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{{see also|Guides}}
==Introduction==
Combat is a fairly simple affair, but there is a lot of hidden depth in it that is poorly explained or just not explained at all in game. I was getting the sense that I was missing some things as I played, but couldn’t find any particularly helpful guides. Some of this advice is based on my own experiences, but a lot of it also came from reading other posts by people and testing their claims myself, so I can’t really take credit for any of the discoveries. Think of this more as a compiled list with my own opinions thrown in than an original, end-all be-all guide.
==Weapons==
'''Finishers''':
*[[Swords]] - Overhead swing or horizontal slash.
*[[Greatswords]] - Spin attack.
*[[Polearms]] - Long-range forward stab; repeatable with a second back-step trigger.
*[[Daggers]] - Dual horizontal slash.
*[[Firearms]] - powerful shot with accompanying back step.
*[[Shields]] - overhead swing.
===Daggers===
[[Daggers]] seem to have the best single target damage output in the game because of their [[speed]]. That said, they really only shine in the end game content, where small boosts to DPS start adding up to shave several whole minutes off of some fights. Against groups they suffer—they won’t hit multiple enemies and the amount of dodging required in such a fight means that their DPS can’t really get off the ground. Daggers cannot perform [[air step]]s. Edit: Note that daggers cannot [[link strike]].
===Greatswords===[[Great SwordsGreatswords]], on the other hand, excel at dealing with groups, especially the finisher, which sweeps a wide area for very high damage. Because of their damage, they’re also great for delivering hit-and-run [[warp strike]]s. They suffer in long battles though, where their DPS is just outclassed. Great swords cannot perform air steps.
===Swords===
[[Swords]] have great DPS, though less than daggers, and are a bit more useful in dealing with multiple [[enemies]]. They’re a great option for general use, and you really can’t go wrong with them. That said, they aren’t quite as good as daggers or great swords in the specific situations that those two weapons shine in. Swords can perform air steps.
===Polearms===
[[Polearms]] have an awesome left-stick-down combo. It carries you into the air and does good damage, almost always resulting in a break on normal enemies. Polearms are probably most like swords in terms of DPS, but work more like daggers in that they are most useful against a single target. Polearms can perform air steps.
===Shields===
I forgot about [[Shields]]. Whoops. Shields will be coming soon, I welcome any suggestions on them.
===Firearms and Machinery===
I have not used [[Firearms]] very much, but I don’t recommend them. In my opinion, machinery is also best left to [[Prompto]]—you’ll need all the extra weapon slots you can get to boost [[stats]] with royal arms, and [[magic]] is generally more effective as a ranged or AoE tool. I haven’t used either much, though, and I welcome any further expertise on the subject. I spent some time with guns and [[Machinery]], and I’m not sold on them. I’m at max level, so it’s hard to find enemies that are of an appropriate difficulty. I will say that they didn’t feel like they were cutting it for end game content, and I’m too high level to really assess them on lower level content. I still feel like magic, air stepping, and warp strikes are a better option all around. That said, I’ve linked some comments on how to get more from your guns below, from people who are more experienced with them than I am. I'm going to start a new game eventually, so I'll make sure to give them a better shot when I do.
===Royal Arms===
[[Royal Arms]] are a bit of a special case. They’re great for dealing lots of damage rather quickly, especially earlier in the game, and their unique attacks and types can be useful in a lot of situations. However, since they do damage to you, they aren’t as useful for bringing down some of the tough marathon bosses, and their inability to link means that their damage output even against late-game normal enemies can be underwhelming. I recommend equipping them primarily for their stat bonuses. That said, don’t write them off completely—there will be situations where you can spare the HP and links aren’t feasible or necessary, and in these situations your royal arms can do some work for you. Edit: Royal arms do normal (white) damage to every enemy, as far as I know. This means enemies are never resistant to them (purple), but also never weak against them (red). This makes them very strong against certain enemies like [[Red Giant]]s. Also note that royal arms do have their uses, usually based on their movesets, effects, and animations. Collect and try them all out.
==Noctis' Special Techniques==
===Great Sword Tempest===
Hold Attack Button, immediately release it after the attack connects, then hold it again right before. After the [[Greatsword]] disappears from Noctis hand (you can also chain this from different weapons). Noctis will spin his Greatsword 360 degree twice, and Noctis is invisible during the animation.
===Monster Hunter Greatsword Charge===
Hold left stick backwards when holding attack button, Noctis will go into charging stance and began glowing. The longer you hold the buttons, the stronger the resulting slash is. (managed to deal 9999 damage against Vulnerable Zu)
===Lance Full Thrust===
While holding Attack button, tilt left stick backward once (don't hold it, Noctis will perform different moves otherwise), Noctis will hop backwards then lunge forward dealing multi hit damage. It's pretty good against single target enemy. Noctis could not be knocked down during the animation.
===Lance Discount Dragoon Jump===
Press attack button while Noctis is directly above enemy position., instead of normal forward thrust, Noctis will do diving attack that deals multi hit damage. You can executes this easily against smaller/knocked down enemies ([[Scorpion]]s, [[Saberstusk]], [[Sahagin]], etc), for slightly bigger enemies ([[Magitek Soldier]], [[Anak Calf]]) you can do this by doing normal air forward thrust, then tilt left stick forward and Noctis will roll forward mid air, ended up above the enemies position.
===Omen Trailer Dagger Drop Kick===
Hold left stick backwards while holding attack buttons, Noctis will hop backwards and throw the [[daggers]] at the enemies, keep holding attack button and left stick backwards to continuously throw dagger. Depending on the distance, not the number of daggers threw, Noctis will do warp drop kick on the enemy. Edit : The Drop Kick doesn't track the enemies, so if the enemies moves before the Drop Kick daggers hit, Noctis will miss the drop kick.
===Additional Attacks===
*Try tilting left stick to left/right or backwards (this is assuming the you are looking at Noctis back, the left stick direction is relatives to enemy and Noctis positions) while holding the attack button , Noct will do different moves depending on the weapons. Also sometimes holding the left stick may executes different moves than just flicking it, for example holding left stick backwards while attacking with lance will not executes Full Thrust, instead Noct will hop backwards to air before doing normal air thrust.
*Holding attack button, release it, then immediately hold it again will perform Finisher moves (normally executed by holding Attack button long enough).
*Attacking immediately after Phasing also results in unique moveset, for example attacking with Lance after Phasing results in Noctis doing AoE sweep with the Lance.
