Vergil is a character defined by careful discipline and swift, highly deliberate actions. Dante and Nero have very messy fighting styles, but with Vergil you must be patient and precise.
This may seem daunting, but once you familiarise yourself with Vergil's kit, it's not so bad. As a matter of fact, you'll quickly find that Vergil is kind of overpowered. He might not have as large a moveset as Dante, but he can Style all the same while easily avoiding damage.
The key to playing as Vergil is thinking through your actions. You cannot afford to flail around wildly; instead, execute moves carefully but also with speed. Master this, and you will master Vergil.

Above Vergil's health bar in the UI lies what is called the Concentration Gauge. However, this name lacks POWER so I will call it the MOTIVATION METER, as should you. The MOTIVATION METER is the core of Vergil's mechanics and playstyle and working with it effectively is key to mastering Vergil.

The MOTIVATION METER has three levels; level 0, level 1, and level 2 (level 2 gives you full POWER). The threshold for level 2 lies before the maximum of the METER, so you don't need to fill it completely to maximise Vergil's POWER.

The incentives for gaining MOTIVATION are twofold, passive weapon boosts and super moves.
As Vergil gains MOTIVATION, each of his weapons receives a passive bonus.
- Yamato gains increased attack range.
- Beowulf gains the ability to charge up basic attacks for increasing POWER.
- Mirage Edge's attacks inflict an increasing number of hits, dealing more damage and keeping enemies staggered.
In addition, all of Vergil's damage increases with his MOTIVATION level; maintaining it helps keep your DPS up.

All of Vergil's super moves require high MOTIVATION to execute. His weapon-based super moves (these will be discussed later) require at least level 2 MOTIVATION to execute. Meanwhile, World of V (which will be discussed shortly) consumes MOTIVATION and scales off of consumption.

How do you gain MOTIVATION? It's quite simple. Landing attacks will slowly build up MOTIVATION automatically, meaning you'll get it just by playing the game normally. If you're willing to take a risk, however, you'll gain MOTIVATION very fast simply by standing still and staring at the enemy intensely. Well timed dodges also reward with MOTIVATION.

MOTIVATION can be lost easily, however. If Vergil takes a hit, he loses most of his MOTIVATION. Also, if he starts running in combat, he loses MOTIVATION very quickly. Using Vergil's blocking technique (automatically happens while locked on and not doing any actions) can mitigate the MOTIVATION loss and prevent damage, but ideally you want to use Trick techniques to stay mobile and avoid hits.

World of V is one of Vergil's four super moves, and it is the most unique. In it, Vergil stabs himself with Yamato and briefly transforms into V. While in the form of V, Vergil can't be harmed and automatically attacks enemies with V's minions for a limited time before executing a Royal Fork and turning back into Vergil.

This move fully drains the MOTIVATION METER, and its duration scales off how much was consumed. Furthermore, Vergil is vulnerable during the activation animation and recovery animation, so be careful when you activate it. World of V also heals Vergil and causes killed enemies to drop more Green Orbs; these scale off MOTIVATION consumption.

World of V has a lot of applications; in essence, you're cashing in on hard-earned MOTIVATION to use a potent panic button which keeps Vergil safe while healing him and dealing lots of damage. It's great in emergencies and is very flashy but having to get back MOTIVATION again may be annoying.

I'd recommend using World of V when faced with a room full of enemies and/or in need of health. Since it drains MOTIVATION and doesn't generate DT energy, it shouldn't be used just to deal damage despite its noteworthy potency.

Since Vergil has no Air Hike and is punished for running, he has to use other methods of getting around and avoiding attacks. He uses a unique and potent set of teleportation techniques known as Trick Moves to move around the battlefield swiftly and avoid attacks.

Vergil has the same roll and jump as any other character, but with one notable difference. If you try and execute a roll just after an attack animation, Vergil will perform a fast and very long ranged sideways dash that causes him to travel nearly 180 degrees around his target. It's excellent for quickly cancelling a combo and bugging out of a bad position while not needing a complex input.

