How good are you?

[Asketism]

I just clocked 140 hours on Exanima. I love the game and have high hopes for Sui Generis.

I've been mostly playing the Arena progression. I set up my "slavemaster" and his most treasured fighter + others and hirelings. I have only killed "the troll" on Novice. I enjoy fighting my arena opponents with various setups. My mainly used character wields a Maul. I regard the most important armour pieces to be:
- superior/exceptional gambeson, leggins, coif, longsleeved chainmail, chain leggins, helmets, and sometimes cuirass. For expert and master I also tend to use other various plate pieces within the needs of specific protection. I feel like the character becomes clumsier (as intended) when there is too much heavy stuff on him/her.

I can kill every opponent with ease with a setup I am comfortable in. I like the Maul very much. I also like a buckler with piercing dagger on a different character. I like the quarterstaff too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The question is: How reliably do you kill your opponents and are you maybe getting bored of the easiness of it? Do you change your style and gear to make it more interesting for you? What kind of goals have you set for yourself?

This post is not at all to complain if it sounds like it. I'm having a blast and my goal is to gear my troll killing squad to really feel adequate. I think I am a skilled fighter with the humanoid NPC:s, but I would like to think, that real human players would give me - and every on of us, a real challenge.

I made this question because I sometimes get a warm feeling of power, as if I were the most skilled combatant in the arena. Do you feel the same? I hope we will get to mettle our worth between each other some day.

 

[BadCompany141]

I make good use of the pole axe on expert/master to go over shields and the bardiche to get those one shot kills on novice/adept, and a maul guy accompanied by a dual wield guy as secondaries for fun. I don't know how many hours I got since I play the baremettle version but it did get me a long time to get that ultimate troll killing squad up and running, I now have over 400 gold from how many master level trolls I killed.

I thought to myself that swords are so flimsy but then I saw some guy's video in this forum using a two handed sword and well... damn that guy will definitely get me especially when its already not easy to parry with a polearm style axe. thats not to say I am not confident tho it will be awesome when pvp comes by

and I guess my goal for the game is to make the best out of melee fighting so I can leave space for magic when it gets released

 

[Syllabear3]

Finally an epeen show off thread!

My signature. And two chars with chain coif (one exceptional) in explore mode.
I already got bored but i still play time to time. There is absolutly not game i want to play right now, dying of boredom :c

ps: after all this time there is no button to reset merchant items, or the table with matches... i wanted to complete all exceptional colured armours. I got like 850 gold and cant use them.

 

[Kaladin]

I mostly play in the practice arena mode, my go-tos are no armor and a two-handed sword. I specialize in feinting, fancy schmancies and timing.

 

[ChildrenofMana]

Nice Post! and very interesting topic.

I do reliable kill any opponent with a Bardiche with ease.
I feel very powerful sometimes, specially when getting amazing swings in a row. For example, rushing through elimination matches, swinging twice or three times per opponent on Novice level.

Yes! I change my gear and try to play with all the weapon sets.

I have my chars these weapon sets in the Arena Savegame:
Slavemaster Quick 2H weapons (Swords, quarterstaff, 2H Falchion,)
Slave No.1 Polearms (I like the Bardiche the most)
Slave No.2 Dual wield (Shortsword + morning star for novice, and dual Mace for Master)
Slave No.3 Shield + 1H ( I am really bad at it)
Slave No.4 Slow 2H weapons ( Maul, Maces and Axes)

My objective is to be proficient on all the weapon sets before the PVP goes out.

 

[Asketism]

Cool to see that people have very differing preferences on their weapon choices. Bardiche was mentioned a couple of times and I too like it when dealing with adept and below opponents. Having your own play style and favourite gear really suits this game.

The thing I've been focusing lately is my armour pieces. Especially with dagger and buckler style of play you don't want to feel clumsy. It's great to step in and out of your opponents reach and try to do precision thrusts on their weak spots. In duels even against Masters you don't actually need other plate pieces than a helmet. In eliminations it's convenient to loot the plate armour of your opponents, if you've taken some red damage for example.

 

[Nynuc]

My play style has been the same since I started the combat alpha, One handed sword, no shield. I thought it was a rather heroic thing, to fight like that, since all the flashy movie heroes always did it. I quickly learned this wasn't applicable in a real life situation, but.. I continued anyway, I wanted to see with practice and dedication how much I could push the one handed sword.

I got destroyed, and had tonnes of hair-pulling, most frustrating experiences in gaming I can ever recall. But very recently, it has started to pay off. My footwork now, is the best it has ever been. I can now beat expert arena with no plate, just chain.. sometimes.. But it's extremely difficult still.

I'm still continuing to learn what is possible with the one-handed sword, and after 3 years of practice, I don't think I'll be giving up any time soon.

I find this game makes you think you're the best, just because you accomplish some implausible feats. But there's always room for error, and always room for improvement. It's extremely important to stay humble, and know there's something you can learn from every player.

 

[dennisftw]

I've feel like the game has gotten pretty easy, can generally breeze through pretty much all opponents in arena. I've found the polehammer to be the best weapon destroys everything armor or no armor not to mention if you hit someone at the right angle and length (hooking the hammer on the shoulder) you can fling them across the room. My favourite weapon to use definitely the 2-handed sword, theres just a feeling of elegance and finesse that comes from fighting with it that no other weapon has although unfortunatlely its useless against armor. I've also found the master tier beast to be the easiest since plate armor soaks up alot of damage and lets you continue hitting for longer.

