The combat system has been reworked for the first major release. So let's take a quick look at the basics, special attacks, equipment, and how to defeat the various enemies that you'll encounter. [previewyoutube=NRarn3hjI0s;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]The Philosophy[/h1] Combat isn't the primary thing you'll be doing in Alone. You'll spend more time harvesting, crafting, or building up your settlement, but you will need to get your hands dirty once in a while. Either hunting to get access to important resources, or as part of the plan to rule over the surrounding islands. The design philosophy behind the combat system is that it shouldn't be stressful, you shouldn't need to min-max a bunch of statistics to get an optimal build, and you shouldn't need to pore over walkthroughs and lists to determine the best equipment for a specific fight. Progressing through difficult combat should feel natural, if a specific area is difficult, the solution shouldn't be to grind unimportant areas until you get enough skill - but perhaps to make better equipment, or figure out better special attacks. [h1]Getting into it[/h1] Combat doesn't just happen anywhere. Your settlement is always a safe area, and you must visit a dangerous area in order to partake in combat. Options include the Cursed Crypts, where dangerous undead wander, the Forest - where you can get leather, meat, and furs from, or the Islands which are ruled by the Goblins. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/97ce4caf8007ec3bff9e70de3ef6109f50256b0d.png[/img] [h1]The Basics[/h1] When in a dangerous location, you automatically enter combat mode. The game controls change to allow you to carefully choose which direction you want to walk to using the mouse or cursor keys. To attack an enemy, you simply click on them, and walk close enough so that you start hitting them, and they start hitting back. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/4fd51c9b2467576d8e3a798a4f72382b6a0d7d8b.png[/img] When your enemy runs out of life, they die, and drop loot. Just like your enemies, you have a limited amount of health, shown by the green circle, but also another blue circle - protection - which regenerates after a while. It won't regenerate to full though, only to as much health as you have. Enemies have a level, which shows how dangerous they are in combat - and so do you. The higher the level, the more powerful you are. Want to get to a higher level? Then defeat stronger enemies. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/0f74448e5fba2cfc198b139d9211dafbe5618217.png[/img] [h1]Equipment[/h1] Of course, you can't fight empty handed. You do start off with a basic dagger, but if you want to do any serious fighting, you need the right equipment. Depending on your choice of weapon, you can either fight in a balanced style, favour accuracy and critical hits, go for raw damage, or even eschew a shield for something two handed that packs a punch. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/d3927b5cf4ea36bf5058c4f704effafa646f085d.png[/img] Similarly, you can choose heavy armour for some extra protection, or light armour to use special attacks more often. Where do you get these nice pieces of equipment from ? You can find them as loot - although it's not going to be of particularly high quality - or you can make them yourself, which is the preferred option. Good equipment requires rare materials to make, and especially good equipment requires especially rare materials to make. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/461262186f32bd63553d0fc7419efad4437513c2.png[/img] Alternatively, you can wait until the appropriate trader comes along and see if she's got anything exotic for sale. [h1]Special Attacks[/h1] It wouldn't be a combat system without a whole slew of special attacks. Some attacks are attacks with a difference - such as more damage, or a chance to stun your opponent. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/8d4b9d19ed44a7ce4819d2b59a5c498a8f7439ea.gif[/img] Other "attacks" will give you a boost to your abilities for a period of time - such as making you take less damage. [previewyoutube=8QWK_y3xp-c;full][/previewyoutube] Special attacks consume Rage. Rage is gained by defeating enemies, and that will charge up the Rage bar, up to a limit which is defined by the armour you're wearing. At higher rage levels, special attacks become more powerful and more effective. Of course, you don't start off knowing all there is to know about special attacks. By defeating particularly dangerous boss enemies, you unlock new attacks, or higher levels for your existing attacks. [h1]Losing[/h1] Sometimes you fight enemies which are too powerful, and are defeated yourself. But don't worry, for it's not the end. Sure your equipment might take a beating, and you might feel pretty terrible for a while, but you'll be ready for round two in no time! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42309538/adb280b2a01132d063d7a35b61b1e81affa9d235.png[/img] So now you know what combat's all about, you are ready to brave the dangers, and overcome any obstacles you will come across, in Alone.