Episode Gladiolus Score Attack

Episode Gladiolus Score Attack is an arcade-style combat mini-game from Episode Gladiolus DLC.

Introduction

There’s a lot that came along with the brand new release of Episode Gladiolus and even though the main focus was on the story for Gladio, there’s a lot you can enjoy in the episode – especially in the form of the “Score Attack” mode that you gain access to the moment you beat the episode. Why would you want to play this mode? Well, that’d be because there are trophies/achievements waiting for you on the other side and a new attire option for Gladio; providing you play this mode well enough.

There’s a lot you can do well in this mode and there’s a lot you can do wrong, hence why this guide does what it can to fill you in on some of the best tips, tricks, and general guidance for this mode so you can get the highest possible score that you can muster!

Rewards and Achievements

• Rugged Attire is unlocked after achieving 500,000 or more score.
• No Pain, No Gain Achievement is unlocked after achieving 500,000 or more score.
• A New Blademaster Achievement is unlocked after achieving 1,000,000 or more score.

Tips and Tricks

Combos

One of the biggest and most useful tips I can give to anyone who wishes to attempt this mode is to do what you can to keep your combo up. Every single strike you make against an opponent is going to increase your multiplier, so you keep that up and before too long your score is quickly going to rise to levels that you should be satisfied with. When you need a break, be sure to only make one that lasts only a few second, because if you’re not too careful that combo will drop and will require you to restart it all over again.

Parrying

Parrying is a great way to achieve a huge chunk of points and that only gets better with how high your multiplier is at the time. At first it might take a little getting useful to try and figure out how to time your parries accordingly, but after you spend enough time slaying the same creatures over and over again, you’ll eventually have an idea of how they coordinate their attacks accordingly.

Ignore Columns

During the main story you are bound to encounter these things a fair amount of the time and the same can be said for the score attack mode, but that doesn’t mean they are all that useful. Yes, they are pretty decent at racking up your combo, but they don’t allow the user to block or parry; what this results in is a serious lack in defence. This notion wouldn’t be so bad, but considering that if and when you get hit too much your multiplier will reset and your score isn’t going to appreciate that at the end of the day.

Careful with Curatives

At the start of this mode you’re provided with a set number of items and curatives that you’re more than likely going to need to use every now and again to keep yourself standing. What this means is that you’re going to need to be careful with when you use these items, as you’re only given a finite amount throughout this entire mode. However, since you only have a finite amount of these items and won’t be finding any when you run through the episode, so that simply means you don’t need to worry about looking for new items while you’re out on the run.

Try, Try Again

The likelihood is that you won’t manage to get enough score during your first run-through and possibly even a few more runs after that, so take your time, enjoy yourself, and try again if and when you end up failing. Just take your time when you’re going through the score attack mode for the first few runs, learn from your mistakes, and you are bound to get a decent score in this particular mode before too long!

Tips on Getting 1 Million Score

• Against humanoid enemies, focus on parries. Only attack them normally once they enable the unblockable buff.

• Against animal enemies, you should always have a pillar at hand. Focus on picking them up and strike with them three times using normal attack and once with warp strike/ Glaive attack to maximize them.

• Try to save the final Glaive art for bosses like the Red Gigant or snake, since they make perfectly easy targets and might not have enough pillars around.

• Obviously, run everywhere as fast as you can.

• Don't worry too much about the combo count. Even when having super high combo counts (5x) and attacking normally, you'll still be better off focusing on parries and letting that combo drop.

• When in rooms with multiple mobs (especially skeletons because they attack A LOT) chain counter attacks. Getting your rage up and the chain will net you tons and tons of score. Later you'll fave red mobs who can't be blocked, just kill them quickly and continue. First boss will wipe the room clean if you kill it first so make sure you chain counter the mobs before hand. The rest of the trials won't be like this, the mobs will stay but do this anymore to make sure you'll have enough score.
  • I had around 445k by the end of trial one and that was without taking advantage of the 3-4 waves of mobs on the first boss.

• A tip I have and I'm not sure how many people know about this is when holding square/x to block, tap it again when you see an attack. This is safe to prevent yourself from getting hit and dropping the chain, and an easy way overall to make sure you'll get a counter without getting hit. A visual glitch will sometimes make gladiolus' shield go away even though it's being held, but will bring it back up when getting hit.