is alive, but is useful to do if you want to dispatch an unconcious enemy or are just sadistic. It is possible to perform this attack while the enemy is airborne after a leg sweep or strike. Enemies flipping overhead can also be slashed.
• You can clean your sword of blood by stabbing the ground (crouch and attack). This is crucial when you are stalking a wolf -- they will smell the blood and your cover will be blown.

Staves

See Category...

The staff is an excellent weapon - while it lasts. The staff will break after a number of hits. It has two different attacks; the standing attack which brings the staff down vertically (note: this can be used to hit enemies on the ground) and the running attack, which will bring the staff around horizontally and send your enemy flying.

The most effective way to use the staff is to knock your opponent down either by sweeping him or performing a standing attack. Once they are on the ground, you can pound them until they are dead.

Attacking an enemy with a staff is dangerous. Like with the sword, the best way to disarm an opponent is simply to run at them until you are very close and reverse their attack. The staff has a longer range than your reversal's so you will need to be careful not to be caught in a situation where the opponent can hit you, but you can't do anything about it.

Tips:

• Try not to get into a parrying duel with enemies as your staff will break very quickly. Instead, try sweeping or rabbit kicking your opponent.

Stealth Kills

Stealth kills are very useful on many maps. If you don't want to draw out a fight which may attract the attention of other enemies, stealth is one of the best options. They are quick, usually silent, and always deadly. You must sneak up behind an enemy before you can perform a stalth kill. This is carried out by rolling or creeping up behind an enemy without them noticing, and attacking. They work unarmed and armed, with the exception of staves. All stealth kills are worth 100 points.

• Spinecrusher

Sneak up behind an enemy (crouch-walk or run-and-roll), stand up, and attack. Alternately, leap to land directly behind enemy. This will flip the enemy over and slam them into the ground.

• Tracheotomy

Sneak up behind an enemy and attack with a knife. This will slice the enemy's throat.

• Backstabber

Sneak up behind an enemy and attack while wielding a sword. This will stab through an enemy.

A Note on Wind

Be sure to watch the wind if you are stalking a wolf. A wolf will smell you if you are upwind of them. Also, rabbits can hear you. Stay out of the way of bushes, and roll up behind them; you'll be in position for the kill. Note that you cannot roll to surprise a wolf because rolls are too slow. You need to long jump to spinecrush a wolf, and it is advised to air control forward to gain speed before landing.

Scientific experiments show the following:

• Snow falls in the direction of the wind. Staggering, but true.
• Tree leaves swing in the wind. Every third swing the whole foliage leans in the direction of the wind. Handy.
• Bushes swing, too. Every second and third swing the whole foliage leans in the direction of the wind. Useful in the desert.
• It has been said that if you jump straight and land on sand or snow, the direction the dust is sent is also that of the wind (unverified for now).
• A wolf smells you from further away if you are upwind, and/or if you hold a bloody weapon (wipe it).

Reversals

Reversals are the soul of Lugaru. They earn points, and are vital during combat. With insane mode on, all reverses can only be used when facing the enemy. However for wolves, you can reverse from any direction, regardless of difficuly.

Unarmed Reverses

• Basic Punch/Wolf Punch

Generally, enemies will never use Turner's punch, they will stick to the double punch. Wolves will punch, but they are irreversable for Turner, you can only block them

• Double Punch

Reversed by hitting shift before the punch reaches impact. Too early will result in a hit, the double punch can hit both standing and crouched opponents

• Roundhouse Kick

Hold shift to duck it, release it when leg is somewhat over you.

• Leg Sweep

Hit shift when you see the attack coming, the window is open the entire time between the start of the move till before impact

• Low Kick

Cannot be reversed and will only be used on down or crouched opponents

Weapon Reverses

• Staff verticle swing

Close the distance between you and the enemy and hit shift while the staff comes down on you

• Staff horizontal swing

Same with the above except it has even longer reach. Early crouching doesn't matter, it only hits standing opponents (you won't reverse though)

Counter-Reversals

Unarmed Counters

• Basic Punch

An extremely quick duck (shift) will allow you to dodge this attack

• Roundhouse Kick

Hit shift when the enemy has your leg on his shoulder, not when you get kicked

Blocks

Blocks are not reverses, they are moves to keep you from taking too much damage.

