Dual Set-Up System/Combinations

The following is a list of DSS Effects.

Mercury's Effects
These consist of imbuing the Hunter's Whip with elemental power.

+ Salamander -- Flame Whip. Increases Nathan's STR by 5% and deals Fire damage. 6 MP per use.

+ Serpent -- Ice Whip. Decreases Nathan's STR by 30% and deals Ice damage. Frozen enemies can be stood upon as platforms. 2 MP per use.

+ Mandragora -- Rose Whip. Increases Nathan's STR by 10% and deals Plant damage. 6 MP per use.

+ Golem -- Earth Whip. Increases the whip's range, but attacks slower. Deals Earth damage. 8 MP per use.

+ Cockatrice -- Stone Whip. Increases Nathan's STR by 10% and deals Stone damage. Petrified enemies can be stood upon as platforms. 6 MP per use.

+ Manticore -- Poison Whip. Decreases Nathan's STR by 15% and deals Poison damage. The whip is swung upward, and the ensuing clouds of poison deal minor damage for a few seconds. 6 MP per use.

+ Griffin -- Wind Whip. Decreases Nathan's STR by 15% and deals Wind damage. When the whip is held out, it strikes constantly instead of being spun around. 10 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Electric Whip. When the whip is held out, it deals constant Electric damage instead of being spun. 10 MP per use.

+ Unicorn -- Holy Whip. Increases Nathan's STR by 30% and deals Holy damage. Restores 1% of Nathan's HP with every swing. 20 MP per use.

+ Black Dog -- Darkness Whip. Increases Nathan's STR by 40% and deals Darkness damage. Clouds of darkness will continue to deal damage a few seconds after being struck. 40 MP per use.

Venus Effects
Most of Venus's effects increase Nathan's base statistics.

+ Salamander -- STR Boost. Increases STR by 25%. 4 MP per second.

+ Serpent -- DEF Boost. Increases DEF by 25%. 4 MP per second.

+ Mandragora -- LCK Boost. Increases LCK by 25%. 4 MP per second.

+ Golem -- Exploration DEF Boost. Increases DEF based on the amount of the map uncovered. 16 MP per second.

+ Cockatrice -- Walking EXP. Gain 1 experience point roughly every three steps walking. Not running. 2 MP per second.

+ Manticore -- Double Hearts. Doubles the amount of Hearts recovered per pickup. Small hearts restore 2, large hearts restore 10. 2 MP per second.

+ Griffin -- INT Boost. Increases INT by 25%. 4 MP per second.

+ Thunderbird -- Exploration STR Boost. Increases STR based on the amount of the map uncovered. 16 MP per second.

+ Unicorn -- DEF Emphasis. Doubles DEF, but halves STR. 8 MP per second.

+ Black Dog -- STR Emphasis. Doubles STR, but halves DEF. 8 MP per second.

Jupiter's Effects
These tend to produce some kind of defensive power, most often a shield of the chosen element

+ Salamander -- Fireball Barrier. Two fireballs slowly orbit you in defense. 4 MP per second.

+ Serpent -- Ice Barrier. Four balls of ice circle you in defense. They can freeze enemies. 4 MP per second.

+ Mandragora -- Regeneration. After a few seconds of standing still, Nathan will slowly regain lost health, roughly 1% every second. 16 MP per second.

+ Golem -- 4x Invincibility. When damaged, the duration of Nathan's invincibility frames will quadruple. 4 MP per second.

+ Cockatrice -- Statue Transformation. Turns Nathan to living stone, making him immune to status effects but greatly reducing his mobility. Does not reduce damage taken. 8 MP per second.

+ Manticore -- Poison Mist. Nathan exudes clouds of poison mist in random directions, dealing minor damage to enemies caught in it. 4 MP per second.

+ Griffin -- Dash Shield. While dashing, Nathan gains a sonic barrier in front of him. 4 MP per second.

+ Thunderbird -- Vulnerability. Every attack sends you flying, but damage taken is reduced by half. 4 MP per second.

+ Unicorn -- White Sphere. A circular shield surrounds Nathan, which deals Holy damage to anything it comes in contact with. 8 MP per second.

+ Black Dog -- Black Barrier. A black hole will protect Nathan from every side, but he takes 1% damage every second. Actually gives him the Poison status. 8 MP per second.

Mars' Effects
All of the Mars effects change the Hunter's Whip into a different element-infused weapon.

+ Salamander -- Fire Sword. Increases Nathan's STR by 10% and deals Fire damage. The sword's attack can reach overhead. 8 MP per use.

+ Serpent -- Frozen Sword. Decreases Nathan's STR by 30% and deals Ice damage. The sword's arc can attack overhead. Can freeze enemies. 4 MP per use.

+ Mandragora -- Rose Sword. Increases Nathan's STR by 15% and deals Plant damage. It flings petals, increasing its range. 10 MP per use.

+ Golem -- Warhammer. Swung overhead, it causes minor damage to any enemy on the ground where you strike. 4 MP per use.

