Combos - how to perfom them... better?

I have really noobish question. I played for few days as barbarian and now I switch as guardian.

I really know how combos are working, You hit the combo shortcut and then you press an arrow or arrows which is or are demanded. So several attack will be performed and... that is all?

I mean In describtion of each combo there are two sentences:
Use as combo starter - do xx damage
Use as combo finisher - do xxx damage

So I guess there is some proper order how to perform lets say several combos? Or just hits after or before? I tryed that in game but I didn´t saw any difference.

You can openly call me as The-lowest-noob-of-all, but I think I missed something.

Yeah, you are thinking too hard about it.

Just hit the combo and use the directional arrows to complete the combo. Once you get used to this, work on using a combo rotation, you can read about the many classes and their rotations on their forum. Its different per class. The combo starter/finishers are the base damage of the combo, its always going to be higher because of buffs/feats/gear.

Try and get a custom gui. Then try and bound all the buttons to your keyboard, instead of clicking with mouse. Learn this early, it helps in end-game, but certainly isn't required. It makes melee rotations more efficient.

Also it should be mentioned that you are free to use spells and abilities inbetween the attacks that lead up to the combo. For example, if you have a spell or ability that increases the damage of your next attack (Like bear shamans and maybe other classes do), you should use it right before the last directional attack that that activates the combo.

Same gos for Hellfire Breath for HoXes. Use it whenever its off cooldown, since its your main DPS. I am sure there are other examples of this "merging" of abilities and combos.

LAst but not least you can also reposition yourself before you press the last directional attack if you feel that you need to do so.

Combo starter is the first botton you hit in a combo (the combo icon), combo finisher is the last one (the last arrow which activates the combo).

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Originally Posted by eyelesscz

I mean In describtion of each combo there are two sentences:
Use as combo starter - do xx damage
Use as combo finisher - do xxx damage

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when you have realy good gear it sometimes makes more sense to use a combo for the starter hit, for example on barb using wreck armor starter for asure crit on opener(combo starter), then change to a diferent combo because your high oppener hit changed the shields on target to a difenrent position leaving one of the sides totaly unshieled.

each combo icon has an arrow to indicate which side hits the finisher, you should always try not to have a combo rotation but rather a combo priority.
you should never have a combo rotation because as far as pve goes because the optimized way to deal more dps or have better agro is to continuously both adjust your position so you can land your highest hitting combo on unshielded side and to ofc choose your combo based on wich side has less shiels, or even trying to force on target to change shield by using high hitting combo opener then canceling combo for another or simply finishing same combo if in between steps changed shield to favorably have finisher of combo on unshielded side.
there is however a combo priority, simply most melee classes have combos with grant buffs after using them wich make the following combos more eficient.
for example on bear shaman its paramount to use as priority internal bleed with manifestation runing for vision efects, on guard in juggernaut build you always must use guard destroyer for the crit damage buff on other combos, etc.

the most fun in pve for melees is that there is no real combo rotation because mobs/bosses change shields all the time.

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Originally Posted by eyelesscz

I really know how combos are working, You hit the combo shortcut and then you press an arrow or arrows which is or are demanded. So several attack will be performed and... that is all?

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Yep that's all as someone has told you when you click the combo you do the combo starter damage and when you click last arrow you do the combo finisher damage. (at the same time you do white damage every time you click an arrow while you are doing a combo).

Binding all combos to keys is a good idea. And,if we are talking about PVE, another thing half of "good players" do but don't say is making macros to skip pressing the arrows of one combo.

In this forum you can find good rotations for every class. I think is better starting with a rotation all this talk about hit where there is no shield only works on paper. When you are looking the shields and thinking what combo you should use you are not looking all the other thinks that are happening like boss casts, or the live of the other tank.

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Originally Posted by xiulo88

Binding all combos to keys is a good idea. And,if we are talking about PVE, another thing half of "good players" do but don't say is making macros to skip pressing the arrows of one combo.

In this forum you can find good rotations for every class. I think is better starting with a rotation all this talk about hit where there is no shield only works on paper. When you are looking the shields and thinking what combo you should use you are not looking all the other thinks that are happening like boss casts, or the live of the other tank.

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ofc works a lot smoother having everything keybinded not just combos.

you dont need any macros for combos.

at some point you dont think wich combo should you use you instinctively use combo wich exploits unshielded side, even more at some point you can even disable the combo window because you know all the combo steps.

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Originally Posted by -tomhet-

you dont need any macros for combos.

at some point you dont think wich combo should you use you instinctively use combo wich exploits unshielded side, even more at some point you can even disable the combo window because you know all the combo steps.

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... I can't imagine how you can see the shields of the storm for example in the middle of the chaos of 24 mele people hitting the boss. But yes, you are right if you can do it you are doing more dps than if you can't. If you don't make any other mistake ofc :). Only saying that stressing new players with things most of players don't do I think is a bad idea.There are plenty things to learn before worrying about shields.

People in this game tend to over-think things and forget that in PVE more important than maximize your dps or your agro is balancing them to the other 23 players of your raid. A raid with 24 mediocre players always has better results than a raid with 20-22 normal players and some stars because usually the stars die quickly and drag the others with them.

stiraq, when i started to play game players would adjusted their own shield to incoming damage from players sadly that game is dead and no one even uses their own shields according to who is hitting you.
in pve you make the most out of combos by exploiting unshielded side, its not my fault people dodge this versatility and go for combo rotations wich is a mistake.
each class has indeed a few combos wich are priority because they enhance other follow up combos in some way, or simply because they debuff your target so you can deal better damage.

i leave funcom's tutorial its funny video feels like watching dharma videos from lost :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIAsPkrLGK8

Do not forget to move a lot between combo steps for a better placement of monsters.