Hello. How does one "get better" at game play?

[PuffyTheMagicalDragon]

Do people do certain training modes to practice timing of counters and combos?

I made it to Platinum in Ranked, so I think I'm doing okay for a noob, but I would like to get better. Is there regular practice routines pros do to keep up their timing or a combo guide in free mode people use regularly?

Thanks for any tips! I almost never counter in game, so I know I need to start using it. Do people rebind it to another key besides "g"?

[Leonid]

If you don’t have a teacher who will train with you in the user lobby with a microphone, then your best bet is to visit the arena on Penglai Island, where players challenge each other, watch them, and fight yourself

[老ra狗]

There are many combos in naraka， and you can practice them in the practice mode. "钩锁百裂"（Sorry, i am a chinese and i don't know its english.）Is one of the most simple and basic combos. You can search it on YouTube and try to practice it. It's my honor to be your friend and practice it with you. And about the counter, You can use the buttons on the side of the mouse.

[凤凰院 凶真]

You can probably bind your counter attack key to your mouse side button and try to predict and counter attack as much as possible when you are sure. You can also try to do more pure combat.

[na]

Maybe not related to the rock-paper-scissors side of things but positioning is definitely key to survival especially against more skilled players. Do you know like how in games like Dark Souls/Nioh you can use door openings/rocks/ledges to your advantage? Combined with pole weapons you might just be able to use those strategies to punish overly aggressive/armored opponents and chip a lot of damage. As I said high elo players are already doing this so you also need to counter it by doing the same, basically just try hugging tree trunk/fences/walls/inclines/boulders always, also helps negate ranged damage or angry ultimates like Lannie, Cyra, Hadi etc.

EDIT: Oh yeah and as poster below pointed out, movement is also important as well! Sometimes you can avoid multiple opponents attacks by utilizing dodge instead of parry, parry will counter the focused attack but if you are getting teamed then dodging will also negate basic attacks. To get a little more into dodging, it is also positioning based in some cases as well, you can avoid things like damage from fans or Zai's ult or any other cone shaped attacks by dodging/sliding towards the attacker and maybe resetting the fight/getting them to chase. You have to chase and KO them before they take too much space or else their ultimate/cooldowns can reset or they rush to res their teammates or heal and will easily reverse the game on you! If you play modes involving team play like trios or duos try to jiggle your opponents around and always consider your teammate's map positioning and try not to unintentionally bait one another.

[Verax]

The problem with a lot of players that want to improve-- they are too proud to play against bots.

Yet, they find themselves struggling to improve.

You need lots of PRACTICE to improve at this game-- not just the guidance/teaching of an experienced player. That would certainly help someone improve much faster, as they'll at least know what key elements of the gameplay and strategy they should anticipate from other players.

The thing is, that kind of guidance still won't make you memorize the various combo sequences of all of the various weapons, and how and when to use that to counter or bait out counters. That muscle memory of knowing "oh, their blue is about to come out if they don't cancel" without thinking about it doesn't happen without lots of repetition. That means lots of practice.

You need practice to get good at movement as well. The players that win the most matches are the best at movement, not necessarily always the best at fighting. They can and will pick their engagements, and always end up at the end of a match. I'm not necessarily describing pure "ratting" aka just hiding the entire time-- but the ability to outrun anyone will keep you alive.

Essentially, this game requires a LOT of practice to master and actually consistently play at a high level, and it also has some of the best bots/AI I've seen in many games. Sure, it has some bots that play like their brain is oozing out of their ears, but it also has bots that play very smart and practically auto-counter you if you don't bait them. So there's a wide amount of bot variety and it makes such a great training mode just to play bot matches frequently to warm up before playing real ones.

I can tell you-- if you play enough bot matches you eventually will start getting placed occasionally in other players' bot matches... and it's hilarious when that happens. It's almost like the game is trying to tell you "you're ready." XD

Anyway, you sound like you're doing well so far. Lemme just tell you though the bots are your secret weapon if you wanna get good at countering. You get a lot of practice and eventually you'll just "feel" when it's time to counter. A smart player may still manage to bait you into countering at the wrong time, but you'll still be much more successful with it. Anyway, good luck regardless.