i’ve managed to unlock kings road on puppet so i’ve manage to S that place a number of times. here’s some advice which helped me a great deal.
don’t get hit - yes easier said than done right? getting hit effects your grade at the end so try to minimize hits. some tips on how to deal with the enemies:
dealing with gunners and mages - always make sure there are no enemies behind you esp the gunners and mages. do not stay in the same horizontal plain as them for too long if you are fighting them. if you’re a gunner just wait for them to move into your plain so you get the first shot. if you’re a fighter and have suplex then just run suplex them all day but never approach them on the same plain, always come from above/below. for me run suplex worked best especially with the mutant gunners who tend to dodge often, if my suplex misses then i just continue running right pass them without getting shot.
dealing with puppeteers - i’d say it’s mandatory to have back hop cancel. try to restrict yourself to doing your normal cancelable x combo as you can cancel at anytime when you see the rock/ice summon below your feet. it’s also important to stay where you can see your feet at all times, never have your feet hidden behind an object or enemy/party member.
avoid triggering more enemies - i believe some statues start immobile and come to life when you’re close to them…not quite sure. if that’s the case, stay away from them if you can help it and don’t need the extra room to deal with the current enemies on screen. there’s also one room that has a group of statues enclosed by dragon sculptures. needless to say don’t free them, defeat the puppeteers first before taking them on.
don’t work with idiots - self explanatory. they will contribute to hit count.
aside from avoiding hits you’re gonna have to build style and tech points.
building style points - try to work with a another person to help lengthen your juggles…comes in handy when you need a relaunch. with the gunner use a fast gun (i used a bow gun) and omit the final shot in your normal x combo. the final shot takes a while to activate and i might cause you to miss a juggle opportunity. use the grenade skill paired with your normal x combo to launch into juggle.
building tech points - haven’t a clue. just manages to build itself when i’m working for the style points. i heard hitting enemies in the back when they’re focused on another player or overkilling them will contribute to this score.
with the above advice i managed to clear all the puppet related quests (style, time, hits, grade, etc) on my first try with a 2 person team no coins nor items needed. just remember to be patient, that’s what it comes down to. all the enemies are really predictable, as long as you’re concentrating and not too focused on thrashing enemies over avoiding damage then you should be fine. good luck hope this helps.