If you’re like me and are drawn in by the beautiful vistas of Krat, you’re probably playing Lies of P this weekend. Like many games in its self-proclaimed Souls-like genre, Lies of P can be very rewarding, but it can also be pretty difficult. So, try the following tips to make your stay in Krat a smooth one.
1. Save your boss souls to buy weapons.
Don’t use them to get 5,000 Ergo (the currency in Lies of P); that will be a paltry amount soon enough. I also suggest that you don’t buy amulets/rings with souls. The weapons are much more useful than the amulets, which are too heavy and situational for early-game use; plus, boss weapons are much better than most regular weapons you’ll find elsewhere.
- Do not miss the boss soul trader. He is really easy to miss. From the Cathedral Library Stargazer, he is at the back of a room containing a carcass miniboss. You’ll have to take an elevator up to reach him — this elevator is easy to miss, so don’t wander past it!
- Also note: you can lie to this character, but it will not affect your ability to buy boss weapons from him.
2. Know your type weaknesses.
Puppets (at least those that do not wield electricity) are weak to Electric Blitz attacks. Use your Fulminis Legion Arm to do major damage to these early-game enemies. Humans are semi-weak to Fire and very weak to Acid damage. Acid throwables are easily farmable (especially in a location you’ll see later on this list) and very potent against humans. And nearly all carcasses are extremely weak to Fire. The Flamberge Legion Arm annihilates these enemies.
3. Emphasize backstabbing.
Backstabbing is finicky in Lies of P, but very useful against human enemies. Do your best to run around humans in combat. Dodging and perfect guarding are rarely as effective as getting around human enemies for backstabs.
4. Maximize protection in your inventory.
You ideally want your encumbrance to be between 55–59% (see image below). If you go above this, it will majorly slow you down. And if you go below, you are wasting protection. Use the highest protective items that keep your weight under 60%. Thankfully, cosmetic items have no associated benefits, so swapping armor items does not affect your ability to Fashion Souls.
The Iron Wall Amulet has by far the best bang for your buck in terms of protection-to-weight ratio; you may want to keep it permanently equipped once you get it, as it offers a huge boon to your physical damage reduction rate.
5. If the phone is ringing, pick it up.
Just trust me on this one.
6. There are helpful tips in the menu.
Simply press the menu button, then go to Settings -> Guide. But ensure you aren’t near enemies, as reading tips does not pause the game.
7. Be mindful of Break, Shock, and Disruption effects.
These effects can be deadly if they fill up, and they all have powerful side effects. Any amount of Break buildup will slow your stamina regeneration rate to a crawl. Shock (which is different from Electric Blitz, by the way) significantly inhibits your ability to restore health (again, at any amount of buildup). Finally, Disruption builds up quickly for an instant kill. To prevent this, you pick an appropriate Cartridge defense part for each area.
8. Be on the lookout for this symbol.
It may lead you to something very tasty:
9. Listen to music records all the way through.
You get humanity for listening to music, but only if you listen to the whole track. The songs are honestly great, and most are only around three minutes long. Three minutes is pretty average for general Hotel Krat (central hub) business anyway, so it is reasonable to put on a song, then upgrade your weapon, buy a couple of things, and level up by the time it completes.
10. Don’t be afraid to use gestures in all sorts of places.
You never know what might happen.
11. Seek the broken Stargazer.
You will eventually find a Stargazer that isn’t working. It is very important that you check the graves next to this broken Stargazer:
12. There are at least two semi-decent spots to farm Ergo in Lies of P.
Unfortunately, they are sort of far into the game, so there are potential spoilers ahead.
The first farming spot is in the Malum District after you have opened the Red Lobster Inn. Go into the Inn, hang a left, use the Flamberge or a flame dagger to burn through all the enemies, then run back to the Stargazer and repeat.
The second one is near the end of the game, at the Broken Elevator Stargazer in the final area (you’ll know it when you get to it). Head away from the elevator, go right down some stairs, up a ladder on the immediate right, then circle around this upper platform to the left, where a puppet miniboss will run down some stairs toward you. Avoid this puppet enemy and let it fight the carcasses in the room, clean up anything that is left, and return to the Stargazer.
The first strategy will net about 1,000 Ergo per minute, and the second one will net around 7,000 in three minutes if you get the rhythm just right. Make sure to wear the Hunter’s Amulet and activate the “more Ergo for fallen enemies” perk in your P-Organ.
13. Don’t sleep on the Advance stat.
Outside of Legion Arms and elemental weapons, throwable items often scale with Advance. And near that first Ergo farming spot I mentioned, there is a vendor who will sell you infinite throwable elemental items that take advantage of it. It can spell success in some of the harder boss fights.
14. Don’t be afraid to reroll your levels, P-Organ (quartz), and Legion Arms.
Unfortunately, this ability comes pretty late in the game (too late, if I’m being honest). But at least the most challenging boss fights come after it. You’ll want to specialize by the end of the game, so don’t be afraid to start over again with these elements if you are stuck on a difficult boss. Sick of your mid Motivity build? Switch to a vastly superior Technique or Advance build. Finding that the Fulminis is too slow and situational? Try the Flamberge. Did you accidentally use three quartz on Fable Arts-boosting stats? You can fix that later on.
15. Always remember: there’s no place like home.
Don’t play risky if you have lots of Ergo; teleport back to Hotel Krat and spend that Ergo before you lose it.
16. Don’t be afraid to revisit areas in Lies of P.
Sometimes, new and unexpected things might happen. Run through an older zone if you’re stuck. Or touch that piano in Hotel Krat again. Maybe take another look at that suspicious painting; you never know what might become of that good little kid!…
