Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

No real instruction to combo fields

GoruduGorudu Member CommonPosts: 79

Ever since my experience of my first dungeon and sPvP, I've noticed that the biggest advice is to learn combo fields. Apparently they are a pretty big deal. That being said, in my experience up to level 46, there hasn't been in intro or some sort of tutorial to combo fields. This is a problem. 

 

I think Arenanet needs to put in some sort of tutorial system for combo fields. I know there are plenty of resources online, and I'm not saying I'm having a problem personally with combo fields anymore. But going into the first dungeon at level 35 with no real instructions can make those first few experiences a discouraging mess. Many people are complaining about the dungeon system because of a lack of a tutorial. 

 

I don't think anything's wrong with the mechanics. I just think it's odd how there is no in-game introduction to such an important mechanic. Hopefully Anet will implement one in the near future.

«13

Comments

  • tort0429tort0429 Member UncommonPosts: 297

    Yep, I agree, so I wound up using the Wiki for info.

     

    http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo

     

  • chryseschryses Member UncommonPosts: 1,453

    Agree. I have had to basically check out various sites and trial my combos.  I have no problem sourcing and working stuff out myself but it was kinda a big blank on info.  Even explanations about terminology.

    On a side note.  I get crafting but kinda don't.  Its a weird thing since I am a mad crafter.  I just feel that anything I make for my current level is useless since I can pick up anything better within 5 min.  Keep thinking I am missing something. 

    Regarding combos though, I just realised that a grey heart with the effect appears on the screen when you do a successful combo.  Stuff like that would have been good to know.

  • mazutmazut Member UncommonPosts: 988
    They are left fot players to find out. Skills that are involved in xcombos has indications. Test, experiment.
  • KrossliteKrosslite Member Posts: 317
    Originally posted by tort0429

    Yep, I agree, so I wound up using the Wiki for info.

     

    http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo

     

    which is what the wiki is for

    A MMO is like life. It is something to cherish and enjoy upon in it journey. So why race to the end of it. In life at the end you die.

  • KanubisKanubis Member Posts: 112
    Originally posted by chryses

    On a side note.  I get crafting but kinda don't.  Its a weird thing since I am a mad crafter.  I just feel that anything I make for my current level is useless since I can pick up anything better within 5 min.  Keep thinking I am missing something. 

    For the last 25 points of each crafting tier, you can buy insignias with karma from the craft vendor (fourth tab.) These use fifteen of the blue items (scales, claws etc.) and combined with the armour/weapon components will make a rare that usually keeps you going for a few levels. 

     

  • XtenXten Member Posts: 119
    Originally posted by mazut
    They are left fot players to find out. Skills that are involved in xcombos has indications. Test, experiment.

     

    This could be true and would be inline with the exploration stance the game takes but if you hover over the skills that note about combo fields it is still very very vague. (combo fields btw are not only used in partnership with other players) On my ele for instance in the tooltips it either says combo field on one skills ,ok clear enough but on all my other skills that can potentially compliment my combofield skill it only says "blast" yet the one i use most gives me a shield bubble.

     

    I guess you can still argue that it comes down to exploring and finding out but on other combo'snothing happens when i try them out and i suspect that those combofields are not meant to be executed by just yourself but only in partnership with another player. There does not seem to be any consistency there which leads to people not using them and end up running into trouble in dungeons for instance.

     

    I think Anet should post up some vids signifying the importance of these combo fields at least.

  • ScalplessScalpless Member UncommonPosts: 1,426

    You can utilise combo fields by yourself, but many professions either have lots of combo finishers (Warriors) or lots of combo field-creating skills (Necro). Basically, you create a field and use a finisher inside it or through it. For example, a Warrior could ignite the ground with his adrenal longbow skill, switch to 1h sword and use its skill #2 to leap through it and set the foes on fire.

    It's a pretty simple system, but I suppose having a list of combo fields in-game wouldn't hurt. On the other hand, the official wiki exists for a reason.

  • XtenXten Member Posts: 119

    It is a simple system but one that is explained and conveyed badly. People see it ingame ,check out the tooltips and try it out for a bit most will only come as far as knowing that you can uses others their combo field and vice versa but since it is so vaguely described and not explained or pushed ingame i think what is happening now is that most people automaticaly just write it of as a gimmick. Not surprisingly.

     

    Sure it is in a wiki but common now.

  • saurus123saurus123 Member UncommonPosts: 678
    Originally posted by Gorudu

    Ever since my experience of my first dungeon and sPvP, I've noticed that the biggest advice is to learn combo fields. Apparently they are a pretty big deal. That being said, in my experience up to level 46, there hasn't been in intro or some sort of tutorial to combo fields. This is a problem. 

