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Combat Guide... OR How to cope without the Normal/Charge system

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2022-03-16 16:04:48

Basic Controls

This is stuff the game should have taught you right at the beginning when you started as Cao Cao, Liu Bei or Sun Jian. It actually forces you to go through it whether you actually do the tutorial with Zuo Ci or not... BUT I suppose for the sake of completeness, I'll go through it again.

I'll be using the default layout of the Xbox One pad for reference, since that is what I play Steam Games with.

X = "Flow Attack". The DW9 version of the "Normal" attack basically. This is the one you hit a bunch of times to fire out one of a few predetermined combo sequences based on context. There are the filler of your attack sequences, but it is important to get the hang of the duration of each and where the special features (e.g. guard-break) proc. Different Trigger Attacks generally lead into specific Flow Attack sequences.

Y = "Reactive Attack". Sort of an end-cap move for combo sequences. Whereas Flow Attacks generally involve hammering dat button through a sequence of moves, the Reactive Attack generally constitutes a single swing, slice, dash or whatever. Usually stronger than a given Flow Attack strike. Just as contextual.

B = "Musou Attack". You know this one. This hasn't changed. You can still tap it to unleash a short one with a chunk of your Musou bar or hold it down to exhaust the entire thing. It can also be activated in the air for a different Air Musou, but that one is non-chargeable. Some curative items enable you to keep it going longer under certain circumstances, e.g. Panacea if you're also missing some health will completely refill the Musou bar and can be used near the end for a double-length Musou.

RT = "Evade". You do a forward roll or whatever. Not an attack, and eats a chunk of stamina, but sometimes useful.

RB + X/Y/A = "Trigger Attack". A chargeable attack that will perform a specific function, does more damage the more you charge it up to max, will proc elemental effects if you have a gem in the right weapon slot, and will break an enemy's guard if fully charged... Enemies at higher levels / difficulty have a tendency to evade out of range if they notice you charging one of these to break their block. They're a nuisance like that.

RB + Y is the one to launch enemies into the air. Its flow attack is usually the air-juggle one.

RB + X is the one to stun enemies. Its flow attack is usually the dash one.

RB + A is the one to smash enemies into the ground (i.e. "knock-down"). Its flow attack is usually the one to wail on a single enemy / area.

RB + B = "Special Attack". If your game is like mine, it got A and B confused when explaining this, but it is basically RB+Musou button. It is kinda like a trigger attack but generally more powerful and has a cooldown timer. It also tends to have its own elemental effects. I don't use mine very often. Some are better than others.

OTHER TERMS

"Counter Attack" = That thing where a blue (Y) appears over the head of an enemy that is about to attack you (in slow motion). Hit Y to deck them. Can proc element effects if you have an element gem in the Counter slot.

"Surprise Attack" = That thing where a yellow (Y) appears over the head of an enemy you've snuck up behind or is otherwise not in a position to promptly react to you. It kills lesser officers with extreme ease, and does serious damage to even famous, named officers. It also proc element effects if you have an element gem in the Assault slot.

... ANYWAY... enough of that. This isn't meant to be a super lengthy guide.

Weapon Concerns

I'll keep this short... Before you can get fancy results out of your weapons, you really need to learn all of its particular attack sequences first. How often they hit, their range, their movement, etc. I have a strict policy of using a character's favourite weapon (or so DW9 claims, despite half of them being changed now) when playing as them, but I guess it doesn't matter overmuch if you want to use a different one.

The level / rarity / "EX" factor of a weapon makes a difference to its damage level and appearance, but not really to how the weapon itself functions. Use the strongest one you can get or whichever takes your fancy. That isn't the key bit here...

That "Reforge" option and those Gems you keep getting. THOSE are the important bits.

Besides a few low-level non-elemental gems, most of the gems in the game proc a particular elemental effect with certain attacks based on the slot it is placed in. They also have other extra effects, including one semi-randomised one. Rarer gems have more effects and stronger ones. Honestly if you want all the details you should be finding a gem guide.

What you should be keeping in mind here though is that gem effects stack, so ideally you want a combination that go well together. For slow weapons, gems that boost Attack Speed are a good choice as they'll help you swing faster, which means more DPS and less chance of being evaded by slippery enemies. Ones that boost "Speed" alone make your character move faster on their feet, which is handy for closing with enemies at the very least, and doesn't hurt in more general terms either.

