Evil West is a fun new shooter from Flying Wild Hog but it definitely comes with its challenges.

If you’ve been out gunslingin’ but are still not really sure what you’re doing, we’ve prepared a few helpful tips and pointers to get your start.

If you want to know what we thought about Evil West, check out our full overview and read our impressions here.

So what am I doing?

Aside from killing lots and lots of vampires and other abominations, you’re trying to ensure the legacy of the Rentier Institute endures. No easy thing, but you have an arsenal at your disposal to make that happen. Among other things, you have a signature gauntlet that lets you pound and punch anything that moves, as well as a revolver, broomstick, and rifle to take enemies from range. That’s just the start.

Surviving in Evil West is making the best use of everything at your disposal, learning enemy patterns, finding their weak spots and staying nimble. Anything less just won’t be good enough.

Any good strategies?

The most obvious is keeping an eye out for a flashing circle around enemies. That means they’ve exposed a vulnerability and weak spot for you to exploit. This can sometimes lead to an insta-kill, do massive damage, or leave them vulnerable for a counter attack. Take advantage when you notice it.

Turning off aim support is also for the best. I actually found it really restrictive in closed-quarter battles, meaning I couldn’t aim freely because my reticule was automatically snapping onto something else and it wouldn’t budge. That said, aim support is quite useful in certain sections, particularly the mine carts if you’re having difficulty hitting your targets there.

Use the environmental obstacles to your advantage. Uppercut and super punch enemies into them to get massive damage. This throws up a bit of crowd control and takes care of some enemies with one shot.

Find as many bucks as you can and there’s a ton in each level. Head off the beaten track, look for secret areas sometimes concealed by bushes or points of interest you can blast your way through. These bucks can be spent at any point to gain upgrades to all your gadgets and really build those out in the most effective ways.

And build up that energy to max. Supercharge mode is an absolute lifesaver in some situations!

Where should I spend my bucks and points?

The most important thing to note is you will keep gaining new weapons and items throughout the Evil West campaign, so there is always something to spend on. Initially, you’ll just have your gauntlet and a revolver, but later on you’ll get an X-Crossbow, Sticks of Dynamite and even a Flamethrower.

So it’s a balancing act. It might be you save up your bucks to further develop some of the later equipment. For instance, you can increase the magazine clip of one or the range of another. You could also decide to keep spending throughout to ensure your weapons are at maximum competency throughout.

I would definitely recommend being careful where you spend and what you spend on, some attributes may not be that beneficial to your playthrough. You may find you’re gaining lots of energy organically, so may not need enemies to drop pickups. Likewise, you may not be losing much health in battle, so you probably don’t need the additional pickups.

Of course, the challenge increases the deeper into the campaign you go, so investing in your high end weaponry is likely the smartest play, especially as some enemies have a particular weakness to fire and explosives.

It’s also worth pointing out that you will gradually unlock new abilities for your weapons and perks overtime as well when you reach certain levels or find secrets, so if you have a particular weapon you favor, it might be better to hold out until you have a way of maximising its potential.

As for Perks, here are some of the ones to be aware of…

Blasting Impression which gives your Kick-Off and Hero Punch additional splash damage, affecting other enemies
Chain of Command which increases your damage and makes your followup punch faster after a melee combo
Vital Superpowers increases your maximum health by 15%
Booming Business explodes TNT crates with a 50% larger radius. Useful in big fights.
Supercharged Mode amplifies damage when your energy bars are at 3 if you press in L3 and R3. You also reduce damage received
Extra juice increases maximum energy by a full bar
On a Roll gives you an extra energy bar with every Gauntlet Finisher executed

Any other advice?

Remember to make use of your powerups on your quick bar. Heal regularly, use your shotgun if you’re up close to an enemy and their health is looking a little lean.

Interupting enemy attacks is also very important. Tap in R3 if they’re going to swing on you or hit you with a powerful strike as that can keep you in the fight. And use L1 to block incoming projectiles or even to defend against attacks as this can actually stun and zap an enemy, making it easier to E-combo them.

Finishing your enemy with a Coup De Grace is also beneficial as you’re often rewarded with more health and the attacks mean you’re invulnerable to other enemies.

You can also sprint around the map faster tapping in R1 and sail right across to an enemy, pounding into them. This can also be great at crowd control and helping you get around much quicker.

Also keep an eye out for mini targets all around you, up above, to the sides, even below. These often lead to secret areas, additional loot or progression points for the campaign.

Was this helpful? Evil West has a lot of mechanics and techniques to factor in and making use of as many of them as possible is definitely the way to go. Let us know what your preferred strategies are!

Evil West is now available on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation.

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