Thread: Autoattack, melee.

Hello,

I'm test-driving this game, checking it out. I've gamed a lot but it has been a while (think Quake, Morrowind).

I wonder if I'm missing something here.

If I am attacking another creature, I just walk up and right click them or click on the autoattack button. Then I just sort of sit back and wait, as long as things are going my way?

It seems like I'm watching TV or something. I'm not talking about using skills - I get that. But if I'm fighting and dominating some sort of creature, basically I just sit and let autoattack do all the work? Including blocking and parrying and such?

Is there a more "active" way to fight in melee?

Thanks.

not really, but you can watch it and pretend your watching a boxing match or such

I don't think I've ever gone through a fight using only the auto-attack. Even if it's an easy fight, go ahead and practice using your skills. You'll need them for sure after the first few levels. And in addition to being necessary to get far in the game, skills will add some interest to the appearance of the fight.

Autoattack is what happens BETWEEN uses of skills, NOT IN PLACE OF skills. Skill attacks do more damage and give other bonus effects like stunning the mob so it can not attack at all for a while.

While you can beat up on mobs much lower level than you using autoattack, there are mobs out there that will kill you if you do not use your skills. And you get very little XP from killing mobs lower level than you.

OP, you don't say what class you are playing. Not all classes are meant to be in melee combat. You may be meant to use your skills from a distance.

Anyway, the operative part of this is USE YOUR SKILLS. All classes have some sort of attack skill that is on a short cooldown. Throw that whenever you can.

The only time you'd be standing there using auto-attack is when you are out of power... which shouldn't be happening at low levels.

visiting the trainer and basic attacks with your new skill should be one of the quest in the intro unless you missed it or at least is in the archet hobbit\man intro.. iirc theres a quest to go and buy your next skill once you hit lvl2(?) then the quest giver tells you go go attack a dummy with your new skill

if youve havent got any skills to use you also need to makesure youve visited your skill trainer and added any new skills to your skills bar, as a general rule you get an active (attack) skill every even number level and passive (armor wearing, weapon use, defense) skill every odd level. i ts also adviseable to purchase them all when theyre available, theres not enough to pick and mix what you do or dont need. although if youve rolled a class which learns to use various weapons or instruments then you could leave those and learn them when youve got the cash to spare

I understand better now.

I came up mostly playing games where you have a base attack and then special buffs or skills which you are saving until you absolutely need them.

I didn't realize alot of those skills are built to be thrown very frequently.

So it ends up being more like a strategy game then a "twitch" game, although it has the twitch component.

Fun game so far. I think I've finally decided on sticking with an LM to play; I've tried a Guardian, Hunter and LM but not to high levels; just to get the feel.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by ColC

I didn't realize alot of those skills are built to be thrown very frequently.

They can be thrown frequently, and in fact the game rewards you for using skills a lot. For example, once you hit on-level or near-level* enemies with your Staff-strike skill 600 times, you'll get a Master of the Staff trait. Lots of your other skills have similar deeds, that involve using them hundreds of times to get a trait that makes them (and sometimes other skills as well) more effective.

http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Lore-master_Deeds

* for skill use to count towards your class deeds, the target can't be too far below your level. In the case of attack skills, if the enemy you're fighting is so far below you that its name appears in grey text, then you won't get credit for skills used against it. I believe that healing skills also require the character you're healing to be near or above your level to count toward the class deeds, but I'm not positive about that one as I've had few occasions to heal characters that far below myself.