Trick Up is Vergil's most basic teleport, where he teleports directly upwards. This can be used to avoid attacks since altitude is safety, but one might use it to begin an aerial attack immediately since it is faster than a jump. Speaking of, Trick Up can be used as rudimentary double jump to maximise Vergil's altitude. However, Trick Up's applications are limited.

Air Trick is the most important one. If a Mirage Blade is currently embedded in Vergil's target, he will instantly teleport directly to that enemy, immediately allowing Vergil to begin attacking. If there isn't a Mirage Blade, Vergil will attempt to fire one at his target and will teleport immediately if it lands. Air Trick is important because it allows Vergil to get straight to his target and begin attacking, meaning you can always close the gap quickly and minimise the gaps between attacks. In fact, it will likely be your main method of moving around the battlefield.

Trick Dodge is a short dash in any direction replete with i-frames. This dodge doesn't have a whole lot of range or speed, but it does allow Vergil to get out of the way of an incoming attack with ease. If you want to be bold, however, Trick Dodging straight into an attack as it lands will reward you with not just MOTIVATION but DT energy as well. In this regard, it works like Dante's Royal Guard. However, using it consecutively quickly drains MOTIVATION. Plus, it has a short recovery animation during which Vergil is vulnerable.

If you manage to Trick Dodge into an attack, you can then Trick Dodge consecutively with no cooldown or MOTIVATION penalty, effectively making you invulnerable while moving around the battlefield. This is by far the safest and swiftest way to build up MOTIVATION.

Finally, we have Trick Down. As the name implies, it makes Vergil teleport backwards and straight down. if done in the air, Vergil goes down to the ground no matter how high up he is (like Ground Trick), and if on the ground he teleports directly backwards. This move is better than you might think. It instantly puts a sizeable distance between Vergil and his target, and it can be done repeatedly. Moreover, Trick Down can interrupt any attack animation at any time. If you ever want to bug out of a bad spot or avoid an attack, Trick Down is the surest and most effective way you can do that.

Vergil's taunts for the most part work as you'd expect: a method of boosting Style during a lull in combat. However, many of Vergil's taunts have tangible and beneficial gameplay mechanics that make them much more than mere taunts.

The taunt where Vergil says, "Show me your motivation!" (Performed on low Style rank) can damage an enemy with the accompanying sword swing, and if skilled enough you can follow it with a perfect Judgement Cut to boot. If Vergil manages to sheath Yamato, you get four bars of DT energy.

The taunt where Vergil says "Ha! Try me!" and strikes a ready stance (most easily done at B rank with Beowulf) instantly fills the MOTIVATION METER to maximum.

The taunt where Vergil pulls out V's book (A-SS rank) restores 3 bars of DT energy.

The taunt where Vergil twirls a Mirage Blade on his finger (SSS rank) can damage and even juggle an airborne enemy. Try launching an enemy and then taunting to see if you can pull this off.

Perhaps coolest of all, another taunt (SSS rank) causes Vergil to sit down and then perform a sword dance with Yamato. If he is allowed to finish, the DT gauge is instantly refilled and the Style rank is instantly maxed out. You can even follow up with a perfect Judgement Cut.

Vergil's lock-on taunt fires an infinite ranged Mirage Blade that allows the player to follow up with Air Trick and begin a combo.

Vergil's first airborne taunt causes him to throw three Mirage Blades downwards. If aimed right, this can be used as an attack to launch an enemy skyward and then follow up with an airborne attack.

His second airborne taunt (S-SSS rank) causes Vergil to perform a quick slash with Yamato. This is a damaging attack and can be followed with a perfect Judgement Cut.

Vergil's EX Provocation causes him to watch as the Doppelganger begins dancing. When Vergil finishes with a slash, Red Orbs are dropped. The slash also deals damage and can be followed with a perfect Judgement Cut.

Vergil's Special Provocation (from beating Bloody Palace) causes Vergil to deliver a horizontal Yamato slash that freezes enemies, like Void Slash. When he sheathes, the enemies suffer damage based on how many were caught and Vergil can follow up with Judgement Cut.


