New Dauntless video details the basics of combat

The recently revealed Dauntless is one of the games that we firmly believe will make a big impression during 2017 and yet we only had a few seconds of gameplay to feast on. Deliberately inspired by the Monster Hunter and Dark Souls series, Dauntless is all about fighting ferocious behemoths in fun and exciting combat. That is the topic of the newest post by Chris Fox, combat designer at Phoenix Labs.

Combat in Dauntless began with the basics – swinging a sword around, hitting a stationary object to judge the weight of the weapons, then moving on to a rampaging beast and adding combos to the mix. When it felt satisfactory, then it meant the team was doing things right. You can watch some new combat footage to see just how everything is turning out.

One of the key aspects in Dauntless is stamina, which adds a vital strategic element to combat. Players have to weigh in every decision, as stamina is used for offensive actions (for example axe charges, sword combos…) and defensive actions and some movement (dodging and sprinting). It's a cost/benefit relationship where you can't be excessively offensive or defensive.

Future blog posts will cover further mechanics such as elemental attacks, combos and weapons.