     

    I think Arenanet needs to put in some sort of tutorial system for combo fields. I know there are plenty of resources online, and I'm not saying I'm having a problem personally with combo fields anymore. But going into the first dungeon at level 35 with no real instructions can make those first few experiences a discouraging mess. Many people are complaining about the dungeon system because of a lack of a tutorial. 

     

    I don't think anything's wrong with the mechanics. I just think it's odd how there is no in-game introduction to such an important mechanic. Hopefully Anet will implement one in the near future.

    and whats so hard to learn them?

     

    it cant be simplier

    combo field + finisher

  • NBlitzNBlitz Member Posts: 1,904
    Originally posted by Scalpless

    You can utilise combo fields by yourself, but many professions either have lots of combo finishers (Warriors) or lots of combo field-creating skills (Necro). Basically, you create a field and use a finisher inside it or through it. For example, a Warrior could ignite the ground with his adrenal longbow skill, switch to 1h sword and use its skill #2 to leap through it and set the foes on fire.

    It's a pretty simple system, but I suppose having a list of combo fields in-game wouldn't hurt. On the other hand, the official wiki exists for a reason.

    To me, it's reason is as an alternative viable source of information. I shouldn't feel forced to browse online for information that should be readily available in-game.

    E.g. I tried looking for info on something a day or two ago, via the Help function, but the info I was looking for wasn't there.

  • bunnyhopperbunnyhopper Member CommonPosts: 2,751

    Combo Field + Finisher.

     

    See someone using a field? Try a finisher in it.

    Got fields of your own ready? Use them.

    Got both ready on rotations/swaps? Try using combinations of them.

     

    I'm surprised that anyone would need a tutorial for that.

    "Come and have a look at what you could have won."

  • NBlitzNBlitz Member Posts: 1,904
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper

    Combo Field + Finisher.

     

    See someone using a field? Try a finisher in it.

    Got fields of your own ready? Use them.

    Got both ready on rotations/swaps? Try using combinations of them.

     

    I'm surprised that anyone would need a tutorial for that.

    So haphazardly?

    How many can pinpoint exactly what Dark, Ethereal, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Poison, Smoke, Water (NINE) combo starters do? And that each has at least two different types of effect depending on your class and the skill/weapon you use....

    So far I haven't seen anyone use this feature besides randomly.

  • bunnyhopperbunnyhopper Member CommonPosts: 2,751
    Originally posted by NBlitz
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
     

    So haphazardly?

    How many can pinpoint exactly what Dark, Ethereal, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Poison, Smoke, Water (NINE) combo starters do? And that each has at least two different types of effect depending on your class and the skill/weapon you use....

    So far I haven't seen anyone use this feature besides randomly.

    Haphazardly? It takes less than 5 minutes to run through any personal combos you can do (once you have your weapons skills ofc), you can do it rather systematically.

     

    In a group or near other people? See a field? Press a combo finisher and note what happens.

     

    That is not haphazard, that is experimentation and it is neither difficult or really time consuming in this case but it does give the player something to explore without the need for spoon feeding them absolutely everything.

     

    If you haven't seen anyone using combos other than randomly them either you have been incredibly unlucky and have been grouped/near the worst players on earth, or you are simply not noticing it (which is the one I am going to go for here). I rotated combos all the time on my ELE in groups and I have noticed loads of people setting up repeat combos when I've been finishing them on my WAR and that is talking about the usual zerg DE's, not more structured pvp/dungeons where they occur far more often.

     

    I'm not against them putting in a list (already a wiki after all), but I really can't see what is so hard about it at the moment.

     

    "Come and have a look at what you could have won."

  • XtenXten Member Posts: 119
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper

    Combo Field + Finisher.

     

    See someone using a field? Try a finisher in it.

    Got fields of your own ready? Use them.

    Got both ready on rotations/swaps? Try using combinations of them.

     

    I'm surprised that anyone would need a tutorial for that.

    Again the problem is not that they are hard to understand. If you go out assuming that people are not able to understand this system you are simply being arrogant. The problem is that the significance of them or the fact that they are even there is not being made known outside of a wiki.

     

    As Blitz already poited out people usually do not go to a wiki to use as a game manual. Anet has posted about how important they are in dungeons and seeing as how many are having issues in those i really dont get why they do not make the feature more prominent to new players or older players who did not see the importance in them for that matter.