Interesting, isn't it? Taunts should be used as often as possible, for quite often they are useful attacks in and of themselves or can provide boosts to MOTIVATION or DT energy. Vergil's wide range of practical taunts help to complement his kit more so than that of any other character.

The Yamato is Vergil's signature weapon. It has the largest move set of all his weapons, as well as the greatest range and versatility. The Yamato can consistently land attacks on enemies with ease, and rarely misses. It is fast, but also can hit hard enough to break an enemy guard.

Yamato has three different combos available to the player. Combo A is basic and swift, delivering a few hits and finishing with knockback. Personally, I don't use it very much, but it is relatively quick and doesn't require much thought.

Yamato's Combo B might be the best. It delivers a single heavy strike with lots of damage and sends the target flying away. If you let Vergil sheathe Yamato, the target will get launched as well. This combo is quick, easy, does hefty damage and can even lead into airborne attacks as well. Use it a lot.

Combo C is a button mash attack where Vergil slices up his target with blinding speed. It does a lot of damage and has roughly a 180-degree reach, which is impressive. However, it is a committal attack and Vergil is vulnerable to attacks from behind.

Rapid Slash causes Vergil to dash forward a huge distance, often ending up behind his target. It doesn't deal much damage and is more so a movement tool than an actual attack.

Rising Star is an optional extension of Rapid Slash wherein Vergil dashes to his target and sends them both into the air. Again, it's less of an attack and more a movement tool, in this case starting airborne combos.

Upper Slash is Vergil's most basic and swift launcher, dealing a bit of damage and sending his target into the air with the option of sending Vergil airborne as well. It's quite weak and you may not end up using it very much.

While airborne, Vergil has two combos. Aerial Rave A delivers three hits and finishes with knockback, but Aerial Rave B has a multi-hit spinning attack and sends the target straight down, allowing Vergil to follow up with Aerial Cleave.

Aerial Cleave is a quick downwards strike with the Yamato that sends both Vergil and his target straight down to the ground right away. It's functionally identical to the likes of Helm Breaker, but with the Yamato's sheathing effect.

Void Slash is a horizontal strike that can break nearly any enemy guard (think Angelo enemies) and traps enemies in slow motion for a moment. If Vergil is allowed to sheathe Yamato, there is follow-up hit that inflicts what I call Knockout; even enemies otherwise resistant to stun will collapse to the ground and become easy targets. However, you may want to cancel that and take advantage of the instant opening the attack makes.

Finally, we have Judgement Cut. Judgement Cut is a powerful ranged attack that never misses and deals lots of damage in a wide area around the target. The basic version is rather weak, but perfect timing executes a Perfect Judgement Cut that deals a ton of damage. If you're skilled enough, you can chain together up to three perfect Cuts to deal a huge amount of damage without moving at all. This is the most difficult move to execute as Vergil, requiring the player to nail a rhythm of holding the attack button and releasing it briefly at certain intervals before quickly holding it down again. If you struggle, that's okay; just practice it as much you can in the Void. If you want, you can download a mod that makes the release opening a bit bigger like I have (link will be in the bottom of the guide).

A hidden Yamato mechanic the game doesn't tell you about involves DT energy, and when used properly allows you to boost Vergil's Devil Trigger economy to truly absurd heights. The mechanic itself is simple: if you let Vergil complete the sheathing animation after an attack (Mirage Edge Combo B included), Vergil will gain DT energy, though the amount varies.

The three basic combos, Rising Star, and Void Slash will all give a bar instantly, while the rest give a little bit of energy. Finally, if you sheathe Yamato after the extended version of Combo A (via SDT), you get two bars. If you're patient and limit your aggression so you always sheathe Yamato, you'll find that you generate DT energy absurdly fast. Pair that with Vergil's taunts and you have the strongest DT economy in the game. Make sure you use this mechanic to its fullest.

Beowulf is Vergil's favoured martial arts weapon. It's slow and lacks in range, but Beowulf hits hard and is capable of dealing tons of damage to single targets.

It has two combos: A and B. A is quick and simple, ending with a double roundhouse kick with knockback. It's very good since it damages the target quickly without being too committal, meaning that Vergil is not very vulnerable while executing it.

