Souls-like Player Combat in Unreal Engine 5: Where to Start
Documentation Unreal Engine Player Combat Tutorial
What a Dark Souls style player character needs in Unreal Engine 5 (combos that commit, stamina, a dodge, lock-on, block and parry, poise, executions, weapons and potions) and the Universal Player Combat page that sets up each one in Blueprint.
Universal Player Combat builds the player side of a souls-like fight for Unreal Engine 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8, from data assets and Blueprint. Enemy AI is yours to build or bring.
Build it in this order
The demo player has every part below, so each row works on its own. The order runs from the demo to a first combo to a character of your own.
| Part of the fight | Page |
|---|---|
| The demo's Soulslike arena: two swords, a boss and its execution | Getting Started |
| Light and heavy combos that commit | First Combo, Action Graph |
| A character of your own | Character Setup |
| The feel: facing where you move, attacks where you face | Combat Styles |
| Stamina each attack spends | Vitals, Costs |
| A dodge with invincibility frames | Patterns |
| Block and parry, with a sword or a shield | Patterns, Defense |
| Lock-on, a flick to switch, a camera framing it | Targeting, Camera |
| Swings that turn to the target and close in | Attack Steering |
| Hits, damage, hit stop and impact effects | Melee Trace, Damage |
| Poise, flinches and hyper armor | Hit Reactions |
| Executions and counters | Paired Actions |
| Weapons to draw, sheathe and swap | Equipment, Quick Bar |
| A healing potion on the belt | Inventory |
| Warnings over enemy swings | Telegraphs |
| A ragdoll on death | Physical Reactions |
| Stamina bars and key prompts | HUD |
Common questions
Is it a full souls-like template? It covers the player: moves, weapons, items, defense, lock-on, camera and interaction. The demo adds enemies and a boss built on the same parts.
Does it work in multiplayer? Yes, on listen and dedicated servers (Multiplayer).
Can I use my own character and animations? Yes: Character Setup and your own animations.
Can an AI agent build it? The AI Agent Guide lets Claude Code, Codex or Cursor build a player from your mesh and animations.