  • ScalplessScalpless Member UncommonPosts: 1,426
    Originally posted by NBlitz
    Originally posted by Scalpless

    You can utilise combo fields by yourself, but many professions either have lots of combo finishers (Warriors) or lots of combo field-creating skills (Necro). Basically, you create a field and use a finisher inside it or through it. For example, a Warrior could ignite the ground with his adrenal longbow skill, switch to 1h sword and use its skill #2 to leap through it and set the foes on fire.

    It's a pretty simple system, but I suppose having a list of combo fields in-game wouldn't hurt. On the other hand, the official wiki exists for a reason.

    To me, it's reason is as an alternative viable source of information. I shouldn't feel forced to browse online for information that should be readily available in-game.

    E.g. I tried looking for info on something a day or two ago, via the Help function, but the info I was looking for wasn't there.

    In both GW1 and GW2, the wiki seems to also serve as a source of in-depth info that isn't fully explained in-game. It doesn't bother me. This is, after all, an online game. The wiki is a constantly updated, online manual with community-created hints and tips.

    I'm not sure how GW2's Help works, but at least GW1 had an in-game wiki search engine. Doesn't GW2 have something similar?

  • NatarayaNataraya Member Posts: 78

    hi there,

    Combos are imho one of the things that leave a lot of room for improvement so players can feel that progression. At first u dont have much clue but later on u start to master a couple of situation, and when u meet a team in WvW that uses them,, well u can tell the diference trully. Also true wiki helps; but  its hard to put on the game all that info together afterwards.

    I would only tweak the combo initator areas in the floor so you could see them more easilly and diference them form enemy areas and no-combo staring areas.

     

    <33 combos

  • NBlitzNBlitz Member Posts: 1,904
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
    Originally posted by NBlitz
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
     

    So haphazardly?

    How many can pinpoint exactly what Dark, Ethereal, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Poison, Smoke, Water (NINE) combo starters do? And that each has at least two different types of effect depending on your class and the skill/weapon you use....

    So far I haven't seen anyone use this feature besides randomly.

    Haphazardly? It takes less than 5 minutes to run through any personal combos you can do (once you have your weapons skills ofc), you can do it rather systematically.

     

    In a group or near other people? See a field? Press a combo finisher and note what happens.

     

    That is not haphazard, that is experimentation and it is neither difficult or really time consuming in this case but it does give the player something to explore without the need for spoon feeding them absolutely everything.

     

    If you haven't seen anyone using combos other than randomly them either you have been incredibly unlucky and have been grouped/near the worst players on earth, or you are simply not noticing it (which is the one I am going to go for here). I rotated combos all the time on my ELE in groups and I have noticed loads of people setting up repeat combos when I've been finishing them on my WAR and that is talking about the usual zerg DE's, not more structured pvp/dungeons where they occur far more often.

     

    I'm not against them putting in a list (already a wiki after all), but I really can't see what is so hard about it at the moment.

     

    Oh why did I bother? I'm so so sorry. The game is absolutely perfect. Everything is clear as day and everyone is playing to the best of their abilities. I hardly see anybody dying like noobs. People know exactly which skills to use to save the day as well.

    Yep, nothing for me to see here, moving on. Enjoy.

  • bunnyhopperbunnyhopper Member CommonPosts: 2,751
    Originally posted by Xten
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
     

    Again the problem is not that they are hard to understand. If you go out assuming that people are not able to understand this system you are simply being arrogant. The problem is that the significance of them or the fact that they are even there is not being made known outside of a wiki.

     

    As Blitz already poited out people usually do not go to a wiki to use as a game manual. Anet has posted about how important they are in dungeons and seeing as how many are having issues in those i really dont get why they do not make the feature more prominent to new players or older players who did not see the importance in them for that matter.

    Has is ever occurred that people are meant to work out the significance of combos as part of their group play? If someone knows how to activate combos, why the hell wouldn't you? Are they learning the combos but not using them because ANET hasn't nailed a sign up saying "Must use combos guys and gals"?

     

    I would have thought that the fact that they are noted in tooltips on your skills would have been a pretty clear indicator as to the fact that "they are there" outside of wiki. That coupled with the fact you see them fly off every 5 seconds when in a group.

     

    Maybe ANET could promote it a bit more, but I fail to see an issue with it as it stands.

    "Come and have a look at what you could have won."

  • bunnyhopperbunnyhopper Member CommonPosts: 2,751
    Originally posted by NBlitz
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
    Originally posted by NBlitz
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
     

    Oh why did I bother? I'm so so sorry. The game is absolutely perfect. Everything is clear as day and everyone is playing to the best of their abilities. I hardly see anybody dying like noobs. People know exactly which skills to use to save the day as well.