+ Cockatrice -- Stone Tonfers. Increases Nathan's STR by 25% and deals Stone damage. Swung straight forward, with a hitbox similar to the whip but a faster attack speed. Can petrify enemies. 12 MP per use.

+ Manticore -- Poison Claws. Decreases Nathan's STR by 10% and deals Poison damage. Strikes twice.

+ Griffin -- Sword Draw. Statwise, it increases Nathan's STR by 30%. However, the longer the button is held, the more damage it deals. After roughly three seconds, it is fully charged and deals roughly 2 times Nathan's whip damage. 16 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Martial Arts. Consists of two jabs, a punch from the other hand, then a kick. The two initial punches deal half Nathan's normal whip damage, the offhand punch deals normal, then the kick deals twice the normal. 16 MP per use.

+ Unicorn -- Holy Blade. Increases Nathan's STR by roughly 75%, and deals Holy damage. An extremely long sword that strikes straight ahead with no arc. 32 MP per use.

+ Black Dog -- Handgun. Increases Nathan's STR by 100%. Nathan draws a pistol and fires straight ahead. The opening and ending delay are very significant, however. 32 MP per use.

Diana's Effect
Each of these produces a projectile of the corresponding element when the whip is swung

+ Salamander -- Fireball Throw. Each swing of the whip produces a fireball that travels at Nathan's dash speed. 32 MP per use.

+ Serpent -- Ice Shard. Each swing of the whip produces three slivers of ice. It has short range, but can freeze enemies. 64 MP per use.

+ Mandragora -- Petal Plume. Throws three roses with each swing of the whip. They travel in a cone shape. 96 MP per use.

+ Golem -- Earthquake. Every swing of the whip produces a ground-bound quake similar to the attack of the Earth Demon. 16 MP per use.

+ Cockatrice -- Rock Throw. Flings three stones with each swing of the whip. They travel in random arcs with each swing. 16 MP per use.

+ Manticore -- Poison Bomb. The whip is swung upwards, producing a ball of poison. It dissipates on contact with a surface or enemy, causing damage for a few seconds after. 16 MP per use.

+ Griffin -- Wind Wave. When the whip is swung, it throws a wave of energy that moves in a straight line and deals extreme damage. 128 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Static Whip. When the whip is spun, it deals more damage than a usual whip spin. The whip is charged with electricity. 12 MP per use.

+ Unicorn -- Holy Orb. Each swing of the whip produces a white orb that tracks an enemy. 48 MP per use.

+ Black Dog -- Black Shells. Each swing of the whip produces 8 balls of darkness in a circle around Nathan. They deal 2 times a normal whip swing's damage. 32 MP per use.

Apollo's Effects
Allows the use of a special attack by pressing Down, Forward, Up, then the attack button.

+ Salamander -- Firebomb. Throws an arcing bomb that explodes on contact. 20 MP per use.

+ Serpent -- Freeze Bomb. Throws a ball of ice that explodes into shards upon contact with an enemy or surface. Can freeze. 20 MP per use.

+ Mandragora -- Rose Bouquet. Throws a rose that arcs in the air. It releases petals as it flies that deal damage for a few seconds after use. 40 MP per use.

+ Golem -- Stalagmite Spear. Raises five spikes from the ground. Nathan is invincible for a moment while the attack is activating. 30 MP per use.

+ Cockatrice -- Comet. Drops three comets from the sky. If they strike an enemy, they disperse into several pieces that deal reduced damage. 60 MP per use.

+ Manticore -- Poison Burst. Throws a poisonous bomb into the air. It dissipates when it strikes an enemy, dealing minor damage over several seconds. 10 MP per use.

+ Griffin -- Tornado Blade. Tosses out a minor whirlwind that flings blades of wind to the left and right. It lasts for a few seconds. 60 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Lightning Ball. Throws a ball of static that binds itself to an enemy and causes damage constantly until it vanishes, which happens a few seconds later. 80 MP per use.

+ Unicorn -- Heavenly Javelin. Eight spears fall from the sky consecutively, starting from the left and moving across. 80 MP per use.

+ Black Dog -- Black Hole. Produces a black hole that stays on anything it touches, causing damage over several seconds. 120 MP per use.

Neptune's Effects
All of Neptune's abilities involve taking a specific kind of elemental damage. It will restore health, but drain MP. For the description to appear in the DSS menu, you must be struck with the corresponding elemental damage. If you run out of MP, the spell's effect ends.

+ Salamander -- Fire Absorption. Fire attacks, such as the Skeleton Bomber's explosions, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Serpent -- Ice Absorption. Ice attacks, such as the Ice Armor's javelins, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Mandragora -- Plant Absorption. Plant attacks, such as the tendrils of the Alraune, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Golem -- Earth Absorption. Earth attacks, such as the touch of the Golem enemy, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Cockatrice -- Stone Absorption. Stone attacks, such as the projectiles of the Evil Pillar, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Manticore -- Poison Absorption. Poison attacks, such as the powder of the Giant Moth, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Griffin -- Wind Absorption. Wind attacks, such as the blades of the Wind Demon, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Thunderbird -- Electric Absorption. Electric attacks, such as the bolts of the Lightning Skeleton, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Unicorn -- Holy Absorption. Holy attacks, like the beams of the White Armor, heal Nathan while reducing is MP. 3 MP per second.

