Khazan Might Have Ruined Other Soulslikes For Me Forever

The First Berserker: Khazan caught me by surprise at first because I went in without knowing exactly what to expect. Khazan takes all the best parts of all the best Soulslikes and packs them all into an intense and challenging experience. While I don’t think the game is flawless, it has certainly perfected the art of the genre in many ways. It’s not necessarily that Khazan does anything truly innovative or novel for a Soulslike. In fact, the things that make Khazan feel so unique are actually the things it borrows from various titles in the Soulslike space.

Looking at The First Berserker: Khazan in a vacuum, things come together cohesively. Everything from the loot and crafting system to the boss mechanics and the must-learn combos and skills incentivizes players to learn the intricacies of gameplay, while other games can often make these elements feel unnecessarily punishing. In my view, the aspects of First Berserker: Khazan that set it apart are the crafting and loot system, boss fight incentives in the form of challenges, a more forgiving “Souls” mechanic, and the overall balance between boss difficulty and player progression — all features borrowed from its contemporaries.

Khazan’s Crafting & Loot Make Changing Builds Simple

Crafting Sets Are Streamlined For Changing Builds

Khazan takes the core concept of scavenging and upgrading gear, something that is central to most Soulslikes, simplifies it by grouping gear into sets, and adds variety by including a wide range of craft set options. The game’s crafting system encourages experimentation with different sets and trying out different strategies with each of the three weapons. While many games in the genre give you a broad range of weapons and armor to choose from, Khazan’s crafting sets streamline the process and remove some of the tediousness of figuring out the perfect build for any given weapon.

You’ll end up with a ton of extra loot, and this can be put to good use at the Blacksmith in The First Berserker: Khazan, breaking down unwanted gear to then use to craft weapons or armor from specific sets of your choosing. Crafting sets require blueprints, or scrolls, which allow you to craft those items at any time. Each boss drops a specific material that corresponds with a specific crafting set. If you want the highest level of a certain set, you have to go back and replay those bosses to acquire the materials you need.

This becomes a necessity when you get to bosses like Bringkus. And while this system isn’t entirely new or innovative by any means, it isn’t confusing or overly complex, and learning how things work is straightforward. There are no secrets to getting good at Khazan; you just have to practice and learn how things operate, and part of that is tracking down the best crafting sets and keeping your gear upgraded as needed.

Losing XP Isn’t Quite As Terrifying In First Berserker

Boss Challenges Incentivize Repeated Attempts

The risk of losing your XP is a quintessential feature of the Soulslike genre, and it’s certainly present in Khazan. However, similar to the recent hit Lies of P, when you enter boss arenas and end up inevitably dying, you don’t have to go inside and retrieve your Souls like you would in Elden Ring, for example. Instead, you can pick up your Lacrima —Khazan’s version of XP — outside the arena doors. Lacrima is also more ubiquitous, and earning XP does not feel like a grind in any way.

You also don’t particularly need to go out and shred a bunch of minor enemies, as Khazan features a unique boss challenge system that rewards you with experience and skill points for simply fighting bosses and successfully landing different attacks, guards, or dodges. This is a feature every Soulslike should include, as it removes the tedious nature of grinding levels to be able to face off against a boss. Instead, you can earn XP while learning each boss’s moves, incentivizing you to take on bosses you might otherwise avoid.

Khazan’s Boss Difficulty Is Cranked To The Max But Isn’t Unfair

Soulslike Bosses Are Infamously Tough, But Khazan’s Are Rewarding

Many Soulslike games are known for their punishing difficulty. The First Berserker: Khazan is no different, and it doesn’t shy away from providing tough challenges, demanding mastery and near-perfection from the player before allowing you to move on to the next major challenge. Unlike some games that overwhelm you with impossible odds or obscure mechanics, however, Khazan creates bosses with clear move sets that can be managed with ample practice. In my view, every boss is impossible in Khazan until, suddenly, something clicks. Once you defeat a boss, the skills gained go a long way.

Related

The First Berserker: Khazan – How To Beat Maluca (Boss Guide)

Maluca is the toughest challenge you’ll face so far in The First Berserker: Khazan, and if you’re struggling, I have one word for you: Reflection.

At the end of the day, what makes Khazan so enjoyable is that it stays true to the elements fans of the genre love: tough but fair combat, deep systems that encourage exploration, and the ever-present feeling that you’re growing as a player. It’s not just about surviving the world — it’s about mastering it, and Khazan does an excellent job of making that mastery feel earned. Whether you’re a veteran Soulslike player or someone just dipping their toes into the genre, The First Berserker: Khazan offers a finely-tuned experience that pushes you to become better with every fight.

Systems

Released

March 27, 2025

Developer(s)

Neople

Publisher(s)

Nexon