Elemental Strategy: Ash

Ash is all about offense, and actually has the fewest abilities in the game when compared to other Elemental Warriors. The abilities he has, however, cover both close and long range, and do exceptional amounts of damage—especially against plant or ice-based enemies. Ash is also the only Elemental Warrior that can heal himself and score a Brutal on an enemy at the same time, courtesy of the Incinerator upgrade. Even if you don’t need Ash’s offensive punch in a fight (for example, fighting Fire Trolls), the ability to heal himself makes Ash invaluable, particularly if you are hurting during a tough battle.

Ash is an all around excellent offensive fighter, but he is fairly slow, and large groups of enemies can quickly overwhelm him if they get in close. Keep moving and don’t let yourself get surrounded. Use Ash’s Fire Blast to put the burn on enemies as you’re moving into combat, then use the Fire Blaze to quickly dispatch them when things get up close and personal.

Expert Tip: Light any dragon heads around doors (in the Dungeon of Eternal Life, for example) with Ash’s Fire Blast/Wildfire attack. Also look for pots of boiling oil hanging over doors—try tilting them with Ash’s Fire Blaze attack. Some pots contain more than just boiling oil.

Ash’s Fire Blaze is particularly good for earning Brutal Bonuses if you can let up on the right trigger quickly enough. The key is to hit a Troll with a brief blast of flame so he catches on fire, and not keep the right trigger pulled until the Troll dies. Once a Troll is ignited, he will run around on fire until he dies, earning you both a Carnage and a Brutal Bonus—not to mention some entertaining animation as the Troll runs around frantically on fire.

Upgrade to the Incinerator as soon as possible, because it gives Ash the ability to heal himself and score a Brutal Bonus at the same time. A well placed Incinerator can score tons of Brutal Bonuses, particularly if it's placed somewhere near a spawn point for Trolls coming to attack you. Upgrade to Inferno, Wildfire, and Spirit Up in any order—they are all worthwhile.