Combo B is longer, delivering a rapid series of kicks to the target before punching them away. This combo is more powerful and deals more damage but is more committal. Notably, the rapid-kick attack cannot kill targets (only the dashing punch can), and it also provides a rather generous boost to Style. Combo B is an excellent option for maximising Style.

Lunar Phase is one of Vergil's best attacks, wherein he spins vertically at high speed. He delivers a rapid series of kicks and then ends with a heavy downwards kick. This move is not only quick and high damage, but it can be used in the air to send targets to the ground. Furthermore, it is one of Vergil's best moves for parrying attacks due to attacking very fast and lacking any build-up animation.

Starfall is the main airborne move that Beowulf has. It is a very quick and potent diving kick that sends Vergil to the ground almost immediately. This is an excellent move not just for dealing damage, but also for getting Vergil onto the ground and to his target quickly after executing an aerial combo, like a Judgement Cut combo.

Beowulf also has a very powerful uppercut attack that can be charged for maximum POWER. its name varies based on the charge level, but I'll call it Dragon Breaker. It deals significant damage and sends Vergil's target airborne, and Vergil himself if he charges it. Dragon Breaker has three charging stages, with the strongest delivering a double uppercut that deals huge damage while sending Vergil and his target skyward to follow up with an aerial attack. Because you must commit to a potentially long charging animation, it is best to use Dragon Breaker while the enemy is stunned/knocked down/ animation locked.

Kick 13 is a powerful move where Vergil executes a rapid series of kicks to his target while pushing both forward. It's long enough to effectively be its own entire combo, but with that comes risk since its long animation can render Vergil somewhat vulnerable. Nevertheless, it can hit an enemy very hard. You also have the option of adding Rising Star to the end, which launches both Vergil and his target into the air for airborne attacks.

Flush is a very simple move at first, but don't underestimate its usefulness. This causes Vergil's jump to function like an attack that automatically hits all adjacent enemies as Vergil rises into the air. This can help keep enemies staggered while performing combos, but more importantly it is by far Vergil's best parrying move. This is because Vergil benefits from the i-frames he gets from jumping, meaning he won't get hit if the jump is poorly timed. Furthermore, the period of time in which the attack lands is long, nearly guaranteeing a parry with little more than a well-timed jump.

The final part of Beowulf comes from the MOTIVATION METER. As Vergil gains MOTIVATION, the player becomes able to hold and charge each move of Beowulf's basic combos. Based on the current MOTIVATION level, the player can get up to 3 charging stages. This can massively amplify Beowulf's damage, but similarly with Dragon Breaker comes with a lot of risk due to the long charging animations. Bear in mind that if you can see Vergil is about to get hit quickly let go so you can dodge. Furthermore, if you release a charged attack just as you hit a charge level, you will Just release it and deal even more damage. This applies to Dragon Breaker as well.

The Mirage Edge is a spectral recreation of the old Force Edge. It boasts the best attack speed of all of Vergil's weapons, with the most button-mash friendly play style. However, it does have a lot of committal animations.

The Mirage Edge's basic combo mirrors one of Dante's classic combos with the Rebellion. Vergil delivers a double slash, a whirling attack with 360-degree range, and finishes with a thrust. However, if you button-mash the combo, Vergil will instead finish with a Million Stab that is more committal, but more potent. This is a solid and versatile combo that attacks nearby enemies plenty of times, especially with high MOTIVATION. The opening attack is also an ideal parrying move thanks to fast action and a long hit window.

The second combo is a strong but committal button-mash attack. It causes Vergil to charge forward while slashing wildly with both the Yamato and the Mirage Edge and then finish with a vertical spinning attack. It causes Vergil to push his target quite far away, out of reach of other enemies while grinding his target down with a relentless flurry of blows. It isn't as committal as you might think, as you can simply stop the button-mashing any time and cancel into a dodge or Trick Down. However, you can hit more than just the main target, since the two blades between them have lots of range. Part of the combo's value comes from combining high damage output with a lot of movement. You should also keep in mind it can only kill a target with the final hit, so don't expect to go from enemy to enemy. This design choice is likely intended to help maximise Style and ensure you can always execute the attack in full.

