Fighting axe enemies with a heavy weapon is miserable.

[Callum]

This isn't really feedback, just me shouting into the uncaring void, but by god does it feel like ass to hit an enemy, watch them flinch, them watch them recover from that flinch and consequently knock you down and instantly kill you while you're powerless to act from the endlag of your successful attack. Like, whoo boy, I sure do love healing every time an enemy hits me even if I'm at 90% health because there's a chance they're going to randomly decide to execute me, yay.

[Nikt]

You just need a better gear and plate armor probably. I played with light weight and 2h sword and enemies in crucible almost one shoted me. Then i equipped plate armor and i can just ignore them. My attacks stagger every enemy except big guys and 2h swordsmans, they deal like 24dmg if it was a heavy strike and less if it was a regular attack and they die in 2-4 hits.

[Callum]

Originally posted by Nikt:

You just need a better gear and plate armor probably. I played with light weight and 2h sword and enemies in crucible almost one shoted me. Then i equipped plate armor and i can just ignore them. My attacks stagger every enemy except big guys and 2h swordsmans, they deal like 24dmg if it was a heavy strike and less if it was a regular attack and they die in 2-4 hits.

I'm not lightly armoured, I'm wearing the Vagabond set so I have close to 300 defense. And I do stagger them, I'm using the Spalled Axe they flinch with every hit. The problem is that sometimes they recover from that stagger with an instant handle bash, and I can do nothing about it. I'm not angry that they kill me in one hit, I can settle with that. It's that they kill me in one ENTIRELY UNAVOIDABLE hit. The only solution would be to switch to a swifter weapon class, which obviously I don't wanna do because I like using heavy weapons and this is the ONLY enemy type that does this.

It just feels crappy to have my Crucible run ended by nasty RNG while I have literally no say in the matter.

I don't want to abandon my preferred style of play to deal with a single enemy because they have the off chance of shutting me down because I successfully landed a hit on them, because then I'm going to struggle with everything else that I'm not used to fighting with heavy rolling. And I don't want to change my weapon, because I don't have anything better or more fun.

[Midnight]

Yeah the handle bash into guaranteed follow-up feels really bad. The only attack in the game I feel is actually kinda unfair. It also doesn't apply to all enemies who have this attack combo, some you can recover from and dodge. So it seems kinda broken rather than intended.

You can get around it though. Enemies use it in two scenarios. When you are close to them after their combo. And after you hit them twice.

Most enemies in the game seem to be coded to recover after taking two flinching hits. So hit them twice and then you must dodge unless you want to eat the handle bash.

[Callum]

Originally posted by Midnight:

Yeah the handle bash into guaranteed follow-up feels really bad. The only attack in the game I feel is actually kinda unfair. It also doesn't apply to all enemies who have this attack combo, some you can recover from and dodge. So it seems kinda broken rather than intended.

You can get around it though. Enemies use it in two scenarios. When you are close to them after their combo. And after you hit them twice.

Most enemies in the game seem to be coded to recover after taking two flinching hits. So hit them twice and then you must dodge unless you want to eat the handle bash.

If you're using a slow enough weapon, they'll actually sometimes use it after your first strike. And you'll posture break them in two anyway, so the issue is reversed. You just have a chance that if you hit one of these guys, they very well might decide that tonight is not your night.

[tatmouse89]

the axe enemies just shoving you down and getting a guaranteed 20% damage follow up does suck a lot. It's an unreactable move that punishes you for having the audacity to swing at an enemy twice. Very annoying.

[Callum]

I think the main pain point is that the handle bash does the damage of a full attack on it's own. So the game is balancing the damage as though you took two attacks, when in reality it's a single attack that does double the damage of anything else at it's relevant level.

[Nikt]

Originally posted by Callum:

Originally posted by Nikt:

You just need a better gear and plate armor probably. I played with light weight and 2h sword and enemies in crucible almost one shoted me. Then i equipped plate armor and i can just ignore them. My attacks stagger every enemy except big guys and 2h swordsmans, they deal like 24dmg if it was a heavy strike and less if it was a regular attack and they die in 2-4 hits.

