Bubbles
I'm forever blowing
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2013
- Messages
- 7,817
Looks like I'm apt to get this on a steam sale.
Anyway, Bubbles old boy, what're the combat options we got and how good/bad're they?
Posted this in the private forum:
There are three base stances/trees/equipment combos, between which you're supposed to switch freely during combat:
Warrior uses a two handed staff, with a primary single target attack that has the greatest range of all melee weapons (can do slight AoE damage as well if you take the corresponding talent), a slow AoE attack on Ctrl, a fast disruption attack bound to spacebar, and a silly side aerial as the dodge on rightclick.
Rogue uses a knife and a gun, with a primary single target attack that hits extremely quickly but has minimal range (does more damage from behind with talents), a ranged gun attack on Ctrl (prone to overheating, again regulated by talents), a poisonous stab with extra range on spacebar, and an old-fashioned roll (with less range than in the Witcher games) on rightclick.
Guardian uses blunt weapon and shield, with a primary single target attack that hits extremely slowly, a raised shield on Ctrl , a shield bash on spacebar, and a short sidestep on rightclick.
The stances are complemented by the Technomancer tree, which has "mana"-consuming spells that scale off the quality of your gloves and can be customized a bit; a lightning attack that can be single or multi-target, a shield that reduces damage taken by a percentage, but reserves some of your mana pool, the backstab maneuver you use from stealth (yeah, you can only backstab with lightning) and a totally OP "force lightning" type of attack that damages and stuns everything in a cone.
Companions and enemies can also have unique weapons, like automatic rifles, that can be extremely annoying; I fought a guy whose gun could act as both shotgun and machine gun, and it was nearly an instakill if he ever pulled the tigger while I was in front of him. All guns eventually overheat however, so you have a spend at least a part of combat defensively (which can either mean dodging around with Warrior/Rogue and trying to get a few attacks in, or just raising your shield with Guardian).
Another interesting enemy type are bugs that create lightning chains between them, throw lightning projectiles on erratic paths at range, and slam their backsides on the ground for an AoE attack if you get close.
I do however feel like ranged attacks (i.e. Rogue stance and Technomancer magic) have been a little too strong in the early game based on the enemy types I've been facing; I would expect a launch day balance patch to tone down the ranged options a bit.
Warrior uses a two handed staff, with a primary single target attack that has the greatest range of all melee weapons (can do slight AoE damage as well if you take the corresponding talent), a slow AoE attack on Ctrl, a fast disruption attack bound to spacebar, and a silly side aerial as the dodge on rightclick.
Rogue uses a knife and a gun, with a primary single target attack that hits extremely quickly but has minimal range (does more damage from behind with talents), a ranged gun attack on Ctrl (prone to overheating, again regulated by talents), a poisonous stab with extra range on spacebar, and an old-fashioned roll (with less range than in the Witcher games) on rightclick.
Guardian uses blunt weapon and shield, with a primary single target attack that hits extremely slowly, a raised shield on Ctrl , a shield bash on spacebar, and a short sidestep on rightclick.
The stances are complemented by the Technomancer tree, which has "mana"-consuming spells that scale off the quality of your gloves and can be customized a bit; a lightning attack that can be single or multi-target, a shield that reduces damage taken by a percentage, but reserves some of your mana pool, the backstab maneuver you use from stealth (yeah, you can only backstab with lightning) and a totally OP "force lightning" type of attack that damages and stuns everything in a cone.
Companions and enemies can also have unique weapons, like automatic rifles, that can be extremely annoying; I fought a guy whose gun could act as both shotgun and machine gun, and it was nearly an instakill if he ever pulled the tigger while I was in front of him. All guns eventually overheat however, so you have a spend at least a part of combat defensively (which can either mean dodging around with Warrior/Rogue and trying to get a few attacks in, or just raising your shield with Guardian).
Another interesting enemy type are bugs that create lightning chains between them, throw lightning projectiles on erratic paths at range, and slam their backsides on the ground for an AoE attack if you get close.
I do however feel like ranged attacks (i.e. Rogue stance and Technomancer magic) have been a little too strong in the early game based on the enemy types I've been facing; I would expect a launch day balance patch to tone down the ranged options a bit.