Guild Wars 2

The combat in this game handles like a shopping cart with a busted front wheel.

Trying to manage dodge, skills and strafing around a target effectively while employing combos is virtually impossible.

How can I strafe, lay down a comb field and a combo finisher in consecutive order when the UI doesn’t conform to the necessary tweaking needed to perform it?

To be honest, it’s a dog’s breakfast.

Or, perhaps the Devs could put out a video or two of them playing THEIR game to show how awesome the combat is supposed to be. Personally, I still don’t get it.

I’m almost level 40, and I’m still just spamming four or five skills in no logical, discernible order.

It would be nice if I could set up the skill bar to use my skills in a specific order, and not have to mash keys hoping to pull off combos.

40 levels later, and about 70 bucks poorer, I’m trying real hard to like this investment – but I’m feeling a little ripped off right about now.

If you’re having trouble, you might want to try remapping some of the keys. I know I added Shift+1-4 as a secondary binding to skill stops 7-10. Some combos don’t open up till lvl 60 or so when you can get those grandmaster traits, such as the thief’s stealth putting blindness on nearby critters, then dealing extra damage because the critter has a condition. If you’re talking about combos such as shooting projectiles through walls of flame, I believe they’re more intended for you and your allies to work together, rather than for you to try and pull them off on your own.

I’m already having a hard time handling movement and casting.

Trying to cast a field, then a finisher is almost impossible when you have to span the distance of 7 or 8 keys in addition to manipulating a camera angle AND character movement all at the same time. Having to press shift and a number is making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Truth of the matter is that the skills do not function in logically consecutive order, nor can they be mapped out in the bar to do so. This is a problem and a huge oversight by the Devs – which is why I wonder if they even play the game themselves.

For instance, I play a Thief. I just started using a short bow. Now, I have to press 4 to lay a field, then 2 to layout a cluster (2 again if I want to explode it in mid air) while making sure I lay it down at the right distance from the target. If I lose focus from the target, the cool-down is too long, the effect it too short, the target is too fast for me to be able to pull it off a second time. So, I just backup and auto-shoot until the target is dead; usually backing up into other mobs.

If I could simply map out a sequence of actions – problem solved and the game is fun to play. Not a frustrating experience. I’m starting to see WHY a trail wasn’t released.

I understand this is supposed to be some sort of unique “action mmo” but sadly, things happen too quickly to be able to juggle the UI and INTENTIONALLY perform combos while playing solo.

Mashing keys is boring and does nothing but demonstrate how poorly designed the combat actually is.

It would be nice if they compensated for horrible game mechanics by allowing the players to set things in a more logically consistent order.

Like I said, try remapping your further away skills so you’re not having to reach for them and screw up your hand positioning, combos are more intended for teamwork rather than solitary play it seems. And in combat, might be best to just constantly hold down the right mouse button, so you can keep the camera where you want to be looking and strafe at the same time. As for that poison cloud, try laying it in between you and your enemy, then auto shoot through it to give your arrows poison. Or if you really want to lay it on enemies, start out using a cripple shot with basi poison, then poison cloud, then cluster shot. But anyway, I will agree that the default movement keys are terribad, tank controls don’t work in a mmo in my opinion.

You can already map out sequences of actions, since you can change the keyboard mapping for every keyboard command in the game. Although the UI will always display the skills in the same order, you can choose any keys that you like. You can even have up to two keys.

If your thief commonly uses Shortbow-4 → Shortbow-2, then you can map that to N→J, two unused keys next to each other.

Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really do enjoy the game so I’ll just have to adapt to the game mechanics until they’re improved – if they’re improved.

Something as simple as tear-away buttons on the skill bar would do the game more justice. Missing combos due to button mashing takes away from the game play, imo. It feels like more of a chore than an escape.

Hopefully it’s something the Developers will consider. It would really improve the game play by leaps and bound if players were able to setup logically consistent chain attacks of their liking, with the visual cues of the skills bars to match.