Returned for the new League and Melee still reeks of awfulness.

Consider this for Melee characters:

1) 85% of the enemies in this game have strong ranged attacks and of the 15% whom don't have ranged attacks they usually have some insane leap into combat from off screen somewhere ability.

2) Ranged characters can walk, kite and strafe all over the damn place while attacking but warrior is locked in place/attack animation every single time he attacks unless you cancel out with a dodge roll (which is arguably stupid as hell if you ever seen combat of any sort, movement and reaction are key to victory). You compare swinging a sword as opposed to loading, drawing, aiming and firing a ranged weapon, the mental physics in this comparison is way out of balance from reality to gameplay.

3) Ranged combat tends to have faster rates of fire and equal or greater damage output as opposed to melee skills.

4) Energy Shield is superior to Armor and it isn't even close or comparable in its usefulness and defenses (and I cannot believe this issue still exists as long as beta has existed, my god, a simple number buff is all it would take)

5) Why are there no skill gem attacks available to replace the Mace Strike ability?

So, I suggest for deaf ears...

1) If melee issues will never be addressed why in the f#$! introduce more melee weapons into the game or waste time and money on content that will be DOA? Just change the name to Range of Exiles.

Some ideals to help compensate these flaws...

1) A 10% passive speed buff to warrior's attack and movement speed would go a long way to help compensate for some of the issues, yeah, it's a band aid solution but the amounts of combined flaws with warrior is overwhelming.

2) A bit more cleave on weapon attacks would also be useful and not difficult to implement.

3)Being able to strafe and maneuver in combat while attacking would be great but I don't see this getting implemented due to laziness and financial issues.

I really feel that this input will just fall on death ears, because they have their "vision" for what the game should be instead of listening to the player base.

Melee just doesn't feel strategic or meaningful in any way, all you really do is try to advance slowly and peel mobs off the pack so you do not get overwhelmed... and that's about it. Just to prove the value of my feedback GGG should compare speed run videos between warriors versus literally any other character.

"

Infernal_Productions#3429 wrote:

So, I suggest for deaf ears...

1) If melee issues will never be addressed why in the f#$! introduce more melee weapons into the game or waste time and money on content that will be DOA? Just change the name to Range of Exiles.

I imagine that's part of why they didn't release swords or gladiators with this patch. Melee in this game is broken. The usable "melee" is mostly just AoE spells that you need to hold a certain weapon to use. Calling stone spears up from the ground of throwing lightning bolts isn't melee combat.

Being unable to move while fighting with a sword or dagger is insane. I've seen games that don't let you move while casting, especially channeled spells, but I've never seen this. It's not at all how melee combat should work. It should be fast paced constant movement.

Honestly the game isn't even what they advertise it as on Steam. Surprised it hasn't been an issue. I know EA titles have different rules, but the Steam store page advertises the game as having all the classes and ascendancies, flails, and other things they plan to maybe one day add if we're lucky and they've finished creating a few thousand runes.

I agree that all melee skills being animation locked and stuck in place feels like sh!t. There's just no better way to say it.

Jonathan Rogers explicitly stated that he did not want combat to be critiqued as bad or not best-in-class, similar to PoE1.

Here is the exact timestamp where he says it: https://youtu.be/HtTxuE5aP88?t=1687

Yet he has, unfortunately, made a game where melee combat feels bad. That's just the truth.

Some people enjoy it, true. But some people enjoy cutting themselves. There are always masochists. The mass reception is that melee feels janky and/or bad.

And yet warrior with melee skills always wins the level 100 race somehow.

On the issue of "the good melee skills are just aoe spells with melee weapons" ... if you define melee by hitting a singular enemy with a singular strike from close distance, than melee will be inherently worse than other skills simply by your definition.

Also the "this and that will NEVER be adressed" takes are just pathetic.
Articulate your concerns like an adult and maybe people will discuss it.

"

2) Ranged characters can walk, kite and strafe all over the damn place while attacking but warrior is locked in place/attack animation every single time he attacks unless you cancel out with a dodge roll (which is arguably stupid as hell if you ever seen combat of any sort, movement and reaction are key to victory). You compare swinging a sword as opposed to loading, drawing, aiming and firing a ranged weapon, the mental physics in this comparison is way out of balance from reality to gameplay.

I wanted to adress this part specifically, because I practiced combat sports for quite a while. You should not argue with realism here, because in reality it is very much possible for a practictioned archer to shoot arrows while moving and being agile. But you can not move around while striking properly - you can maybe jab a little bit while moving, but definitely not striking and swinging heavy.
That said i don't think PoE needs to be hyper realistic on that part anyway, i just find the argument weak.

