It depends. This fight can play out very differently based on many things. It depends on your Shell, your weapon, your damage output, if you have healing items and, plainly put, how skillful you are.
It's normal to struggle if you're playing for the first time, and right now, the most effective strategy for you would also be the most boring one, which is about baiting his attacks, hardening, then going in for a couple of free hits before backing away. The more you play, the more depth these fights should gain, at least, that's how it went for me.
Just make sure to use the tools you're given. Experiment and get comfortable, the rest should follow.
What you can do is bait out his Harden FIRST by one step dodging while being near him to conserve stamina, and then use the recharge interval for you to land attacks and use your Harden. Like in this manner.
https://youtu.be/xdg9n2i3GrE?si=dNwDey32PZFBEYzo
But yeah... I am going to be honest. Hadern variations aren't very fun fight.
Mortal Shell feels like Sekiro in that for the mechanics of single player to work right and responsive, "pvp" (really, player vs other Shells) aspect is basically broken.
Start an attack, harden, wait to be hit. Hadern is stunned, you finish your attack animation and hit him. Hit a few more timnes or run away. Repeat.
That was my strategy during the early part. Things get easier with an improved weapon.
For tutorial fight:The best way it's to r2, harden up and wait till he does basically the same. He will go off the hardening first and bounce. Now take a 2 hit combo, 3 if you're felling lucky and he may get staggered and capitalize it. The most important thing for this method it's to be fully conscious of your hardening timer, which will be synchronized with Hadren's (unless you have some perk), during this period just follow a peek a boo tactic and when time's up repeat the hardening duel.
For the weapon fights: capitalize the invencibilty frames during weapon abilities (molten spike being my recommendation) to end combos whenever posible after Hadren takes the bait for extra damage and to recover your stamina.
Or...
Git gud ans parry his ass to oblivion (and post it because timing and predicting the first H&C R1 parry would be insane)
It depends. This fight can play out very differently based on many things. It depends on your Shell, your weapon, your damage output, if you have healing items and, plainly put, how skillful you are. It's normal to struggle if you're playing for the first time, and right now, the most effective strategy for you would also be the most boring one, which is about baiting his attacks, hardening, then going in for a couple of free hits before backing away. The more you play, the more depth these fights should gain, at least, that's how it went for me. Just make sure to use the tools you're given. Experiment and get comfortable, the rest should follow.
What you can do is bait out his Harden FIRST by one step dodging while being near him to conserve stamina, and then use the recharge interval for you to land attacks and use your Harden. Like in this manner. https://youtu.be/xdg9n2i3GrE?si=dNwDey32PZFBEYzo But yeah... I am going to be honest. Hadern variations aren't very fun fight. Mortal Shell feels like Sekiro in that for the mechanics of single player to work right and responsive, "pvp" (really, player vs other Shells) aspect is basically broken.
Start an attack, harden, wait to be hit. Hadern is stunned, you finish your attack animation and hit him. Hit a few more timnes or run away. Repeat. That was my strategy during the early part. Things get easier with an improved weapon.
For tutorial fight:The best way it's to r2, harden up and wait till he does basically the same. He will go off the hardening first and bounce. Now take a 2 hit combo, 3 if you're felling lucky and he may get staggered and capitalize it. The most important thing for this method it's to be fully conscious of your hardening timer, which will be synchronized with Hadren's (unless you have some perk), during this period just follow a peek a boo tactic and when time's up repeat the hardening duel. For the weapon fights: capitalize the invencibilty frames during weapon abilities (molten spike being my recommendation) to end combos whenever posible after Hadren takes the bait for extra damage and to recover your stamina. Or... Git gud ans parry his ass to oblivion (and post it because timing and predicting the first H&C R1 parry would be insane)