This is killing the Game: Combat

Wicked Feedback
1

Combat Feedback – Stagger System & Enemy Pressure

I want to bring attention to the current state of enemy combat design, which I feel is one of the most urgent problems No Rest for the Wicked is facing right now.

Stagger is completely broken. It doesn’t seem to do anything meaningful. There’s a broken shield icon in the stats screen that isn’t explained anywhere—players are left guessing or having to ask others what it even means. Nearly all weapons seem to have the same base value (10), and that stat currently feels pointless.

Enemies, especially lightly armored ones, should have low poise and be interruptible by lighter weapons. Right now, it feels likenothing interrupts them. They spam attacks relentlessly, track the player perfectly. Even with what should be high stagger weapons, they just keep swinging. Combat feels like it’s punishing you for engaging.

There’s zero sense of power or flow. You’re constantly forced to stand at a distance, wait for a microscopic opening, and run in for maybe 1 or 2 hits—then run/dodge away. (if you even manage to). t’s boring, repetitive, and completely undermines the depth the game should have. It feels like all the combat systems—stagger, poise, interruption—are in the game, but none of them feel like are functioning.

The way things are, it seems like the developers were traumatized by how powerful backstabbing was and overcorrected hard. Now, the player feels like the mob, and enemies feel like they are the player character. That’s a huge red flag.

Forget multiplayer or co-op for now—those systems will fail hard if the core combat isn’t fixed. It is killing the game.

The game needs an urgent fix where:

  • Stagger damage actually matters.
  • Lightly armored enemies can be interrupted reliably.
  • Poise/stagger values vary based on armor and enemy type.
  • Weapon stagger stats are clearer and actually influence combat.
  • The player isn’t punished for trying to engage enemies when knowing their move’s openings.

I want to see this game succeed, but right now the combat systems feels undercooked, or perhaps the build is broken?
What do you think? I see a lot of people with similar complaints and I can really feel it as I progress through the game. I’m unfortunately not enjoying it.

I hate saying this but are the developers testing their own game?

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I really feel like combat improved on some aspects but ended up being worse than before the Breach. I’m having less fun fighting enemies, the hits feel less rewarding, the combat less layered. I hope they focus on improving it first before everything else; it was one of the main appeals of the game and now it kinda feels gone.

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