Rufous

{
  "post": {
    "title": "PoE2 Armchair Design: \"Combo\" Attack gem tag",
    "selftext": "Here's a fun little idea I had after hearing that default attacks were becoming supportable in PoE2: Attack skills that perform a sequence of hits (i.e. a combo attack), and support gems that directly support or are thematically adjacent to those skills. Default melee attacks could potentially be changed to a set sequence of swings, with each button press activating the next attack in the sequence. The final hit in the sequence would be a \"combo finisher\" that deals increased damage. This opens up a design space for mechanics like swing endlag, endlag cancelling, perfect attack timings, etc. Obviously this doesn't have to be limited to default attacks.\n\n**Support Gem Ideas:**  \n*Cast on Combo Finish Support* - Supported spells are cast whenever a supported Combo Attack hits with its combo finisher.  \n*Follow-up Support* - Supported skills can be used instantly upon hitting with a combo finisher. Using a supported Attack skill immediately after a combo finisher grants increased attack speed and area of effect.  \n*Tempo Support* - Supported Combo skills grant a stack of Tempo if a full combo sequence is performed with perfect timing. Tempo increases the attack speed and damage of supported Combo skills and lasts for 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.   \n*Extended Combo Support* - Doubles the total number of hits required to finish supported Combo skill sequences, but increases combo finisher damage by X% per non-finisher hit.  \n*Infused Finisher Support* - Supported Combo skill finishers gain a mana cost of 10% maximum mana, and gain that expended mana as added lightning damage.\n\nThoughts? Cooking, or cringe? Hit me with your best weird melee ideas.",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/PathOfExile2/comments/1f35mih/poe2_armchair_design_combo_attack_gem_tag/"
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "body": "So there is something already like that in the game. Some of the attack skills are formatted as a combo where when pressing them multiple times you get different animations. Tempest flurry on the monk for example the 4th hit you do with it instead has him flip and the staff calls a lightning bolt on hit. \n\nI think it would be interesting to add a keyword for these kinds of attack skills so then you can have support gems and passives focusing on that.\n\nAlso in case you didn't know, there is a resource now called \"combo\", that builds stacks every time you use a strike skill. It can be expended for skills like tempest bell."
    },
    {
      "body": "I think altering the basis attack is a good idea, but timing based different combos like in a fighting game is maybe a class gimmick or rather something for a specific weapon type or ascendancy, but that would be a LOT more complex than it needs to"
    },
    {
      "body": "I like this idea, an addition id like is something like a “combo support” which causes you to use a supported attack skill as the finishing move of your default attack combo instead of the default finishing move.  For less mana cost maybe."
    },
    {
      "body": "Cool Idea for default melee attack after hearing this I hope its by default a combo attack. I do think there are already combo attacks in POE2 IIRC but the idea of support gems augmenting combo attacks sounds stellar. Some combo attacks we've seen so far have a finisher or a second skill gem to synergize with it so maybe we might see a support gem or two that changes them from a combo with a finisher into a skill that does sustaining dps but with no combo ender. Issue with that is it starts to sounds like POE 1 melee so it could be a slippery slope."
    },
    {
      "body": "The combo skill itself is a decent idea. Timings are bit too far though. Some of the supports are quite cringe.\n\nCast on finisher seems countering the play style. If finisher is the cool thing and you are pressing buttons like in a fighter then making the payoff be a spell takes away from the combo itself.\n\nFollow-up seems interesting. Probably would need some big hitting skills with cooldown to make sense though.\n\nTempo seems like just faster attacks basically. Since you can use each support only once in PoE2 it makes sense there should be more variations. Having some benefit from standing still and keeping attacking is on par with tradeoff for benefit. The timing has to go though.\n\nThe last two seem to be a bit too restrictive. First is basically Ruthless support and second is scuffed melee version of archmage.\n\nOverall pretty interesting take if a bit unrefined.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "Glad you seem into the concept at least, lol. Yeah the supports were meant to illustrate that having a separate class of gems in the melee archetype adds a lot of space for new hybrid builds via metagems or mechanical incentives to add more skills to your kit. I think it's cool that you can retroactively apply existing mechanics to a new set of skills and have it feel fresh (in theory anyways). I also just love just attack mechanics PSO fans rise up"
        },
        {
          "body": "there's also no need for tempo supports, because the mechanic kinda exists in poe2 I guess, but not as a literal support neither as a combo, it's instead a skill gem mechanic.  \n  \nThe example I'm taking this from is the \\[Perfect Strike\\] skill gem that if you time it correctly after it fully charges, it deals a pretty hefty damage of fire/ignite damage into the target.   \nAs can be seen here in alkaizer's warrior video.  \n[https://youtu.be/CQXR3vg0tt8?t=3390](https://youtu.be/CQXR3vg0tt8?t=3390)  \nat 56:32. The setup was a delayed shockwave along with the perfect ignite window of the strike gem, if we can find more of those kinds of setups we are in for a crazy time in damage output.  \n  \nThere's \"perfect timing\" windows on some skills and I bet they'll implement more of those type of skill gems from time to time.",
          "replies": [
            {
              "body": "That's a bit different. I was thinking a pseudo channeling for melee exactly like Momentum but instead of move speed have more stacks or damage at the end or combination of both. \n\nSo that if you move between the attacks you loose out on the bonus but if you stand still and keep hitting it ramps up."
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "body": "This would require actual good animations for combat on default attacks which PoE2 does not have from what I can see all weapons have the same animation. You would need a souls like approach to animation where each base class and item has distinct animation styles to blend in and like thrusts and sweeps and lunges and things. Currently PoE2 default attacks are just 2 same swings repeated.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "would need lots of tweaks for sure; i'm honestly torn now that you bring it up because making a default combo attack feel decent (better range and such) would mean making it overlap in use with all the current attack skills which makes the designs really clash"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}