•Patrik Mršnik• 6 min read
Games
Hell Is Us Combat Guide to Weapons, Glyphs and the Drone
This Hell Is Us combat guide starts with the Healing Pulse, the mechanic that heals Rémi through the damage he deals. The four weapon types, their Glyphs, and the drone all either feed that ring of white particles or buy you time to use it.
In our Hell Is Us review, the Healing Pulse came out as the system that carries the combat, with repetitive enemy matchups as its weak spot. My own habits flipped within the first hour: I stopped hanging back with healing kits and started attacking to stay alive.
We'll break down how the pulse works, what each weapon brings, how Glyphs tie into Lymbic Spheres, and which difficulty setting suits you.
Hell Is Us Combat Guide Summary
Healing Pulse: land hits until a white ring forms around Rémi, then press R1/RB to turn that damage into health. Getting hit cancels it.
Hell Is Us weapons: sword, polearm, greatsword and twin axes, all improved at Victor's workshop in Jova.
Hell Is Us Glyphs depend on the Lymbic Sphere you pick at a weapon's first upgrade: Rage, Terror, Ecstasy or Sorrow.
Lymbic Energy fuels Glyphs and charged attacks, and refills as you hit enemies.
The drone distracts, spins through groups and interrupts swings, all on cooldowns.
Hell Is Us difficulty: three presets (Lenient, Balanced, Merciless) plus sliders, changeable at any point. The Death Penalty is optional.
How Does the Healing Pulse Work in Hell Is Us?
The Healing Pulse turns the damage you deal into health. Hits build white particles around Rémi, and once they form a compact ring, pressing R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox heals him instantly. Publisher Nacon's official Hell Is Us survival tips point to it as the way to stop leaning on scarce healing kits.
Taking a hit before you pulse cancels the heal, and pressing the button in the middle of a combo spends the charge without restoring anything. Finish the combo and pulse once you're out of reach.
Your stamina is tied to your health, so a wounded Rémi has less room to dodge and swing. Pulsing early keeps both bars high, which makes steady pressure safer than backing off and waiting for an opening.
Healing kits end up as an emergency tool for fights where you can't reach an enemy. Against a single Hollow Walker, a steady attack and pulse rhythm rarely needs a consumable.
Hell Is Us Weapons, Glyphs and Lymbic Spheres
Rémi fights with four weapon types, each carrying its own Glyphs. Upgrades open up after the Family Reunion quest, when Victor the blacksmith sets up his workshop in Jova, and Forging Books found in the world raise the upgrade tiers further.
Weapon | Feel | Where it shines |
|---|---|---|
Sword | Balanced reach and speed | A safe first pick for learning the parry |
Polearm | Long reach, wide horizontal sweeps | Keeping groups at a distance |
Greatsword | Slowest, heaviest swings | Big single hits on slow targets |
Twin axes | Fastest weapon in the game | Quick combos and tight parry timing |
At a weapon's first upgrade, you choose a Lymbic Sphere tied to one emotion: Rage, Terror, Ecstasy or Sorrow. The sphere decides which Hell Is Us Glyphs that weapon can equip. Nacon lists life drain, ranged attacks and pulling enemies toward you among the effects.
Glyphs and charged attacks both spend Lymbic Energy, which comes back as you hit enemies with your weapon. Pairing a fast weapon with a heavy one gives you two sphere picks to try, and Nacon recommends experimenting before you settle on a favorite.
The Drone, Parries and Hazes
Rémi's drone gains combat modules as the game progresses. One distracts an enemy so you can flank or hit someone else, another spins through a group, and a charged attack interrupts an incoming swing. In my playthrough, the distraction saved me more often than any Glyph.
Each module runs on a cooldown, so hold it for the moment two enemies pressure you at once instead of firing it the second it's ready.
Parrying works off attacks that glow red. Block at the right moment and you cancel all damage and stun the enemy. A regular block still cuts damage and drains the enemy's balance, and once that runs out, they stagger and leave room for a heavy strike.
Some Hollow Walkers come tethered to a Haze, an entity tied to an emotion, and the Walker takes no damage until its Haze falls. Kill the Haze first. Swinging at the Walker meanwhile does nothing for your pulse ring.
Hell Is Us Difficulty Settings and the Death Penalty
Hell Is Us difficulty comes in three presets: Lenient, Balanced and Merciless. Rogue Factor's difficulty news post on Steam confirms you pick one at the start and can change it at any point.
Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
Presets | Enemy health, damage and aggressiveness together |
Custom sliders | Each of those three values on its own |
Death Penalty | Optional; resets slain enemies and XP earned since the last save |
The sliders do the most work. Aggressive enemies who hit softly make good parry practice, and lower enemy health suits players who mostly want the story. I moved to harder settings after Act 1, and fights improved once there was less room to be sloppy.
Leave the Death Penalty off until the Healing Pulse feels automatic. Losing a full stretch of XP to one canceled pulse stings, and Balanced already punishes careless play.
FAQs About Hell Is Us
Final Words
Every system in Hell Is Us points back to one question: how fast can you turn damage into health? Weapon choice and drone cooldowns matter less than spending the pulse ring at the right moment, untouched.
By the middle of Act 2, Hollow Walker and Haze matchups start to feel familiar. Swapping between weapons with different spheres and rotating drone modules keeps the later fights from blurring together.
Start on Balanced, learn the red-glow parry and leave the Death Penalty off until the pulse becomes muscle memory. After that, the sliders let you raise the pressure one notch at a time.
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“ A former sports journalist and editor, Patrik joined Gameboost SEO team in 2026. He has spent most of his life playing Football Manager, but his sphere of interests spreads through whole gaming universe.”
