So, what's the deal with low attacks?

[Michanicks]

I know there is dozen ways of avoiding them (walk away, parry, snap kick, block etc.), it's just i can't react to them fast enough. They almost not telegraphed (or maybe with exception of flashkicks not telegraphed at all, they are so fast i am not even sure) and i have to not only recognize the low hit, i should also use this time to reajust the fingers and press "avoid" in the right moment, not too fast, not too slow - which sounds nice on paper but on practice low strikes are fast as lightning and seems to be not telegraphed at all, and can be mixed into regular combo.

I am not even sure if i can learn the combos, because when Artist boss does a combo mix up in 6-7 strikes and you have to react to them on the fly, it feels like something beyond regular human reaction. I am not even sure if developer realises that her phase 2 is much more easier simply because there is no low attack mixap anymore, you can use your reaction just to parry and avoid her. So either dev is expected second phase of the boss to be easier than the first one or they don't realise how difficult enemy low attacks are.

I've read the forums and didn't saw anyone saying anything good for enemy low attacks. Seems to be a common problem.

[JAG]

Originally posted by Michanicks:

I've read the forums and didn't saw anyone saying anything good for enemy low attacks

To be fair, it's not like forums are often used to praise things

Telegraphing and reactability are definitely subjective. The way I see it, the vast majority of the attacks in the game (apart from grabs and a few starters) are not telegraphed/are not meant to be reactable, which is kinda part of the point. The game is far more about memorising movesets than reacting to them. This also includes just knowing when a low attack is gonna come (one of Disciple combos, post-parry Flashkick, HLLH and LHLH on Kuroki), which admittedly will take a good while to rote-learn. It is what it is.

Don't forget that you've got access to the Free Training mode in the Wuguan!

[Michanicks]

Originally posted by JAG:

Originally posted by Michanicks:

I've read the forums and didn't saw anyone saying anything good for enemy low attacks

To be fair, it's not like forums are often used to praise things

Telegraphing and reactability are definitely subjective. The way I see it, the vast majority of the attacks in the game (apart from grabs and a few starters) are not telegraphed/are not meant to be reactable, which is kinda part of the point. The game is far more about memorising movesets than reacting to them. This also includes just knowing when a low attack is gonna come (one of Disciple combos, post-parry Flashkick, HLLH and LHLH on Kuroki), which admittedly will take a good while to rote-learn. It is what it is.

Don't forget that you've got access to the Free Training mode in the Wuguan!

So, it's actually about learning movesets? Should i block first hits of Kuroki to learn what combo she about to do or there is some way to recognize her first strikes? Maybe there is, but it's just happens so fast that i have to ask here.

[JAG]

Originally posted by Michanicks:

Should i block first hits of Kuroki to learn what combo she about to do or there is some way to recognize her first strikes? Maybe there is, but it's just happens so fast that i have to ask here.

Generally - yes, blocking/deflecting is definitely more viable as far as reacting goes, which goes for all enemies, not just Kuroki. Blocking the first hit (or the first few) should give you ample time to recognise the rest of the pattern, and act accordingly. The timings for Kuroki's first hits are fairly similar, and it's way simpler to just do one input instead of two context-sensitive inputs.

Useful bit of knowledge - blocking while holding a weapon nullifies chip damage, reduces the structure damage that you take, and weapon health is only spent when attacking. This means that bringing a weapon is very good for Kuroki's phase 1, as you can block indefinitely at almost no cost.

It is technically possible to react to her first strikes, but yea, "it just happens so fast" is a pretty accurate descriptor.

[Michanicks]

Originally posted by JAG:

Originally posted by Michanicks:

Should i block first hits of Kuroki to learn what combo she about to do or there is some way to recognize her first strikes? Maybe there is, but it's just happens so fast that i have to ask here.

Generally - yes, blocking/deflecting is definitely more viable as far as reacting goes, which goes for all enemies, not just Kuroki. Blocking the first hit (or the first few) should give you ample time to recognise the rest of the pattern, and act accordingly. The timings for Kuroki's first hits are fairly similar, and it's way simpler to just do one input instead of two context-sensitive inputs.

Useful bit of knowledge - blocking while holding a weapon nullifies chip damage, reduces the structure damage that you take, and weapon health is only spent when attacking. This means that bringing a weapon is very good for Kuroki's phase 1, as you can block indefinitely at almost no cost.

It is technically possible to react to her first strikes, but yea, "it just happens so fast" is a pretty accurate descriptor.

Thank you for the help. Can you give me a quick description of viability of all the totems from left to right? It seems you have a lot of knowledge and expierence. Like example, i still don't know if "gain more focus on parry and avoids" is worth it, and i am not very eager to upgrade melee because melee isn't always avaible as opposed to upgrading deflects and avoids (which are always aviable).

[JAG]

Originally posted by Michanicks:

Can you give me a quick description of viability of all the totems from left to right?

A lot of shrine bonuses come down to personal preference/playstyle, really. Parry Impact is a must-have in all scenarios imo, but other than that, there aren't really any objectively worse or objectively better ones. If you don't find yourself using Focus too often (for example, only using it to escape a sticky situation), then don't spec into it. If you get hit a lot, getting Health Gained on Takedowns and Structure Reserve might be a good call. The only one I would advise against is "Death Counter", because, like... why would you use it.

For what it's worth, the game does provide you with at least one weapon every room or every other room (including the ones that enemies already hold in their hands), it's just that they break fairly quickly without Weapon Durability. Experiment, see how far a weapon can get you if you spec into that!

[Michanicks]

Originally posted by JAG:

Originally posted by Michanicks:

Can you give me a quick description of viability of all the totems from left to right?

A lot of shrine bonuses come down to personal preference/playstyle, really. Parry Impact is a must-have in all scenarios imo, but other than that, there aren't really any objectively worse or objectively better ones. If you don't find yourself using Focus too often (for example, only using it to escape a sticky situation), then don't spec into it. If you get hit a lot, getting Health Gained on Takedowns and Structure Reserve might be a good call. The only one I would advise against is "Death Counter", because, like... why would you use it.

For what it's worth, the game does provide you with at least one weapon every room or every other room (including the ones that enemies already hold in their hands), it's just that they break fairly quickly without Weapon Durability. Experiment, see how far a weapon can get you if you spec into that!

Okay. Thank you again for the help.

You say people don't use forums to praise things? I gonna say it's one of the best games i ever played.