Discusion on Light saber combat style

[Ardesco]

Allright, I'm gonna kick things off by discussing some problems I've noticed with duelling.

Light saber style can be downright deadly under the right conditions. I'll repeat that. The right conditions. Apparently, saber damage seems to be based more on how long your saber stays in your enemy rather than the type of swing you use if speed is not a relevant factor. This HYPOTHESIS of mine would explain why red damage in the new patch still does a lot of damage, but blue and yellow type tend to do variable amounts of damage depending on the type of swing you hit your opponent with.

 

My THEORY is that certain saber attacks that keep your saber through your opponent's body longer will tend to do more damage. Since red attacks are naturally slower, it would make sense that they stay longer in an opponent's body when you hit, whereas the difference is more dependent on the swing you use with blue and yellow stance.

 

Example: The yellow backstab versus the blue backstab. Normally, the blue backstab is weaker than the yellow backstab. I've noticed a rather large outcropping of players who use backstab as their main weapon because it happens, when it strikes and penetrates your defenses (which it does rather nicely, even if you are standing dead still), it causes a large amount of damage. I've done a few tests, and the yellow backstab is very dangerous, but is usually not fatal to a full health user unless the hit is VERY close. On the other hand, the blue lightsaber backstab actually pokes through the enemy, where it stays there for a few milliseconds. Through some preliminary trials, I have discovered that in most cases where a direct hit was involved, the blue hit was fatal, even to people who had full health.

 

To test my hypothesis that multiplayer sabering was made more like single player, I loaded up the ever famous single player ladder map and proceeded to saber through the 48-some reborn enemies using both yellow backstab and blue. Yellow backstab was moderately effective against most enemies, but blue backstab really outshone yellow. Not only did I manage to kill even the boss reborns in one hit with the blue backstab, but I apparently did enough damage to dismember them at the same time. (note that the ladder map is set to jedi master difficulty by default).

 

Back to multiplayer.

 

The difference between backstabbing in sp and multiplayer is that you can actually move your mouse and affect the direction of the saber in mid-backstab. Not a problem for yellow, since its backstab tends to be more like a bludgeoning blow, and can be avoided by a careful user who sidestep or backsteps out of its range. However, the blue saber backstab is FULLY mobile, meaning you can do a 360 degree spin while your saber is behind you poking whatever it is. You can (and I have done this a few times) miss your enemy, and then actually move the lightsaber through and into him for a kill...

 

So anyways, my point is that blue stance can kill a lot more efficiently than yellow can with its backstab.

 

In addition, I have noticed that blue stance is fast enough to poke away at a yellow saber user, considering how much slower yellow is now than blue. I would appreciate input people have if this is really an issue, and their opinions on it.

 

Also, does anyone know if blue saber stance allows you to block sabers more often than, say red stance? Input or research on this would be much appreciated.

 

That is my spiel on blue stance

[Dracofyre]

Unless they changed anything, blue still blocks more than any other stance. Especially now that the block rate has been increased.

[Aylnon]

A researched note on blocking:

 

Blue will deflect more blows on a basis of just count. Red, however, will be far more successful at blocking the heavier attacks, though will miss many low powered one. Depending on your ememies attack, you should vary your stance, not only to counter, but to block as well.

 

As for the blue stance being able to poke away at a yellow stance, that is true. Very true. But who are you fighting? I am typically a yellow fighter, though I change stance to throw in more appropriate attacks for whatever situation. Now, I have fought my fair share of blue stancers, and yes, they are very efficient, but only if you let them be. A yellow fighter can easily defeat them, if they time their attacks correctly. I've defeated numorous foes who just hack and slash, by waiting until they spin and turn their backs to me, and then POW! They die. Blue is just as falible as any other stance, but requires discretion when attacking against it.