Your Soul Hackers Survival Guide

Soul Hackers isn't an easy game; challenges are around every corner. I beat some boss battles on the first try, while others took me over five attempts. I thrived off the challenge. Each time I saw a Game Over screen, it only made me want to try that much harder not to see it again. Ever since my eventual triumph over Soul Hackers, I've been receiving plenty of requests for tips. Now I impart my wisdom on to you, so you can have the best shot of besting those pesky bad guys.

Balance Fighting And Negotiating

I know talking to demons is fun, especially with some of their wacky responses, but you need to balance chatting them up and showing them who is boss. Not only do you need to level up your two regular party members, but Magnetite drains as you walk around the dungeon with demons in your party. The best way to avoid running out is by fighting to restore some. Trust me, in the long run it pays off not to have to worry about your Magnetite running low. Also, having extra Magnetite on hand means you can summon other demons into your party if your current selection is lacking.

Take Advantage Of COMP Perks

Install the Back-Upper software to your COMP as soon as possible, so you can save anywhere. Be sure to use it often. This makes deadly battles less costly and lowers the risk of experimenting with different demons. I also recommend Gulliver Magic, which restores your HP with every step you take in dungeons. Remember, your main character's health matters the most, since his death ends the game, so keeping his HP up at all times is beneficial. I also added Da Vinci, which adds the fusion search function, because it allows you to explore your best fusion options with ease. Also, Honey Bee displays all the dungeon floors for you as well, so you're not blindly trying to find your way.

Fuse, Fuse, Fuse!

As soon as you earn a new level you should be exploring new fusion options. The better your demons are, the greater your chances of holding your own in boss battles will be. I know it's tough once you build an attachment to specific demons, especially to their awesome skills, but you can and should always look for improvements. Also, some of your previous demon's skills will pass in fusion, so the best thing to do is explore all the potential skills your demon could end up with. Use the Da Vinci COMP for the fusion search function and find the best skills that can be passed to the new demon you wish to create.

Balance Your Party

You should always have an extra healer at hand in case Nemissa gets hit by a status ailment. Plus, if you build up Nemissa's magic power, her magic is extremely valuable for obliterating enemies. What I always did was put my strong physical attackers up front, and my magic users and healers in the back row. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people miss the importance of placement. Also, having a demon with buffs and debuffs is beneficial, especially for boss battles. You need every advantage you can get, and killing them faster and easier is by far the best one.

Managing Demon Personalities

Every demon has a specific personality that you must take into account. Fusing demons that bank off certain personality types can definitely help you in the long run. For instance, if you have a strong physically powerful demon, it's not a bad thing if it has a wild personality since it already favors attacks, which works to your advantage. You won't fear selecting the "Go" option this way and letting them choose for themselves. Similarly, having a kind demon with healing powers means you won't be choosing options that cause them to be insubordinate.

Still, the best way to avoid potential insubordination is by building up your demon's loyalty with gifts. This makes them more likely to listen to your commands and not deny your request. Finding these gifts around dungeons is easy if you're willing to explore and battle. Earning a demon's trust can go a long way for your sanity.

Also, for reference, here are the different types of demon personalities and the commands they prefer:

• Wild – Attacks
• Sly – Magical
• Kind – Healing/Defend
• Calm – Adaptive, just don't like being ordered around too much
• Dumb – Prefer the "Go" command, unpredictable.

Have A Backup Plan

The sad truth is that no demon is going to obey your direct commands 100 percent of the time. A big part of Soul Hackers is always preparing for the "what ifs." Many times I won by anticipating the worst-case scenario. If I chose a wild demon to heal, I set another character to heal just in case he didn't follow through. This is the best way to win boss battles, since when does extra healing ever hurt? Also, if a boss was weak to magic, I loaded up on characters with magic attacks, especially since no magic attack hits every time.

The best strategy is to be flexible. For one boss battle, I had to put my main character (a strong physical attacker) in the back row where he could do nothing but use items, summon, or guard. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but he was taking way too much damage on the front line. As soon as I moved him, it made all the difference. I also recommend fusing a bunch of different demon types and having them on hand, you can always summon different demons into battle and see if they fare better against certain bosses. Demon selection can make or break boss battles, so you want the best and most diverse set of demons at your disposal.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

Taking risks in Soul Hackers is hardly ever the best option. If you see health bars dwindling down, heal up as fast as possible. If you ever think to yourself, "If I wait until next turn..." – don't. Thinking isn't enough. You need to be confident in every choice or that Game Over screen will haunt you. Don't pout when you die, experiment and learn from your failure. Beating many bosses came down to studying their weaknesses and patterns and then going back and seeing how I could adjust my strategy to make it work. Pay attention to your stats and weaknesses, and don't be afraid to fuse a demon that just isn't clicking for you into something better.   

Got any tips to share yourself? Feel free to post in the comments below.