There are other types to boost projectile damage (arrows), mounted damage (yeah, you can swing that sword on horseback, though you can't use the bow on horseback... I tried), and your more usual damage types. I'd recommend boosting Flow Attack and Trigger Attack damage personally. They're most of what you'll be doing in general terms for melee combat.

Now this is the tricky bit... the elemental effects on the gems. There will generally be effects on the gem that proc only for elemental attacks of the given type in order to make them better, AND which slot you stick the gem in determines what sorts of attack will proc that elemental effect. There are two basic approaches to this:

#1. Variety : To put different elements in different slots. Particularly the Trigger Attack slots since they're very controllable. This lets you proc particular elements as it suits you, but since each one will only apply its bonus to its own element, you won't get a very strong boost in any case.

#2. Focus : Stick the same element in all slots. My preferred approach. It means you basically only get access to one element, but EVERY attack of that element will get the bonus from ALL of the gems of that element you have equipped. Your Fire attacks will hit like a freight train. Your Wind attacks will be ludicrously fast. And so on. In case it isn't obvious, I favour Fire and Wind over other elements because they result in more DPS. Some people swear by Lightning, since it raises your attack speed every time you use a counter or assault for the duration of the combo, besides a few other effects, but I have found it too inconsistent for my personal tastes.

POST-PATCH NOTE: Since Lord Gems are now a thing, I'd advise checking their stats carefully before applying them to weapons. They vary much more wildly than the regular epic gems. Some of them may have truly amazing boosts on them, but others will do such ridiculous things as give you broken deer antler drops. I'd advise using the best ones and just selling anything that isn't compatible with regular elemental gems of its type.

Void Lord Gems seem to be the exception in that they're non-elemental. While they can synergise with just about any gem, just be careful which slot you put them into, as whichever attack it links to won't proc special elemental properties from the gem.

Anyway. Set your weapon up nice and gem-filled. Now hopefully we can get to the good stuff...

The Good Stuff : How To DW It Up New-style

Right...

So you've got your weapon all set up. You get out there. You come to a base and there are enemies all over the damned place. The ones with titles or names over their heads are the real targets and the rest are convenient filler... but anyhow... Point is you've got to kill them. What is the best way to do this? Well, you're going to want to get a combo going, since that is generally the most efficient way to clear out tons of enemies. As a side-note I'd like to add here that some people use the term "combo" only as relates to a single officer. When I use the term, I'm referring to any chain of attacks that keep elemental effects on your weapon without dropping them.

[Edit Insert]: Before actually getting to the attacking, there are a few things worth mentioning:

First of these is that you may wish to go into the Options > Game Settings and switch "Officer Encounter Scenes" off since that is now an option. Those scenes are a pain to put up with.

Second thing... that "Auto-Lock-On" option in the Game Settings is a bit of a double-edged sword. If there are enemies nearby, it will target one of them (usually straight ahead) and focus your attacks on it... but sometimes it will switch focus to a random mook when you're trying to kill an officer. You can switch it off if you prefer... but... as I learnt AFTER 100% completing the game (not even joking there), there is actually a manual lock-on. If you hold down the Block button as you approach an enemy officer, a little hexagon icon will appear in front of the officer and will make sure the camera is locked facing towards that officer until you kill them. VERY useful... even if it is a bit annoying to activate. It took me so long to figure out solely because... I don't block...

... ANYWAY... back to the attacking. The important stuff:

#1. If you can Surprise Attack, do it. If the enemy haven't spotted you yet and you can open with a Surprise Attack (that yellow Y over the head) on an officer... DO IT. Just do it. In most cases it is a free kill and less hassle. Surprise attacks can also combo into Flow Attacks like anything else.

#2. No element of surprise? Close with the enemy. Pressing Y anyway will usually achieve this, though as long as there are no enemies right on top of you, X will likely work as well.

#3. The key to a good combo is to proc elemental effects and keep them going. Once you've met the condition to trigger the element on one of your gems, it will carry on going as long as your combo keeps going. I'm not talking about the counter on the bottom of the screen, but just continuous attacks in sequence, and they're basically infinite as long as there are enemies to hit with them.

