The First Berserker: Khazan

The First Berserker: Khazan is a third-person PC soulslike action RPG from Neople and NEXON, set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe. The Steam listing currently uses this name, with no verified replacement storefront identity. You play Khazan, a disgraced general fighting through a linear dark-fantasy campaign built around precise defense, aggressive counterattacks, weapon specialization, and punishing boss encounters.

Its strongest distinction is the way it combines familiar soulslike pressure with a more expressive action-game toolkit. Khazan is not limited to slow, defensive exchanges. Well-timed blocks, evasions, parries, weapon skills, and Spirit-powered attacks let skilled players turn enemy openings into extended combos.

Combat Built Around Timing And Counterpressure

Combat takes place from a third-person perspective and focuses on reading attacks rather than simply trading damage. Enemies have recognizable patterns, breakable defenses, and openings that reward players who stay close instead of retreating after every hit.

The central loop is demanding but direct: learn an encounter, manage stamina and positioning, defend against the dangerous attack, then punish the recovery window. Parries, guard responses, dodges, and aggressive follow-ups all matter, especially against bosses that change rhythm or pressure the player with multi-hit combinations.

Khazan uses a mission-based structure rather than a seamless open world. Missions connect story progression with exploration, enemy groups, shortcuts, hidden rewards, and major boss fights. Checkpoint-style rest points provide a place to recover, manage equipment, and prepare for another attempt.

Three Weapons, Three Combat Identities

The PC version gives Khazan three primary weapon styles: dual-wielded sword and axe, spear, and greatsword. Each weapon has its own skill tree, attack cadence, spacing requirements, and preferred approach to enemy defenses.

Dual weapons favor quick pressure and fluid combo strings. The spear offers reach and a more controlled way to test enemy range. The greatsword trades speed for heavier impact and a stronger commitment to individual attacks. Switching between these styles changes more than damage values; it changes how you approach neutral space, guard breaks, and boss openings.

Skill Points unlock active and passive abilities within the weapon trees. The most important choices are not simply larger numbers. A new skill can alter a combo route, improve a defensive response, extend a punish window, or make a particular weapon feel more aggressive and mobile.

Players who enjoy experimenting with loadouts will find a more flexible system than the word “soulslike” alone suggests. The game supports repeated refinement of a preferred weapon instead of forcing every encounter into the same basic light-attack and dodge pattern.

Loot, Armor Sets, And Character Growth

Equipment drops from enemies, chests, and mission rewards. Weapons and armor arrive with different rarities, statistics, and additional attributes, creating a loot-driven progression system alongside the action combat.

Armor is especially important because set bonuses can shape a build around a weapon type or combat behavior. A player might prioritize raw defense, stamina efficiency, damage after a specific action, or bonuses that reward a particular combo pattern. The result is closer to an action RPG with gear optimization than a pure fixed-build character action game.

Khazan also includes a blacksmith and equipment-management loop for improving useful gear and dealing with the steady flow of replacements. Players who dislike sorting loot should expect regular inventory decisions. Players who enjoy tuning a build around a boss or weapon will have meaningful reasons to inspect their drops.

The game’s progression is therefore split between player execution and character development. Better equipment can create room for mistakes, but it does not remove the need to understand enemy timing. The combat system remains the deciding factor in difficult encounters.

Campaign Structure And Post-Game Modes

The main experience is a single-player campaign with story missions, boss encounters, optional objectives, and repeatable mission access. It is designed around learning fights and improving Khazan rather than generating endless procedural runs.

After the main journey, New Game+ and the Ultimate Challenge extend the mastery loop. Ultimate Challenge content resets stats and equipment for its own progression structure, placing greater emphasis on execution and adaptation than on simply carrying an optimized first-playthrough build forward.

The post-game includes Great General’s Crucible, which organizes themed boss groups into gauntlet-style encounters, and Berserker’s Bloodshed, a demanding sequence that puts the player against all sixteen bosses in succession. These modes are aimed at players who want a concentrated test of combat knowledge after finishing the story.

The commercial model is straightforward. The base game is a paid single-player title rather than a free-to-play service. The Deluxe Edition adds a hero weapon set, hero armor set, and digital artbook; the storefront also lists bonus content separately, but the core campaign and combat systems are part of the main game.

Who Should Play Khazan?

The First Berserker: Khazan is a strong fit for PC players who want difficult boss fights, responsive melee combat, skill-based defense, and a clear mission structure. It is particularly suited to players who enjoy learning attack patterns but also want substantial build customization and more active combo expression.

It is less suitable for anyone seeking online co-op, a large open world, a relaxed hack-and-slash campaign, or a character creator with many playable classes. Khazan is a focused solo action RPG. Its challenge comes from mastering one protagonist and several distinct weapon systems, not from building a party or coordinating with other players.

Players coming from mission-based loot action RPGs such as Nioh 2 will recognize the importance of weapon-specific abilities and equipment sets. Khazan is more tightly centered on a single hero, but the comparison is useful for understanding its combination of demanding combat and gear experimentation.

PC Features, Input, And Localization

The Steam version supports full controller support, Steam Cloud, achievements, and Family Sharing. DualSense controllers are supported through a wired connection according to the current Steam configuration data. Keyboard and mouse input is available, but the combat’s timing-sensitive defense and lock-on movement are naturally comfortable with a gamepad.

The PC edition uses Steam as its storefront and includes Denuvo Anti-Tamper as third-party DRM. This is a conventional single-player Steam package rather than a multiplayer platform with dedicated servers, matchmaking, or online progression.

Interface and subtitle localization covers English, French, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, and Latin American Spanish. Full audio is available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean. Players should distinguish between the supported subtitle languages and the smaller group with dubbed audio.

The presentation combines 3D cel-shaded visuals with darker fantasy environments, heavy combat animation, and stylized character designs. The visual direction connects Khazan to the broader Dungeon & Fighter universe while keeping the game’s tone closer to a dramatic action RPG than an online brawler.

Similar PC Games

For players who want a wider world and greater freedom between major encounters, open-world soulslike exploration in Elden Ring is the clearest contrast. Elden Ring offers broader build variety and exploration, while Khazan concentrates more intensely on mission pacing, weapon skills, and boss-focused progression.

Dark-fantasy soulslike combat like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is another relevant comparison for players choosing between stylish third-person action RPGs. Both appeal to players who value demanding encounters and equipment growth, although Khazan’s three weapon trees and post-game boss challenges give it a more structured combat identity.

Khazan’s closest audience is not simply “fans of hard games.” It is aimed at players who want to study enemy behavior, refine a small number of weapon styles, and use RPG progression to expand what is possible inside each fight.

The First Berserker: Khazan FAQ

What is the current PC storefront name?

The current Steam listing is titled The First Berserker: Khazan. No verified replacement name or active rebrand is shown on the current PC storefront listing.

Is The First Berserker: Khazan single-player?

Yes. The PC version is a single-player action RPG. It does not include co-op, split-screen multiplayer, or competitive online modes.

How many weapon types does Khazan use?

Khazan has three primary weapon styles: dual-wielded sword and axe, spear, and greatsword. Each has a dedicated skill tree and a different combat rhythm.

Does the game have New Game Plus?

Yes. New Game+ is available alongside Ultimate Challenge content, including Great General’s Crucible and Berserker’s Bloodshed. These modes provide additional combat progression and concentrated boss challenges.

Does Khazan support controllers on PC?

Yes. The Steam version lists full controller support. DualSense support is also listed, with wired connection support identified in the current Steam configuration data.

What languages are supported on PC?

The game supports eleven interface and subtitle languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, and Latin American Spanish. Full audio is available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean.