Forums » Elder Scrolls

More tactical combat?

    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 4:43 PM EST
    Ok so the thing I hate most in skyrim is the combat system. Does anyone know anyways to make the combat more realistic, exciting, tactical and fun to use instead of just swinging my weapon over and over until the enemy is dead. I don't use magic or archery but any other combat tactics are welcome. Thanks
    • 79 posts
    December 24, 2013 4:49 PM EST

    You can try Raidriar's Prowler build, it focuses on the tactical side of combat (using a combination of stealth, gadgets, and other goodies) rather than brute forcing everything in your way.

    PS Merry Xmas :)

    • 641 posts
    December 24, 2013 4:50 PM EST

    Use stealth and range to heard your enemies towards traps like runes ect?

    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 4:53 PM EST
    Merry Christmas to you too! However my character already uses stealth but there are times he is caught and then I just end up casting Mage flesh and then swinging my swords over and over. Is there any way to just make the actual non stealth combat seem more tactical or am I stuck playing as I am?
    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 4:58 PM EST
    Unfortunately I'm a console player
    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 5:02 PM EST
    Forgot to add I don't use archery. Sorry. But I mean the actual blade on blade combat, we're there's not stealth, you have to fight, how can I make this more realistic, is strafing a viable option? I always seem to get hit no matter how good I dodge an enemy, unless I just turn tail and run
    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 5:04 PM EST
    I play on expert for rp purpose, any higher it doesn't fit my character , I'll make sure to look out for your build sounds like what I'm looking for
    • 1483 posts
    December 24, 2013 5:25 PM EST

    Do you have Quick Reflexes? Blocking adds a lot to the tactical aspect of melee combat. Use dodging instead of bashing if you have it. Stay in blocked mode, catch your enemy when he is power attacking and slash him with the sword. Also, use power attacks. There are 5 kinds (duh) one for each direction you are moving and one for standing still. Use them accordingly. With sideways power attack you may dodge the enemy strike and hit him in the same time, if you time it right

    • 47 posts
    December 24, 2013 5:50 PM EST

    Thankyou so much!!!! This is what i've been looking for, I'll get to work practicing these soon enough, thankyou Vaz your always helpful

    • 249 posts
    December 25, 2013 1:14 AM EST

    Also, knowing when to power attack can really save your skin! If I know I can't block too many attacks from a powerful enemy, I'll power attack frequently to try to keep em staggered. It's risky but it's often the only way a squishy character can survive!

    I also like to lead my opponents into doing a charging power attack by block/backpedaling and then feinting a step forward and backpedaling again. This often tricks the enemy into swiping once and following up with a charging attack which activates Quick Reflexes and an easy sidestep! :)

    • 485 posts
    December 25, 2013 6:07 AM EST

    From what I've gathered many of the mythic and legendary builds are quite tactical. Any build balanced for Master pretty much has to be. 

    • 62 posts
    December 27, 2013 11:18 PM EST
    I'm not crazy about the hand-to-hand combat system either. If you have access to mods, I'd suggest realistic combat mod(don't remember whether that is the right name). It makes enemies flank you when in groups, makes them block more often, makes blocking cost stamina, and other nice changes.
    • 360 posts
    December 27, 2013 11:31 PM EST

    We have got to have a post similar to the advanced archery corner, but for melee combatants. all the tactics, perk combinations, strategies and special moves into one neat list. 

    Myrmidon, the sword-master's tome

    just a cool name that came to mind, still, Sam, Alastor, if you guys are still serious on doing that guide maybe we could broaden it a bit more, make it more of a community effort

    • 249 posts
    December 28, 2013 6:27 AM EST
    Melee is a bit more straightforward with its mechanics. We have a few ideas but not enough for a discussion yet. If anyone has suggestions or specifics they'd like covered, feel free to PM me and I'll discuss it with the gang.
    • 268 posts
    December 28, 2013 6:37 AM EST
    Yeah, melee is gonna be a lot harder to get some good techniques for. It isn't as complex as archery so finding those cool tactics is gonna be harder. And I like the name. :)
    • 39 posts
    December 28, 2013 7:16 AM EST
    How about The Staff grimoire? Or the underfed arena? They might be a bit hard to make a discuission about, but hey its a concept
    • 249 posts
    December 28, 2013 7:28 AM EST
    I think there is a lot more to melee than what has been discovered. When players use a one or two-handed weapon, they don't think to try interesting button combinations; it's simply a game of hitting while avoiding hits.

    I still haven't messed around with it much but we've (Raidriar) put together a good amount already.
    • 360 posts
    December 28, 2013 10:50 AM EST

    I think I also have some interesting ones, could you pm me the list so that I can take a look? then I can see if any of the things I have are already discovered and if not I will send you some of my tactics :)