Do you use combos?

[Gorani.7205]

I am more aware of combos in WvW, when roaming or in small fights.

Large fights are so much filled with visual clutter, you don't know what you are blasting anyway.

Combos to blast fire fields for might or lighting fields for swiftness are the most common things (e.g. dollies or allies before a walls breaks), but the power creep is some insane these days, that combos don't really make a difference, especially after PoF.

In the early days, you needed Static Field for allied & dolly swiftness, these days everyone has it or even super speed. Blasting fire fields? Why really, when professions like Holo can achieve 25 might by just clicking skills on the skill bar.

[Smoosh.2718]

Combo's need to be redesigned. So many redundant combo effects that arent even worth using.

 

The only ones that may have some use today are:

Light blast,

Water blast

Water leap

Fire Blast

Smoke Blast

 

The rest are really underwelming. Fire blast is also rather questionable since you can get 25 might without using blasts in todays age. Imo blasts should do extra dammage and an effect based on what combo it was.

 

Picture this, you hit a light field, you cause damage and blind. You hit a dark field, you cause damage and weakness.

 

The current system is ok... if it was 2013, but its not 2013 anymore.

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

When I'm by myself I use the combo fields all the time. In my limited play I am using Engi and Ele, and they both really benefit from them:

 

Consecutive Daze spam from Scapper

Water blasts and leaps in Holosmith

I have an Earth -> Fire combo for groups of enemies on Weaver to stack might

I have a water -> earth combo to heal with Weaver If I crit I follow up with air.

While zerging in WvW I'll run Arcane Wave to blast swiftness in lightning fields.

 

I've got years of experience playing around with these combo fields. They're second nature to me.

[The Boz.2038]

I "use" them all the time, but using them *intentionally* is a bit more rare, tbh. The system is too wonky, there are too many fields, too many finishers, and you have no way of making sure what field your finisher will end up using. Perhaps some simplification can be done in that regard? Honestly, why must there be separate Whirl and Blast finisher? Light and Water can easily be merged. More than anything, fields should be prioritized by owner and age (your fields are always used first, then newest fields are always used first).

[AliamRationem.5172]

I use combos a lot playing weaver, but it's definitely more of a solo/small group thing since it becomes impossible to intelligently use combos in larger groups. Still, combos on water fields in particular are essential, especially if you take the passive signet heal.

 

 

The 4 blast combos in this clip add over 5k additional healing!

[Tiilimon.6094]

As a support srapper, combos are about half of what im doing in pve, and thats quite a lot of combos as my apm is higher than when i played starcraft. Frost field adds so much mitigation that its almost silly.

[Khisanth.2948]

Unless you are playing solo you can neither use combos nor not use combos. They just happen and it may or may not be the one you want.

[kharmin.7683]

> @"Veprovina.4876" said:

> Other than that, i mostly randomly combo with other people's fields, but since they're not really that evident upon a glance, you can't really prepare for them unless you're playing with a friend and communicating through voice.

This is the problem that I have with combo fields. Since I can't really see them coming, I don't build or plan my rotations around them.

 

 

[Veprovina.4876]

> @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > @"Veprovina.4876" said:

> > Other than that, i mostly randomly combo with other people's fields, but since they're not really that evident upon a glance, you can't really prepare for them unless you're playing with a friend and communicating through voice.

> This is the problem that I have with combo fields. Since I can't really see them coming, I don't build or plan my rotations around them.

>

>

 

Yup! GW2 is full of flashy skills and they last 2 seconds or something and finding one that's a field you need to use is impossible. Maybe if they all had a different shape. I can spot Revenant's Mace 2 (the fire one) and Dwarf stab immediately. I mean, in a sea of circles, those are lines so they stand out.

 

Also, did someone measure the exact DPS impact on using combo fields vs not using them? Both solo or with someone else?

[Donari.5237]

None of the above.

 

I know what combos are, but it they happen it's mostly by accident other than my making sure my Reaper drops her whirlpool before doing her spin cleave, or my dual pistol Thief stands in his Blindness field to Unload. They have too many contingencies, I can't instinctively remember what field is which and which skill to use in that field all in the split second needed during sensory overload combat.

