Sacred 2:Combo

Most Combat Arts can be placed in combos to increase their potency. For instance, a Shadow Warrior could create a combo of Demonic Blow and Frenzied Rampage (for one hard hit to one monster and several smaller hits to it or other nearby monsters if the first one has perished). Up to three Combat Arts may be included in a combo if a player has taken the skill Combat Discipline or four Combat Arts if a player has achieved Combat Discipline mastery (75 hard skill points). Without Combat Discipline, a combo may only contain two Combat Arts.

Guide to Creating Combos

Making Combos in Sacred 2 is significantly more streamlined and less nuanced than in Sacred 1. Combos appear at the bottom of the Combat Arts Window and can be edited there. The Combo pane looks like this:

At the top right of this pane is a question mark which when clicked displays basic instructions and info on Combos:

Visual Guide

This is a step-by-step visual guide to creating a Combo:

Drag any Combo icon onto the grey "Edit" slot in the top left of the pane.

This Combo has no Combat Arts in it yet, so there are two empty slots (the third and fourth slots can be unlocked by learning and mastering Combat Discipline).

Now drag any Combat Art (that is not a buff) into the first empty slot. In this example the Combo will be Radiant Pillar + Flaring Nova.

Repeat by adding a second Combat Art to the second slot. It must be a different Combat Art; the same Combat Art cannot go into a Combo more than once. The Combo is now complete. Click the arrow in the top right to go back to the main Combo pane.

Now the Combo can be added to the quick slots at the bottom right of the GUI and used just like any other Combat Art. Hovering over the Combo Icon shows the Combat Arts included and the Regeneration Time. The Regeneration Time for the Combo is the same as whichever Combat Art in the Combo has the longest Regeneration Time, and will be reduced by Combat Discipline. The small circles on the bottom right of the Combo Icon are color-coded by aspect.

Known Issues

• There is a common problem with one or more Combat Arts in a combo failing to fire (i.e. the combo stops early). This is frequently caused by the player interrupting the combo. Ideally, once the combo starts, you should not do anything else until the animation for the last Combat Art in the combo begins. This problem can also result from no targets being in range.

• Prior to game version 2.40.0, there was a bug in the Execution Speed of Combat Arts contained in a combo.

• Due to a bug the Dragon Mage cannot remove Combat Arts from Combos once they are placed in. The Combat Arts can be replaced but never taken out, so for example, a Combo containing 3 Combat Arts will be "stuck" always containing 3 Combat Arts. Therefore extra care must be taken in experimenting and making Combos with a Dragon Mage.
  • This bug was fixed in the Community Patch 1.60. The fix is not retroactive and will only affect new characters created after installing the patch.

Console Versions

Targeting

• Self-targeted Combat Arts are Combat Arts that always fire and automatically target the caster, regardless of whether they are the first Combat Art in a combo or not. (e.g. Divine Protection, Expulse Magic)

• Auto-targeted Combat Arts are Combat Arts that automatically target an enemy based on the game's targeting rules. If this Combat Art is the first in a combo, the combo will not fire if no enemies are within range. If this Combat Art is not the first Combat Art in a combo, it will automatically target an enemy if one exists within range, otherwise it will not fire at all. (e.g. Baneful Smite, Cobalt Strike)

• Manually-targeted Combat Arts are Combat Arts that the player aims with a targeting circle. This Combat Art will always fire, whether or not any enemy exists within range. If it is the first Combat Art in a combo, it is targeted normally. If it is not the first Combat Art, it is targeted based on the first Combat Art in the combo. If the first Combat Art is self-targeted, the manually-targeted Combat Art will be targeted immediately in front of the caster. If the first Combat Art is auto- or manually-targeted, it will target the same enemy as the prior Combat Art, provided that enemy is still alive. If that enemy is no longer alive, the Combat Art may target another enemy within range. If no enemies exist within range, it will either target the same (now dead) enemy as the prior Combat Art or target immediately in front of the caster. (e.g. Radiant Pillar, Incendiary Storm)

Execution Speed

• Combo execution speed is always determined by your Attack Speed (even if the only Combat Art in the combo is a "spell".) Because of this it is recommended to have a way to boost your attack speed if you want to use combos. The most simple way to do this is to use a weapon skill and equip the weapon of the skill of your choice (e.g. choose Sword Weapons and equip a sword or choose Dual Wield and equip 2 one-handed weapons). attack speed can also be boosted by some Combat Arts (e.g. Seraphim's Dashing Alacrity) and some pieces of equipment (notably rings and amulets).