Legsweep

• If you can't reverse a legsweep in time, still hit shift to duck. The legsweep will not knockover a crouched apponent, it just staggers them.

Low Kick

• Crouching too long will cause an oppenent to low kick you, it is non-reversible, and pretty much unavoidable. Quickly let go of shift to stand up, you'll get hit anyways. But instead of going flying, you'll just get pushed back a little.

Wolf Punch

• Can only be blocked, hitting shift will make Turner stop the attack. It would be a good idea to legsweep follow through, after blocking.

Avoidances

These are not rewarded as points, since they don't actually damage your foes. They will however, keep you alive.

Handspring/Roll follow through

• One of the most important things, is to remember that alot of the damage is added into the fall. Hitting 'shift' won't always recover you in the air, most notably, you'll just flip in the air and still end up hitting the ground. So instead of 'shifting' during the fall, wait till you are about to hit the ground and then quickly press 'space' to roll or handspring away, uninjured.
• This works well when you completely miss a legcannon. But, when you have a staff, just hold down 'space' after the legcannon, and you'll handspring away if you miss.
• this will usually only work if you got hurt by yourself (if you tried to flip to gain balance and couldn't make it, you can hit space). You usually can't spring away after you get hit by something like a staff, or fell by getting kicked in the face.

Jump

• You can use the jump button to quickly dodge legsweeps. When an enemy tries to legsweep you hit space, and you'll jump only a foot off the ground (it's binded to that attack, so it works pretty well).

Every level has one or more Optimal Routes, depending on what you wish to accomplish. The route for a high score will almost certainly be different than the route for lowest time, and finding the perfect path requires much time and dedication. Times listed are for the time shown on the High Score/Best Time screen, not on the Level Cleared screen, which are about six seconds longer.

Challenge Levels

Level 01

Time Route

Take a single jump towards the rabbit nearest you, land directly behind him and spinecrush. Turn and begin bunnyhopping towards the black rabbit, making sure to attract the attention of the third one approaching you. Before you alert the black rabbit and before the white one reaches you, crouch and roll and come up behind the black rabbit: Spinecrush. By this time, the final white rabbit should have reached you. Kill him however you wish (you may find it useful to throw the corpse of the black rabbit at him).

Optimal Time: 10 Seconds?

-User:Zip

Level 02

Time Route

Take two running jumps towards the block; on the last one flip and draw your knife. Land and roll; as you come out of the roll, jump and land on the block (don't catch and have to climb up it). Throw your knife at the rabbit with its back to you (black), and begin running towards him immediately. Almost immediately roll and pick up the dagger (preferably before he even hits the ground), come up and throw it at the other rabbit.

Optimal Time: 5 Seconds

-User:Zip

Level 03

Time Route

Run to the right of the tree in front of you, then curve around to the left to come at the first bunny from behind. Roll up behind him and Spinecrush him, or Cannon Leg him into the tree ahead, roll over the body and grab his knife, and run towards the ring of trees.

Run up behind the next bunny, Bullseye him with your knife, roll over him and grab the knife, and run to your right until you run up behind the last bunny and Bullseye him.

Optimal time: 16 seconds

Level 04

Time Route

Run slightly to the left then head towards the first block. Bullseye the bunny passing left to right, roll over the body and grab the knife.

Head to the corner and turn left around the block, then left again between the blocks. Turn right at the corner, run up behind the bunny ahead and Bullseye him. Roll over the body and grab the sword.

Turn around and head towards the wolf, stopping between the middle blocks (too far and the bunny with the staff will see you too soon, or the wolf will tackle you). Leg sweep and slash or stab the wolf to death, run at the last bunny coming towards you and use the sword to slash him to death, or knock the staff out of his hand (or Staff Disarm him). Grab the staff and clobber him (watch out for Staff Disarm).

Optimal time: 25 seconds

Shorter Time Route

Start as above, but don't bother to grab the knife. Head right around the block, left to the corner and left between the blocks.