+ Black Dog -- Darkness Absorption. Dark attacks, like the rings of the Nightmare, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. This particular element is very common. 3 MP per second.

Saturn's Effects
All of these summon a familiar who attack in different manners. Some automatically, and some in tandem.

+ Salamander -- Bat Familiar. Summons a bat that shoots fireballs when the attack button is held. 4 MP per shot.

+ Serpent -- Ghost Familiar. Summons a ghost that follows enemies around. It causes minor damage very quickly, but requires MP per hit, causing very quick MP drain. 4 MP per attack.

+ Mandragora -- Owl Familiar. Summons an owl that throws arcing projectiles while the attack button is held. 4 MP per shot.

+ Golem -- Hawk Familiar. Summons a hawk that attacks independently of Nathan. It flies at enemies. 4 MP per attack.

+ Cockatrice -- Medusa Familiar. Summons a Medusa head that attacks while the attack button is held. 6 MP per shot.

+ Manticore-- Ghast Familiar. Summons a sentient cloud of gas. While it does not attack on its own, it will cause damage to anything that passes through it, excluding Nathan. 8 MP per attack.

+ Griffin -- Sprite Familiar. Summons a fairy that follows Nathan and shoots wind projectiles at enemies while the attack button is held. 8 MP per shot.

+ Thunderbird -- Crow Summon. Summons a crow that sparks with electricity. When it touches an enemy, the electricity sparks higher and causes damage. 16 MP per attack.

+ Unicorn -- Cherub Familiar. Summons a tiny angel that fires holy arrows at enemies while the attack button is held. 32 MP per shot.

+ Black Dog -- Imp Familiar. Summons an imp that charges its attack while the attack button is held. When it is released, the imp unleashes a huge blast of energy. By jumping before attacking, Nathan can cause it to charge without having to sit still. 4 MP per shot.

Uranus' Effects
These abilities call the avatars of the elements themselves, usually causing damage to all enemies onscreen then disappearing. They are summoned by pressing Down, Forward, Up, then the attack button. Nathan is invincible during the summoning.

+ Salamander -- Summon Salamander. Causes fire damage to all enemies onscreen. 160 MP per use.

+ Serpent -- Summon Serpent. Causes ice damage and freezing to all enemies onscreen. 120 MP per use.

+ Mandragora -- Summon Mandragora. Causes plant damage to all enemies onscreen. 100 MP per use.

+ Golem -- Summon Golem. Causes earth damage to all enemies onscreen. 100 MP per use.

+ Cockatrice -- Summon Cockatrice. Causes stone damage to all enemies onscreen. Ties with Thunderbird for the most damaging summon. 200 MP per use.

+ Manticore -- Summon Manticore. Causes poison damage to all enemies onscreen. 60 MP per use.

+ Griffin -- Summon Griffin. Causes wind damage to all enemies onscreen. 100 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Summon Thunderbird. Causes lightning damage to all enemies onscreen. Ties with Cockatrice for the most devastating summon. 200 MP per use.

+ Unicorn -- Summon Unicorn. The only non-damaging summon, the Unicorn restores 11% health. 100 MP per use.

+ Black Dog -- Summon Black Dog. Damages each enemy onscreen and restores some of Nathan's health. 100 MP per use.

Pluto's Effects
All of these effects are a melting pot of random abilities. There's no common theme here.

+ Salamander -- Item Crush. By using the Down, Forward, Up + Attack combination, Nathan unleashes his current sub-weapon's Item Crush, a special attack. Each costs 4 MP and a number of hearts.

+ Serpent -- Doubled Sub-Weapon. Each time a sub-weapon is used, the number thrown is doubled. 4 MP per second.

+ Mandragora -- Experience Boost. Increases Experience gain by 20%. 4 MP per second.

+ Golem -- Image Projection. Puts a shadowy form of Nathan a few paces ahead of him. It attacks in tandem with Nathan. 8 MP per second.

+ Cockatrice -- Timed Defense. Increases Nathan's DEF based on the total play time. 6 MP per second.

+ Manticore -- MP Sub-Weapon. Makes sub-weapons cost MP instead of Hearts. 5 MP per use.

+ Griffin -- Speed Boost. Increases Nathan's walk and run speed, but not his jump distance. 4 MP per use.

+ Thunderbird -- Timed Attack. Increases Nathan's STR based on the total play time. 4 MP per second. 4 MP per time.

+ Unicorn -- Invulnerability. Makes Nathan glow, making him completely invincible. He cannot hurt enemies, however. 20 MP per second.

+ Black Dog -- Skeleton Transformation. Transforms Nathan into a skeleton. Any damage he takes is instant death, but he has a statistical chance of throwing a large bone that deals amazing damage. By equipping an accessory earned from a hidden enemy (the Skeleton Medalist), he can instead transform into a bear. 5 MP per second.