 

I know about leaps and spins and blasts, and that they trigger different effects, but no way am I able to deliberately and properly use the right skills in the right fields. So I just take any procs from combos as a bonus on top of what I was doing anyway.

[medivh.4725]

Yes. Even research which is the best combos for different toon. Including weapons specific ones, swordplays and skill sequence etc.

[Nephalem.8921]

> @"Veprovina.4876" said:

> > @"kharmin.7683" said:

> > > @"Veprovina.4876" said:

> > > Other than that, i mostly randomly combo with other people's fields, but since they're not really that evident upon a glance, you can't really prepare for them unless you're playing with a friend and communicating through voice.

> > This is the problem that I have with combo fields. Since I can't really see them coming, I don't build or plan my rotations around them.

> >

> >

>

> Yup! GW2 is full of flashy skills and they last 2 seconds or something and finding one that's a field you need to use is impossible. Maybe if they all had a different shape. I can spot Revenant's Mace 2 (the fire one) and Dwarf stab immediately. I mean, in a sea of circles, those are lines so they stand out.

>

> Also, did someone measure the exact DPS impact on using combo fields vs not using them? Both solo or with someone else?

 

Yes some people actually did that. thats why druid uses smokescale with mirages for blinding bolts. those trigger a trait which applies confusion. holo gets quite a bit from photon blitz into firebomb. condi thief even relied on them. those can add quite a bit of dps.

Meta comps in fractals need fire blasts for might. its not that easy to reach 25 without a healer.

[Smoosh.2718]

I find classes such as Thief, Ranger, Ele use them all the time. Ele has a big use for water field into blast combo's

 

However some of the other classes are in the dark with combo's. The warrior as an example here, many many finishers but next to no fields other than torch, bubble and longbow. Personally id love to see combo's reworked to become something more meaningful than say, 3 might.

[Trollocks.5084]

Kinda hard not to as a reaper.

[Mortifera.6138]

I don’t know. I’ve been playing since Beta, and I still don’t know what combos are.

[medivh.4725]

Combos when combined with rotation gives the most satisfying fight experience. Even if its a auto skill one the animation itself is stylish.

 

For my ranger, its irritating since he tend to jump in and out of fight, even skip around enemies at times. So random pressing won't be smooth for his attacks and sequenced skill pressing also isn't the best. You got to figure out which weapon combined to which skill give the ultimate fight experience. So to speak. And if you do this well enough, by time your attacks end, a new set of cool down also end and you have next set of skills ready for deployment at enemies. For this you have to try them and know which weapon gives which effects in fights. For example in some fights you don't want the toon to fall off a cliff. So it needs managed. Hence it is always handy to know your combos. :) In the end it all comes down to knowing your toon.

[Hesione.9412]

In PvE, I often use this in combination with the skyscale flame: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Vault I don't bother with the other professions.

 

I use them all the time in WvW.

 

Edited to add: there wasn't really an option for how I use them, in the poll categories.

[Oxstar.7643]

...Why would you not use your attacks in a way that makes you stronger? That is what combos are for, additional effects that are beneficial to you. Everybody uses them and those who doesn't are not optimizing.

[Fueki.4753]

> @"Oxstar.7643" said:

> ...Why would you not use your attacks in a way that makes you stronger?

For some people, bending their playstyle just to include combos isn't fun.

 

> Everybody uses them and those who doesn't are not optimizing.

Not everyone is optimizing their damage output.

Some people optimize their enjoyment of the game instead.

[Oxstar.7643]

Okay. But I for one do not see how combining skills into new skills isn't fun.

[Fueki.4753]

That's because everyone has a different opinion on what's fun.

[Oxstar.7643]

However. Combos have enough of an impact and are accessible enough that you do not actually need to bend your playstyle to use at least one. Unless you're playing some quite niche builds. In most cases the simply truth is that you can do combos without changing a thing about your build, and not doing so just means you make things harder on yourself.