Some thoughts on combat

For issues concerning melee or ranged combat (non-magic).
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Lilith
Posts: 8
Character: Lilean

Some thoughts on combat

Post by Lilith » July 15th, 2021, 3:32 pm

1. Throwing seems fun to play with, although the weapon going to inventory is pretty obnoxious sometimes. Could there be a feat to enable throwers to "fail catching" the weapon less or, alternative a command that make it possible to disable character trying to throw into melee combat?

2. Bleed attack on swords is hyuuuuge! The difference in transitioning from wrestling to SMS was like switching between day and night. Getting an extra +50 damage (sum of all bleed ticks) or more as a special weapon move in a fast weapon such as cutlass makes sure that even an undergeared warrior with low skill and dish out reliable damage on the strongest of opponents. It felt like I was hitting a brick walls with my claws. Maybe the bleed attack could be available for some other weapon types too? I'm not an expert when it comes to end-game character set-ups, but in early- to mid-game SMS seems to overshadow other weapon types hard.

3. Heavy armors - The only ways I can justify myself not to use them is that I can't stealth in them or they're just not available enough on the market. I feel like the HP+ they give alone is strong enough reason to favour them over lighter armour types, but on top of that the extra resistance they give is just so good. It doesn't much to realise how large of a difference does it make to run around in around 60% resistances instead of 40%. Not only is the HP pool easier to keep up with healing, but the pool is larger to begin with. I feel like the plate armour could do even without the extra HP-boost.

The Broken Sword
Posts: 120
Character: Alaric

Re: Some thoughts on combat

Post by The Broken Sword » July 16th, 2021, 12:53 am

1. Throwing seems fun to play with, although the weapon going to inventory is pretty obnoxious sometimes. Could there be a feat to enable throwers to "fail catching" the weapon less or, alternative a command that make it possible to disable character trying to throw into melee combat?
That's some solid feedback, I've only toyed around with throwing a small bit, but it seems that you're really only at risk of "dropping" your throwing weapon if you're in melee range with your target. This seems like an appropriate "debuff" for a throwing weapon. Though, it would be interesting to see some ability to perhaps toggle a "melee" mode which could either prevent you from throwing the weapon altogether or perhaps using it as an improvised weapon in melee range. Though, I suppose that has to be weighed against the overall balance of weapons.


2. Bleed attack on swords is hyuuuuge! The difference in transitioning from wrestling to SMS was like switching between day and night. Getting an extra +50 damage (sum of all bleed ticks) or more as a special weapon move in a fast weapon such as cutlass makes sure that even an undergeared warrior with low skill and dish out reliable damage on the strongest of opponents. It felt like I was hitting a brick walls with my claws. Maybe the bleed attack could be available for some other weapon types too? I'm not an expert when it comes to end-game character set-ups, but in early- to mid-game SMS seems to overshadow other weapon types hard.
Bleed is the most well-rounded, if over-used, SWM on the market at the moment -- I believe staff has acknowledged this, and a SWM/Weapon Balance review is going to be conducted at some point down the road. Though, I would like to suggest that bleed isn't necessarily the best SWM to use in every situation. I have anecdotal experiences of watching warriors with over-reliance on bleed's DOT get completely floored by mobs that were impervious to said bleed. They had not prepared for this, and couldn't really finish their run of the dungeon because of that failure to prepare. Which, for a non-sword user, was humorous to me. There are certainly a few other SWMs out there that are nice to have, but none as the "tag it" and "dance" strategy. Wrestling weapons appear to be better suited toward quick application of toxins/poisons, and overall decent PvP abilities, rather than PvE and Axes have their strengths as well. I'd encourage you to look through all the combat related skills and read up on their perks. There's a lot of synergy to be found in skills if you know where to look.


3. Heavy armors - The only ways I can justify myself not to use them is that I can't stealth in them or they're just not available enough on the market. I feel like the HP+ they give alone is strong enough reason to favour them over lighter armour types, but on top of that the extra resistance they give is just so good. It doesn't much to realise how large of a difference does it make to run around in around 60% resistances instead of 40%. Not only is the HP pool easier to keep up with healing, but the pool is larger to begin with. I feel like the plate armour could do even without the extra HP-boost.
I agree that heavy armor is pretty dope. Yet, it has it's place, and that's generally in front -- the HP bonus is nice, even more so if you have an EO or MW set of armor; but, all armor classes get these HP bonuses to some degree. Where strength provides the most HP buffs, it also takes the most away from your swing speed, your stamina pool, your intelligence, and your mana pool. Yes, there's warriors running around with 1 Intelligence -- which is.. funny. However, medium armor and light armor also have their roles to play in combat balance. Light armor provides a 15% chance to deflect magic, and that's also huge. I've seen people escape what was certain death by avoiding a couple of well timed spells in that armor. Medium is pretty strong too, with it's bonuses to HCI and reduced costs for SWMs. Ultimately, it's about finding the right fit for your playstyle, and your skills.


Kudos for the combat review! These are just my opinions, and I'm not trying to shut you down at all. Just having a conversation. =)

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