Stinger is the classic dashing thrust that players love. It sends Vergil forward very quickly and delivers a strong attack that sends his target flying backwards. Because you are playing as Vergil, it's quite possible to use Air Trick to keep teleporting right up to the target only to Stinger them again, eventually pushing the enemy far away from their allies. Furthermore, Vergil can transition into a Million Stab; where the player can start button mashing once again for the longest Million Stab you can do in the game. Again, this is committal, but good at grinding down the target. Other enemies can also get caught in it quite easily. The Million Stab can also Daze enemies, which renders them totally inactive for a long time.

If that wasn't enough, Stinger can also be performed while airborne. For whatever reason, the game counts this as a different attack for the purposes of Style points, so work that into your airborne combos as well.

High Time is another classic move where Vergil executes an upwards slash that sends his target into the air, with the option of sending Vergil airborne as well. It's a basic launcher, but it gets the job done. It has the benefit of being a very quick attack.

Helm Breaker is the classic slam attack. Vergil brings down the Mirage Edge on his target, descending to the ground instantly and dealing heavy damage. This is another simple move, but it's useful for getting Vergil back down to earth quickly while also being another tool in the box. High-skill players sometimes flex by jump-cancelling the attack.

Round Trip is an interesting utility move. Vergil throws out the Mirage Edge a limited distance, where it starts spinning. The resulting vortex hits all enemies within it, keeping enemies staggered and juggling them if airborne. It even drags in enemies near the vortex, grouping enemies together into a convenient crowd. Vergil can manually recall the Mirage Edge at any moment. While the vortex is active, the player is free to use any other of Vergil's weapons, such as the Yamato or Mirage Blades, while the enemies are stuck in the vortex. Because they're being juggled, knockback isn't as strong, allowing for less of a pause between attacks. Since the vortex keeps enemies stunned, Vergil is safe to commit to long animations like taunts. While it doesn't do much damage Round Trip may be the best move of the Mirage Edge for the sheer utility it provides.

Drive is the Mirage Edge's powerful ranged attack. Vergil delivers two quick vertical slashes that release two energy shockwaves that travel forward, dealing heavy damage and launching enemies. This attack can deal significant damage from a distance and function as a strong launcher move as well. Also, it has a very short animation, so it is not very committal and doesn't make Vergil vulnerable.

Overdrive is the follow-up attack to Drive. Unlike Drive, Overdrive is slow and highly committal. it's a powerful charge-up attack where Vergil delivers a third, horizontal slash with the Mirage Edge that launches a slow-moving shockwave. This shockwave, while slow, can hit enemies multiple times, staggering them and pushing them away from Vergil. Charging it increases the move's attack speed significantly but keeps Vergil animation-locked for longer and therefore vulnerable. It also lacks the range of Drive. Nonetheless, Overdrive is a potent move and good at keeping enemies at bay.

A special property of the Mirage Edge that increases its value significantly is that it can Daze enemies. Simply by hitting an enemy with the Mirage Edge enough times (any attacks save Round Trip work) they will eventually become temporarily Dazed, a state in which the enemy is completely inactive and an easy target. You can tell if someone's Dazed by the special VFX around the head.

Mirage Blades are the spectral swords that Vergil summons and launches at his enemies, constituting his default ranged attack. Mirage Blades can be upgraded several times to improve damage, attack speed, and range, but at the end of the day these things hit like a wet noodle. Their real use is in facilitating Air Trick and juggling enemies as part of combos.

The main benefit of Mirage Blades is that they have no animation; meaning that the player can always fire them no matter what Vergil is currently doing. Constantly throwing these during combos keeps juggling the enemy and prevents them from being launched away.

Mirage Blades show their strength in their special moves. These are all performed through holding the shoot button with various directional inputs, and each costs a bar of DT energy to perform.

Spiral Blades summons a ring of Mirage Blades that orbit Vergil temporarily. These constantly damage adjacent enemies, dealing extra damage while helping to keep them staggered and even juggling them. Spiral Blades acts like a protective shield in a way while keeping targets close to Vergil. The ability can be ended manually, sending all active blades speeding away from Vergil.

