Capcom shipped Devil May Cry 5 on 8 March 2019 on the RE Engine, eleven years after Devil May Cry 4. The campaign is a prologue plus 20 missions that rotate between three playable characters: Nero with the Red Queen and single-use Devil Breaker arms, the physically useless summoner V, and Dante with four switchable styles and six Devil Arms. Vergil came to the PC version as a separate 4.99 dollar character on 15 December 2020, playable in story missions, the Void and Bloody Palace.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Learn MAX-Act rather than settling for single revs
Learn MAX-Act rather than settling for single revs. Tapping Exceed at the exact frame the Red Queen connects banks a rev, and hitting three in a row triggers MAX-Act, which roughly triples the damage on the following attack. It is the largest free damage increase available to Nero and costs no Red Orbs.
2. Break Away your Devil Breakers deliberately
Break Away your Devil Breakers deliberately. Breakers shatter automatically when Nero takes a hit, wasting them, but manually breaking one releases its Break Age effect and immediately swaps to the next arm. Spending an arm you were about to lose is strictly better than losing it.
3. Style rank feeds the Red Orb payout on the results screen, so the fastest way to farm upgrades is not to replay easy missions but to replay any mission at a higher rank
Style rank feeds the Red Orb payout on the results screen, so the fastest way to farm upgrades is not to replay easy missions but to replay any mission at a higher rank. Varying attacks, taunting between kills and avoiding damage all push the rank up.
4. Dr
Dr. Faust pays for itself. It consumes Red Orbs to fire but returns more than it spends when hats land and detonate, which makes Gunslinger Faust the standard farming setup for anyone short of orbs before a Dante Must Die run.
5. Royalguard's Just Release is timed on the frame of impact, not on seeing the wind-up
Royalguard's Just Release is timed on the frame of impact, not on seeing the wind-up. Blocking early stores nothing extra. Practise a boss's two or three heaviest attacks in the Void until the timing is muscle memory before taking it into a real run.
6. As V, keep Griffon and Shadow in different parts of the arena
As V, keep Griffon and Shadow in different parts of the arena. They fight independently, so splitting them knocks down two groups at once and gives V two separate sets of downed enemies to walk over and finish with the cane.
7. Nightmare is V's panic button and his crowd clear
Nightmare is V's panic button and his crowd clear. Summoning it costs Devil Trigger gauge but it fights on its own, absorbs aggro, and lets V reposition safely while it works, which matters most on the Mission 13 and Bloody Palace waves.
8. Dante's styles swap mid-combo on the d-pad and the game does not penalise switching
Dante's styles swap mid-combo on the d-pad and the game does not penalise switching. A Swordmaster string into a Trickster dash into a Gunslinger follow-up scores far higher than staying in one style, and higher style rank is more Red Orbs.
9. Sin Devil Trigger costs three full Devil Trigger bars, so do not burn Devil Trigger for chip healing in the middle of a boss fight if you were saving for it
Sin Devil Trigger costs three full Devil Trigger bars, so do not burn Devil Trigger for chip healing in the middle of a boss fight if you were saving for it. Its Devil Sword Dante attacks do enough damage to end most boss phases outright.
10. Play Human difficulty only to see the story
Play Human difficulty only to see the story. Devil Hunter is the intended first run, Son of Sparda changes enemy placement rather than just numbers, and Dante Must Die gives enemies their own Devil Trigger. Heaven or Hell and Hell and Hell unlock afterwards and both kill you in one hit.
Advanced Strategies
Role Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Nero (A-Tier):
- Focus on Style rank from D to SSS combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Red Queen
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For V (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Gerbera
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Devil May Cry 5's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Style rank from D to SSS + Nero's Exceed and Devil Breakers: The meter climbs from Dismal through Crazy, Blast, Alright, Sweet, Savage and Smokin Sexy Style as you land varied attacks, and it drops if you repeat one move or take a hit. Combined with Nero's Exceed and Devil Breakers, tapping the exceed trigger at the instant a red queen swing connects fills a rev tank and adds fire damage to the next attack, and a three-tank max-act is what separates a competent nero from a good one.
Dante's four switchable styles + V fighting through familiars: Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger and Royalguard sit on the d-pad and swap mid combo. When paired with V fighting through familiars, v never deals meaningful damage himself.
Devil Trigger and Sin Devil Trigger scaling: Devil Trigger burns gauge for damage, speed and health regeneration on hit. Dante's Sin Devil Trigger is a second, deeper transformation that spends three full Devil Trigger bars, and Vergil's version pairs with his Concentration gauge, which fills when he moves deliberately and empties when he flails or gets hit.
