Rime
04-15-2010, 12:29 AM
Content
1. Introduction
2. The Ns and Outs of Combat
3. States of Enemies based on N
4. Attack Types and Effects on N
5. Player-Created Strategies and Combos
6. Closing
7. Related guides
8. Update notes
1. Introduction
As a more experienced player, it’s always frustrating to see new players being so gung-ho during combat that they lose all mindfulness for the very basic of basics, ultimately causing the death of those around them. Despite the frustration, I think that even the most experienced of players (myself included) can be at fault for causing various mishaps during battle, so, I don’t fully believe the lack of experience to be at fault, but rather, the lack of knowledge of how to control battle.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and sometimes the best type of preventions is the right kind of knowledge. This guide will focus on the very fundamentals of combat in Mabinogi. As Mabinogi’s combat system emphasizes dishing out the maximum amount of damage to opponents while minimizing damage to oneself, and the best way to do that is to learn how control your opponents.
2. The Ns and Outs of combat
-Redefining the N
If you’ve played Mabinogi for a decent amount of time, you may have heard the terms, N+1, N+bolt, N+ mill, and the like tossed around. These terms are derived from the number of combo attacks, N, used with a follow-up attack. Before we start off with more complicated mumbo-jumbo I’ll explain the most basic combo, N+1, and more specifically, how it actually works. As simple as it is, the mechanics behind this combo will be a basis for the entire guide.
-N+1, more than meets the eye?
N+1 is a term used to refer to a very basic combo in which an extra normal attack can be executed before pushing the enemy back. If the number of your normal attacks is 3, you will hit 4 times with this combo. In other words, it refers to the total number of attacks in a normal combo + 1 extra round of attacks. While dual wielding, it will be possible you will be able to get add in an extra 2 attacks if you take the time to pause after every round of attacks.
The combo works like this: after every swipe (or round of attacks if you are dual wielding) you take a small pause, just enough to almost get back into preparation stance, before attacking again. By doing this after every round of attacks, you will have conferred an extra round of attacks at the end of your combo before knocking the enemy back.
This brings up the question, “Why does this work?” The answer lies in the fact that enemies, and even players, are able to “recover” from combos over time, but not in the sense that they are recovering health points.
-So what N God’s name am I talking about?
Both enemy characters and player characters share an unnamed, and almost overlooked, status that I like to refer to as “sponginess,” though you can call it ham sandwich for all I care; the important thing is that you understand that it’s there. Depending on the number of attacks in your basic combo, the enemy’s sponginess will decrease a certain amount with each hit. For convenience sake, we’ll here on after refer to the sponginess as N and that each attack reduces the stat by N/(number of attacks). When a sufficient number of attacks have been executed to reduce the sponginess value until it reaches or drops below 0, the character will be pushed back. For example, hitting an enemy 3 times with a three hit weapon will reduce the enemy’s N value to zero and cause him to be knocked back since N-(N/3 hits)x3hits=0. As previously mentioned, this value recovers over time, so depending on the timing you can actually determine when you want to knock your opponent away!
Now it becomes clearer why N+1 works. Because the sponginess value is recovering during the pauses in between attacks, by the time N number of attacks has been executed, enough sponginess would have remained to permit an extra round of attacks.
3. States of enemies based on N
So, what happens once an enemy’s N is depleted? What happens when an attack is launched on an enemy afterwards? This section will go into detail on the effects of N on enemy characters and how to exploit each scenario.
-The properties of N
There are several important rules to remember about Ns:
Once N is depleted, the enemy will go into knockback and then down.
When an enemy with an N value of 0 is hit, it will bounce.
If hit again after being bounced, the enemy will instantly recover and suffer no stun or knockback.
Basic Enemy States
-Normal
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has no reduction to its N, or has recovered from being downed
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes
Effective strategies: Depends on AI and other factors
Ineffective strategies: Depends on AI and other factors
Use discretion and prior knowledge of enemy AI to deal with enemies in this state. Bolt counter with skeletons, windmill laghodassas, etc. Oftentimes, the enemy will charge at you with normal melee unless it has a skill bubble floating above its head.
-Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: Its N value is reduced to 0 via normal melee hits or knockback attacks
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Knockback occurs once enough normal attacks have been executed to deplete the enemy’s N. After the last of the normal attacks have been execute, the enemy will slide back and pause momentarily. The sliding back is what players refer to as “knockback.” During the slide animation the enemy will have no N and any single-hit attacks launched against it will cause it to bounce. Attacks from dual wielding characters will only hit once and cause the enemy to bounce. Elven ranged attacks will hit the enemy twice and then cause it to bounce.
-Flying Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: Its N value is reduced to 0 via critical hit, smash, windmill, firebolt, magnum shot, or is sent into deadly status
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Flying knockbacks occur during the use of smash, counter, firebolt, magnum, and during special cases with normal attacks. These cases are when strings of normal attacks end with a critical hit and when the enemy goes into deadly status. The only difference between regular knockback and flying knockback is that the distance the enemy is thrown is greater.
-Down
How the enemy gets into this state: This state occurs after the enemy is knocked back
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
After the sliding animation of any knockback takes place, the enemy will pause briefly for a short moment before taking action. This is the “down” state. During this time any attack will cause the enemy to bounce.
-Recovery
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has been bounced or has just gotten up from being downed
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes, beware of windmill
Effective strategies: Waiting for normal state, defense, counter, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Recovery occurs after the enemy is either bounced, or after the enemy gets back up from being downed. The enemy is only in this state for a brief period of time, but during recovery the enemy is momentarily invulnerable to the stun and knockback effects of one attack. After shrugging off the attack, it will usually go into retaliatory response.
-Retaliatory Response
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has been attacked in recovery, was not knocked back mid-combo (N was not depleted), or has recovered from being downed (there is a chance of this not happening)
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes, beware of windmill
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Enemy gains Intuition-like abilities
There are a few situations where this can occur and whether or not it can occur depends on enemy AI. One is to attack an enemy with a-chainable attack and stop before the enemy is knocked back. Another is to attack a bounced enemy. Though this state may not always occur, a sure sign is that the enemy will run at you. During this state it can also counter the smashes, charges, and normal melee of any other character trying to get in his path with a melee swipe. If the enemy has windmill, it may activated it on nearby, hapless players instead of charging with normal melee.
-Special states
While the above states can be caused using normal melee, each of the following like to obey their own little rules and may even have a few special effects associated with them.
-Icespear'd
How the enemy gets into this state: Icespear has been used on the enemy
Is the enemy able to load skills: No
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: windmill, more icespear
Ineffective strategies: None, really
Special effect: stops the enemy and ignores its N values. In effect, the enemy will not be bounced by this skill nor will it trigger a retaliatory response from the enemy. Freezing will not stop enemies with mana reflector rank 2 or 100% resistance to ice via elementals, but it will slow them. No enemies can escape the explosion that concludes the freezing effect.
Icespear is a cool ability, so cool that it, in fact, thinks it can completely ignore the rules of N and clasp all within its cold clutches without bouncing or causing them to retaliate. When a player uses icespear on an enemy, the skill will always freeze it and then cause it to go into knockback once the cool freezing effect turn volatile. There are those few exceptions that are able to escape the freezing, but the combustion of their coats of ice will always send them into flying knockback.
-Frozen (frozen blast)
Skill is not yet available.
-Windmill Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy is caught in a windmill attack
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Special effect: Sends multiple enemies into knockback; affects certain enemy AI by having them not go into retaliatory response as often. Costs 10% hp and a variable amount of Sp based on rank
-Charge stun
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy is hit with the charge skill
Is the enemy able to load skills: No
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Anything executable within the 2.6 second stun
Ineffective strategies: Letting the stun run out
Special effect: The enemy's N is restored to full and the enemy is stunned for around 2.6 seconds.
4. Attack types and effects on N
There’s a defensive side to N, and then there’s the offensive side. As enemies react differently to attacks based on their N, your attacks determine their state of N. Use a wrong move and get killed. So no, you can’t simply throw random attacks and hope for the best. You can, however, derive plans of attack to keep your enemy confounded and your hp bar safe.