About 3/4 of the way down, turn right and jump to the top of the block. Run along the left edge to the corner and drop down behind the bunny. Spinecrush him, roll over the body and grab the sword.

Leap toward the wolf coming at you and run at him until he runs towards you. Stop before he tackles you. Slash him twice and run to the corner and turn right.

Circle quickly to the bunny's left and slash twice.

Alternate ending: After killing the wolf, turn right, climb up on the block, cut across on the diagonal, drop down behind the bunny and Backstab!

Optimal time: 22 seconds

Level 05

Time Route

Without Combat

Run to the side of the block with the brown bunny passing below. Jump down, turn right and run to the edge of the rocks. Crouch and let all three bunnies jump over you to their death.

Optimal Time: 12 seconds

With Combat

Turn around and run to the back of the block, jump down and turn left, run and turn left at the corner, run to the next corner, turn left, pass the brown bunny at speed and Cannon Leg the white bunny into the ledge.

Rebound over the brown bunny, Cannon Leg him into the ledge, grab his knife, turn around and nail the last bunny as he rounds the block towards you.

Optimal Time: 20 seconds

Short Time Route

Run to the right by the brown rabbit, and make sure the white rabbit sees you. Roundhouse kick the brown rabbit into the white rabbit, killing the brown one, and throw the knife at the fallen white one to finish it off. Take the knife again and throw it at the blue one.

Optimal Time: 8 seconds

Level 06

Time Route

Run to the corner of the nearest block, look right and wait for the green bunny to come out and turn away from you. Leap and land directly behind and Spinecrush him.

Kick the body between the two blocks on your left and crouch behind it, waiting for another bunny to approach. Drop kick the body into him, and immediately move up and repeat with the next bunny. A third one should approach soon; kick a body into him and immediately move past the nearest dead body and turn around; the red bunny is coming around the corner behind you. Kick a body into him and again turn around to await the final two bunnies.

Drop kick twice and it's over.

Optimal time: under a minute.

Running Rampage Route

Run forward to the left corner of the block in front of you. As you approach, leap and flip to clear the edges of the block, landing past the dark grey bunny and behind the blue bunny. Spinecrush him, and turn up the path between the blocks to your left with the grey and red bunnies in hot pursuit. Turn left at the corner and run up behind the next bunny and SC him. Turn left and try to Cannon Leg the next bunny into the block in front of him as he turns left. This can be very difficult unless you're very fast; he'll probably already be alerted by the body of the dead blue bunny.

Turn left and race to the next corner; turn right, then left and left again. The green bunny should be ahead, unaware of your pursuit. SC him and take off with the three or four remaining bunnies on your tail. The dark grey shirtless one is the fastest and strongest; unless you lose him, you won't have many opportunities to attack.

The hard finish is to avoid leaping onto blocks (to escape and await attack from below) and just keep running. Weave in and out among the blocks and hope to get enough distance ahead to turn and kick a body into your pursuers, or come up behind for a Cannon Leg or a Solid Hit with a spinning kick. You can also try to get enough distance ahead to turn and try a head-on Cannon Leg/Nice Aim or Touch of Death combo. Keep it up until you or they are dead.

High Score Route

Start as in Running Rampage, but use a Cannon Leg on the second bunny; rebound behind your pursuers (grey and red) and CL one into the other for Nice Aim. If you don't rebound far enough, follow the one you kicked (now with three bunnies on your tale) and Cannon Leg him again if he runs back to the fray for a Nice Aim, or Tackle him for a kill if he's running for help. Escape your pursuers, head for the green bunny's back, SC him, and leap up on your favorite block and hope for lots of combos as multiple bunnies leap on to the edge of the block to get you. Crouch and keep your finger on the attack button and you may get 5 hits in a row for a Mega-Combo, but watch out for bunnies landing behind you or climbing up the other side.

Optimal Score: 2,000 to 3,000

Highest Scoring Route

Start as in the High Score Route, but after the CLing the 2nd bunny, turn and jump up on the block you just passed (the single block to your right). Stand or crouch at one of the corners and kick the attackers off as they jump up at you. Keep it up until they're all dead. With careful footwork and planning, and a little luck, you'll get multiple Megas and rack up a nice score.

