As with most players this combat system is a challenge, and that is fine, but the tutorial is atrocious. There are several things that make it almost worthless so here goes.
During a tutorial you should not be under the gun, when the game give you instructions the action should pause. Bernard was like okay I am going to teach you to block, and up comes the tutorial pop up, so I start to read it and Bernard starts to pound on me, then before I can ever get a 1/4 way through the pop up disappears.
I am like okay, I will listen to Bernard, he basically tells me what to do then says okay you try it. Well first off I can’t remember exactly what to do because I was never given time to read the instructions, but I think I remember he said press Q so I attempt to do that. He comes at me I press Q 30 yards away from him and he says good, and I get 1/3 ticked off on my quest. I think I actually blocked maybe once during the tutorial but it still kept giving me credit even if I barely blocked even when the animations didn’t show I blocked anything.
This was the same for Riposte and Master Strokes, etc. I have been through every tutorial and unlocked every attack type, block, counter, riposte, etc.
I am sure the tutorial texts are buried some place in the codex but why not pause the game when teaching. And why not give you unlimited time to practice, you can even turn off exp while you practice the initial moves, if you want. to gain experience you can spare with Bernard but there should be a tutorial arena that does no damage to your gear and gives you no experience but lets you practice.
I have spent countless sessions with Bernard and I have yet to be able to do a combo attack, I just found out yesterday by reading these forums that you have to press the attack button after a perfect block to get a counter to even attempt. Also someone said you have to block before the green shield to get a riposte, this is all info that would have been nice to know in the tutorial.
Don’t get me wrong I am not dying endlessly in game, I can beat Bernard in real weapons combat, I have been through all the bandit camps in the first two quest hubs.
The problem is this, I never feel in control of the combat. I just feel like my stats are higher and my weapons better and I can take a beating longer.
The key for me to combat, and this is another thing I learned OUTSIDE the game, is this.
STAMINA! Period.
If you never let your stamina deplete they enemy never seems to be able to damage you much, or chain strike on you endlessly. But it is not very satisfying to defeat 3 foes at once when the only moves you ever do are block, slash and stab.
I can get the slow mo block animation that I assume means I did a perfect block but I never follow that with an automatic counter, even when I press the attack button.
Do I spam Q constantly when the green shield shows up, do I time it and hit it once, how do combos work, do I do the first move, then go immediately to the next, do I wait for animations, do I spam the crap out of the moves.
Basically combo strikes are out of the question as every time I start one by doing the first in the series of moves, I get perfect blocked or just blocked and does that negate the move? Do I keep going, start over etc.
All stuff that would be nice to practice in a tutorial arena.
So for all you noobs like me out there here is my “Get Gud” advice.
Check your stats make sure your weapon is within your stat range.
And never, ever let your stamina drop below half, take combat slow, and eventually you will batter anyone to a pulp, you just won’t feel like you are very skilled but you will live.
Good Luck