01 :: Birds of a Feather

---

Devil May Cry 4 - Mission 01: Birds of a Feather

You're up against Dante here, the main antagonist of the first three games in the Devil May Cry series. If you've played any of the other games in the series prior to this, you know that Dante is unmatched in his combat abilities. Luckily, the first mission in Devil May Cry 4 serves as a helpful tutorial, and the absence of a health bar means that you're definitely going to make it out of this one alive.

Dante

Gunplay

You'll learn the bare essentials of combat through this bout. The first lesson is in gunplay; you must knock Dante back with bullets a total of five times to move on. Lock-on to your target (hold down the RB button on the Xbox 360 version, R1 on the PS3 version) and tap the Long-range attack button (X on Xbox 360, Square on PS3) until the counter in the bottom-right corner of the screen records five hits. Next up is evasion; first, Jump and successfully avoid Dante's gunfire three times, then successfully dodge the gunfire three times with the Side Roll ability.

After a short cutscene, Nero acquires the Red Queen blade, giving you the chance to practice melee combat. Wait until your opponent taunts, then rush towards him and perform Red Queen Combo A. Hit Dante with this combo three times to move on to the next lesson. The High Roller ability will prove useful throughout your adventure, so learn it well. Again, wait until Dante is taunting, then move in and use the technique as instructed. Your final lesson is the Buster ability; simply approach Dante and use Buster to perform a powerful attack.

Melee Combat

Opera House -- Boss Battle: Dante

Now that you're familiar with the basics of combat, it's time to put that knowledge to use in an actual fight. Your own health bar is now visible in the top-left corner of the screen, while your opponent's appears at the bottom. Dante definitely isn't at his best here, so walking away from this battle with a win is not too difficult a task. You were taught several useful combat maneuvers during the tutorial part of this mission that will definitely aid you in this fight. If you need a reminder, press start at any time during the battle and select 'Skill List' from the menu for a list of the skills Nero knows and how to perform them.

Battle

The High Roller and Buster skills are especially effective against Dante. For a damaging combo, first use High Roller to sweep Dante up into the air, then quickly use Buster to launch him down to the ground below. Using Buster while on the ground and not locked-on to your target causes Nero to grab Dante and smash him into the ground a few times, knocking off a significant amount of health. You'll want to avoid gun use during this battle, as Dante can usually manage to use his own gun to negate your bullets. Of course, offense is only one part of any fight, you'll also have to use the evasive maneuvers learned through the tutorial to avoid Dante's attacks.

During the fight, be sure to direct some of your attacks towards the benches scattered around the Opera House to find Red Orbs which can be used to purchase items via a Divinity Statue or the 'Power Up' option on the Mission Start screen. Continue to pelt Dante with attacks until his health bar is depleted to clear the mission.