Here’s a short combovid made up of clips i recorded way back in 2004, when LoKD was new. For anyone unfamiliar with the Legacy of Kain series, it had one of the most astonishing storylines ever told through the video game medium.

Of course, the term combo is used loosely here since most enemies have very weak defense mechanisms. It would be more accurate to call them attack strings but combos isn’t too far off.

The game’s combat system is flexible enough that there are some creative things to do to the generic peons that try to rush you in groups. The command inputs are transcribed using PlayStation 2 default control conventions, but the text explanations refer to all actions by their general names. The PS2 and Xbox versions of LoKD are virtually identical, so everything here works on both versions.

Wavedash

(hold L1), (hold desired direction on left analog stick), press X, tap R1, press X, tap R1, press X, tap R1, press X …

The most basic and most useful trick is wavedashing. Both Raziel and Kain can do it. While holding the L1 button to engage combat mode (different stance, camera angle, and basic moveset), pushing the jump button (X) along with any direction on the left analog stick causes the character to perform either a quick dash forwards or backwards or a sidestep left or right. This dash seems to get most of its speed burst during the middle portion, and has a bit of lag towards the end. Pressing the jump button again during this dash causes the character to cancel into a jump. In fact, this dash can be interrupted by almost any action.

The quickest wavedash is done by interrupting the dash animation near the end by tapping the feed button (R1), which is a sustainable move with no lag after the button is released. This requires a bit of timing to optimize, since you must wait until the very end of the dash movement to interrupt. Of course, the coolest thing about this is that it can be used without any enemies around, making your treks through the vast landscapes of Nosgoth much shorter.

Kain’s TK Relaunch

press and hold Triangle (to launch and jumpcancel), tap Square, Square, Square, (land), press and hold O, press and hold back on left analog stick, release O, press and hold Triangle (to relaunch and jumpcancel) …

Kain can use this combo at the very beginning of the game without needing any extra upgrades or skills, and Raziel can use it near the very end. The trick to this is to wait a bit before starting the air combo so that your character is close to the ground. The TK hold will take effect before the opponent reaches the ground, but it seems to be able to OTG as well. Once you see your character go into the TK hold animation, press the left analog stick towards your character and release the TK button to pull the opponent towards you, Scorpion style. When the opponent is close enough, press the pop-up attack button again to relaunch and repeat as desired.

As an alternative, you can also use the air TK attack as the air combo finisher, then land and use the TK hold the same way as above. This combo is most useful when you are fighting in flat lands with no walls to use in executing extended combos. It does lots of damage and looks pretty cool.

Raziel’s Delayed Air Slash Relaunch

press and hold Triangle (to launch and jumpcancel), wait until Raziel is about to land, tap Square, Square, (land), press and hold Triangle (to launch and jumpcancel) …

By delaying the aerial followup to his jumpcanceled pop-up attack, Raziel is able to land while his opponent is still suspended high in the air. This allows him the opportunity to easily relaunch the opponent with another pop-up attack and continue the combo as desired. It’s important that Raziel’s air combo be left incomplete, since performing the third strike will knock the opponent out of range. If properly timed, it’s also possible to relaunch after the Phatasmal Tempest special attack.