Code Vein guide: How to choose a blood code

Blood codes in Code Vein work a lot like classes in other games, except that you can change your blood code at any time to match any circumstance. This makes understanding your blood codes and how to use them even more important.

Below, we’ll walk you through the basics of blood codes and their gifts, and help you choose the best blood code for you.

What is a blood code?

Think of a blood code as a class. Your blood code adjusts your stats, defenses, vulnerabilities, and damage. Each blood code has a list of gifts — magical abilities — available to it, and it determines how much ichor (magic) you can carry.

The twist that Code Vein adds, though, is that you can switch your blood code at any time — and you’ll be finding at least 20 additional blood codes beyond the three you start with. You can switch blood codes on the fly (even during combat if you’re quick enough) at any point.

Blood codes and their gifts

Each blood code has gifts associated with it. These are spell-like abilities that have something (generally) to do with that blood code. For example, the Caster blood code has gifts that replace your melee attack(s), and the Berserker code has gifts that emphasize your balance or powerful attacks.

Gifts do everything from add extra damage and damage types to your attacks, grant buffs or resistances to you and your teammate, or deal damage directly. Since the gifts are linked to the blood code, you’ll need to swap between blood codes to use certain gifts. Except …

Master gifts to inherit them in other blood codes

As you use a gift enough to master it (or when you pick the max out proficiency option in the Acquire/Inherit Gifts menu at a mistle), you’ll be able to inherit that ability into other blood codes. That means that, eventually, nearly any gift can be used with any blood code (assuming you meet the stat requirements).

When you find a gift you like, even — or especially — for a blood code you don’t use much, master it as soon as you can. That will let you equip it with a more useful blood code.

This makes choosing the best blood code a little more complicated but also easier at the same time. If you really want to use a specific gift, but you haven’t mastered it yet, use the blood code it’s associated with. If you have mastered it, though, you can equip it in whatever code you want.

How to choose a blood code

The short answer is: Find one that works for your style of play. With the starting three, this means you should choose Fighter if you prefer melee combat, Ranger if you like more agile dodging and ranged attacks, and Caster if you like magic as your primary weapon.

But that’s oversimplifying it. Your blood code adjusts your base stats, meaning it will effect which weapons and blood veils you can wield and how effective they are. It changes how much ichor you can carry, meaning it determines how much you can rely on your gifts (magic). It changes your resistances and vulnerabilities, meaning that certain blood codes will make you weak against certain enemies.

When you open your menu and choose your blood code, you’ll see a screen full of stats that change as you cycle through your options. Blue stats are an improvement, and red stats are decreased.

Bandai Namco Studios, Shift/Bandai Namco Entertainment

In the image above, we have the Fighter blood code equipped, and we’re comparing the Caster blood code. On the left, we see that the Caster has lower HP, stamina, and balance, but a substantially larger ichor pool. In the middle column, Caster decreases the attacks for both weapons, but increases the effectiveness of gifts. Over on the right, Caster is (slightly) better than Fighter at defending against blood, fire, ice, and lightning damage, but weaker against slash, crush, and pierce.

You don’t have to worry so much about maxing out every individual stat when comparing blood codes. Think about what you’re doing and the weapons and gifts you’re trying to use. If you’re fighting an enemy that is constantly attacking with lightning damage, focus on that stat on the right first. If you want to wield a specific sword that requires a D+ strength, focus on the left side while choosing your blood code.

Once you have your specific task addressed, you can consider your play style. If you prefer using gifts from a distance, look for a blood code that has a high ichor pool and good bonuses to your gifts and blood veil. If you want to focus on melee, choose one that keeps your HP and balance high.

Types of blood codes

Very broadly, lets break down some of the blood codes by their focus.

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