Can't wait for a new update or sandbox mode, bored with the current version but its hard playing other games once you've experienced this physics engine.

 

[Asketism]

Polehammer and poleaxe seem to be crowd favorites for higher rank matches. I too use polehammer often but I just get the best feel with Maul. In earlier ranks it can oneshot quite often and it's always swinging people around the floor. Polehammer does greater damage but with Maul I get the best control of the fight.

Two-handed sword indeed is very strong and versatile weapon. It comboes so well and parries nicely too. I find it a bit boring after awhile though. When you pick up a 2H Sword you just know it's going to be a breeze.

 

[Syllabear3]

I've feel like the game has gotten pretty easy, can generally breeze through pretty much all opponents in arena. I've found the polehammer to be the best weapon destroys everything armor or no armor not to mention if you hit someone at the right angle and length (hooking the hammer on the shoulder) you can fling them across the room. My favourite weapon to use definitely the 2-handed sword, theres just a feeling of elegance and finesse that comes from fighting with it that no other weapon has although unfortunatlely its useless against armor. I've also found the master tier beast to be the easiest since plate armor soaks up alot of damage and lets you continue hitting for longer.

Can't wait for a new update or sandbox mode, bored with the current version but its hard playing other games once you've experienced this physics engine.

I share your opinion but slash is still useful against armor. Two handed sword is so good that you can take anything with it.
My fav weapon indeed.

 

[dennisftw]

I share your opinion but slash is still useful against armor. Two handed sword is so good that you can take anything with it.
My fav weapon indeed.

You can still do damage but it just takes way too many hits at master tier not to mention its just not satisfying or that much fun hitting plate armor and clanking off it as opposed to flesh. For expert and above the polehammer just feels more fun throwing people around and completely destroying them.

 

[Kaladin]

For me, the sword is the ultimate weapon. I like the finesse you can accomplish with a sword, one handed or two handed. It is not the most effective, long polearms are clearly superior to swords, but it is the most fun to me.

 

[Syllabear3]

You can still do damage but it just takes way too many hits at master tier not to mention its just not satisfying or that much fun hitting plate armor and clanking off it as opposed to flesh. For expert and above the polehammer just feels more fun throwing people around and completely destroying them.

Thats right.
Thats why ive been thinking that oponents should allways have an opening to flesh. Expert armor with very limited weight. Master only usable to heavy bosses.

For me, the sword is the ultimate weapon. I like the finesse you can accomplish with a sword, one handed or two handed. It is not the most effective, long polearms are clearly superior to swords, but it is the most fun to me.

Not completly better. Its matter to know how to exploit weapon weaknesses.

 

[Avramovic]

I'm not good at all. Impatient, which is the worst thing in this game. However, at those rare times when I can cool my head and actually connect, things go bubbly. As for Expert Arena, I've got just two words for everyone: Pole. Hammer. The kidney shots - wide horizontal swings that follow dodging enemy's attack and land precisely above enemy waistline - are awesome way to turn fully armored opponents into moussaka meat.

 

[Espadon]

I do not know how good I am. I played 120 hours, And, probably, 30 of them with one weapon - The best two-handed sword. (type XVIIIe according to Oakeshott's classification) I do not know, maybe this sword is not as fast and agile as a simple two-handed sword, because it never occurred to me to compare them until now. But in one thing I'm sure for sure, I learned something with this sword. I felt his weight, length, balance. Sometimes I am entertained by cutting through this sword of weak opponents in two blows. But I can stand up against the knights with halberds and hammers, bringing down a hail of blows on them, and conducting a series of attacks directly on their helmets. I know that with the right prick this sword can pierce a brigantine with a lining, a lamellar armor with a lining, chain mail with leather armor on top and with a lining.

 

[Midcal9]

You'll never know before you'll do no clothes/armor challnge in Master Elemination mode. If you survive you're ok.

 

[MrApophos]

I'm better than I was. Does that count?

 

[ErLi]

I can pretty much play with any kinds of setup , be it 1h weapon or 2h , dual wield too is kinda funny .
I finished easy difficulty in practice mode with only the clothes from the beginning and barehanded lel .
I tried in expert too but the woman in full armor after the polehammer guy is too though even if i uppercuted her face 4-6 times and punched her good a few times she's still good and kicking lel .

 

[Solinarius]

Well... you asked... so...

Concerning my natural ability, I'm pretty good with patterns, I have good intuition, I have excellent reflexes, and I have excellent tempo/timing.

As for my gameplay: the controls feel as natural to me as breathing, but I wouldn't say I've mastered them. This is most apparent when I face ogres since I have, at most, a 1:8 win ratio against them. I've spent substantial amounts of time practicing with every class of weapon, in every configuration, so I know what to expect from everything, but I've also made time to specialize with axes, polearms, heavy weapons, and shields. I'm damn good with parries and ripostes. I've invented many personal techniques (without prior guidance), the most significant of which concern in-fighting and thrusts respectively. My specialization with in-fighting lead to significant, universal improvements in offensive and defensive weapon handling. My experimentation with the physics and gameplay lead to my personal discovery of:
A). A variable (between weapons) technique for generating centripetal force during attacks
B). A technique for obtaining maximum possible reach with any weapon
C). Negating wind-up almost entirely in certain cases
D). Hooking (for a takedown)
E). How to kick ass with spears and other pointy weapons

In short, I can finesse the hell out of parries, attacks, and footwork, and I have a lot tricks up my sleeve. All that said, there's always more to learn, and I am always improving and seeking to improve. I can't wait for combat to become even more complex .