Introduction
This is a basic guide to the combo mechanics in Rise of Incarnates, complied by me, DJ.Metals. I felt like this can be very useful information for any players still trying to learn the game, as well as just some information some people may have not even known about.
I will be using Mephisto for this guide for examples. If you want to learn more specific characters, try them out in practice mode and see what you can come up with!
Melee Priority System
Before we discuss combos, we need to discuss the priority system.
This was a feature introduced in the Beta when two melee attacks trade at the same time. In this case, the attack with the higher priority will win the trade. If both attacks are the same, both players will become staggerd for a second.
Here is the list of priorities:
Special Attacks>Down Melee>Neutral Melee>Side Melee>Up Melee
Which is why it's... usually more beneficial to start combos with Neutral Melee.
Combo Scaling and IPS
This game has a pretty hefty IPS (Ifinite Prevention System) incorporated into it. The main reason is to give the opponent an actual chance and to not be 100%d in 2 seconds. This is pretty much crucial in understanding how combos work in ROI.
First off, every attack in the game has a combo scaling value which affects the IPS. Once this value reaches it's max, the IPS kicks in and the target will be unable to recieve any more damage.
I can't really describe combo scaling more in-depth, but rather through experimentation will you understand how each attacks affect combo scaling.
The best way to talk about combo scaling is to talk about combo enders. These are attacks that occur at the end of any character's basic melee combo. Let's look at Mephisto's for a second.
Here is his neutral melee ender, which adds a pretty large chunk of scaling onto a combo.
The following combo: Neutral Melee 3 Hits, Dash Cancel, NM w/Ender, will activate the IPS.
However, the attack that adds the most scaling value to any combo is a launcher ender.
Here is Mephisto's Launcher ender (which by the way, he can combo into from ANY of his melee attacks) and adds the largest value to the IPS scaling. THIS IS TRUE FOR ALL CHARACTERS, NOT JUST MEPHISTO.
This combo: Up Melee, Launcher Ender, Dash Cancel, NM 2 hits. Will activate IPS.
In addition, Tag moves will also activate the IPS after a Launcher Ender.
Ranged attacks also add a specific amount to the IPS scaling. Again I'm not sure of the exact values, but 3 Ranged Attack cycles will activate IPS. This does not include special attacks.
Special attacks and Down Melees all have their own unique IPS scaling value for each character. I reccommend experimenting with each character to understand how combos scale with each of those abilities.
Combo Canceling
Dash Canceling is a mechanic that was introduced in Gundam EXVS I beleive. Essentially, this allows you to cancel almost any animation in the game with a dash (Pressing the Jump button twice) in any direction.
All Melee attacks and MOST special attacks can be dash cancelled to either extend combos, or to get out of a bad situation.
However, Mephisto is special. Both his Impale and Shockwave abilities have an innate cancel on them, allowing him to cancel into those moves without having to dash cancel, making his combos a bit easier to perform. Some other characters have innate cancels as well.
Let's take a look at his most basic dash cancel combo: (IF ANYONE CAN PROVIDE A VIDEO FOR ME, I'D APPRECIATE IT. I CAN'T RECORD ON THIS CRAPPY COMPUTER)
NM 3 hits, Dash Cancel Side, NM 3 Hits, Cancel Imaple.
Pretty simple and probablly his BnB in terms of combos. I recommend practicing with many different openers and combinations of attacks to find many different ways to cancel into more powerful combos. However, you also need to keep in mind the IPS as described in the previous section.
Some Sample Mephisto Combos
Now this section.... until I have some videos to actually show how these combos look, I can really only type them so... here are some. (I will be using NM, UM, SM, for each melee attacks and DC for Dash Cancel. The numbers correspond to the number of hits on the attack)
These combos are for Mephisto.
SM2, DC, NM3, Cancel Impale, Cancel Shockwave before Imaple Ender
NM, UM Ender, Cancel Imaple or Cancel Shockwave
NM2, Awakening, NM, UM Ender, Cancel Imaple, Cancel Shockwave Before Imaple Ender (While Mephisto is pointing them towards the sky)
You don't need to end with a Shockwave, but it's good for knocking opponents away without needing to rush them down, plus it's quciker than Impale if you need to get out of a situation. (and also causes burning damage)
Character Specific Traits
Both Lilith and Mephisto have a special trait with their combos. Mephisto is able to end any of his attacks with a Launcher Ender (by holding up before the next melee attack). He can even do this in his transformed state, WHICH CAUSES DEVASTATING COMBO OPPORTUNITY.
Lilith can cancel into this:
By pressing the ranged attack button during a combo, Lilith blows a kiss at the target. The target becomes stunned for about 1.5 seconds.
This allows her to easily combo into her down melee... like so:
SM, Range Ender, DC Forward, DM, Cancel Transform.
Ares can combo into a Heabutt by holding Down and Melee during a combo as well. I'll have more on it when I try it out.
Credits: Guide by DJ.Metals- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=299102063