Ideas For Improving The Melee System, Please Read.

[Kitsumiya]

Introduction

I like Melee 2.0 a lot more than the old system. I find it a lot more fun but I believe that it could be better. These are just a few ideas of a melee system that I think would be more fun for warframe.

1. Changing the Keys Bindings and Attack Button.
My Suggestions are:
1-1. Make left mouse button: Quick Attack, Quick but deal low damage. Quick attacks are good for building up your combo counter. Also by doing less damage, you can pull off more hits.

1-2. Make right mouse button: Strong Attacks, Strong but are slower. Strong Attacks should have a higher chance to stagger enemies or inflict status effects. It should have a chance to break through the defence of enemies like Shield Lancers and stagger them and making them more vulnerable to quick attacks. With Strong attacks being slow, enemies have a better chance of attacking you and interrupting your attack.

1-3. Hold R to Block, because why not. Not like we're using the R key to reload while in Melee Mode and we can't block if we're in Gun Mode. Blocking deflects Bullet damage. Blocking enemies' strong melee attacks will push you back slightly while maintaining your block. Blocking melee attacks should not stagger enemies.

1-4. Left Mouse + Right Mouse at the same time to do a Parry Animation. Requires good timing and if done at the right moment when the enemy attacks then you'll automatically do a counter attack with MASSIVE damage. Doing a Parry too soon or too late will leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks. This should be a High Risk, High Reward move. If anyway plays Super Smash Bros Melee or Brawl, you'll understand what I mean when I say it'll be like Marth's counter or Lucario's Counter.

1-5. Press E to toggle Channelling on and off (Since players hate having to hold a button to Channel)

1-6. Jump Attacks, Jump + Quick attacks should do a Quick Mid Air Slash which will make it easier to strike airborn enemies. This attack should also do knockback to enemies like Hellions if they're in the air. Airborn enemies like Ospreys should be knocked down to the ground so you can have an easy time to follow up with ground attacks. Jump + Strong attack should be that downwards stab/smash that we already have which does AOE damage.

2. Combo System + Combo Mods
Instead of Linking Combos to Stance Mods, I believe that we should have additional 4 special Mod Slots for Combo Mods that have their own unique name. This gives us more customizable options for which combos we like to have. Instead of relying on Delays or Holding attack buttons. The Combos should follow an order of quick attacks or strong attacks. If you successfully pull off a combo without being interrupted by enemies, it should be rewarding and deal bonus damage with a flash of light. If anyone played the Lord of the Rings games for the Nintendo Gamecube, you'll know what I mean. If not, youtube some videos of the Lord of the Rings game for Gamecube. Let me give you some examples with a sword.
Q = Quick Attack
S = Strong Attack
J = Jump

Combo 1: Q, Q, S
2 Quick Attacks swinging sideways, followed by a strong downwards strike to knock enemies onto the ground. Can follow up with a Finisher.

Combo 2: S, Q, Q, S
A Strong attack to stagger the enemy or knock away Shield Lancer's shield, followed by 2 quick slashes and powerful stab.

Combo 3: Q, S, J+S
A Quick Slash followed by your warframe spinning around and doing a roundhouse kick to knock the enemy off their balance and onto the floor in front of your. Followed by a Front Flip jump into a Downwards Stab.

Combo 4: Q, Q, Q, S, J, Q, Q, Q
3 Quick Slashes followed by your warframe doing a strong strike upwards to knock your enemy into the air followed by a jump and 3 quick slashes. Good for building combo counters.

ETC.

Each weapon type should have maybe 10 different combos and players can choose the 4 that they like the best to put onto their weapons. This will give players the option customize according to their preferences, easy combos? strong combos? Fast combos? etc.

3. Stance Mods
Rather than having Combos connected to Stances, I believe that Stance Mods should change how your Warframe wields their weapon and give different effects. Let me use the Nikana for example. Currently when we equip the Nikana, we keep the sword in its sheath at all times when Idle and using a style called Battou-Jutsu which involves drawing a katana from it's sheath at a quick speed due to the curved blade. I was thinking of making stances with the following effects.

Example Stance 1:
Battou-Jutsu Stance
Keeps the blade within the Sheath when Idle, your first attack while your weapon is sheathed will be faster and do a lot of bonus damage. Consecutive hits after will be slower and weaker. This play style will suit players who like to move around and just cut enemies in their path with one slash. Trying to rush to objectives? Enemy in your path? One quickdraw slash and then continue on your way. Single attacks like Slide attacks or Wall Attacks will benefit from this as well.


Example Stance 2:
Blade Ready Stance
Rather than keeping your spare hand held on the sheath at all times, your warframe grips the Nikana with two hands and hold the blade out in front. By Holding the Nikana with two hands, your Basic attacks and Combos will do more damage with every hit. Also by having the blade ready and in front, parrying will be more effective and give you a larger time window to parry enemies' attacks, allowing for easy counters.



Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe this system to be more fun and better for warframe. Combos will be easier to do instead of relying on delays or holding keys. Channelling as a Toggle instead of holding the Left mouse button. Melee would be more viable against airborn enemies. Parrying would be high risk, high reward and challenging. You can customize what combos you want. Stances would give you additional effects instead of binding you to a specific set of combos. Yes more Combo Mods = More Grind, but I think it is a good thing. Some of you argue that you want all your content right way but that would mean you have nothing to strive for. The basic of life is something to eat/drink, something to love, and something to hope and work for. Although I admit drop rates are rather ridonculous. Tell me my fellow Tenno, what do you think of my ideas? If you like it, promote this thread to get DE's attention. If you guys have any more great ideas, I will add to this Post if everyone agrees.

[RedPrimed]

Truthfully I dont like channelling I liked charge a lot more Idc if they improve this and dont keep channelling on a button

[Kitsumiya]

I always found the old Charge system to be boring. With the old melee system, people would either build their weapons with normal attacks or charge attacks. People who like charge attacks would just build for charge damage only and only used that one attack and the same with normal attacks. Melee 2.0 is a lot more fun and Channeling system removes having to stick to one single attack. Stance mods however, makes no sense to me, I don't like having a set of combos being linked to the stances. What if I like one combo from one stance mod, and like another combo from another stance mod but want to use both at the same time? I also found combos relying on holding the attack button or delays to be rather difficult when mob rushed by enemies and people would just go back to spamming E. I love being able to customize our warframe, weapons, and fighting styles.

 

and thus I will always support threads like:

Option to Disable Elemental Visual Effects
https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/184705-option-to-disable-elemental-visual-effects-on-melee-please/page-4#entry2545812

 

Prime Weapons with Regular Skins

https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/176874-prime-weapons-with-regular-skins/page-4#entry2544223

 

With the melee system I suggested in this thread, it would allow players more customization options in choosing which combos they want to have, while choosing which stance/style they want with bonus effects. The Bonus effects shouldn't be ridonculous like Crimson Dirvish giving swords 3x damage.

[Basilisk1991]

While I'm fine with the current key mapping as is, I wouldn't mind them adding a toggle option for the channeling as well as rebindable keys for the melee stuff. That being said I think one of the tricks to making channeling more bearable is to activate it in time with your combo so you're not forced to hold down the button at all times if they don't add the toggle option at some point. Also I would be all for them nicking some of the stances from any game made by Platinum Games.