Combat Aid Required

Sharkus

Good Afternoon all,
So far I am rather enjoying the game, however, I'm having problems with combat, probably as I'm not usually "into" turn based combat games.

For example, when I am in

the Hobo Alley are and head north and open the purple/blue trunk which releases the ickle FF's

, I seemingly always get killed by them. I seem to select attacks and such like when I can, but never quickly enough to turn them into smoldering little hunks.

Any advice is welcome, and appreciated, on how to learn/use the combat system effectively.

Vi Monks

Don't be too hard on yourself at that point. The segue from Fruit Fuckers on Desperation Street to the ones in Hobo Alley is a bit of a shock and frankly the combat in this game is much harder than most turn-based/RPG style games I've played (though refreshingly so). It does take some getting used to though.

From what I've noticed so far, there's a sort of cycle to the combat difficulty. Any time I go to a new area and fight new enemies, they can kick my ass pretty easily but as you gain a level or two (especially at the end of any given segment), the fights become pretty easy.

The biggest tip I can give for the first plunge into harder fights has to do with consumables -- use them! This game doesn't seem to handle consumables like most RPGs either, wherein you can stack them to 100 or so and they're not usually necessary. In this, you can only stack them to five and they're freaking everywhere. They make quite a difference in most fights and if you don't use them quite regularly, I guarantee lots of them will go to waste.

Squidget0

Oranges are especially useful against the fruitfuckers, unsurprisingly. Throw down an orange as the fight begins and you'll be able to kill or severely damage one before the other has recovered. This makes the fight a lot easier.

Rosetti

In the case of fruit fuckers, the molotov cocktail item one-shots them.

I got my ass slapped around by the enemies in Hobo alley, until I realised I was supposed to return to Desperation Street and beat up the weaker enemies there first. After that, combat difficulty was pretty schmooth schailing.

Of course, with each new area comes learning the timing on blocking enemy attacks and discovering their strengths and weaknesses.

GnomeTank

When you first start fighting a new areas enemies there are really tough. All I can say is: Get good at blocking, because it helps a lot.

Also, don't be afraid to use the crap out of items. You get a ton of them, so use them very liberally when you enter a new area for the first time. You can just walk hobo alley in circles and re-fill your entire item stock in a matter of minutes, as item chests re-spawn when you change panels.

When you get to Pelican Bay, the damage items like dynamite because a huge boon, as you can take out entire groups of tougher enemies to get yourself a few quick levels and make the sailing easier.

Willeth

I've never understood why people skip combat in RPGs. You're going to need that experience eventually.

If you're looking for a breather, open up the inventory. Your enemies won't start any new attacks until you use an item/quit the inventory view.

Sharkus

Thank you for the advice, much appreciated. I've started actually using some of the inventory items, and am progressing a bit.