StardewValleyPlayer
Farmhand
What is the best combat strategy and why?
What is the best combat strategy?
- Thread starter StardewValleyPlayer
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Benhimself
Rancher
You really don't have to overthink combat. Swing your sword at the monster until the monster dies. If that isn't working, you probably just need to upgrade your sword. People might talk a good game about crit builds or animation cancelling with the hammer but basic slashy slashy will see you all the way to perfection, easily, and you can devote your rings to flair and yoink like Yoba intended.
Lew Zealand
Helper
I need things verrrrry simple. So fast swingy slicey thing that does a lot of damage is very good for me. Hammers apparently require my fingers to do something which violates their contract. Daggers have this cooldown that let the biteyguys take loads of easybites which seems counterproductive. But a high damage thing with a pointy bit at the far end seems to do best for me.
I stick to the best Sword currently available: Bone Sword, Lava Katana, Galaxy Sword, Infinity Blade is a typical progression. It seems to me that any Buffs that add Critical Hit chance work quite well so I did Scout-Desperado recently but there's nothing wrong with Fighter-Brute either.
I use Boots for Defense most and kinda ignore Immunity, so Space Boots are the balanced early goal but I prefer Cinderclown Shoes to Mermaid Boots later on (they're also easier to get). I always wear Mermaid Boots on dates with Emily, of course.
For Rings, I start with functional ones (Magnet, Glow) but eventually progress to 2x Iridium for the stacked buffs.
One I reach the Forge I like to combine my Rings as Iridium+Burglar and Iridium+Luck, but this really comes down to what you like the most. I like Luck and Loot Drops.
For Forging the Sword, I go to Infinity Blade and then Aquamarine and Jade for Critical Hit Chance and Damage and then Ruby for Damage.
And then once that's all done, I forge one fully upgraded Sword to look like Meowmere and then work on another to look like my lovey, the Insect Head.
Which I find very pleasant to wield.
I stick to the best Sword currently available: Bone Sword, Lava Katana, Galaxy Sword, Infinity Blade is a typical progression. It seems to me that any Buffs that add Critical Hit chance work quite well so I did Scout-Desperado recently but there's nothing wrong with Fighter-Brute either.
I use Boots for Defense most and kinda ignore Immunity, so Space Boots are the balanced early goal but I prefer Cinderclown Shoes to Mermaid Boots later on (they're also easier to get). I always wear Mermaid Boots on dates with Emily, of course.
For Rings, I start with functional ones (Magnet, Glow) but eventually progress to 2x Iridium for the stacked buffs.
One I reach the Forge I like to combine my Rings as Iridium+Burglar and Iridium+Luck, but this really comes down to what you like the most. I like Luck and Loot Drops.
For Forging the Sword, I go to Infinity Blade and then Aquamarine and Jade for Critical Hit Chance and Damage and then Ruby for Damage.
And then once that's all done, I forge one fully upgraded Sword to look like Meowmere and then work on another to look like my lovey, the Insect Head.
Which I find very pleasant to wield.
FilthyGorilla
Local Legend
It's really whatever works for you, in general, there are only a couple stats worth considering, damage (either through raw damage or crit chance), and sometimes speed.
Swords are easy to use and offer ok damage, they're generally fast without being too focused like a dagger. You want to go full damage on swords as most of the good ones already have a maximized speed stat that doesn't go higher. Most sword users just spam swing, it's not fast but it works and it's simple.
Hammers are great for area of effect damage and overall are more damage than swords in most cases, though are a little tougher to use, and you'll benefit from going alternate routes than just full damage with them. Their special attack has a bug associated with it where you can land regular attacks during the special attack duration with very low delay and deal very high damage, this lends itself to special attack based builds taking acrobat as a profession rather than the damage or full crit professions. You generally want to go full damage with them for forges as the special attack can't crit, though you can also put some speed on them if you struggle timing proper hits.
Daggers are great single target damage and can be built up to be insane raw damage dealers, though they have pretty unanimously the highest entry level to using effectively. They're generally good as side weapons or as a main weapon with a hammer as a side weapon, as they do very little knockback and the special attack shreds through monsters while a hammer can deal with AoE if in places with loads of monsters (or if expressly farming monsters). These are best with crit builds which utilize their inherent crit chance modifier and them usually having crit chance and power stats to boot.
For gear, you generally want whatever boots you have available, and to prioritize immunity over defense, at least in most areas. Defense as a whole is largely useless, as you only get it in rather low numbers, and the only defense builds that actually nullify a meaningful amount of damage have to hard focus on it as a stat. Immunity, while situational, is generally more useful as it gives a chance to block debuffs, even going so far as making you completely immune with a high enough immunity stat. In someplace with very few debuffs like skull cavern (only has the slimed debuff), you could argue it's worse than the meager defense you can get with defense oriented boots, though swapping boots at all is a large waste of time.
