Combos - how to perfom them... better?

[Kurt2013]

stiraq, when i started to play game players would adjusted their own shield to incoming damage from players sadly that game is dead and no one even uses their own shields according to who is hitting you.
in pve you make the most out of combos by exploiting unshielded side, its not my fault people dodge this versatility and go for combo rotations wich is a mistake.
each class has indeed a few combos wich are priority because they enhance other follow up combos in some way, or simply because they debuff your target so you can deal better damage.

i leave funcom's tutorial its funny video feels like watching dharma videos from lost :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIAsPkrLGK8

That was a nice video

Sadly some things, like
- stamina drain
- hitting opponents (you do not damage multiple ones or those in front of you anymore with some combos, if not targetted. Thus moving the fighting from hitboxbased to targetbased. and it gave the impression that directional attacks used different hitboxes, which i am not sure they do now (if they ever did))
were outdated info...while other mechanics are rarely used anymore like
- doubletapping for the effect, not the exploit...and it never was "quick"
- adjusting shielding and timing (fun with latency, combo handling makes it unattractive: the status you were in when the finisher started counts, so hardly useable as reactive measure as with most bubbles nowadays)
- stamina management (only viable now in long pve battles and then you always have the OP potions)

Can someone answer about the directional attacks and hitboxes? I know the animations look different, but i see no difference when testing with facing (e.g. my left hand attack hits even when the mob is on my right side). But the steps and white hits have different range than finishers and different weapons use different boxes, so maybe there is a marginal difference?

[xiulo88]

Do not forget to move a lot between combo steps for a better placement of monsters.

Can you explain this?please. I not sure to understand you.

[-tomhet-]

Can you explain this?please. I not sure to understand you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R30U5yw3iGM

here from original game director himself

[-tomhet-]

Can someone answer about the directional attacks and hitboxes? I know the animations look different, but i see no difference when testing with facing (e.g. my left hand attack hits even when the mob is on my right side). But the steps and white hits have different range than finishers and different weapons use different boxes, so maybe there is a marginal difference?

all i know reguarding that is that those penetration skills abilities and especialy all rogue aa's on the prowess side have dumbed down game a little for rogue classes, given penetration rating afects players combos "penetrate" shielded side somewhat bypassing original mechanics.
you still perform better dps on sin and barb choosing combos with finisher on unshielded side mainly because you have on both classes multiple good combos to exploit any given side, ranger is ultra dumbed down wont even go there its sick, class had stances bow/xbow diferenciation and multiple combos with finishers on diferent directions now all the main dps combos all hit from above while pre revamp was a lot more fluid and plenty of combos to exploit unshielded side.

[Kurt2013]

Yes, i wrote something about the reduction of available options and flexibility for rangers right after revamp, but got shouted down by people who ignored the math.
What they praised was that you can influence the shields with white hits before the "finisher", while with real combos you were more predictable and limited there. Though in my experience it is pure luck, if the mobs changed shields in time or does so from just one or two white hits. To really influence it imo, you have to use finishers...and there the old system was simply better, because you had more variety and choices (as you wrote: now real dps is always top, right side is only one no dps combo and left side are two combo finisher with low dps too. You also can not choose between different ranks like before...it all got dumbed down).