1348 Ex Voto, much like its name suggests, can be quite harsh at times. To fulfill her vow, heroine Aeta must travel across the Spanish countryside over several months, facing communities struck by the plague and fighting off bands of looting criminals and corrupt knights eager to make this already shattered world worse.
In a game like this, it’s normal to struggle with staying alive or making the most of your skills and resources. You’ll need to become proficient in swordsmanship, exploration, and using various trinkets, accessories, and weapon upgrades effectively. Here are some helpful tips to get you started.
Leave No Stone Unturned
Since the game is relatively straightforward through its nine chapters, there aren’t many alternative paths besides the main route. Make sure to explore every route you find before moving on to your next goal. The game often hides useful items like trinkets and weapon upgrades — such as pommels, guards, and handles — off the beaten path. Exploring thoroughly rewards you with valuable items and offers beautiful views of the countryside, which is a nice bonus.
Manage Your Food Stocks
Traditional healing items aren’t available in 1348 Ex Voto. Instead, Aeta restores health by eating meat, cheese, fruit, and other perishable foods she finds around the environment. During battles, pressing the square button lets you restore health, but you’ll need to gather food from the world to do so. Aeta will show an obvious vocal cue when your food stocks are full, so it’s wise to restore health and pick up as much food as possible when you can. Later upgrades will allow you to carry more food, but for now, collection is key.
If your health drops in battle, dying and restarting from checkpoints will fully restore Aeta’s health. To save food, you might consider intentionally dying a few times to recover health without using your supplies.
Pay Attention to the Skill Tree
The game features a skill tree with four branches. Two are available from the start, while the other two unlock as you progress. You need to gather pieces of paper, found throughout the game world, to purchase new skills. Exploring thoroughly ensures plenty of these resources, but don’t forget to check the pause menu often to spend them, as the game doesn’t remind you.
Upgrading skills can significantly enhance your combat abilities, unlock new combo strings, and increase your maximum food and health reserves.
Guard Meters in Combat
Every enemy, including some bosses, has a guard meter that indicates when they are vulnerable. The key to combat success is to deplete this meter before the enemy can recover it, then deal as much damage as possible in that window. To lower guard meters efficiently, Aeta has a variety of sword and stance options to take advantage of.
Changing Your Stance
You can adopt a two-handed stance by holding the left shoulder button, which allows for heavier combos and charge-up finishing moves. You can also press this button briefly to perform parries and blocks. Using the right shoulder button switches to one-handed attacks, which are faster and more nimble but deal less damage. Some enemies attack in ways that can’t be blocked, requiring quick dodging, which is easier when wielding a single blade. Adjust your stance based on the fight to optimize your chances.
Perfect Attacks Are Powerful
Early in the game, you’re taught about perfect attacks — a well-timed strike indicated by a bright golden glow. They occur when you press the attack button precisely after an attack lands. Although easy to overlook, mastering perfect attacks can turn the tide in tough fights, especially against bosses. These moves quickly drain guard meters and leave enemies open to heavy damage.
Customize Your Sword
Throughout your journey, you’ll find various sword parts, such as handles, pommels, and blades, each focused on improving either one-handed or two-handed combat styles. Some upgrades benefit both styles and can turn you into a formidable fighter. Note that changes made to your weapons, trinkets, or other gear during fights won’t carry over after you die, so it’s best to prepare your equipment before entering challenging areas or boss battles.
Choosing the Right Trinkets
Trinkets are some of the most powerful accessories in the game. They can do everything from automatically using food when you die to instantly killing enemies once their stagger bar is broken. Combining different trinkets creatively can make fights much easier — for example, one that restores full health after a perfect dodge can be a game-changer in boss fights. Take time to experiment with different combinations to find what works best for your playstyle.
