Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

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Rias
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Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by Rias »

Just to give a little advance warning: Staff have been discussing the "use main-hand to attack, off-hand to fend with long reach" meta and how to prevent it from being a viable tactic. We hope it's understandable that, for instance, attacking with a dagger wile simultaneously fending with an off-hand spear is not an intended viable tactic nor does it seem particularly believable or fair to the spirit of combat mechanics balancing.

Nobody is in trouble for using this tactic. It's been brought up in the past and we've been aware of it, and we've just agreed that it's about time we addressed the oversight.
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jerc
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Re: Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by jerc »

What does this mean for sorcery, which appears to have negligible reach, despite being primarily ranged?

I mentioned it in another post, but I hold a sling just for the stay-out-of-melee-range chance, even though it's never actually used. I guess it's slightly different since you can still cast while holding something, but it still feels like the same strategy in a different guise. Will I just have to make sure that the unused sling is in my main hand going forward?
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Lexx416
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Re: Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by Lexx416 »

Is it safe to assume this will also be the case for off-handing a ranged weapon while you have a melee weapon in your main hand? And will this impact that hidden druid claw power? (IE; holding a sling or spear in one hand while attacking with that power's command)
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Rias
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Re: Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by Rias »

jerc wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 8:29 am What does this mean for sorcery, which appears to have negligible reach, despite being primarily ranged? [...] I hold a sling just for the stay-out-of-melee-range chance, even though it's never actually used.
We're sprucing up Position Avoid to work as this approach to combat, so holding a ranged weapon will no longer be required to indicate one is attempting to simply stay as far away as possible from attackers and get that virtual reach bonus that currently only comes from holding a ranged weapon.
Lexx416 wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 8:30 am Is it safe to assume this will also be the case for off-handing a ranged weapon while you have a melee weapon in your main hand? And will this impact that hidden druid claw power? (IE; holding a sling or spear in one hand while attacking with that power's command)
Yes and yes.
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Gorth
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Re: Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by Gorth »

I like this a lot. It feels silly to have a spear in the offhand, like you said, and that's why I stopped doing it with Longsword and Stiletto. But...
Lexx416 wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 8:30 am Is it safe to assume this will also be the case for off-handing a ranged weapon while you have a melee weapon in your main hand? And will this impact that hidden druid claw power? (IE; holding a sling or spear in one hand while attacking with that power's command)
This worries me. I'm not sure if Druid Claws are intended to be actually useable, but I manage to use them to decent enough affect, while offhanding a Longsword. Druid Claws have basically no defenseability, which I guess is the point. I suppose the balancing of this ability is a discussion for another topic, I just thought I would bring this up.

Also, I play a character who is left handed, ala I swap weapons, longsword left hand, shield in right. Is right hand going to automatically be considered main hand and thus, I will be crippling my character's fending chances? This really isn't an issue, as coding in a dominant hand system is a lot harder than me just sucking it up and not caring about tiny details like that and just making the character normal.
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Rias
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Re: Main-hand attack off-hand reach meta will be going away

Post by Rias »

Gorth wrote: Tue May 10, 2022 10:27 amI'm not sure if Druid Claws are intended to be actually useable, but I manage to use them to decent enough affect, while offhanding a Longsword.
All abilities being actually usable would be the ideal scenario! Just keep in mind that situational weapon advantages and disadvantages is part of our combat system's design. If you have some ideas to make this ability feel more attractive and viable without having to resort to meta gymnastics like offhanding a large weapon, here's a thread where you can throw your suggestions for it into the pot.
I play a character who is left handed ... Is right hand going to automatically be considered main hand and thus, I will be crippling my character's fending chances?
It shouldn't be an issue.
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