-Normal melee attacks
Number or attacks: Based on weapons. For dual wield, the number is the total number of attacks provided by each weapon
Stun: Dependent on weapon type and speed
Normal melee is probably one of the most complicated attack types, and probably one of the more risky. The main factor involved is the number of hits afforded by your weapons. A high number hits means a lower amount of N will be taken off with each swipe. Another factor, weapon speed determines the overall speed and safety factor of your normal melee combo when chained with other attacks. The stun from your weapons, which is based off of the weapon's speed, determines the duration of each of your enemy states. Low stun allows enemies to reach recovery or retaliation faster. A final, and usually unmentioned, factor is the distance from you and your target. This determines your overall ability to react before the enemy changes states.
-Ranged chainable attacks
-Melee knockback attacks
-Ranged knockback attacks
-Defensive skills
5. Player-created combos and strategies
Here’s where we put theory to practice, and practice, practice, and practice until we make perfect. I’ll post some combos I’m familiar with and you post your combos, preferably with a video of it in action. I’ll give my take on it, and even post opinions of other contributors if they seem construction. Keep in mind, this section should be no stranger to criticism.
*to be updated at a future time*
6. Closing
I’ve written this guide not only to help new players understand combat, but to help seasoned players sharpen their battle methodology. But I’m only one player, and I only know as much as one player can. To construct a complete guide, with as much integral information as possible, I welcome any criticism and revisions from its readers and I’ll even give them due credit. Here’s hoping this guide will result in at least one less player-accountable death.
7. Related guides
*to be updated at a later time*
8. Update Notes
*Guide will be updated weekly. Just pray that it doesn’t escape my already small attention span.
4-14-2010 Rough draft version lulz
4-15-2010 Version 1.1, restructured the guide
To be researched:
The time it takes to recover N
Effects of weapon speed on the recovery of N if any
Actual numerical values to N
To be added: Icons and pictures, cause they’re pretty
1. Introduction
2. The Ns and Outs of Combat
3. States of Enemies based on N
4. Attack Types and Effects on N
5. Player-Created Strategies and Combos
6. Closing
7. Related guides
8. Update notes
1. Introduction
As a more experienced player, it’s always frustrating to see new players being so gung-ho during combat that they lose all mindfulness for the very basic of basics, ultimately causing the death of those around them. Despite the frustration, I think that even the most experienced of players (myself included) can be at fault for causing various mishaps during battle, so, I don’t fully believe the lack of experience to be at fault, but rather, the lack of knowledge of how to control battle.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and sometimes the best type of preventions is the right kind of knowledge. This guide will focus on the very fundamentals of combat in Mabinogi. As Mabinogi’s combat system emphasizes dishing out the maximum amount of damage to opponents while minimizing damage to oneself, and the best way to do that is to learn how control your opponents.
2. The Ns and Outs of combat
-Redefining the N
If you’ve played Mabinogi for a decent amount of time, you may have heard the terms, N+1, N+bolt, N+ mill, and the like tossed around. These terms are derived from the number of combo attacks, N, used with a follow-up attack. Before we start off with more complicated mumbo-jumbo I’ll explain the most basic combo, N+1, and more specifically, how it actually works. As simple as it is, the mechanics behind this combo will be a basis for the entire guide.
-N+1, more than meets the eye?
N+1 is a term used to refer to a very basic combo in which an extra normal attack can be executed before pushing the enemy back. If the number of your normal attacks is 3, you will hit 4 times with this combo. In other words, it refers to the total number of attacks in a normal combo + 1 extra round of attacks. While dual wielding, it will be possible you will be able to get add in an extra 2 attacks if you take the time to pause after every round of attacks.
The combo works like this: after every swipe (or round of attacks if you are dual wielding) you take a small pause, just enough to almost get back into preparation stance, before attacking again. By doing this after every round of attacks, you will have conferred an extra round of attacks at the end of your combo before knocking the enemy back.
This brings up the question, “Why does this work?” The answer lies in the fact that enemies, and even players, are able to “recover” from combos over time, but not in the sense that they are recovering health points.