Weapons Efficiency
| Weapon | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Red Queen | Nero players who want the highest damage ceiling in the game without spending Devil Breakers | Nero's sword carries the Exceed system, a motorcycle-style throttle that injects fuel into the blade. |
| Gerbera | Dodging boss attacks and extending air combos as Nero | A Devil Breaker that fires a shockwave and, more usefully, dashes Nero through the air in any direction. |
| Balrog | Dante burning down a staggered boss quickly | Dante's gauntlets and greaves, split into Blow mode for fast punches and Kick mode for heavier kicks, with a heat gauge that builds while you attack. |
| Dr. Faust | Farming Red Orbs for upgrades on repeat mission runs | A hat that spends Red Orbs as ammunition and returns far more Red Orbs than it costs when its attacks land. |
| Yamato | Vergil players once the 4.99 dollar DLC character is installed | Vergil's katana, which cuts through space and drives his Judgement Cut and Judgement Cut End. |
Location Efficiency
Mission 2: Qliphoth (Early campaign, Human to Devil Hunter): Nero's first real mission inside the demon tree's roots, ending in the Goliath fight. It is where Exceed timing has to click, because Goliath's charge punishes anyone still mashing the attack button.
Mission 8: Demon King (Mid campaign, all difficulties): The second Urizen encounter as Nero, and one the game expects you to lose. Losing here continues the story rather than ending the run, but beating it is possible and unlocks a separate cutscene branch.
Mission 11: Reason (Mid campaign, Devil Hunter and above): Dante against Cavaliere Angelo, the armoured knight that Trish is trapped inside. The fight is a clean test of Royalguard because the knight telegraphs a small number of very heavy attacks.
Mission 13: Three Warriors (Late campaign, any difficulty): The one mission where the game lets you pick which of the characters to play, which makes it the standard farming stop for anyone grinding a specific character's skill tree.
Bloody Palace (Post-campaign, 101 floors): A 101-floor survival tower added free on 1 April 2019, played with Nero, V or Dante, and with Vergil once the DLC is installed. There is a per-floor timer and clearing floors quickly is the only way to keep the clock alive to the top.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Holding the Exceed button instead of tapping it on impact. Holding it fills revs slowly and passively; tapping on the hit is what produces MAX-Act and the damage that goes with it.
- Hoarding Devil Breakers for a boss and then losing all of them to a single chip hit, because Breakers shatter automatically when Nero takes damage rather than staying in reserve.
- Playing Dante in one style for a whole mission. Style rank rewards variety, and locking into Swordmaster caps both the score and the Red Orb payout that funds every upgrade.
- Treating V as a ranged character and never closing distance. Familiars only knock enemies down; if V does not walk over and land the cane finisher, downed enemies recover with their health intact.
- Spending early Red Orbs on Devil Trigger extensions instead of movement and Exceed skills. Mobility and Exceed carry every difficulty, while extra gauge only matters once you already survive the fights.
Pro Quick Tips
- Learn MAX-Act rather than settling for single revs. Tapping Exceed at the exact frame the Red Queen connects banks a rev, and hitting three in a row triggers MAX-Act, which roughly triples the damage on the following attack. It is the largest free damage increase available to Nero and costs no Red Orbs.
- Break Away your Devil Breakers deliberately. Breakers shatter automatically when Nero takes a hit, wasting them, but manually breaking one releases its Break Age effect and immediately swaps to the next arm. Spending an arm you were about to lose is strictly better than losing it.
- Style rank feeds the Red Orb payout on the results screen, so the fastest way to farm upgrades is not to replay easy missions but to replay any mission at a higher rank. Varying attacks, taunting between kills and avoiding damage all push the rank up.
- Start with V, switch to Nero when ready
- Invest in Red Queen above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Mission 2: Qliphoth → Mission 8: Demon King → Mission 11: Reason → Mission 13: Three Warriors → Bloody Palace. See our maps guide
- Style rank from D to SSS + Nero's Exceed and Devil Breakers together are stronger than either alone
More Devil May Cry 5 Guides
- Devil May Cry 5 Devil May Cry 5 Overview
- Devil May Cry 5 Best Builds
- Devil May Cry 5 Tier List
- Devil May Cry 5 Walkthrough
- Devil May Cry 5 Beginner's Guide
- Devil May Cry 5 Weapons Guide
- Devil May Cry 5 Combat Guide
- Devil May Cry 5 Boss Guide
- Devil May Cry 5 Maps & Locations
- Devil May Cry 5 Crafting Guide
- Devil May Cry 5 Classes & Characters
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