Combat Style

Welcome intrepid soul! This article is intended as a place to collect useful ways of efficiently completing combat adventures. The changes that accompanied NS13 have eroded the dominance of strategies that use permanent combat skills like Lunging Thrust Smack for moxie and magicality classes.

This page is specifically not intended for such strategies, but rather for collecting ways that individual classes are "meant" to fight, using their own class skills and strengths, and the relatively accessible items they find around them. MacGyver fighting. Ideally, these strategies should be accomplish-able by a brand new character, or in a Bad Moon ascension. That said, any useful combat strategy is welcome, but this article is not aimed at the person with two-dozen ascensions under their belt, because such a person most likely does not need advice. The audience of this page is the new player, or the person playing a specific class for the first time. Now then...

Basic Combat Styles

Muscle

Muscle-based combat is based on attacking with Melee weapons. This is most easily accomplished by having a Muscle that is higher than the Monster's Defense. Thus, any Buffs or Enchantments that raise Muscle are key. In addition, due to the fact that the Monster will likely be able to damage you (and for a lot), since the Monster's to-hit and damage are based on your Moxie, which will likely be lower, it is to the player's advantage to maximize the damage dealt by each attack, to reduce the number of combat rounds the Monster will have to retaliate. Thus, Buffs and Enchantments that raise Melee damage are beneficial.

It can be possible to defeat the enemy in one hit via: extreme boosting of melee damage, exploiting elemental weaknesses, getting a critical hit, or using combat skills like Lunging Thrust-Smack. This can be incredibly useful to avoid taking damage, especially if you also boost Combat Initiative. It may be worth it to abandon conventional defenses entirely if you think your enemy can be defeated in one, or even two hits.

Moxie

Moxie-based combat is based on being able to evade all of a Monster's attacks. This is most easily accomplished by having a Moxie that is higher than the Monster's Attack. Thus, any Buffs or Enchantments that raise Moxie are key. Additionally, items or skills that reduce the Monster's level in combat are useful to put the Monster's attack below your moxie. (See Safe Adventuring) At this point, the Monster can be picked off at your leisure, using combat items, Skills, or Ranged weapons, which are based on Moxie instead of Muscle.

Skill Based

Skill-Based combat is the combat style preferred by Mysticality Classes, as well as those who have completed a number of Ascensions. It generally consists of using skills that will always hit the Monster, such as Shieldbutt or any of the Mysticality Spells. The advantage of this is that the character's Stats in relation to the Monster's are largely irrelevant, allowing the player to adventure at any area he or she has access to.