Shadow Warrior 3 – Tips to Know Before You Start

Lo Wang has a mighty undertaking ahead of him, thanks to an incredibly large ancient dragon. It’s going to take Wang’s full arsenal and abilities to overcome the demonic forces standing between him and the end goal. While reaching that particular goal won’t take terribly long, that doesn’t mean we don’t have tips for those looking to plow through the journey with ease.

Fully upgrade the Katana

Lo Wang’s trusty katana can dice up low-level demons with ease, but those bigger baddies won’t be so easily cut down. That is, unless you invest in the sword’s upgrades. Invest upgrade points into the katana early on to unlock Elemental Overcharge. Fire, ice, and electricity will become imbued on those power attacks, transferring their damage types to the enemy. While fire isn’t the most useful, getting the electricity or ice to trigger will result in the target becoming stunned or frozen. Now you can get extra hits in without fear of retaliation.

Upgrade the Sidekicks Twice

Early on, the dual SMGs called Sidekicks seemed like they were going to be a throwaway gun. That all changed once invested in the Sidekicks’ upgrade path. Two points will give the submachine guns Shocking Rounds. Leveraging this electrifying weapon is great for stunning aerial enemies while you close the distance, no longer concerned for their relentless barrage of projectiles. The upgraded weapon can also be used to stun larger monstrosities before they can connect with their more devastating attacks. Coupled with elemental katana attacks, you will control enemy mobility with ease.

Max out Wang’s Health

Wang may have seen his fair share of battles, but he isn’t invincible. The red health bar can be quickly depleted if players are not careful. Performing Finishers and seeking out health pickups are the main routes for refilling health in the early moments. But those that upgrade Wang’s health will be granted an invaluable regen ability. Now you can create some distance while you wait for that health to trickle back into the bar.

Health Pickups Respawn

Or you could kill enough time for that previously snagged health pickup to respawn. That’s right; they do eventually return. If you find yourself low on health and unable to pull off a Finisher, try evading the enemies for a bit until the health pickup locations respawn their life-granting goodness. The big red health pickups scattered in each area are in fixed locations. So make sure you keep their location in mind as you skirt around demon attacks so that you can loop back for a quick check.

Save Finishers to Obtain Gore Tools

While you can use a Finisher to gain back health in a critical moment, there is a far better use for this maneuver. Shadow Warrior 3 introduces creatures with implanted weaponry that can be forcibly torn from their bodies and repurposed. These Gore Tools can be absolute life-savers in desperate situations given their potency. As you encounter new enemies, explore the utility of their Gore Tool so you can best prioritize which enemies to target for Finishers in later levels where hostiles are densely populated. Grabbing a razor-adorned eyeball is an excellent choice for a quick fire-and-forget tool that seeks out enemies to slice. Another Gore Tool comes in the form of a grenade that sets off a disco show of deadly lasers, annihilating anything around it. Experiment with the different options for the ones that best suit your playstyle and situation.

Shadow Warrior 3 is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.