What is frontal attack?

[Hedning]

Looking on the internet it's the same as back attack but from the front, but I can't see any abilities with front attack (I'm sorceress), yet I have done some apparently. Do they mean counter?

[PandaSav]

I believe Sorcs are neither frontal or back, they have high damage output from splash abilities. Hence many use "HitMaster" engraving to maximise this. PS - You can check the boss Grey and blue indicators. If you do hits around the grey radius you get "Frontal Attack" text, similar to blue vice versa.

[Detergent]

Not all skills are front or back attacks. The ones that are should say it in the skills tooltip. Where it says "Stagger: Low" is the same area you will see "Attack Type: Back Attack"
But as mentioned above, you will not find any front or back attacks on Sorc skills.
You probably did some front or back attacks while riding that mech suit or something for the story.

Back Attacks deal 5% bonus damage and have 10% increased Critical Chance
Front Attacks deal 20% bonus damage and have 10% increased Stagger and Weak Point

[Hedning]

Clearly you guys don't play sorceress. Both her counter abilities have back attack, so it is impossible to play her and think she doesn't have it.

Originally posted by RandomHero:

Not all skills are front or back attacks. The ones that are should say it in the skills tooltip.

I know this, and as I said I could not see any abilities with front attack.

Originally posted by RandomHero:

You probably did some front or back attacks while riding that mech suit or something for the story.

That's a plausible explanation. I was thinking maybe it's different in pvp or there is some tripod that adds it, but since you guys don't play sorc maybe someone else can answer?

[Dragonmaster]

Essentially what the others have said is correct though.
Front & Back Attacks happen when you attack from the front OR back arch of an enemy with a skill that is specific to front or back (which grants bonuses to the attack when done front or back respectively).

These can sometimes be creditied back during the tutorials or from using ridables (like the mech) as well as one's own skills. The mech DOES have some front attack "attacks" which is done both during the story dungeon in Arethine AND during the chaos sequence during the south vern questline.

I also believe the sorc's gale skill (the counter one) IS a front attack "attack" which counts as a front attack when used in the front (regardless if it counters).

[Hosenbund]

Originally posted by Hedning:

Clearly you guys don't play sorceress. Both her counter abilities have back attack, so it is impossible to play her and think she doesn't have it.

Originally posted by RandomHero:

Not all skills are front or back attacks. The ones that are should say it in the skills tooltip.

I know this, and as I said I could not see any abilities with front attack.

Originally posted by RandomHero:

You probably did some front or back attacks while riding that mech suit or something for the story.

That's a plausible explanation. I was thinking maybe it's different in pvp or there is some tripod that adds it, but since you guys don't play sorc maybe someone else can answer?

the front or back attacks some classes have dont matter at all though.. u want to back or front attack for additional damage and crit rate.. which gets boosted even further with relic sets and engravings.. so u on such classes u deal insanely much more damage when u use the back or front attack
but the counter on sorceress for example doesnt matter at all, since u are not boosting the damage of it, and the counter skill of the sorceress isnt even a skill used for damage

[Purpleganja]

Some classes have more directional attacks than others.
If you have mostly one type of direction on your skills, you can benefit a lot from getting the fitting engraving (ambush master or master brawler). If you mostly have no direction, you benefit from the hit master engraving. I don't play sorceress, so I can't say for sure, but she sounded like a hit master type.

If you have not enough skills with the same direction, take none of those engravings.

[Detergent]

Originally posted by Hedning:

Clearly you guys don't play sorceress. Both her counter abilities have back attack, so it is impossible to play her and think she doesn't have it.

Calm down bro. Was just trying to help. And yes you are correct, the counters are in fact back attacks for some strange reason.
If you could find it in your heart to forgive me for overlooking 2 skills I don't use, that would be great.

Here is my impossible Sorc. Only 1460 but I do in fact have one.
https://gyazo.com/29d7a10fb6a9d36bcf0021ca393c8c6e

[Hedning]

Originally posted by RandomHero:

Originally posted by Hedning:

Clearly you guys don't play sorceress. Both her counter abilities have back attack, so it is impossible to play her and think she doesn't have it.

Calm down bro. Was just trying to help. And yes you are correct, the counters are in fact back attacks for some strange reason.
If you could find it in your heart to forgive me for overlooking 2 skills I don't use, that would be great.

Here is my impossible Sorc. Only 1460 but I do in fact have one.
https://gyazo.com/29d7a10fb6a9d36bcf0021ca393c8c6e

Of course I forgive you. Don't take it so personally, but if someone says something I know to be wrong it affects how I treat other info from that person. This is off topic, but why would you not have a counter anyway?

[Hedning]

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Essentially what the others have said is correct though.
Front & Back Attacks happen when you attack from the front OR back arch of an enemy with a skill that is specific to front or back (which grants bonuses to the attack when done front or back respectively).

Sure but that was not the info I was looking for. I was wondering how I have done front attacks when no skill I currently have says it does front attack.

[Dragonmaster]

Originally posted by Hedning:

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Essentially what the others have said is correct though.
Front & Back Attacks happen when you attack from the front OR back arch of an enemy with a skill that is specific to front or back (which grants bonuses to the attack when done front or back respectively).

Sure but that was not the info I was looking for. I was wondering how I have done front attacks when no skill I currently have says it does front attack.

Which you skipped over the 2nd paragrah in my post.

These can sometimes be credited back during the tutorials or from using ridables (like the mech) as well as one's own skills. The mech DOES have some front attack "attacks" which is done both during the story dungeon in Arethine AND during the chaos sequence during the south vern questline.

If you've done either that specific dungeon OR South Vern, its possible to get front attacks DUE to RIDABLES which ARE credited to your character.

[Detergent]

I would end up with dry spots where all my skills are on CD. So its Elegian's Touch or Squall for my 8th skill. 99% of the time im running Elegian's Touch for defense.
I think the only time I ever switched to Squall was when Valtan just came out and we were learning the fight. Counters being a big deal and all for that fight.

[Purpleganja]

There was a patch that changed direction or removed frontal attack from many classes' counter skill. Maybe you played before it and scored frontals without noticing.
Is it about an achievement?

[Hedning]

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Which you skipped over the 2nd paragrah in my post.

I didn't skip it. It was already said earlier in this thread so I just didn't comment on it again.

[Hedning]

Originally posted by Purpleganja:

There was a patch that changed direction or removed frontal attack from many classes' counter skill. Maybe you played before it and scored frontals without noticing.
Is it about an achievement?

I saw it in arc pass -> view missions.
I unlocked the arc pass somewhat recently. I think it was when I reached t3, so like a week ago. The mech thing is a part of South Vern story so it could have been there. That's why I consider it plausible.

[Purpleganja]

Yeah probably south vern, the patch was at the beginning of summer iirc.
If you need to do more, an alt gunlancer or destroyer will do lots of them.