Cronos The New Dawn: Combat Guide

In this guide, we shall go over tips and tricks you can use to approach combat scenarios in Cronos The New Dawn.

Cronos The New Dawn: Combat Guide (Source: Bloober Team)
Cronos The New Dawn: Combat Guide (Source: Bloober Team)

Combat in Cronos The New Dawn is a different beast altogether, and this is largely due to its in-game economy. Everything is scarce in this game, and you’ll find yourself running dry out of ammo more times than you can count. 

Combat in this game, therefore, becomes a game of chess where every move you make is crucial to your survival in the future. If you’re finding yourself on the unfortunate end of a beatdown in every encounter of this game, this guide is for you. 

Related: Cronos The New Dawn: Best Settings for RTX 40 Series

Combat Tips and Tricks for Cronos The New Dawn

Charge Every Shot

Charged shots hit harder (Source: Bloober Team)
Charged shots hit harder (Source: Bloober Team)

The first way Cronos The New Dawn distinguishes its combat is through its charge mechanic. Every weapon has two means of attack – a regular shot and a charged shot. The regular shot is what you expect from every gun, but the charged shot allows you to briefly charge up a shot to deal increased damage. 

Knowing that the charged shot deals greater damage, you must perform it nine times out of ten. Only use a regular shot if an enemy is charging at you and you have no time to react, or if you have to shoot a barrel in a hurry. 

Move, Move, and Move

Picture of the Orphan creatures in Cronos The New Dawn
Stay on the move (Source: Bloober Team)

Gone are the days when tank controls reigned supreme in the survival horror genre. The Traveller may adopt the same pose Leon had in RE4 (2005), but she’s far more agile. You can move around while shooting, and you must use this to your advantage. Standing still in any encounter is a good way to get swarmed. If you find yourself slowly getting blocked, abandon the shooting altogether and sprint to a safer distance

Read: Cronos The New Dawn: Best Settings for RTX 50 Series

Craft and Purchase Ammo When Necessary 

Keep track of your ammo and resources (Source: Bloober Team)
Keep track of your ammo and resources (Source: Bloober Team)

While other games in the survival horror genre often offer the luxury of purchasing ammo, it is a necessity in Cronos The New Dawn. Whenever you visit a shop in this game, make sure to purchase 4-5 pistol rounds if possible. It is important to ensure that your total pistol bullet tally sits in double digits.

The same goes for the crafting in the game. Craft bullets whenever you can to ensure you meet the minimum 10-bullet count. This will ensure that you always have a comfortable amount to survive any encounter.

Don’t Let Them Merge

Merging makes them stronger (Source: Bloober Team)
Merging makes them stronger (Source: Bloober Team)

“Don’t let them merge” was a big part of the game’s marketing and translates perfectly into a gameplay strategy, too. Throughout the course of Cronos The New Dawn, you’ll find certain Orphans who will absorb the corpses in the area and merge with them. If you allow them to do so, they’ll become bigger in size and pose an even greater threat. Therefore, you mustn’t let them merge at any cost. 

If you’re running about in the arena and spot an Orphan merging, make it a priority to target it first. A single charged bullet is all you need to stop the merging animation. Alternatively, we also recommend using the Torch to get rid of corpses beforehand so there’s nothing to merge with. 

Read More: Cronos The New Dawn: Best Settings To Play at 1440p

Use Your Torch 

Put your Torch to use (Source: Bloober Team)
Put your Torch to use (Source: Bloober Team)

Your Torch is one of the strongest tools in the game, despite how useless it may seem at first. This powerful tool allows you to burn corpses and is one of your main counters to the merging enemies. In addition to this, you can also use the Torch as a way to stagger some of the stronger enemies. If you find yourself cornered, using the Torch will briefly stun the enemies, allowing you to wiggle your way out of certain death. 

Also Read: Is Cronos The New Dawn Available on Game Pass?

Upgrade the Right Perks

Firepower and charge speed above all else (Source: Bloober Team)
Firepower and charge speed above all else (Source: Bloober Team)

Upgrading your weapon is crucial if you wish to survive, but Cronos The New Dawn gives you so many options that it leads to decision paralysis. When it comes to upgrades, we recommend prioritizing firepower and charge speed above all else. These are the two main stats you’ll need to upgrade to keep up with the ramping challenge of the game. For the base shotgun, we recommend prioritizing clip size over one of the two. This will ensure you always have enough bullets to deal with a mob.


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