What You Need to Know Before Playing Gotham Knights
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Before diving into the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City as one of Batman’s successors, it’s crucial to understand what awaits you in Gotham Knights. This isn’t just another Batman game; it’s a cooperative, character-driven experience with its own unique mechanics and narrative. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of everything you need to know to ensure you’re prepared to protect Gotham:
Core Gameplay and Character Choices
Gotham Knights places you in the roles of Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood after the apparent death of Batman. The game emphasizes a cooperative experience, but it can also be played solo. Unlike the Arkham series, Gotham Knights features RPG elements like leveling, crafting, and gear customization. You’re not just playing as one character; you’ll be progressing through a shared world, with each character having their own playstyle, abilities, and skill trees.
Characters Level Together
One of the most important things to understand is that characters level together. You don’t need to worry about playing a specific character to ensure they aren’t under-leveled. When you gain experience, all of the knights gain experience, encouraging players to switch characters often and experiment with different abilities.
Choose Your Own Adventure
You’re not forced to play a specific character for specific missions. You can tackle the entire game with a single character if you choose, or switch between them as often as you like. There are no missions that lock you out if you haven’t chosen a specific knight. This flexibility is a major strength of the game.
The Importance of Customization
Gear customization is a key element. You’ll be crafting new gear, dismantling obsolete items, and using gear mods to enhance your abilities. Don’t neglect this system; it’s crucial for dealing with the progressively tougher enemies you’ll face. Ensure you dismantle old gear for resources. This will help make sure your knights are powerful.
Play on Easy if You’re Looking to Focus on the Story
For those primarily interested in the narrative and less on the challenge, playing on easy mode can help cut down on the tedium of repetitive combat. While the game isn’t excessively difficult, the health of some enemies can become quite high, especially in the mid to late game. Adjusting the difficulty can make the experience more enjoyable for those just looking for a good story.
Understanding Gotham Knights’ World
A Unique Gotham
Gotham Knights presents the largest version of Gotham seen in video games. The city is designed with considerable density and verticality. Exploring is a key part of the experience, with each character’s traversal methods offering different perspectives on the sprawling metropolis.
Crime-Fighting Focus
The game primarily focuses on nightly patrols and stopping crime. Fighting crime is essential to gain XP, resources, and complete challenges. Interrogations also play a role, as they can lead to new crime-fighting opportunities. Don’t just focus on story missions; engaging in open world activities will also benefit your progression.
No Direct Connection to the Arkhamverse
It is vital to understand that Gotham Knights is not set in the same continuity as the Arkham series. While WB Games Montreal developed Arkham Origins, this game exists in its own universe. Don’t go into this experience expecting a direct continuation of Batman’s story from Rocksteady Studios games.
The Night Cycle
The game features a night cycle where you decide when to move on to the next night. The number of nights isn’t as important as the progression of the game’s chapters and missions. When you feel ready, you can move the game forward when it suits you.
Combat and Skill Development
Embrace Character-Specific Abilities
Each hero has a unique set of combat abilities and Knighthood challenges. These are a set of specific tasks that unlock special abilities unique to each hero. Experiment with different characters to find your preferred combat style and master their unique capabilities. You’ll be rewarded for learning their systems.
Focus on Crowd Control and Range
While each character has different strengths, some focus more on crowd control and others on more range. Nightwing excels in close combat and Robin is well suited for long range, understanding the strengths of each can help you tackle the various threats of Gotham.
Enemy Difficulty and Tediousness
The game’s difficulty can be inconsistent. Some players have noted that enemies can have an insane amount of health, especially in the mid-game, and some are meant to be “glass cannons” but end up acting as bosses. It’s important to be prepared to take a tactical approach to engagements.
Importance of Training
Ensure you complete the training missions. They are essential to help you fully understand the game mechanics. It’s a simple and fast way to pick up new skills and strategies that will be useful across your entire time with the game.
Additional Considerations
No Joker, but Plenty of Villains
While the Joker is not present in Gotham Knights, many other well-known villains will be encountered, ensuring a vibrant rogue gallery. Don’t go into this experience expecting to see Batman’s greatest enemy.
A Co-Op Focus
Gotham Knights offers a two-player online cooperative mode. This can make combat easier and can add to the fun of exploring Gotham. If you prefer playing alone, you can do so, but teaming up can provide a lot of entertainment.
Level Cap
The maximum level in Gotham Knights is level 30. You can max out your characters during the main story, but there could be additional opportunities to level up if future DLC is released.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Do I need to play previous Batman games before Gotham Knights?
While playing previous Batman games might give you some background on the characters, it’s not essential. Gotham Knights is set in its own separate universe and doesn’t require prior knowledge of the Arkham series. However, playing Arkham Origins might help you understand how WB Games Montréal handles hero combat.
2. Is Gotham Knights hard to play?
The game isn’t excessively difficult, especially on easier modes. However, some players have found that enemies can become tedious due to their high health pools, especially in the later parts of the game. The difficulty can be inconsistent.
3. How long does it take to beat Gotham Knights?
To complete the main story, expect around 16.5 hours. If you’re a completionist aiming for 100%, it might take about 48 hours.
4. Who is the best beginner character in Gotham Knights?
Batgirl is often recommended for beginners due to her gliding traversal ability. Her style is close to the original Batman gameplay, making her easy to pick up. She’s a safe, solid character to start with.
5. Who is the best character overall?
This depends on your playstyle. Nightwing is considered an all-rounder who excels in both close and long-range combat, making him a strong choice. He’s very good for groups of enemies.
6. Should I switch characters often in Gotham Knights?
Yes, you should! Since all characters level up together, it’s beneficial to switch often and try out different skill trees and abilities. This also helps to unlock each character’s unique Knighthood skill tree by completing challenges.
7. Does it matter what character I choose?
Ultimately, the “best” character is the one that matches your playstyle. Each has unique abilities and combat styles. So it comes down to preference, and that doesn’t mean a hero is better or worse.
8. Is Gotham Knights a failure?
Gotham Knights received mixed reviews. Some common criticisms include repetitive gameplay, subpar graphics, and a nonsensical crafting component. However, with some updates, the game is now considered to have improved greatly in terms of performance.
9. Is it better to stick to one character in Gotham Knights?
You can play the whole game with one character and not miss out on anything. However, switching is highly encouraged to experience all the different styles and abilities the game has to offer.
10. Is the map big in Gotham Knights?
Yes, Gotham Knights features the biggest version of Gotham in video games, with a large and vertical map.
11. Is there a level cap of 50 in Gotham Knights?
No, the level cap is 30, and it can be reached through regular gameplay.
12. Can you solo Gotham Knights?
Yes, Gotham Knights can be played solo, even though it also features a two-player online co-op mode.
13. What comics should I read before playing Gotham Knights?
Some recommended comics include: Batman: Under The Hood, Gail Simone’s Batgirl, Red Hood And The Outlaws, Dixon’s Robin, Batman Family, Nightwing: A Knight In Blüdhaven, A Lonely Place Of Dying, and Court/City Of Owls. These provide context and background for the characters and their stories.
14. Is the game better now than at launch?
Yes, many players and critics have noted that recent updates have significantly improved the game’s performance and overall experience. Particularly, there have been improvements to CPU related issues in traversal.
15. Who is considered the weakest character in Gotham Knights?
Red Hood is sometimes cited as the weakest due to slow general movement and a limited traversal method that cannot be continued indefinitely. His dodge is also considered inferior, and his melee damage and speed are also slower.