Combos

[Dropboar]

I've been trying out longsword combos, and I'm just very confused. I don't see myself doing anything different and sometimes they work, other times Henry just swings normally, and sometimes the character just flat out refuses to do the 3rd or so swing at all no matter how hard I hit the trigger. I have stamina, I meet the weapon requirements, I'm using the correct combos for the weapon (longsword).

Wtf am I doing wrong? Is there some skill to make them actually function, is it a picosecond timing thing, or is it just RNG if the combo decides to work or not? So far just spamming masterstrikes over and over and over seems a million times easier than this, but I figured I'd at least give the combo system a try but this is actual agony. This can't possibly be working as intended (especially since you can just trivialize it completely with masterstrikes instead).

Gnarly & Tomcat don't really help, since I'm following the instructions and it's still a complete crapshoot. Using a longsword if that matters.

[Dropboar]

Did some more testing with the practice swords, and it doesn't seem to be a timing thing since it seems extremely generous. I tried to do it as wrong as I can and just buffer the next attack immediately after starting the previous one and it still works.. about 50% of the time. Sometimes Henry just loses his mojo or something, decides to give up on life and not attack. What a bizarre system, unless I'm bugged somehow?

[Toblm]

Just a matter of timing.
No particular in game skill.
But the basic longsword combos are fairly visually subtle.

[Patpat]

I kind of agree with you Dropbar, combos are not that useful vs perfect blocks mixed with masterstrikes

[Dropboar]

Originally posted by Patpat:

I kind of agree with you Dropbar, combos are not that useful vs perfect blocks mixed with masterstrikes

Yeah, I wouldn't mind them if I could understand why they don't work -sometimes-. Timing barely seems to be a thing, since you can buffer the next move the instant you start the previous one and it still counts, but only sometimes. I have zero idea why Henry just stops every couple of swings. Not worth risking it at all. Oh well.

[Furin]

Stamina might run low or out. Are the combos working for you with a shortsword? Shortsword is faster and easier to combo. Also, I might be wrong here, but I think enemies can ruin your combos by blocking or parrying at the right time.

Try doing the combos with the stamina potion and without, see if you notice a difference.

[Dropboar]

Originally posted by Furin:

Stamina might run low or out. Are the combos working for you with a shortsword? Shortsword is faster and easier to combo. Also, I might be wrong here, but I think enemies can ruin your combos by blocking or parrying at the right time.

Try doing the combos with the stamina potion and without, see if you notice a difference.

Plenty of stamina left. The blocking or parrying thing might be it, but I can't see any difference in the opponent's animation; they just block the same as every other time, but this time the followup just doesn't work. Shortswords did seem easier earlier, might have to switch back and check with them.

I wonder if the swords skill affects this? At 16 at the moment.

[Patpat]

No I'm in the 20s and same stuff here, plus the headache to try to apply combos while fighting multiple foes, it's not what is best implemented here I guess.

[Patpat]

Move strike, perfect block, move, adapt & masterstrike. Rinse & repeat is what works best for me so far.

[Furin]

Well one situation I can imagine is if you want to do the easy right left right (stomachstab from right to left) combo , but then the enemy has a shield (left hand but your right side) and blocks, so you'd need to do a left right left combo instead. Just guessing here really.

[Dropboar]

Switched to a shortsword, I'm doing nothing differently, and it always works now. The only exception is when the opponent does a specific parry animation that I didn't even spot before, but otherwise the combo goes off 100% of the time. No more Henry just randomly forgetting how to move his arms. Guess I'll forget about longswords.

Maybe longswords just need more skill, or maybe they're bugged or something, who knows. Timing doesn't seem to have anything to do with it as long as you chamber the next attack before the previous is finished.

[Patpat]

Maybe, mostly on longsword here and combos are hard

[Succundo]

Combos are not really your bread and butter in combat, assuming you have a good quality weapon many opponents simply won't survive till the end of the combo, and the ones that are decently armoured and could survive will also often be more skilled and thus more likely to interrupt the your strikes with a perfect block and/or riposte which breaks the combo.

It's a bit more reliable if you have the perks that reduce enemy combat ability such as the hound master's hell hound perk or speech's dreaded warrior and so on since intimidation will lower your enemy's skill level and make them less able to perfect block, also enemies have a much harder time reacting if you attack after a perfect dodge which you can also improve with another perk somewhere in the agility tree, combining all these modifiers is pretty much the only way to consistently get combos off against skilled enemies.

Also don't try to use combos when you are outnumbered unless you have a lot of distance from other enemies since groups will take advantage of you focusing strikes on one enemy by attacking from behind while you are trying to land combos.

[Furin]

Stamina poison on the sword > combos anyway :) Have fun!

[Patpat]

Originally posted by Furin:

Stamina poison on the sword > combos anyway :) Have fun!

Very good point

[Dropboar]

Originally posted by Succundo:

Combos are not really your bread and butter in combat, assuming you have a good quality weapon many opponents simply won't survive till the end of the combo, and the ones that are decently armoured and could survive will also often be more skilled and thus more likely to interrupt the your strikes with a perfect block and/or riposte which breaks the combo.

It's a bit more reliable if you have the perks that reduce enemy combat ability such as the hound master's hell hound perk or speech's dreaded warrior and so on since intimidation will lower your enemy's skill level and make them less able to perfect block, also enemies have a much harder time reacting if you attack after a perfect dodge which you can also improve with another perk somewhere in the agility tree, combining all these modifiers is pretty much the only way to consistently get combos off against skilled enemies.

Also don't try to use combos when you are outnumbered unless you have a lot of distance from other enemies since groups will take advantage of you focusing strikes on one enemy by attacking from behind while you are trying to land combos.

Ye, that's fine as long as I know what's causing it; with longswords I just couldn't continue seemingly randomly. Enemy blocks normally, follow up strike refuses to happen at all, I'm left scratching my head.

Tested with Gnarly, and at least against him switching to shortswords fixed that completely for me. Felt more like a bug than anything else; at least the game should give you some indicator what's causing that in practice fights if it's actually intended. I might very well have missed something, but hey, shortswords work.