Button Mashing

[Dances_with_Zombies]

After around 30h I find the combat system really dull. Combat is just horrible RB button mashing with special abilites, where you can only choose 4 of them in the combat itself. The dodge/parry is also very clumbsy. I find it really irritating to push RB and LB simultaneously, instead I often just press LB (like in many other games), which of course does not work. Because of this, it just use X to dash away and dont parry attacks. There is surprisingly low depth in the combat system, despite being so intensly used in this game.

How do you work around the obvious issues of the combat system?

[Grubbs008]

You get 8 in total. You have to unlock it.

[jack_of_tears]

Okay, first, it sounds like playing with a controller isn't the right match for you - try playing it with Keyboard & Mouse.

Second, there are 8 slots you can keep on a switchable melee weapon set (2 sets of 4 slots) and another 4 slot bar just for archery.

Third, because I play on K+M, I find the combat very enjoyable, it requires player skill and timing at all levels, even as you gain new powers.

This is one of the few games I've played where the combat itself was enjoyable enough that I look forward to getting into fights.

[Nicky]

You only need to press Q to parry if using keyboard and space for dodge. When you unlock all 8 skils you hit ` key next to 1 to change rows.

[tonypa]

Over 200 hours played so far and never used Parry. Dodge away with Space, this will also slow down enemies (could be unlockable feature).

But in general, you don't use normal attacks that much. Use your skills instead if already in melee fight, or assassinate enemies using stealth, or use bow to kill them from far.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by tonypa:

Over 200 hours played so far and never used Parry. Dodge away with Space, this will also slow down enemies (could be unlockable feature).

Parry is a great way to deal with people using shields unless they're wielding heavy weapons as seems to always happen in later game.

[tonypa]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by tonypa:

Over 200 hours played so far and never used Parry. Dodge away with Space, this will also slow down enemies (could be unlockable feature).

Parry is a great way to deal with people using shields unless they're wielding heavy weapons as seems to always happen in later game.

Sure, but you don't have to use parry. You can deal with shields in other ways.

[Darth Wadewilson]

There are so many ways to make the combat interesting.. Dodge dodge and a quick headshot which I always like.. dodge with locking on so you land right behind... Different abilities which you can keep cycling after a while.. it's button smashing only if you let it be like that..

Also.. I play with keyboard and mouse.. so don't know whether it's a gamepad only feeling..

[Panzerlied]

Over 700 hours, and there are obvious issues with the combat system. It's a simple measure of parry, dodge, roll, and that's it. There is of course the issue where when you press the dodge button, spacebar in my case, the character doesn't always dodge. Likewise when I hold down space to roll, and hold down a movement key, instead of rolling toward my target I'll roll twenty feet away from them. Parrying seems to be the only reliable thing since it has a large window for the parry to take place and it can block multiple attacks from the same direction within that window as well.

Sure you can mix abilities in to change things up, but after a while even that gets stale. Some abilities which have tracking, like Sparta Kick for instance, won't always trigger the tracking. I'll end up kicking air while my enemy moves away, and other times I'll trigger it when they're moving away and my character will leap forward ten feet to kick them in the chest.

I would have preferred turtleing with a shield like in Origins over this, but alas, that'll never happen. Granted, this has to do with me playing purely Warrior. I tried the other playstyles and I dislike them a lot. It also bugs me that almost every piece of gear has Hunter or Assassin engravings attached to them. It took me hundreds of hours to find an Epic Bow that had Warrior engravings, that's pretty dumb honestly.

However if you don't like taking damage, find yourself the Greek Heroes set, and engrave all of the damage resistance you can onto it, and no one will ever hurt you again.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by Reyns:

.. it's button smashing only if you let it be like that..

Also.. I play with keyboard and mouse.. so don't know whether it's a gamepad only feeling..

Seriously, as a K+M player, I really enjoy the combat in this game. Fighting groups of strong foes can be a real heart-pounding challenge and some bosses will keep you on the edge of your seat (and some won't). I think they hit a solid balance between tactical thought and quick skill in their system.

Keep in mind, I'm only a mediocre combatant in any game, so it may be my poor skills which keep it engaging for me, but I play a lot of games and this is one of the few that makes me consistently excited for combat.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by X Ulfhedinn Panzerlied:

It took me hundreds of hours to find an Epic Bow that had Warrior engravings, that's pretty dumb honestly.

It makes no sense to have a bow with warrior engravings because every power you use with your bow is a Hunter ability which might take advantage of Assassin bonuses. The bow is where you want your Hunter benefits stacked if you rarely use it (so at least you have some).

[Mujokan]

Well I hope you have the difficulty turned up to nightmare if you find the combat dull...

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

Originally posted by X Ulfhedinn Panzerlied:

It took me hundreds of hours to find an Epic Bow that had Warrior engravings, that's pretty dumb honestly.

It makes no sense to have a bow with warrior engravings because every power you use with your bow is a Hunter ability which might take advantage of Assassin bonuses. The bow is where you want your Hunter benefits stacked if you rarely use it (so at least you have some).

If you are specialized as warrior then of course you want warrior engravings on every piece of equipment. It doesn't matter where the engravings are, they just add together.

But there is no way it should take that long to find a bow with warrior engravings, if you look at every blacksmith you are near it should be very quick. There will be a few epic bows at every one and they have a one in three chance of being for warriors. To get a perfect bow with several matching engravings you want will take a while, but just to have "warrior" at the top is easy.

[Panzerlied]

Originally posted by jack_of_tears:

It makes no sense to have a bow with warrior engravings because every power you use with your bow is a Hunter ability which might take advantage of Assassin bonuses. The bow is where you want your Hunter benefits stacked if you rarely use it (so at least you have some).

Well if I'm playing strictly as a Warrior.....

Besides, the only time I ever use the bow is to hunt animals for leather, or randomly shoot oil pots. I honestly wish I could un-equip the bow.

Originally posted by Mujokan:

Well I hope you have the difficulty turned up to nightmare if you find the combat dull...

I've found increasing difficulty doesn't change the combat, just the tankiness of enemies. Which doesn't fix the issues I now have with the game.

Originally posted by Mujokan:

If you are specialized as warrior then of course you want warrior engravings on every piece of equipment. It doesn't matter where the engravings are, they just add together.

But there is no way it should take that long to find a bow with warrior engravings, if you look at every blacksmith you are near it should be very quick. There will be a few epic bows at every one and they have a one in three chance of being for warriors. To get a perfect bow with several matching engravings you want will take a while, but just to have "warrior" at the top is easy.

Pretty much. I've also found that the game rewards the Hunter and Assassin playtyles much more to the point of stacking base damage to a terribly proportioned amount against Warrior playstyles. It's like the game itself forces encourages you to play two out of the three playstyles exclusively.

[Zloth]

700 hours!?!? The only games I know that don't get stale after that long are multiplayer - and then it's more about having fun with friends than the game itself. Then you limit yourself to just the melee weapons? I'm amazed you're still playing!

[Panzerlied]

Originally posted by Zloth:

700 hours!?!? The only games I know that don't get stale after that long are multiplayer - and then it's more about having fun with friends than the game itself. Then you limit yourself to just the melee weapons? I'm amazed you're still playing!

I've literally always wanted an Open World game set in Ancient Greece as I absolutely love the era. Hell when Spartan Total Warrior was a thing on Xbox I played it so much I wore the disc out haha.

[Apokalypt]

Well, this is a bit a sickness with all the open world (a)rpgs. The witcher 3, Skyrim etc. The fighting was always mediocre in such games.