-So what N God’s name am I talking about?
Both enemy characters and player characters share an unnamed, and almost overlooked, status that I like to refer to as “sponginess,” though you can call it ham sandwich for all I care; the important thing is that you understand that it’s there. Depending on the number of attacks in your basic combo, the enemy’s sponginess will decrease a certain amount with each hit. For convenience sake, we’ll here on after refer to the sponginess as N and that each attack reduces the stat by N/(number of attacks). When a sufficient number of attacks have been executed to reduce the sponginess value until it reaches or drops below 0, the character will be pushed back. For example, hitting an enemy 3 times with a three hit weapon will reduce the enemy’s N value to zero and cause him to be knocked back since N-(N/3 hits)x3hits=0. As previously mentioned, this value recovers over time, so depending on the timing you can actually determine when you want to knock your opponent away!
Now it becomes clearer why N+1 works. Because the sponginess value is recovering during the pauses in between attacks, by the time N number of attacks has been executed, enough sponginess would have remained to permit an extra round of attacks.
3. States of enemies based on N
So, what happens once an enemy’s N is depleted? What happens when an attack is launched on an enemy afterwards? This section will go into detail on the effects of N on enemy characters and how to exploit each scenario.
-The properties of N
There are several important rules to remember about Ns:
Once N is depleted, the enemy will go into knockback and then down.
When an enemy with an N value of 0 is hit, it will bounce.
If hit again after being bounced, the enemy will instantly recover and suffer no stun or knockback.
Basic Enemy States
-Normal
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has no reduction to its N, or has recovered from being downed
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes
Effective strategies: Depends on AI and other factors
Ineffective strategies: Depends on AI and other factors
Use discretion and prior knowledge of enemy AI to deal with enemies in this state. Bolt counter with skeletons, windmill laghodassas, etc. Oftentimes, the enemy will charge at you with normal melee unless it has a skill bubble floating above its head.
-Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: Its N value is reduced to 0 via normal melee hits or knockback attacks
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Knockback occurs once enough normal attacks have been executed to deplete the enemy’s N. After the last of the normal attacks have been execute, the enemy will slide back and pause momentarily. The sliding back is what players refer to as “knockback.” During the slide animation the enemy will have no N and any single-hit attacks launched against it will cause it to bounce. Attacks from dual wielding characters will only hit once and cause the enemy to bounce. Elven ranged attacks will hit the enemy twice and then cause it to bounce.
-Flying Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: Its N value is reduced to 0 via critical hit, smash, windmill, firebolt, magnum shot, or is sent into deadly status
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Flying knockbacks occur during the use of smash, counter, firebolt, magnum, and during special cases with normal attacks. These cases are when strings of normal attacks end with a critical hit and when the enemy goes into deadly status. The only difference between regular knockback and flying knockback is that the distance the enemy is thrown is greater.
-Down
How the enemy gets into this state: This state occurs after the enemy is knocked back
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
After the sliding animation of any knockback takes place, the enemy will pause briefly for a short moment before taking action. This is the “down” state. During this time any attack will cause the enemy to bounce.
-Recovery
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has been bounced or has just gotten up from being downed
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes, beware of windmill
Effective strategies: Waiting for normal state, defense, counter, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Recovery occurs after the enemy is either bounced, or after the enemy gets back up from being downed. The enemy is only in this state for a brief period of time, but during recovery the enemy is momentarily invulnerable to the stun and knockback effects of one attack. After shrugging off the attack, it will usually go into retaliatory response.
-Retaliatory Response
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy has been attacked in recovery, was not knocked back mid-combo (N was not depleted), or has recovered from being downed (there is a chance of this not happening)
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: Yes, beware of windmill
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Enemy gains Intuition-like abilities
There are a few situations where this can occur and whether or not it can occur depends on enemy AI. One is to attack an enemy with a-chainable attack and stop before the enemy is knocked back. Another is to attack a bounced enemy. Though this state may not always occur, a sure sign is that the enemy will run at you. During this state it can also counter the smashes, charges, and normal melee of any other character trying to get in his path with a melee swipe. If the enemy has windmill, it may activated it on nearby, hapless players instead of charging with normal melee.