#4. Unless you got a Surprise or Counter to start with, your best way to start is with a Trigger Attack. If you're looking to rush forward and cover a lot of ground, it is usually best to go with the Stun Trigger. If you're trying to just defeat an officer in front of you, the Knock-Down Trigger is usually best. BUT it does depend on the weapon you're using, as some of them have more useful trigger attacks in particular slots than others. As long as you've got an elemental gem in the desired slot, the element will trigger and will stay on your attacks until you break the combo. Oh, and charge the opening trigger if you can land it, but keep in mind that higher level officers may try to just dodge out of the way if they notice you're going to break their guard (or if they're just being slippery as usual).

[USEFUL TIP]: You can activate an uncharged trigger attack in mid-jump, including those with ground-locked movesets. This can be useful if you're trying to navigate from officer to officer from the relative safety of the air.

#5. Trigger -> Flow. The game teaches you this. Flow attacks are the filler, and generally how most damage gets done. If your trigger was elemental, your flow will be too. For the record, a Flow Attack Sequence in full is usually four attacks or four presses of the Flow Attack button. Some weapons may have more... haven't checked, but four is standard.

#6. Flow -> Reactive. At almost any point in most flow attack sequences, you can effectively cancel into a reactive attack by pressing Y. You should recognise the point where it breaks the sequence. Many flow attack sequences have their strongest points towards the end, but sometimes it is best to cancel them early... e.g. when no enemies are left or they've moved out of range. If the enemies are a bit further away, cancelling into reactive attack will usually result in dashing towards the nearest enemy as long as you've got auto lock-on active (so be careful you know where it will take you first).

#7. Reactive -> Flow. Yeah, it works the other way around too. Flow sequence > Reactive attack > Flow sequence. It tends to be a bit more reluctant to let you chain flow sequences or reactive attacks together... but just keep in mind that Flow is the new Normal and Reactive is the new Charge. You'll do alright.

#8. Evade combos with flow and reactive. Yeah, you heard me. You can keep an elemental combo chain going by evading (RT) and immediately pressing Y or X to continue. It eats a bite of stamina, but sometimes it is useful to send yourself in a particular direction to cross ground and attack a particular enemy, or just to cancel out of combos. Also keep in mind that the timing of the combos doesn't have to be precise, as long as you've pressed the attack some point while you're rolling.

[Note]: I've heard people say they use jump to cancel out of attack sequences and call it "dash-cancelling" after previous DW games... but from what I've seen, this doesn't seem to work. i.e. Pressing jump in the middle of a combo doesn't cancel attacks. There are certain circumstances where you can jump in a combo and keep the combo going, but it isn't an amazing stamina-free all-cancel button. Evading will cancel almost anything short of a musou.

#9. If your attack does not do damage to anyone it swings through, the combo breaks. That officer you're hitting and he just guards your attacks? Useless. On the other hand if your attack hits some filler dude next to the officer and does damage... that is fine. Those filler dudes are useful. Even if officers block your attacks like turtling little b!tches (oh they love to turtle), you can keep wailing on them until their guard breaks as long as there are filler dudes to take the brunt of your damage.

[Note]: It DOES seem to be possible to keep elemental effects going on nothing but air if you dodge-cancel out of every attack... but that seems a bit pointless to me. If there are no enemies nearby, it might be worth considering just letting the combo drop and starting a new one on a new batch of enemies.

#10. If you stop to move manually for any reason, the combo breaks. This is probably kinda obvious, but if you stop whatever attack you're doing to move your character rather than just cancelling into another attack, that sweet elemental combo will break and you'll have to use a Trigger or one of the Y conditionals to get it going again. Thing is, some weapons are better off just keeping a combo going indefinitely from one enemy to another, while others are better stopping and restarting with triggers separately. You have to figure that out for yourself.

...

ANYWAY... Yeah.

I didn't want to be all formal about this. I don't do formal. I just realised when I started that I couldn't figure out all this "Flow", "Reactive" and "Special" nonsense... and it took me a while to realise that there was a pattern to getting infinite elemental combos out of weapons. And trust me: when you've got 6 epic Wind gems slotted into a normally slow weapon, doing anything non-elemental tends to become intolerably slow.

I hope this is of some use to someone out there... amidst all those Japanese guides and whatnot.

TL;DR Version

Use element gems.

Trigger Attack > Flow Attack Sequence > Reactive Attack > Flow > Reactive > Flow > Reactive, etc.

RB+Y/X/A > XXXX > Y > XXXX > Y, etc.

Simple... ish.

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1309992291

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