Rings are really up to you, unlike boots, they offer a much wider range of stats and effects, some useful, and others not. There are objectively better and worse rings, but really you do you, you'll hurt yourself a bit going with some builds but very rarely does hyper optimization in one field while leaving the others lead to anything substantial either. I will give you some recommendations in magnetism and the glowing effect too, they're useful pretty much anywhere and are easy stats to get, coming from many rings (and both from a couple rings too).
Swords are easy to use and offer ok damage, they're generally fast without being too focused like a dagger. You want to go full damage on swords as most of the good ones already have a maximized speed stat that doesn't go higher. Most sword users just spam swing, it's not fast but it works and it's simple.
Hammers are great for area of effect damage and overall are more damage than swords in most cases, though are a little tougher to use, and you'll benefit from going alternate routes than just full damage with them. Their special attack has a bug associated with it where you can land regular attacks during the special attack duration with very low delay and deal very high damage, this lends itself to special attack based builds taking acrobat as a profession rather than the damage or full crit professions. You generally want to go full damage with them for forges as the special attack can't crit, though you can also put some speed on them if you struggle timing proper hits.
Daggers are great single target damage and can be built up to be insane raw damage dealers, though they have pretty unanimously the highest entry level to using effectively. They're generally good as side weapons or as a main weapon with a hammer as a side weapon, as they do very little knockback and the special attack shreds through monsters while a hammer can deal with AoE if in places with loads of monsters (or if expressly farming monsters). These are best with crit builds which utilize their inherent crit chance modifier and them usually having crit chance and power stats to boot.
For gear, you generally want whatever boots you have available, and to prioritize immunity over defense, at least in most areas. Defense as a whole is largely useless, as you only get it in rather low numbers, and the only defense builds that actually nullify a meaningful amount of damage have to hard focus on it as a stat. Immunity, while situational, is generally more useful as it gives a chance to block debuffs, even going so far as making you completely immune with a high enough immunity stat. In someplace with very few debuffs like skull cavern (only has the slimed debuff), you could argue it's worse than the meager defense you can get with defense oriented boots, though swapping boots at all is a large waste of time.
Rings are really up to you, unlike boots, they offer a much wider range of stats and effects, some useful, and others not. There are objectively better and worse rings, but really you do you, you'll hurt yourself a bit going with some builds but very rarely does hyper optimization in one field while leaving the others lead to anything substantial either. I will give you some recommendations in magnetism and the glowing effect too, they're useful pretty much anywhere and are easy stats to get, coming from many rings (and both from a couple rings too).
HaleyRocks
Farmer
I work with:
Brute Proffession, Galaxy Sword enhanced with 3x Rubies, the best boots i can find at any time, Perfect magic Quiver or Basilisk paw (basilisk for dangerous mines/caverns usually, magic quiver for normal content). For rings, Burglar+Lucky, Iridium+Napalm.
Brute Proffession, Galaxy Sword enhanced with 3x Rubies, the best boots i can find at any time, Perfect magic Quiver or Basilisk paw (basilisk for dangerous mines/caverns usually, magic quiver for normal content). For rings, Burglar+Lucky, Iridium+Napalm.
StardewValleyPlayer
Farmhand
Thank you guys for the great replys!
I’mCooperIguess
Cowpoke
I spam normal attack and then parry if they get close enough
I’ve parried enough guardian beams in botw to know what I’m doing
MateoOfRiverwood
Farmhand
Remember it doesn’t need to be optimal as long as it’s fun. I tend to be partial to swords for the sweep/cleave knockback.
But a game where I nabbed the Broken Trident early really opened my eyes to daggers. They’re FUN. And it’s nice to be able to put Burst Damage on those darn ghosts who get flung back half a screen by a sword hit.
The only downside with daggers is when I have the wrong item equipped. I came back from the mines and walked into the Saloon to talk to my girlfriend, and end up rapidly shanking Emily with a dagger in front of the whole town.
“Um, honey? When I stabbed you like that? I meant that in the nicest possible way…”
But a game where I nabbed the Broken Trident early really opened my eyes to daggers. They’re FUN. And it’s nice to be able to put Burst Damage on those darn ghosts who get flung back half a screen by a sword hit.
The only downside with daggers is when I have the wrong item equipped. I came back from the mines and walked into the Saloon to talk to my girlfriend, and end up rapidly shanking Emily with a dagger in front of the whole town.
“Um, honey? When I stabbed you like that? I meant that in the nicest possible way…”
RainingMetal
Cowpoke
Avoid daggers like the plague; you need sweeping weapons that deal enough damage to destroy hordes of enemies.