Bleeding Edge is a 4v4 online team brawler with heavily stylized character designs. Here's what beginners to the game need to know to give them the edge in battle.
The game was created by Ninja Theory, the studio behind DmC: Devil May Cry and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. It features team-based online PVP in a flashy, stylized, frenetic package. There are 12 characters with melee and ranged attacks for the player to select. Players are encouraged to work with their team to accomplish their goals, know the terrain, and customize their characters through mods and cosmetic upgrades.
Earlier Ninja Theory game, Kung Fu Chaos, was the inspiration for Bleeding Edge. The Creative Director, Rahni Tucker has stated that she plays a lot of team shooters and MOBAs, and wanted to play a third-person action competitive game with multiplayer that had not yet existed. While the idea lay dormant for a while, Ninja Theory picked it up and ran with it when they were ready to start on a new game. While developing Bleeding Edge, the studio started with a more realistic look and abandoned it for a more stylized visual design that better suited the game's chaotic nature.
What Do Beginners Need to Know to Win in Bleeding Edge?
In Bleeding Edge, the three classes of characters available for the player to choose are Tanks, Damage Per Second or DPS, and . Tanks are intended to hold the attention of the enemy team while and DPS perform their roles. They're there to take hits and get in the face of the opposition. While they have a lot of health, it may be best to have the team's character nearby to keep the Tank all up in the other team's grill. Tanks tend to be most comfortable for beginners to play and master.
The characters help the team with buffing and healing. It's best to keep them close to the rest of the group and help them in excelling at their roles. DPS characters are there to get that damage in. They are, however, not meant to take damage. They must be strategic in how and when they jump into the fray as they can change the direction of the battle.
There are two available modes in Bleeding Edge. In Objective Control, teams earn points by completing Objectives and killing enemies. Objectives have phases in which they turn on and off. Use the mini-map to see which Objectives are active at any given time. To capture an Objective, a player must stand on it until it turns blue. Holding Objectives on the map and kills earn points. The first team to 600 points wins.
In Power Collection, the team must collect Power Cells and deliver them to designated Drop Zones. During the collection phase, the team must destroy canisters to collect Power Cells. Yellow dots indicate their location on the mini-map. During the delivery phase, players must take the Power Cells to the active Drop Zone. When players fall while carrying power cells, the items will drop and anyone, friend or foe, may pick them up. Taking damage while dropping off interrupts the delivery. Players who are dropping off cannot move or attack. The rest of the team must pull together to defend the player dropping off. The first team to 50 points wins.
Ideally, players will be able to use a headset to communicate with others with whom they are already familiar. Even if using a headset is not an option, players can ping objectives and enemies on the map to let their team know what to do or where to head. One of the most important things to is that the player shouldn't try to challenge the other side on their own or accomplish Objectives alone. There is strength in numbers.
A single-player of any type will have difficulty standing up to the onslaught of multiple players of the other team. If the player's teammates are respawning, they should wait for them and coordinate their next wave of attacks. Teammates can also coordinate to pull off more powerful, synergized attacks. Team composition is also essential. characters, such as healers, help keep the team in the battle. They're just as important as Tanks and DPS.
Players of Bleeding Edge should make use of the Dojo to train and familiarize themselves with the characters they'd like to play. Getting used to a new character here will pay off in battle. When in battle, players should be strategic about when to execute their super moves as there might be certain conditions under which they will be more effective. The team should get to know the terrain and use the hazards of the arena map to gain the upper hand.
The player should to use their evades with the right trigger button. Doing so will allow them to escape enemy combos. The left trigger button targets an enemy. Players can change their character while in the spawn area by pres on the D-Pad. Characters can travel quickly across the map using a hoverboard or similar type of transportation customized to the character. Players can summon their mode of transport while standing still and hitting right on the D-Pad. Taking damage will cancel quick travel. The team should collect Power Up Crates during any downtime as they can provide buffs.
Between battles, players should visit the Workshop to customize their characters. Through gameplay, players earn spare parts and credits. These can be used for mods and visual customizations. Mods provide boosts to character abilities. Players are allowed to have three different builds for each character so that they can switch to different mod combinations mid-match.
While some players of Bleeding Edge think it has room to improve. Others view it as a hidden gem. The game recently emerged from closed beta tests and will be seeing more content additions. Beginners to the game can jump in now to learn the basics and get started on becoming their team's MVP.
Bleeding Edge is available on Xbox One and PC via Steam.