Blistering Blades causes Vergil to summon an entire salvo of Mirage Blades and launch them at the target. This salvo has high damage and provides a hefty boost to Style as well, making it a simple choice for when you're sitting on a full DT gauge.

Storm Blades summons a ring of Mirage Blades that orbit the target enemy before stabbing them. This attack hits hard and sends the target into the stratosphere, enabling aerial combos.

Finally, Heavy Rain Blades summons a swarm of Mirage Blades directly above the target that then rain down. These don't deal a whole lot of damage, but instead lock the enemy in slow motion; giving Vergil an opening for committal moves like Dragon Breaker or Taunts.

Doppelganger is Vergil's standard Devil Trigger ability, in that it is fuelled by his DT gauge. This ability summons a spectral clone of Vergil that fights by his side as a separate entity. It wields only a duplicate of the Yamato and executes the player's commands (as Vergil does) after a short delay. The length of this delay can be changed by the player; it can be set to extra-long or nearly non-existent.

The Doppelganger executes directional input moves the same way Vergil does, rather than just copying his moves; for example, this means that if Vergil performs Upper Slash while Doppelganger is on the opposite side of the enemy, Doppelganger will perform Rapid Slash.

The Doppelganger can effectively double the damage Vergil deals, but notably has restrictions. The main restriction of the Doppelganger is that it can only use Yamato; if Vergil uses Beowulf or Mirage Edge, you might find yourself and the Doppelganger performing very different moves and desynchronising. It's not ideal if the Doppelganger smacks your target enemy away while you are trying to deliver a combo.

Perhaps the most efficient way of using Doppelganger is of course with Judgement Cut. Whenever the player performs Judgement Cut, the Doppelganger will always do so simultaneously, doubling the damage of the powerful move and shredding even bosses.

Furthermore, the Doppelganger can be activated alongside Sin Devil Trigger, wherein it gains the same empowered move set as Vergil himself and becomes much stronger as well. You can combine both abilities for maximum POWER.

Doppelganger should be treated as an offense-focused form of Devil Trigger. It provides some boosts to Vergil similar to what a Devil Trigger does, but it's focused on dealing massive damage through the Doppelganger's aid.

There are two main ways one can use Doppelganger, with one being far messier to use than the other. The first way is synchronised play, where you set the Doppelganger to Haste and only use the Yamato with it. This style of using Doppelganger is simpler and the goal is to have Vergil and the Doppelganger fight as a single entity dealing twice as much damage. This method is easier to use and arguably more efficient, but does have some difficulties. Vergil and the Doppelganger often get separated, but a quick use of Air Trick will ensure they're in the same spot. The bigger problem is Vergil and Doppelganger often having slightly different directional orientations towards the target, meaning they'll execute different directional input moves. This is a lot harder to avoid and requires a bit of careful camera work.

The second way you can use Doppelganger is desychronised play. This is when you set Doppelganger to Slow or its default speed and use it alongside any of Vergil's weapons. This playstyle has Vergil and the Doppelganger fighting as two separate entities chaotically moving around the battlefield and beating things up with different attacks. It's not as efficient and is a far messier style, but does not necessitate as much care or effort. You may also benefit from the Doppelganger attacking enemies when you aren't able to, potentially saving Vergil from dangerous attacks. The main risk of this style is that Doppelganger can knock enemies away from Vergil and make him miss attacks, costing you MOTIVATION.

Both playstyles with Doppelganger are viable and fun to use, and ultimately it comes down to personal preference. Just remember that Sin Devil Trigger always is a higher priority.

Vergil's Sin Devil Trigger is an amalgamation of the capabilities of both Dante's Devil Trigger and Sin Devil Trigger; the result is likely the most powerful Devil Trigger in franchise history.

Vergil's SDT has its own energy gauge in the UI and is charged by transferring energy from the DT gauge into it. Once filled, it is activated by holding the Devil Trigger button for long enough to commit to an SDT activation.