Optimal Score: 5,000 to 6,000

Level 07

Time Route

Run up behind the red bunny ahead of you and Spine Crush him, grabbing the staff before it hits the ground. (Don't run through the tree branches or he'll hear you coming.) Turn right and run toward the bunny in white on the hill ahead of you.

Stay just to the left of the vein of rock in the grass on the slope and keep moving, but don't keep your finger on the attack button: wait until you're even with him and he's moving towards you, and swing while still in motion so you get a horizontal strike for a kill.

Immediately turn left and run to the left of the block ahead. As you top the small rise at the base of the tree, leap up and to the right, grab the back edge of the block, and pull yourself up to surprise the bunny on top. Kill him and turn right and run and leap to the block below where another bunny is patrolling.

Depending on the timing, he'll either be turned away for an easy kill (although you might break your staff: don't forget to grab his if you do) or he'll see you coming and roll off the block towards you. Either way, immediately turn left and run up behind the green bunny, killing him with a horizontal stroke. If the other bunny is in pursuit, circle to your right quickly and take him in the head with another horizontal stroke.

If you miss, roll forward and run at the block ahead, jump and wall kick back over his head and kill him while he wonders where you went.

Optimal time: 15 seconds

Level 08

Time Route

- Run towards the fire, passing to the right of the large tree. Take the bunny to the right of the fire with a Spinecrusher, then immediately crouch behind his body and wait for the bunny on the other side of the fire to come after you.

- As he approaches, drop-kick the body into him for a Nice Aim. DK both bodies through the fire; the flaming corpses may come in handy.

- Circle right, then left to come up behind the unarmed patrolling bunny. SC him and make for the last (armed) bunny ahead.

- This one's more alert (watch for him to stop and drop his ears slightly), so SC probably won't work. Cannon Leg might, though; let him have one, and grab his knife if you can. When he comes back at you, either Bullseye him with the knife, CL him again, or take him on mano a mano (or conejo a conejo).

If you miss any of your kills and end up in a rabbit-race with foes following, weave in and out of the fire and the flaming former foes' crispy corpses. The remainder of the mob will foolishly flambé themselves soon enough.

Optimal time: 27 seconds

Level 09

Time Route

Wait a couple seconds until the bunny on the right starts to turn the corner of the right hand block. Run down the hill and Cannon Leg him into the block, grabbing his sword at the same time.

Turn left and head right around the corner of the block; the other bunny should be coming towards you. Circle quickly to his left and slash him down. One should do it.

Leap to the right of block on your left, landing close to the far corner of the next block; turn right to confront the next bunny. Circle and slash.

Run forward to meet the last bunny and kill him as above. He may take two slashes.

Optimal time: 21 seconds

Shorter Time Route

Run up the hill to your left, turn at the top and run back down to Cannon Leg the first bunny closer to the corner while grabbing his sword. This lets you rebound back beyond the corner while the second bunny pursues, giving you a few seconds advantage in killing him.

Finish as above for a an optimal time of 13 seconds.

Level 10

Time Route

- Leap to the lower section of the block below (the level with the rock-strewn surface), landing by the near edge, but not close enough to the upper level to attract the brown bunny.

- Run and Cannon Leg the light grey bunny over the edge.

- You'll attract the brown bunny from the upper level; he should be chasing you now. When you bounce back, you'll be behind him: CL him. Grab his knife if he drops it.

- The dark grey bunny will be on you now; kill him with your fastest techniques, or knock him over the edge.

- Jump to the upper level and find the knife-wielding white bunny and kill him fast, but NOT by an edge toss: it wastes time waiting for the Touch of Death. Either run to the right around the block and take him from behind (Spinecrush is champion) or run left and meet him head on (disarm and knife fling is good, but watch out: it takes more than one Bullseye to kill him).

Alternate method - After CLing the brown bunny into space, immediately jump to the upper level, letting the dark grey bunny chase you. Run around the block and CL the white bunny, rebound past the grey and take him from behind.

