Lunar Staff Tips

All the refinements and upgrades available in theNinja Gaiden® Hurricane download are generating attention, but none more so than the new weapon. The bo-staff is named Lunar and, as the game describes it, it's made from strong willow trees connected to the power of the moon. It’s also fast, powerful, and visually spectacular in action. Making the most of this powerful staff takes practice, however, so here are a few tips to get you started on the road to bo-staff excellence.

Strong, fast, and flexible.

You’ll find Lunar in the first chapter of the game, just around the corner from the suit of Samurai armor that’s missing its fangs. The advantages to the staff will be instantly obvious: It’s faster than the Dragon Sword and has a much greater reach than the Nunchaku. On the down side, it’s not as all-purpose as the Dragon Sword because it doesn’t pack as much of a punch and comes with some dangerous lag times during recovery animations. You can pull off a big combo with Lunar, but once you've executed that combo, you’ll be vulnerable to attacking foes.

The best defense …

Since the staff comes with a few drawbacks for new users, you'll need to master your Lunar defensive skills first. If you check every chest in Chapter One, you’ll find the new Intercept technique scroll; spend some time practicing this technique until you have it down. It requires fine timing, but if you hit the left trigger to block just as the enemy’s blow hits (and not a split-second sooner or later), Ryu will be surrounded by a lightning-like glow. If you attack while Ryu is glowing, you’ll execute a devastating counter-attack that will level the enemy that attacked you. Unlike the Counter-attack scroll (only available in the Hurricane Pack by shopping at Muramasa’s and spending 10,000 Essence), Intercept can block almost every attack you’ll face, including boss hits and throws that were previously unblockable. Proper use of Intercept can also give you an essence-free Ultimate attack. When used with the Lunar staff, it will make Ryu spin like a tornado, leveling everything in his path.

If you’re having trouble with Intercept, or if you just can’t keep up with the speed of the Hurricane Pack’s new enemies, you have a few options. First, use moves like Wind Run and Reverse Wind (followed by a quick jump) to stay clear of enemies between your Lunar attacks. If you keep moving as you strike, you'll avoid a lot of trouble. Second, you can spend Essence on the normal Counter-attack scroll, which allows you to block and hold, to deflect an enemy’s attack. Keep in mind that, in the Hurricane Pack, blocking doesn’t eliminate damage, it only reduces it (especially against the new cat fiends and their terrifying “swinging neckbreaker” move).

Whack-a-cat.

To maximize Lunar’s effectiveness in combat, exploit its two biggest advantages: speed and reach. If your enemy doesn’t have a ranged attack, you can clobber him before he ever gets the chance to hit you. Use your running attacks (Purgatory’s Rivet and Twin Serpent Strike) to launch long-distance beat-downs. The Twin Serpent Strike is especially powerful because, as Ryu goes up for the jump, he spins Lunar a bit to clear out any foes trying to interrupt his maneuver. Another good mid-range attack is Infinite Fury (press X, Y, Y), which stuns an enemy with a single jab and then pounds him into a paste with a fast series of repeated jabs. Mix some of your larger, more circular (and slower) attacks with these short and punchy ones to keep your foes at a distance as you polish them off.

Lunar is an excellent weapon for almost any situation, but it requires practice, fast reflexes, and a fair degree of precision. But, once you learn its ways and master its power, you’ll see that, while the Hurricane Pack may have created a whole new set of challenges for action lovers, it also provides a fun solution.

By Luke Judge