In SDT, Vergil becomes much, much harder to kill. He gains "super armour" that not only reduces damage taken substantially, but grants Vergil total stun immunity; this means none of Vergil's animations or attacks can be interrupted by any attack. In addition, he gains health regeneration.

Rather than replacing Vergil's moveset like Dante's SDT, Vergil's SDT instead empowers and improves his existing moveset. In addition to the usual damage boost and attack speed boost, many of Vergil's attacks become enhanced in unique ways.

Most of Vergil's basic combos become extended, with extra-powerful finishers added to the end of them. Yamato combo C instead gains more range, and Mirage Edge combo B gains a faster finishing move.

Rapid Slash finishes with an exploding Mirage Blade. Starfall can be followed up with a flying kick. Lunar Phase and Kick 13 become longer. Dragon Breaker gains a third uppercut. Overdrive becomes larger. Stinger becomes a drilling attack that hits multiple times. Multiple Rapid Slashes can be chained together (which is absolutely nuts).

Most important of these enhancements is of course for Judgement Cut, which becomes able to hit three different enemies simultaneously in addition to dealing more damage.

Vergil also becomes more mobile; his roll is replaced with the sideways dash, and his backwards jump is replaced with Trick Down. An advantage Vergil's SDT has is that it can be cancelled any time; when the fight is over or when you want to conserve energy, just cancel SDT. You don't have to commit to emptying the gauge with every use, far from it. However, if you spend any energy, you must refill the gauge before you can activate it again.

Crazily enough, you don't even have to spend any energy. While not explained anywhere in the game, Vergil has an equivalent to the Quadruple S mechanic that is always active. This means that when you activate SDT, there is a short window of time (roughly 5 seconds) before SDT energy begins to deplete. If you cancel SDT before this window ends, then you will have spent no SDT energy and can activate it again without having to spend DT energy to refill the gauge.

This opens up a whole boatload of possibilities when applied correctly. The window of free energy is just long enough to get in a combo or special move, allowing you to interweave the SDT-empowered moves into your normal combos. SDT activation will not interrupt Vergil's animations, meaning you can activate it only for as long as you need to. In addition, adjacent enemies will be damaged and thrown away when SDT is activated. A well-timed activation can even be used to withstand powerful blows.

Here's a bunch of moves that I like to execute via brief activations of SDT using this mechanic:

Yamato Combo A - this combo is supremely powerful in SDT and deals a ton of damage, even to bosses. If you're feeling ambitious, you can use Doppelganger as well to double the damage you deal and mulch any target. Bear in mind, however, that its length creates risk of over committing and losing DT energy.

Yamato Combo B - This move is shorter and less committal than combo A. While it deals less damage, you can do it quicker with minimal risk of accidentally over committing and losing some energy.

Chained Rapid Slash - Chaining Rapid Slash via SDT is one of my favourite moves to do as Vergil. It turns you into a rapidly moving blender that's impossible to hit and deals a ton of damage to enemies while also reaching lots of targets since you're constantly dashing back and forth. You can also bring Doppelganger along to create a second, equally powerful moving blender to absolutely shred your
enemies.

Judgement Cut - Since Judgement Cut can hit three targets simultaneously in SDT, executing a Judgement Cut combo via Quadruple S wreaks havoc on the enemy in a short period of time without demanding much more than proficiency with Judgement Cut from the player. You can summon Doppelganger for this move if you want to lop off a huge chunk of a boss' health.

Beowulf Combo A/B - these combos are both very strong and deal great damage to your opponents. Combo A is shorter and less committal, dealing less damage but being much easier and much less risky to use. Executing Combo B without losing any energy is harder due to its length, but it deals way more damage.

Starfall - Starfall is a short and non-committal move, but empowering it via SDT allows you to get in a surprising amount of damage for free.

Kick 13 - Kick 13 has innate risk of over committing due to the move's sheer length, but when empowered by SDT it deals a ton of damage. To mitigate the inherent risk, I often avoid performing Rising Sun as well since that significantly extends Kick 13 and more often than not results in some energy loss.

