The Relic: First Guardian Demo Guide – Combat, Exploration & Key Mechanics
A practical guide to The Relic: First Guardian demo covering combat, exploration, and ability use, with tips to work around current bugs and design issues.
Overview
The Relic: First Guardian demo gives you an early look at an action RPG set in the fallen world of Arsiltus. You control a character who can wield five weapon types, learn a handful of spells, and unlock weapon-specific skills. The demo emphasizes parry-based combat and fast traversal, but it also contains several bugs and unfinished systems that can frustrate first-time players.
This guide turns the demo’s working mechanics into a repeatable sequence you can follow to get the most out of the experience. It covers how to start, what to prioritize in combat, how to navigate safely, and how to recover when things go wrong.
Requirements
Before you start the demo, confirm the following:
- Platform: The demo is available on PC and PlayStation. The preview build advised using a PlayStation controller even on PC, but button prompts may still appear as Xbox inputs (a known bug).
- Storage: No official minimum size is given, but expect a download of several gigabytes.
- Graphics settings: The options menu is basic. You can set a global quality level but cannot tweak individual settings (e.g., shadows, textures). If you cannot run at maximum, the game will look noticeably rougher than promotional footage.
Steps
Follow this sequence to move through the demo efficiently and avoid common pitfalls.
1. Configure Controls and Settings First
Press the Share button (not Options or the center button) to open the settings menu. This is a non‑standard mapping that persists throughout the demo. Set your preferred graphics level and audio volume here. The audio mix is inconsistent, so lowering the master volume can reduce ear‑piercing enemy attack sounds.
2. Learn the Basic Combat Loop
The demo has no light/heavy attack distinction. You have one attack button that performs a fixed combo. The core loop is:
- Parry an enemy attack – Timing is similar to a typical Souls‑like parry. A successful parry staggers the enemy for a few seconds.
- Close the gap – After a parry, your movement speed slows significantly. You may need to use a dodge or dash to reach the staggered enemy.
- Attack during the stagger window – There is no critical hit animation or visceral attack. Just continue your normal combo until the enemy recovers.
Failure recovery: If you miss the parry, dodge away immediately. The camera can get stuck on trees or walls, leaving you unable to see incoming attacks. Always try to fight in open areas where you can keep the camera clear.
3. Use Dash for Travel, but Watch for Glitches
Sprinting and then dashing launches you forward at very high speed. This is the fastest way to cross the map. However, the dash ignores gravity until it completes, which can cause you to fly out of bounds or get stuck inside geometry. To avoid crashes or soft‑locks:
- Do not dash toward mountains, cliffs, or buildings.
- If you get stuck, restart from your last checkpoint. There is no fall‑back teleport.
4. Equip and Upgrade Your Weapon
You can find or unlock five weapon types. Each has its own skill tree. Spend resources to unlock new combat moves and spells (you can learn up to four spells). Weapon upgrades are the main progression system – there is no character leveling or stat allocation.
5. Manage the Map and Compass Quirks
The map is opened with the Options button (or the center button – both map to the same action). When you move the map cursor, your player icon on the map also shifts position, making it unreliable for precise navigation. The compass direction can also be wrong: you may face south in the world but see “west” on the compass after closing the map. Use landmarks and environmental cues rather than relying on the map or compass.
6. Loot Carefully
Some items in the world display the message “This item can no longer be obtained” even if you have never visited that location before. There is no explanation for why an item is locked. If you see this message, move on – there is no way to recover that loot in the current demo build.
7. Avoid Triggering Unwanted NPC Conversations
If an NPC (friendly or enemy) is speaking in the distance, your menu and several actions become locked until the dialogue ends. This can happen even if you are nowhere near the conversation. To avoid being stuck, do not approach groups of NPCs that appear to be talking. If you get locked, wait for the dialogue to finish – it usually lasts only a few seconds.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why It Happens | How to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Trying to open settings with Options button | The button is remapped to open the map instead | Use the Share button |
| Relying on the compass for direction | Compass may show a wrong cardinal direction after map use | Use visual landmarks |
| Dashing near geometry | Dash ignores gravity until it ends, causing out‑of‑bounds glitches | Only dash in open, flat areas |
| Fighting near trees or walls | Camera does not clip through obstacles | Pull enemies into open ground before engaging |
| Trying to loot “unobtainable” items | The game does not explain why an item is locked | Skip the item; it cannot be recovered |
| Expecting Souls‑like mechanics | Enemies do not respawn, you do not drop currency on death, and there are no bonfire/checkpoint resets | Treat the game as a linear action RPG |
Advanced Tips
- Stagger recovery: After a successful parry, you can buffer a dash input to overcome the movement speed penalty and reach the enemy before the stagger ends.
- Spell weaving: Spells can be cast during your normal combo recovery. Experiment with casting a spell immediately after a parry to deal extra damage without interrupting your attack flow.
- Audio cues: Despite the broken audio mix, some enemy attacks have distinct sound effects. If you cannot see the enemy due to camera issues, listen for the loudest attack sound and parry on reaction.
- Weapon skills: Each weapon type has at least one skill that can be unlocked early. Prioritize a skill that adds a gap‑closer or area‑of‑effect attack – these are most useful against groups.
Related Guides
No related guides are available at this time. Check back after launch for walkthroughs, boss strategies, and build recommendations.