Whaaaaaaa.
That seems crazy. Lord and with how long it takes to load up no thanks. Why the hell would they do that.
On a side point anything about the combat that I should know that isn't immediately apparent?
So far I'm deducing:
- move to enemies blind sides
- b countdown is a critical damage/evasion multiplier
- use certain skills in conjunction with others - Ability that topples + Weapon that wrecks toppled dudes
Anything else?
Also I'm a lvl 10 Drifter. Should I pick another class at this point?
Here are some of the basics:
You switch between your melee weapon and your ranged weapon by tapping X. Your ranged weapon allows you to attack from afar; it does less damage but you can keep a safe distance from enemies. Your melee attacks do more damage but you must be closer to your target; melee attacks will also agro an enemy, causing it to focus on you.
The same applies to your ranged arts (the yellow icons) and melee arts (the orange icons). Note that every time you use an art, there's a cooldown period. There are two cooldown periods: the first determines when you can use the art again, and the second (measured by the green circle filling up around the icon) determines when you can use it at full strength. If you wait until the second cooldown is complete, the art will be much stronger!
You can make the cooldown go faster by using auto-attacks of the same kind. So for example, let's say you want to use the Tornado Blade art again, and you want to use it at full power. It's a melee art, so to make the green circle fill up faster, use your melee auto-attacks!
And yes, it's generally safer to attack from the sides of an enemy, or behind an enemy. Also note that if you cycle between different parts of an enemy by tapping R, you can target different parts of their body (in some cases). Last night, I fought a boss where targeting his hands caused him to topple. There are also attacks that can induce topple. When an enemy is toppled, they'll be more vulnerable to attacks!
Also take advantage of your arts that buff you or debuff your enemies. One move (a blue icon — I forget its name) replenishes your HP over a period of time, and increases your defense (I think), but it makes your attacks weaker while the buff is in effect.
Also note the number next to your health bar in the upper-right of the screen. Those are your Tension Points, or TP. These build as you use attacks. Once they're over 3,000 (if I recall correctly), you can use them to revive fallen comrades. Simply stand over them and hit A to revive them.
Also, when the game prompts you to hit the B button, try to do so while the line is inside the ring. This will produce positive effects, such as healing teammates.
And when your teammates say to use melee attacks, ranged attacks or auras (buffs/debuffs), it'll make arts of those kinds pulsate on your screen; choosing those arts at that time will allow you to unleash a powered-up version of it. So use melee attacks when told, ranged attacks when told, etc!
This should help you get started and make the fighting go more smoothly.