    Yep, nothing for me to see here, moving on. Enjoy.

    Good counter point there...

     

    The game is soo very far from perfect and I am far from a fanboy protector if it. I just fail to see the issue with this system and I have laid out my reasons why.

     

    Your tooltips tell you they are there, you see them in action all the time, how about exploring the system yourself through gameplay? As soon as you see the benefits, "hmm that's good I'll do it some more".

     

    People die like noobs in every game.

    "Come and have a look at what you could have won."

  • dariuszpdariuszp Member Posts: 182

    Combo attacks are huge. Right combination of spells and weapon skills or match your skills with your friend and you can burn down mobs or players much faster. 

    This game is designe for co-op. Combo attacks are part of that system. You can do them yourself or better - with someone else (cross player combo works).

  • Just use the mystical magical combo builder tool:

     

    http://mastodonte.fr/outils/tool-combo#en

  • timtracktimtrack Member UncommonPosts: 541
    I see it as part of the progression. It is a way to indeed grow more powerful without better gear/stats, but you have to work for it.
  • XtenXten Member Posts: 119
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
    Originally posted by Xten
    Originally posted by bunnyhopper
     

    Again the problem is not that they are hard to understand. If you go out assuming that people are not able to understand this system you are simply being arrogant. The problem is that the significance of them or the fact that they are even there is not being made known outside of a wiki.

     

    As Blitz already poited out people usually do not go to a wiki to use as a game manual. Anet has posted about how important they are in dungeons and seeing as how many are having issues in those i really dont get why they do not make the feature more prominent to new players or older players who did not see the importance in them for that matter.

    Has is ever occurred that people are meant to work out the significance of combos as part of their group play? If someone knows how to activate combos, why the hell wouldn't you? Are they learning the combos but not using them because ANET hasn't nailed a sign up saying "Must use combos guys and gals"?

     

    I would have thought that the fact that they are noted in tooltips on your skills would have been a pretty clear indicator as to the fact that "they are there" outside of wiki. That coupled with the fact you see them fly off every 5 seconds when in a group.

     

    Maybe ANET could promote it a bit more, but I fail to see an issue with it as it stands.

     

    If thats your answer you might want to re-read my post.

     

    for one i myself dont have problems with combos(but then again i followed this game and details for quite some time)  but i do see that they go unused by most players in the game outside of the obvious accidental use. I keep telling people about it everyday i play mostly in spvp ,  their response ususally is "owh thats cool" but thats it i do not even see them to try and use it so the "thats cool" basically translates to a "whatever, gimmick"  There is simply no emphasis made on it in the game. << the point

     

    Im also getting a bit tired telling people about it and trying to convince people to use it who are on my team. I could care less wether they use it or not in PvE.

    This is not a fps game where you get a gun and simply start using it for obvious reasons. People are not used to seeing it in MMORPG's and so far most only seem to regard it has a proc.

  • evilastroevilastro Member Posts: 4,270

    Definitely agree with the OP, would be nice if the Wiki table was available in the in game help and as a pop up tutorial at a low level.

    A lot of fields initially appear weak until you realise the combo potential. Water and darkness fields can dish out a lot more healing than they would initially seem to once you get people doing combos within them.

  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,838
    Originally posted by saurus123
    Originally posted by Gorudu

    Ever since my experience of my first dungeon and sPvP, I've noticed that the biggest advice is to learn combo fields. Apparently they are a pretty big deal. That being said, in my experience up to level 46, there hasn't been in intro or some sort of tutorial to combo fields. This is a problem. 

     

    I think Arenanet needs to put in some sort of tutorial system for combo fields. I know there are plenty of resources online, and I'm not saying I'm having a problem personally with combo fields anymore. But going into the first dungeon at level 35 with no real instructions can make those first few experiences a discouraging mess. Many people are complaining about the dungeon system because of a lack of a tutorial. 

     

    I don't think anything's wrong with the mechanics. I just think it's odd how there is no in-game introduction to such an important mechanic. Hopefully Anet will implement one in the near future.

    and whats so hard to learn them?

     

    it cant be simplier

    combo field + finisher 

    Ah a fellow mathematician, not really but for the sake of this explanation. Excellent equation! I would like to expand on your work. 

     

    Defensive combo field + Finisher = Buff

    Offensive combo field + Finisher = Debuff. 

     

    This is an attempt to make the system look complex and deep. The system is in place and in theory it's good. In practice it's  it very basic compared to what it could be, almost passive. It could be so much more.  

     

    "We see fundamentals and we ape in"
Sign In or Register to comment.