Optimal time: 15 seconds

Level 11

Time Route

Move from under the tree to the left side of the rock directly in front of you. Wait at the front left edge until the wolf patrolling closest to you moves from right to left and turns away from you. (Don’t get too close or he’ll sense you and attack.) Once his back is towards you, run forward about 6 or 7 steps and leap to land directly behind him. Spinecrush him for a quick kill.

Turn to your right and line up another leap towards the other wolf. Take 4 steps and leap. (It's a short jump, so be careful not to overshoot your target.) Land directly behind and SC him also.

Turn right and rabbit-run past the right hand side of the block ahead, attracting the light grey rabbit on top. Once he chases you, turn and Reversal-disarm him, then Bullseye him with the knife and retrieve your weapon.

Run back along the left side of the block until you reach the lower section near the front. (Leaping from the back side is more difficult due to the height, and may give the bunny on top time to sense you and attack before you climb up.) Bullseye the bunny, retrieve your weapon and head for the other block. To save some time, sheath your weapon, rabbit-run for the block and draw as you run. (You can't start a rabbit-run holding a knife, but you can draw while rabbit-running)

Time your leap onto the block so both bunnies are turned away; Bullesye one, retrieve your knife and move to dispatch the other.

By now the remaining bunny is aware of you, and he’s armed, so be careful with your knife fling. If you miss on top of a block, it will bounce, but you may be able to keep an eye on it and catch it on the way down as you evade the other’s attack. You can also wait for his attack and try a Reversal-disarm, or try for a double Slice followed by a Puncture.

Optimal time: under a minute

Shorter Time Route

Rabbit-run and long-jump onto the edge of the left platform, so that the black bunny spots you and falls off (stupid AI). Disarm the other rabbit, and bullseye him as he gets up. Retrieve your knife, drop off the platform, and bullseye the black bunny. Pick up your knife, wipe it in the grass, then run and jump behind the left wolf, who should have his back turned at this point. Tracheotomy.

Run toward the second wolf, and either sweep him, or counter his sweep. The goal is to crouch-stab him the first chance you get ("Slain!"). Now run towards the right of the last platform, to draw the attention of the white rabbit. Disarm him and bullseye as he gets up. Climb on the platform when the last rabbit has his back turned. Bullseye.

Near-optimal time: 42 seconds

Level 12

Time Route

Leap down from the hill to the valley below where two bunnies and a wolf are patrolling. Land in front of the trees and immediately back-dodge away; one of the bunnies should be pursuing. Turn and rabbit-run up the hill, drawing your knife as you angle toward the slightly higher slope on the right. When you arrive at the flat spot at the top behind the tree, turn, Bullesye the bunny and retrieve your knife.

Leap back down the hill and repeat the back-dodge and rabbit run. The other bunny is better at knife avoidance, so you may need to Reversal-disarm and Bullseye him as he gets up. Make sure you get both knives after killing him.

Leap down the hill again and engage the wolf, using leg sweeps, follow-up kicks and judicious knife flinging to get your Wolfslayer bonus. Don’t move too close to the blocks or you’ll attract one of the other patrollers. Retrieve your knives and move back toward the hill, keeping an eye on the blocks for patrollers.

Wait on the hill well away from the blocks until another foe turns the corner and starts along the side near the trees where you killed the first wolf. Make sure there’s no one following too close, run up behind and Bullseye. Try to stay out of the areas between the blocks; you can follow for a kill if you know where the others are, but if you’re careless you’ll alert another patroller. Retrieve your knife, but if the dead foe had the staff, take that instead.

Run back up the hill where you killed the first bunny, turn right and move to the taller slope overlooking the four blocks. If you’ve got the staff drop it where you can find it (don’t risk breaking it on a bunny; you’ll want to save it for a quick kill on the the last wolf) and wait until the next bunny comes past on his rounds. Again make sure he’s alone, race down and Bullseye from behind. Get your weapon and move back up the hill.

Repeat with the remaining bunny, trying to catch him from behind before he gets too close to your last kill; having you and a dead body in close proximity alerts them to danger and they start to scurry around looking for trouble.

Get your staff and wait at the base of the hill for the wolf, or leap from above to land near him. Use a leg sweep to knock him down and nail him with the staff to finish the level.