Dragon Breaker - Dragon Breaker is one of Vergil's highest damage moves, and is even stronger when boosted by SDT. Try stunning an enemy via Round Trip or Heavy Rain Blades, charging up the move, and then activating SDT just before releasing it. The result is something roughly akin to a super move in terms of raw damage, but with no energy cost.

Mirage Edge Combo A - Mirage Edge doesn't synergise too well with SDT, but its basic combo hits surprisingly hard when boosted by SDT with that second high-damage thrust. The main risk here is accidentally doing Million Stab at the end which prevents the second thrust, so take care to have some trigger discipline with this combo.

Stinger - Stinger receives similar enhancements to Dante's equivalent, barreling right through enemies and delivering multiple hits for high damage. The added benefit here is that you're still able to perform Million Stab afterwards - just be sure to cancel out of SDT before you spend energy.

Because SDT is a gift that keeps on giving and only needs to be fuelled once to get a boatload of use and devastatingly powerful moves out of it, filling up the SDT gauge should be your highest priority. Try using Taunts, Trick Dodges and sheathing to farm up DT energy early on and then put that into the SDT gauge. After that you can use Quadruple S to land powerful moves for free, allowing you to use all DT energy you gain afterwards exclusively on Doppelganger and Mirage Blade moves.

Each of Vergil's three weapons has their own super move. This is an extremely powerful attack that deals a ton of damage, requiring level 2 MOTIVATION and a full SDT gauge to execute. While these moves fully drain the SDT gauge when performed in human form, in SDT you can chain up to four of them, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Executing a super move in SDT drains 30% of the SDT gauge; if you're fast enough, you can perform four since these moves don't get interrupted by the gauge emptying. Speaking of, when done in SDT these moves can't be interrupted at all no matter how much enemies rag on Vergil.

Yamato's super move is the incredibly iconic Judgement Cut End. This is essentially a huge Judgement Cut over a massive area that's nearly impossible to avoid and deals big damage.

Beowulf's super move is Hell on Earth, which is a nuclear-powered slam that causes a gigantic explosion, dealing truly gargantuan damage (the most of all of Vergil's moves).

Mirage Edge's super move is Deep Stinger, where Vergil performs a very long flying corkscrew attack with both Yamato and Mirage Edge. It does the least damage but has better endurance.

These super moves are no joke. They require more of a commitment of SDT energy, but each one can clear an entire room. When chained together, super moves can wipe the floor with any boss, easily taking out a huge chunk of health in one fell swoop. Technically, they are the most efficient way of using SDT when committing to spending energy.

Jump cancelling is the most advanced technique in DMC, and no one seems to ever stop talking about how amazing it is. The Enemy Step upgrade allows Vergil to jump off enemies. On the surface it seems boringly simple, but it can do a lot for you.

Jumping off an enemy gains Vergil altitude, resets aerial manoeuvres, and most importantly, cancels Vergil's current attack animation. It takes a lot of skill to use, but in practice it allows for comically long aerial combos incorporating all sorts of attacks and nonsense that just seem to keep going for all eternity, stretching what might have been a short attack opening into the runtime of the Snyder Cut.

It may seem daunting because, well.... it is, but you don't have to start doing pro combos right away. Instead, you can try doing as I have and practice jump cancelling singular attacks. From my experience, the best move to jump cancel as Vergil is Lunar Phase, since it's an aerial attack that doesn't move him around too much.

Once you buy the upgrade, give it a go, and see how you do!

As you can see, Vergil is a quite complicated but very fun and POWERFUL character to play as, and his kit has so much to offer. I hope you have learned from this guide, and soon enough you shall become MOTIVATED and attain POWER.

Remember to have patience; mastery doesn't come easily or quickly, and it takes a lot of practice. But above all, have fun!

Devil Sword Vergil: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/1148?tab=description

White PoC Beowulf: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/2092

Bury The Light on title screen: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/2247

Void SDT: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/1057

Glowing coat for Vergil: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/1006

Different Vergil title: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/633

Vicious Vergil: Doppelganger: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/1998

Easier Judgement Cut: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/1075

The Legendary Plastic Chair: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/798?tab=description

Mod Manager: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/64

DmC Vergil's coat for V: https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/276