Vampiric Tips
By Wendell Scott
Darkwatch™ combines vampires and the Old West to create an entirely new kind of FPS. As half-vamp gunslinger Jericho Cross fights to recover his humanity, he allies himself with the shadowy Darkwatch organization and takes on hordes of zombies, vampires, and other night terrors. Here are a few pointers for becoming the fastest half-dead gun in town.
It's hard to keep a bad man down.
Burn the Source
Often you have to contend with a seemingly endless flood of grunt-level foes. This is because it actually is an endless flood, one that flows from the awful, cocoon-like "hives" that spawn the beasts. You must destroy the hive to stop the tide, and that's not always easy. Sometimes the game puts the hive high on an inaccessible hill or sticks it to a sheer canyon wall. You can pump round after round into the hive from a distance, but if you want it done quickly you must use your dynamite. If you time your toss right, you can not only blast the hive but also take out a handful of the enemies it just created, to harvest even more of that sweet Blood Cloud. If all else fails, use your Vampire Jump to get close and then melee the hive to pieces.
Head Shots and Undead: A Dangerous Combination
Darkwatch breaks with shooter tradition somewhat in that head shots are not necessarily an instant kill. Sure, your bullets and shotgun blasts do damage and may even decapitate the zombie shuffling toward you, but no head does not mean no danger. Some undead keep coming after you've literally blown their heads off, so don’t take your eye off any enemy until you see the Blood Cloud their death leaves behind. If you don’t have time to aim at the attacking enemy's remaining vulnerable spots, go ahead and fan the hammer to fill whatever's left with lead.
Vampire Vision shows you the way.
Power to the People
Speaking of Blood Clouds, you must collect this essence left behind by defeated enemies to fuel Jericho's vampiric abilities. These powers are what set him apart from the average FPS hero, so be sure to make the most of them. Once you've explored the obvious uses (Blood Vision provides a limited zoom to aim by, Vampire Jump lets you reach remote areas), try thinking about them tactically. Since Blood Vision calls out anything supernatural, you can use it as a locator for magical items, portals, or even that zombie cowpoke who keeps shooting at you from the shadows. Vampire Jump doesn't just let you take the high ground, it gets you off the low ground—you don't need to jump on something to get away. Jericho jumps so high he can get out of almost any bad situation; better yet, on the way down he can target and shoot his enemies so that things aren't so dangerous once he lands. You can also steer yourself slightly in mid-flight so that you're sure to come down precisely where you want to—either on top of that precious ammo pick-up or behind your most dangerous enemy so you can bushwhack him.
Your choice of new vampiric powers is limited by your actions in the game—abuse, murder, and feed on the innocent to open up the darker, nastier powers; protect and defend them to unlock the good ones (which are just as effective and visually satisfying). Along with your choice of powers, your actions also determine your interaction with NPCs and the ending you get, so make every choice carefully.
Fan the hammer for maximum damage.
Darkwatch provides a slick mix of spooky chills and shooter action. Since you can customize Jericho Cross's powers, you're sure to find your own tips based on the gunslinger you've created. In the meantime, these pointers can keep you alive until you start making decisions about your own undead hero.