I'm not lightly armoured, I'm wearing the Vagabond set so I have close to 300 defense. And I do stagger them, I'm using the Spalled Axe they flinch with every hit. The problem is that sometimes they recover from that stagger with an instant handle bash, and I can do nothing about it. I'm not angry that they kill me in one hit, I can settle with that. It's that they kill me in one ENTIRELY UNAVOIDABLE hit. The only solution would be to switch to a swifter weapon class, which obviously I don't wanna do because I like using heavy weapons and this is the ONLY enemy type that does this.

It just feels crappy to have my Crucible run ended by nasty RNG while I have literally no say in the matter.

I don't want to abandon my preferred style of play to deal with a single enemy because they have the off chance of shutting me down because I successfully landed a hit on them, because then I'm going to struggle with everything else that I'm not used to fighting with heavy rolling. And I don't want to change my weapon, because I don't have anything better or more fun.

> 300 defense
Probably that’s the reason. I have 680 and medium weight. Some YouTubers are close to 1k. My advice is: buy plate legs III from blacksmith and enchant it until you get good stats. Buy chest peace III and insert a bunch of gems in it and upgrade both to max lvl. That will give you around 600 armor iirc.

[Callum]

Originally posted by Nikt:

Originally posted by Callum:

I'm not lightly armoured, I'm wearing the Vagabond set so I have close to 300 defense. And I do stagger them, I'm using the Spalled Axe they flinch with every hit. The problem is that sometimes they recover from that stagger with an instant handle bash, and I can do nothing about it. I'm not angry that they kill me in one hit, I can settle with that. It's that they kill me in one ENTIRELY UNAVOIDABLE hit. The only solution would be to switch to a swifter weapon class, which obviously I don't wanna do because I like using heavy weapons and this is the ONLY enemy type that does this.

It just feels crappy to have my Crucible run ended by nasty RNG while I have literally no say in the matter.

I don't want to abandon my preferred style of play to deal with a single enemy because they have the off chance of shutting me down because I successfully landed a hit on them, because then I'm going to struggle with everything else that I'm not used to fighting with heavy rolling. And I don't want to change my weapon, because I don't have anything better or more fun.

> 300 defense
Probably that’s the reason. I have 680 and medium weight. Some YouTubers are close to 1k. My advice is: buy plate legs III from blacksmith and enchant it until you get good stats. Buy chest peace III and insert a bunch of gems in it and upgrade both to max lvl. That will give you around 600 armor iirc.

I do appreciate that you're trying to help, but I feel like you're missing the point. I don't mind that I die easily. I'm a glass cannon, it's what I do. I don't like dying to unavoidable damage. I don't like that my favourite weapon class is unusable on my build because there is an enemy that can decide to kill me at any time.

I don't mind dying in one hit. I mind that that hit comes with through no fault of my own. There is a way for me to BUILD around it, yes, but that comes at the cost of sacrificing my fun against every single other enemy type. I don't like that my build is completely and wholly invalidated by the whims of dice against a single enemy with no counterPLAY. If I wanted to, I could absolutely change my weapon or armour, but it'd be trading occasional spouts of frustration for constant malaise. In the first place, armour isn't what's causing me to take damage here. It's the fact that this enemy's move literally comes out too quickly, even after having to recover from being staggered, for me to take appropriate measures about it. Any other time the handle bash hits me I can grin and bear it, because that's my fault, I should have avoided it. When it comes at a time literally unavoidable, that's when the cracks start to form.

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally posted by Callum:

This isn't really feedback, just me shouting into the uncaring void, but by god does it feel like ass to hit an enemy, watch them flinch, them watch them recover from that flinch and consequently knock you down and instantly kill you while you're powerless to act from the endlag of your successful attack. Like, whoo boy, I sure do love healing every time an enemy hits me even if I'm at 90% health because there's a chance they're going to randomly decide to execute me, yay.

