Introduction
If you’re longing for a Bloodborne-like experience at home, then Thymesia is a game you won’t want to miss. This dark and unforgiving souls-like RPG places you in the role of Corvus, a plague doctor battling through a world ravaged by a deadly plague. With intricate combat mechanics and a demanding difficulty curve, mastering Thymesia requires more than just fast reflexes—you’ll need a solid strategy, careful resource management, and a deep understanding of the game’s systems. In this guide, we’ll cover essential tips and strategies to help you survive and thrive.

Combat Basics: Understanding Health and Wounds
Enemies in Thymesia have two health bars: a white wound bar and a green health bar. The basic combat flow involves depleting the white bar first to expose the green health bar, allowing you to finish enemies with executions. However, wounds will start to heal if you leave enemies unchecked for too long. Using feather attacks is an effective way to prevent wound regeneration, especially during boss fights where maintaining pressure is crucial.

Tip 1: Saber for Wounds, Claws for Health
The key to efficient combat in Thymesia is alternating between your saber and claw attacks. Use the saber to chip away at the white wound bar, then switch to claws to shred the exposed green health bar. Getting into this rhythm early on will make encounters much smoother. Additionally, invest in strength to boost saber damage and plague to enhance claw attacks for a balanced build.

Tip 2: Handling Critical Attacks
Critical attacks, indicated by a green glow, cannot be parried with standard methods. The options are to dodge, deflect with specific talents, or even dodge directly into enemies if you have the right upgrades. Choosing between a deflect-based or dodge-based playstyle early on is essential, as it influences which talents you’ll invest in.

Tip 3: Managing Energy and Plague Weapons
Energy is the resource you use for plague weapon attacks, and managing it efficiently is key. Thymesia offers 21 different plague weapons, each with unique effects—some heal, some push back enemies, and others provide ranged options. Unlock plague weapons by defeating specific enemies and gathering skill shards. Consider using the Luck talent to boost shard drop rates, allowing you to unlock and upgrade weapons faster.

Tip 4: Leveling Up Wisely
Thymesia’s attribute system includes strength for saber damage, vitality for health, and plague for claw damage and energy. Initially, focus on vitality to survive longer as you learn the combat mechanics. You can respec attributes with Forgotten Feathers, but these are limited to major boss drops. Memory shards, the game’s currency for leveling, are best farmed in subquest areas after defeating main bosses.

Tip 5: The Best Talents to Invest In

• Sharp Weapons: Increases saber damage for faster wound depletion.
• Plague Wounds: Extends the duration before wounds heal, allowing you to reposition without losing progress.
• Healing Execution: Restores health and energy on executions, helping sustain you during longer fights.
• Short Claw vs. Long Claw: Short Claw offers offensive buffs and health restoration, making it a preferred choice for aggressive players.

Tip 6: Mastering Plague Weapons
Plague weapons add depth to Thymesia’s combat, and choosing the right one can drastically improve your chances of survival. Recommended weapons include:

• Scythe: Restores health on hit, making it invaluable during prolonged fights.
• Bow: Offers strong ranged damage and is effective against critical attacks.
• Greatsword: Ideal for shielded enemies due to its knockback effect.

Tip 7: Choosing and Upgrading Potions
Potions are vital for sustaining Corvus during battle. The Long-Lasting Potion stands out due to its gradual healing effect, allowing you to focus on offense. Upgrade potion ingredient slots to add effects like increased damage or reduced damage taken. Given the limited availability of alchemy enhancers, focus on one or two potion types to maximize effectiveness.

Exploration Tips: Secrets and Resources
Exploration in Thymesia is rewarding, with hidden memory shards, skill shards, and alchemy enhancers scattered throughout. Break barrels, check behind crates, and hunt for white and green wisps indicating hidden items. Subquests are especially valuable for farming rare resources and finding powerful enemies to defeat for additional skill shards.

Conclusion
Thymesia’s brutal world can be daunting, but with the right strategy and careful management of your resources, you’ll find yourself cleaving through plague-ridden foes with confidence. Focus on mastering the flow of combat, investing in the right talents, and maximizing the utility of plague weapons. Stick to these tips, and you’ll have a much smoother journey through Hermes. Best of luck, plague doctor!