Optimal time: less than 3 minutes

Shorter Time Route

Long-jump right behind the lone tree on your right, and climb the hill facing you. You should see a wolf patrolling below. After a couple seconds he crosses path with a rabbit; immediatly jump behind him, and spinecrush. Disarm the bunny you saw from the hill, and bullseye as he gets up. Repeat with the second rabbit.

Roll toward the blocks, so that the black rabbit on your left does not notice you. Stalk him, spinecrush. Run in between the blocks towards the other end to face two rabbits; the right one has a staff. Wall kicks should be the quickest way to dispose of them, along with a couple combos if necessary. Note that you can use the staff a few times, as you will only need two blows out of it for the remaining wolf.

Now run along the block in the direction the rabbit you've just killed was coming from (the one with a knife). You should spot the last wolf around the corner on your left. Run towards him, attack button pressed, and strike again once he's lying on the ground.

Near-optimal time : 45 seconds

Level 13

Time Route

Run down the hill just to the right of the tree in front of you. When you get to the bush, leap down to land on the rock behind the wolf and Spinecrush him. Immediately rabbit-run up the dune you came from, passing to the right of the tree. One rabbit should be in pursuit.

Get onto the flat area at the top, staying near the crest on the right. Turn and engage the armed bunny; Reversal-disarm and Bullseye (it takes more than one knife to kill him), Cannonleg or just wade in. Stay close; if you injure him, he’ll get up and run towards the two wolves circling the rocks below. Follow and tackle for a kill.

Retrieve the knife and head back towards the dead wolf. Leaping is faster, but make sure the bunny circling the rock is past the body before you get close or he’ll get excited and look for you. If possible, Bullseye him from behind, then follow up for the kill; he’s wearing armor and one knife won’t kill him. When you finish, get the other knife, too.

Move up the hill with the trees and sunken blocks and then down towards the single bunny pacing on the block below. Leap down for a Death From Above, then follow up and finish him, but watch out for his staff. If you Reversal-disarm him, try not to use it on him; it won’t last too long, and it will come in handy when you face the last two wolves.

You may want to leave the staff where you can find it and go after the first wolf with two knives. Approach the rocks they’re circling until you attract one, back-dodge until you’re clear of the other, leg-sweep, follow-up kick and Bullesye him for a Wolfslayer.

Get the staff, engage the last wolf, leg sweep, kick and bludgeon him into oblivion.

Optimal time: less than 2 minutes.

Shorter Time Route

Run towards the wolf below, passing left of the bush. Jump, spinecrush. Jump away with a flip to stun the dark bunny, so that the white one (who should be running towards you) can draw level with him. Now the risky part : leg-cannon them. It may be unreliable and thus sound somewhat cheap, but finishing this level below 50 seconds is difficult enough as is. Besides, it really works quite well once you get the hang of it. Instead of complaining, finish off the survivor, if any, by a simple combo - he should be busy catching his breath. Pick up a knife (while rolling), stow it away, run and long-jump towards the bunny with a staff. Disarm, and try to beat him quickly without damaging your staff for more than one strike.

Jump a few steps behind the closest wolf on your left from behind, strike him while running, and finish him off with one more strike. Other wolf should be close. Pound and beat him to death with your staff. If it breaks, dispatch him with a quick combo as he gets up, before he can recover - he should be very close to death anyway.

Near-optimal time : 40 seconds

Level 14

Time Route

Move a little back and to the right on top of the ridge, then wait for the wolf below to pass from right to left. Line up a leap, land directly behind and Spinecrush him.

Run up the hill ahead, move right and get in position while the next wolf moves towards, then away from you. Line up your leap, land and SC him.

Again move up the hill and to the right, wait for the last wolf to get into the best spot, leap, land, and annihilate.

Optimal time: less than 2 1/2 minutes

Alternate: If you don't have the patience to skulk around getting in position, and you're an experienced Wolfslayer, engage each wolf directly and hope for the best.

Optimal time: ?

Shorter Time Route

Kill the first wolf as described above, then rabbit-run towards the right of the forest. Long-jump behind the wolf on your right, spinecrush. The last wolf should be just another jump away. Spinecrush. One with the shadows!

Not-so-optimal time : 31 seconds