Just dodge their attack and back stab them, works for almost every humanoid, think of then like the knights in dark souls.

[Callum]

Whether it does 10 damage or 1000, landing a hit on an enemy and getting slapped in the face for it just feels BAD.

I would get it if the enemy didn't stagger, like with some of the larger types that don't care about a single hit and will swing anyway. That would be on me for picking my window wrong. But the medium two-handed axe guys DO stagger, and then they immediately handle bash you, which with the endlag of my weapon comes at a rate I cannot avoid. I didn't choose my window wrong, I hit the enemy and stopped them doing whatever they were doing, but in return they hit me for completely unavoidable damage. This is a situation where within my bounds I did everything correctly, and was STILL punished for it.

[Callum]

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow:

Originally posted by Callum:

This isn't really feedback, just me shouting into the uncaring void, but by god does it feel like ass to hit an enemy, watch them flinch, them watch them recover from that flinch and consequently knock you down and instantly kill you while you're powerless to act from the endlag of your successful attack. Like, whoo boy, I sure do love healing every time an enemy hits me even if I'm at 90% health because there's a chance they're going to randomly decide to execute me, yay.

Just dodge their attack and back stab them, works for almost every humanoid, think of then like the knights in dark souls.

Again, this is perfect 90% of the time. But attacks cannot be cancelled out of in this game, not even the endlag of them. So when an enemy recovers from stagger and hits me faster than I pick my own weapon off the ground, there's nothing I can do.

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally posted by Callum:

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow:

Just dodge their attack and back stab them, works for almost every humanoid, think of then like the knights in dark souls.

Again, this is perfect 90% of the time. But attacks cannot be cancelled out of in this game, not even the endlag of them. So when an enemy recovers from stagger and hits me faster than I pick my own weapon off the ground, there's nothing I can do.

Heres what you can do:

Dont swing your weapon
Bait the enemy attack
Dodge behind them and backstab them.

This is by far the easiest way to kill 90% of humanoid enemies, the game even gives you a backstab icon.

Also dont sleep on using a bow in your offhand, they handle certain enemies very well.

[phroZac]

That's how it feels early on but as you gain levels(and plate armor), your armor and heavy weapon poise will get to the point where you can tank through big shots and whomp whomp just about anyone.

Also, fighting with a heavy weapon as a glass cannon is mental. Don't do that or you're asking to die. The whole philosophy behind maining a heavy weapon is trading hits. You need plate armor and/or a great affix game.

[CrazedBumblebee]

Getting 1000 isn't too difficult, I think I had 1020 at 1 point, was at about 950 for a while but i'm currently at about 680 because I found some better stats and am trying to run medium/normal instead of heavy. I pretty much just go in and smack stuff 'til it dies without having to take any hits, unless it's those super fast jump all over the place hit you from off-screen that you can't dodge guys, or the big dudes with the massive sticks (I just chain knock-them down).

Having 1000 armor is tough, because you need -weight affixes on them as well as buffs to your characters max weight to equip it. I find i'm better off with lighter stuff with good stamina stats instead.

[Callum]

Originally posted by phroZac:

That's how it feels early on but as you gain levels(and plate armor), your armor and heavy weapon poise will get to the point where you can tank through big shots and whomp whomp just about anyone.

Also, fighting with a heavy weapon as a glass cannon is mental. Don't do that or you're asking to die. The whole philosophy behind maining a heavy weapon is trading hits. You need plate armor and/or a great affix game.

I'm glad that you can enjoy the game that way, but face tanking hits isn't the way I have fun in this kind of game. And as for levels and armour, I'm not max level, sure, but I think the max is only 30 isn't it? I'm level 23 or 24. And I want to be normal rolling at MOST, since I like the mobility.

I don't know, am I really in the minority thinking that this enemy type shouldn't be able to animation cancel staggering into an attack? Because most of the time they do play out the full flinch animation, it's only by the whims of RNG that they'll sometimes pull out the handle bash by cancelling their stagger halfway through.