Multiple outlets covering Beast of Reincarnation agree that parrying sits at the core of the game's combat. Polygon describes parrying as "the most important combat move," noting that a successful parry negates damage, grants florescence points needed for companion character Koo's bloom arts, and builds entanglement points required for guarding, blade arts, Nushi skills, and entanglement overdrive. Guarding instead of parrying still blocks initial damage but drains the entanglement gauge and provides no florescence points, and once that gauge is empty, blocking no longer prevents full damage. Attacks that flash red cannot be parried or guarded and must be dodged instead, according to Polygon.
Despite this parry-centric design, PC Gamer reports that protagonist Emma's ranged weapons—a crossbow and a bow obtained about an hour into the game—can dramatically reduce reliance on precise parrying and dodging. By investing in projectile-related skills and upgrades, PC Gamer found that arrows and bolts can "chew through health bars at a stunning rate," allowing players to damage most enemies from a safe distance. PC Gamer highlights skills such as Tracking Shot, which makes arrows home in on enemies; a later skill that gives a chance to avoid consuming ammo or to replenish it after kills; Magic Bullet, which causes tracking shots to loop back and hit an enemy again; and Scatter-Shot, which splits projectiles into three spreading shots. Some of these effects, including Scatter-Shot and Entangled Shot, also require investment in Emma's Hair skill branch. PC Gamer notes that ammo replenishes at the game's frequent checkpoint campsites, and that projectiles alone won't fully eliminate the need to dodge or parry, since enemies can still close the distance.
GamesRadar+ separately outlines the game's Weapon Enhancement system, noting that players can upgrade melee and ranged weapons at a Workbench in the Cleanse Walker hub or through an Enhance Weapons option at campsites, spending the currency Amber to improve damage, ammo capacity, and other stats. However, GamesRadar+ explains that upgrades hit a hard cap after one or two levels, requiring players to raise the stats of the Cleanse Walker's Bauera system—Power, Calculations, and Knowledge—usually limited by Power, which can be increased using spoils found from golem remnants, strongboxes, and items marked by Koo.
On skill choices, GamesRadar+ recommends early investments including Emma's Blade Art: Shakuyaku, the Hair-based Sprout Shakuyaku, and Tracking Shot for ranged accuracy and damage, alongside Koo skills like Higanbana: Seeds, the Swamp Summoner incantation mod, and the Taunt pounce skill, which draws enemy attacks toward Koo and is described as useful in boss fights. GamesRadar+ suggests prioritizing Koo's skills early since Emma can rely on parrying and dodging, while additional skills like Sakura Storm and Javelin unlock after certain boss fights and story milestones.
Polygon's own early-skills guide offers a similar but distinct list, recommending Emma's Recovery Effect Boost, Roll, Helm Splitter, and Enhance Bow, alongside Koo's Status Effect Amp mod, Detect Hidden Item, and Healing Bouquet. Recovery Effect Boost increases healing from potions and Koo's healing skills, Roll offers an emergency escape from unblockable red-flagged attacks, and Helm Splitter provides an area-of-effect option against groups of enemies. Polygon recommends Enhance Bow to boost ranged damage before players have gathered enough materials to raise Bauera's stats, while Status Effect Amp doubles status-effect buildup and Detect Hidden Item and Healing Bouquet help with resource gathering and sustained healing, respectively.
Taken together, the coverage from PC Gamer, GamesRadar+, and Polygon points to a game built around demanding parry mechanics but offering multiple viable approaches, whether through mastering the entanglement and bloom art systems, upgrading weapons via Bauera and Amber, or building toward a projectile-focused playstyle that reduces close-range risk.