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One of the things I'm disappointed with in this game is that lack of any real good explanation of the controls or at least some limited tutorial mode. Even an on-disc manual would have been good (I've gotten used to games not shipping with manuals and this one I bought used so it didn't have one).
I kept seeing references to "power attacks" in the game but had no idea that holding down the attack button actually did something different than tapping it until I read about it on one of the wiki sites.
All of that being said, the discovery of power attacks, fighting in 3rd person view, and the change to Master difficulty has COMPLETELY changed my opinion of the combat in this game.
There is a tower on the mountain north of Riverwood that contains 3 bandits. On default difficulty with my orc, I struggled to beat all 3 but ended up doing it without using any potions. It really felt like button mashing as both myself and AI just flailed away.
I just tried it again on Master and they fought COMPLETELY different. I beat them but it was a real tactical challenge. I did have to use 1 potion. But by NOT button mashing, I got the two melee dudes separated. I'd move in, hit one of them, move around some more. They actually fought DEFENSIVELY instead of just swinging away. They'd block, I'd move, we'd trade a couple blows. A truly tactical battle. And just when I needed a spark to turn the tide, I unleashed a power attack with both axes, felling one of them instantly.
Honestly, some of the most satisfying combat I've had in a roleplaying game.
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