Been playing melee since 0.1 with major success, using my self-made off-meta build.

It is a skill issue brother, sorry.

OP the way you frame it is ... a bit over the top. And very binary to the point its just incorrect in several spots.


There are some issues with melee but I wouldnt call it major or even something to worry about over other systems and mechanics that need attention.



I would suggest a different archetype as the things you are seeing are... not really a problem with melee.



Been playing melee since .1 just fine here as well.

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Nokkyu#1880 wrote:

I wanted to address this part specifically, because I practiced combat sports for quite a while. You should not argue with realism here, because in reality it is very much possible for a practictioned archer to shoot arrows while moving and being agile. But you can not move around while striking properly - you can maybe jab a little bit while moving, but definitely not striking and swinging heavy.
That said i don't think PoE needs to be hyper realistic on that part anyway, i just find the argument weak.

Fair enough, body position, stance, having a stable base etc. definitely matter more than people who learn martial combat from watching movies may realize. Arguing realism of weapons that look like they weigh more than 5-6 lbs is pointless too since weapons over that weight range become less practical and effective and weren't really used in close quarters combat.

I think most people asking for melee combat in this game are asking for actual in the opponents face, at weapons length, up close combat, with the expectation that while this might put them in more danger, they're ok with this trade off because of some sort of expected benefit for that risk.

There is no benefit to getting up close in any way shape or form in this game, there is nothing but added risks, like getting stuck in place in your slow melee animation, running into an area affect health/mana drain mob, losing damage output from having to chase mobs or avoid AoE attacks, not being able to clear swarms fast enough because you're spending time trying to position yourself. All the things ranged AoE spammy attackers don't need to worry about, all while attacking from a safe distance...

This game just isn't built for melee and with 0.5 seems to be straying further from it. It seems like wishful thinking for anyone to expect it's going to get 'fixed' or addressed by 1.0. This just doesn't look like it's going to be a game that offers that up close combat feel many people were hoping for.

I'll give them all the credit in the world if they turn the ship around and do it though, but not holding my breath any longer.

"

Mashgesture#2912 wrote:

OP the way you frame it is ... a bit over the top. And very binary to the point its just incorrect in several spots.


There are some issues with melee but I wouldnt call it major or even something to worry about over other systems and mechanics that need attention.



I would suggest a different archetype as the things you are seeing are... not really a problem with melee.



Been playing melee since .1 just fine here as well.

Was awaiting your arrival, you seem to be a regular counter in all of these threads. Would really love to see a video showcase of your amazing melee builds and gameplay. My assumption is you're basically using the melee attacks that are effectively projectile attacks/AoE spells, but would love to be proven wrong. Show us the way, show us how up close melee combat works well in this game.

"

Skutz123#5377 wrote:

Was awaiting your arrival, you seem to be a regular counter in all of these threads. Would really love to see a video showcase of your amazing melee builds and gameplay. My assumption is you're basically using the melee attacks that are effectively projectile attacks/AoE spells, but would love to be proven wrong. Show us the way, show us how up close melee combat works well in this game.

I know you're not quoting me, but I actually have a video, so just to show that melee can work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKP_nsKcAXc
Genuinely one thing killing me was UArbiter one-shots. But I one shotted him as well.

"

Evergrey#7535 wrote:

"

Skutz123#5377 wrote:

Was awaiting your arrival, you seem to be a regular counter in all of these threads. Would really love to see a video showcase of your amazing melee builds and gameplay. My assumption is you're basically using the melee attacks that are effectively projectile attacks/AoE spells, but would love to be proven wrong. Show us the way, show us how up close melee combat works well in this game.

I know you're not quoting me, but I actually have a video, so just to show that melee can work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKP_nsKcAXc
Genuinely one thing killing me was UArbiter one-shots. But I one shotted him as well.

Appreciate the attempt and I watched this video in good faith. Aside from the last 10 seconds with the boss that falls over dead in a few hits, the rest of it was the AoE effectively a spell trigger type spam 'melee in name only' that I was talking about.

Landing a single hit on something that triggers a near screenwide explosion isn't the upclose sort of melee combat that I was hoping for. For sure these melee in name only skill builds can work in this game, some extremely well and game breaking because it's an easy game to break, but it's not the gameplay I want, and I don't think it's what the OP or others want either.

I may not be doing as good a job explaining what I'd like to see as I think I am, but it's also just not possible in this game to kill every mob in a giant swarm with a precise up close attack. It doesn't fit the pace or mechanics.

And that's fine, game is just gonna be whatever they make it.