-Special states
While the above states can be caused using normal melee, each of the following like to obey their own little rules and may even have a few special effects associated with them.
-Icespear'd
How the enemy gets into this state: Icespear has been used on the enemy
Is the enemy able to load skills: No
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: windmill, more icespear
Ineffective strategies: None, really
Special effect: stops the enemy and ignores its N values. In effect, the enemy will not be bounced by this skill nor will it trigger a retaliatory response from the enemy. Freezing will not stop enemies with mana reflector rank 2 or 100% resistance to ice via elementals, but it will slow them. No enemies can escape the explosion that concludes the freezing effect.
Icespear is a cool ability, so cool that it, in fact, thinks it can completely ignore the rules of N and clasp all within its cold clutches without bouncing or causing them to retaliate. When a player uses icespear on an enemy, the skill will always freeze it and then cause it to go into knockback once the cool freezing effect turn volatile. There are those few exceptions that are able to escape the freezing, but the combustion of their coats of ice will always send them into flying knockback.
-Frozen (frozen blast)
Skill is not yet available.
-Windmill Knockback
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy is caught in a windmill attack
Is the enemy able to load skills: Yes, usually loads regular melee
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Melee or ranged knockback attacks, windmill, icespear
Ineffective strategies: Consecutive melee/ranged attacks
Special effect: Sends multiple enemies into knockback; affects certain enemy AI by having them not go into retaliatory response as often. Costs 10% hp and a variable amount of Sp based on rank
-Charge stun
How the enemy gets into this state: The enemy is hit with the charge skill
Is the enemy able to load skills: No
Is the enemy able to execute skills: No
Effective strategies: Anything executable within the 2.6 second stun
Ineffective strategies: Letting the stun run out
Special effect: The enemy's N is restored to full and the enemy is stunned for around 2.6 seconds.
4. Attack types and effects on N
There’s a defensive side to N, and then there’s the offensive side. As enemies react differently to attacks based on their N, your attacks determine their state of N. Use a wrong move and get killed. So no, you can’t simply throw random attacks and hope for the best. You can, however, derive plans of attack to keep your enemy confounded and your hp bar safe.
-Normal melee attacks
Number or attacks: Based on weapons. For dual wield, the number is the total number of attacks provided by each weapon
Stun: Dependent on weapon type and speed
Normal melee is probably one of the most complicated attack types, and probably one of the more risky. The main factor involved is the number of hits afforded by your weapons. A high number hits means a lower amount of N will be taken off with each swipe. Another factor, weapon speed determines the overall speed and safety factor of your normal melee combo when chained with other attacks. The stun from your weapons, which is based off of the weapon's speed, determines the duration of each of your enemy states. Low stun allows enemies to reach recovery or retaliation faster. A final, and usually unmentioned, factor is the distance from you and your target. This determines your overall ability to react before the enemy changes states.
-Ranged chainable attacks
-Melee knockback attacks
-Ranged knockback attacks
-Defensive skills
5. Player-created combos and strategies
Here’s where we put theory to practice, and practice, practice, and practice until we make perfect. I’ll post some combos I’m familiar with and you post your combos, preferably with a video of it in action. I’ll give my take on it, and even post opinions of other contributors if they seem construction. Keep in mind, this section should be no stranger to criticism.
*to be updated at a future time*
6. Closing
I’ve written this guide not only to help new players understand combat, but to help seasoned players sharpen their battle methodology. But I’m only one player, and I only know as much as one player can. To construct a complete guide, with as much integral information as possible, I welcome any criticism and revisions from its readers and I’ll even give them due credit. Here’s hoping this guide will result in at least one less player-accountable death.
7. Related guides
*to be updated at a later time*
8. Update Notes
*Guide will be updated weekly. Just pray that it doesn’t escape my already small attention span.
4-14-2010 Rough draft version lulz
4-15-2010 Version 1.1, restructured the guide
To be researched:
The time it takes to recover N
Effects of weapon speed on the recovery of N if any
Actual numerical values to N
To be added: Icons and pictures, cause they’re pretty