Board Thread:News and Events/@comment-933831-20160127201216/@comment-25389303-20160128223913

I'm going to have to disagree with you on several points there, but agree on several as well.

I know every fighter needs to concentrate when fighting, I'm just saying that being able to control volleys of such magnitude require one's full attention for them to be effective. That should be obvious, and not limited to Liath. The way I see it, it is a double edged sword, and I don't mean that simply because splash damage could cause friendly casualties. On a 1 on 1 fight between Liath and Ulric (for example), I'd have to hand the victory to Liath, especially in an environment like this where there is no cover. But this is 2 on 2, where cooperation is key.

Again, I'll agree that Liath and Orion are, at the very least in terms of communication, at an advantage in that field. However, I don't see any real synergy between the two. From what I can tell, only one can engage in combat against an opponent at any one time with any sort of effectiveness. If Orion moves into close combat, where he is most effective, Liath will be, as you said yourself, forced to tone down the barrage to the point where it is more like a single ranged attack every so often, or move into close combat as well, where his greatest strength is useless. Similarly, of Liath bombards either Ulric or Liath, Orion can't get close. Again, as you said, Liath won't use his Semblance when Orion is nearby, which is a major setback whichever way you look at it.

Honestly, the only real form of tactics I could see them using when focusing on one target is for Orion to harass them, then jump back and allow Liath to let loose a few volleys, then repeat. Effective, indeed, but again, only one can attack at a time. With Ulric and Viridis, there is no such setback. If Ulric keeps Orion or Liath busy, Viridis can easily let loose a few shots in a couple of seconds which they will find extremely difficult not only to avoid, but to notice in the first place. And combined with Viridis' superb marksmanship, the chances of friendly fire are close to none - the complete opposite of Orion and Liath. It's a tactic which needs next to no communication, so simpler tactics decreases the demand for decision making in that respect, so that they can each focus on what they're doing, and thus increase their own combat effectiveness.

Your counter to that would probably be to send the fighter not in combat to pursue Viridis. If you know where he is, that could potentially be a sound move. Chances are, though, that won't be the case. Besides, that defeats the purpse of cooperation if they are both doing their own things. If push comes to shove, Liath will be too busy performing scorched earth tactics to support his teammate.

The point where I said that Ulric would have the advantage because he fought humans rather than Grimm was not because it improved his strength or fearlessness or anything like that. The difference is that most Grimm, or at least Grimm which students would come across, act on instinct, while most of the time humans fight with calculated decisions, except in fast-pased close combat. By fighting humans, Ulric has a better understanding of how different opponents are likely to react to different things. All students have that ability to an extent, but Ulric takes it a step further by engaging in life-or-death situations on a regular basis which cannot be replicated in a classroom. Not to say that the other fighters haven't been put in this type of scenario, because I honestly haven't checked, but I doubt it was at the frequency of Ulric.

Also, no, Ulric did not fight opponents on par with huntsmen very frequently. To say that he would be able to contend with them at his age would be ridiculous.

I think the attack you're saying I described was Ulric and his lance. His Semblance affects a small space around him (only a couple of inches, although I haven't specified this before) and anything that he is holding. His common technique is to swipe with it at a high speed, and if he misses, use his Semblance to slow it down almost as soon as it does so and bring it back down at the same speed. Nothing can prepare you for that, unless you've seen it before, and even then it's still tough to counter or dodge.

You say they (or at least Liath) won't get tired through simple maneuvers, and frankly that seems completely ridiculous. Yes, jumping is simple. Is doing it repeatedly as a way of moving easy? No, of course not. Unless you're a kangeroo faunus, or you've been dedicating your workout time to jumping up and down non-stop, you're going to get tired very quickly - even more so in the Savanna. Don't confuse simple and easy as the same thing.

And yes, the probability of the two of them continuous jumping about is very low in the first place, since it simply isn't practical. But since that seems to be the best way of escaping Viridis, it looks like the only other option in to engage in melee with him. Again, though, good luck trying to find him, and then catch him.

Concerning Liath and his use of the tall grass, you haven't clarified the range at which he can cast glyphs. I'm assuming it is close to him, which is effectively a large, glowing beacon telling everyone where he is - not the best when hiding. So no chance of him being able to use his Semblance while doing so, or else he may as well not hide in the first place.

And as for your last point, I have to say I'm beginning to dislike Liath's Semblance a lot. Not because I'm being salty because it's a tough battle or anything, but simply because this barrage attack doesn't seem to have any real disadvantages, apart from the few ones I've mentioned. I mean, overwhelming firepower, the potential for 'pin-point' accuracy, a variety of different attacks, and no fatigue to become of it - kinda a bit...ridiculous, really. This really has nothing to do with the battle, and is simply an opinion, but if I'm missing some major flaw in it by all means tell me when this is over. Not now, of course, since that would put me at an unfair advantage, which I wouldn't prefer.

And to top it off, I have to argue that a pin-point barrage is not really a barrage at all, is it? There's not really much stopping Ulric looking up, seeing the glyphs, and just moving out of the way. If Liath adjusts the trajectory, Ulric will just keep moving out of the way, until it's just a beam of devestation trailing behind him - and in all that time, Viridis' arrows never cease to stop, meaning that there is not chance of a breather when he's still around.