Stellar Blade has made waves among action RPG fans for its finely-tuned combat system and well-designed enemies and bosses. Eve faces all sorts of monsters and abominations with her trusty sword and a helpful drone with a whirlwind of slashes and swings worthy of Devil May Cry.

However, not all players of Stellar Blade may find that an offensive playstyle often sends them packing to their nearest Supply Camp, unable to overcome the Naytiba’s assault. This could be an inability to nail down parry and dodge timings, or because surviving long enough to learn the enemy’s attack patterns is a problem.

But, like any other challenge in the game, this can be overcome with a bit of diligence.

Building Blocks of Defense

As she explores Xion and its surroundings, Eve uncovers many items that she can use to upgrade her Exosuit, improving her capabilities in the field. This does not just extend to her outfits but to individual components of her Andro-Eidos loadout.

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This is because Eve can be outfitted with new Exospines and Gears as they become available which come with various tweaks and improvements to her abilities. With a variety of special effects, they act as passive power-ups in combat, just like the Talismans in Elden Ring.

If you find that the Naytiba keep tearing through your shields and HP, using the right Exospines and Gears can help you make a defensive build for Eve that lets her take the fight to them.

Best Defense Build in Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade puts a lot of emphasis on parrying and dodging attacks, making any build for Eve require a playstyle that incorporates them into her move set in tandem with her offensive options.

To that end, a defense build for Eve would ideally improve her ability to repel enemy attacks while minimizing the damage she takes if her skills were to fail her. It then makes sense to max out her defense while making sure she can still keep the fight on her terms against even the nastiest of Naytiba.

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Eve’s Exospines and Gear can make this happen. To start with, the Protection-Type Exospine is an obvious choice. In addition to a 10% damage reduction, it adds a chance of a five-second heal-over-time effect on successful blocks or parries when Eve’s health is low. It also improves her Shields, making it a very strong defensive option for her loadout.

Next, the Reflex-Type Exospine works wonders if you struggle with parry and dodge timings. It not only improves the window for perfect parries or dodges but also improves Eve’s Balance, making it difficult for her to get staggered by enemy attacks.

It is a great addition to a defensive build for Stellar Blade’s tougher encounters although you may want to switch it out once you get more comfortable with the fast-paced combat that put it on the map.

With your Exospines in place, it’s time to look at some options for Gears. The first pick would be the Melee Protection Gear, which significantly reduces melee damage taken. Note that the gear’s effect is determined by its Star Rating, with higher-rated items providing an improved version of their listed effect.

The next Gear to watch out for is the Protection Gear which offers a flat damage reduction for Eve. Its effects stack with the Melee Protection Gear and the Protection-Type Exospine to allow Eve a lot of flexibility in combat – and the ability to tank a lot of damage while unleashing some of her own moves.

With this loadout, Eve can make the most of her Beta Guage, charging it up with cautious light attacks and easy dodges or parries. She can then unleash her Beta Skills almost continuously, a tactic that only improves as you unlock better variations of these skills through progressing the story and leveling up. Any risk of taking a hit is offset by the protection from your Exospines and Gear. Just pay attention to your healing supplies and make sure you use them tactically in combat.

It’s time to test out your new build. We highly recommend fighting the Stalker as it requires a good mix of parries and dodges and tactical use of your offensive options. For all of your other Naytiba-related problems, our Stellar Blade guides are sure to help.