Melee Basic Abilities

Overview

Melee has a large amount of basics, compared to other styles. These can feel overwhelming but they can be easily split up to clearly understand what each ability does, and where it might be used.

All of these Melee Basic Abilities will generate a base of 8% adrenaline.

Sever is a low cooldown, high damage ability with an average of 120% damage with a 5.4s cooldown. When cast the debuff Severed is applied to the target, reducing their damage dealt by 10% for 4.8s.

Havoc/Smash

Havoc and Smash are 2 separate abilities that share the same cooldown and are functionally similar. Havoc can only be cast with dual wield whereas Smash can only be cast with a 2h. These both deal 110% average damage with a cooldown of 10.2s.

Decimate

Decimate is a high damage ability with an average of 120% damage and a 7.2s cooldown. This ability can only be cast with dual wield equipped.

Area of Effect

Cleave

Cleave is the 2h version of Decimate, with the same amount of damage as well as a 7.2s cooldown. However Cleave has the extra effect of dealing that 120% damage on up to 9 targets in the frontal area of your character.

Stuns

Backhand/Kick

Similar to Havoc and Smash, Backhand and Kick are 2 separate abilities, but they are functionally the same, sharing a cooldown of 15s. When cast they will deal a low amount of damage at 70%, but will stun and bind the target for 1.2s.

Bleeds

Dismember

Dismember is Melee's only damage over time basic. This deals 5 hits of 28% average damage per hit over 5.4s for a total of 140%.

Conditional Damage

Slice

Slice is a low cooldown, low damage ability with an average of 105% damage with a 3s cooldown. Damage is increased by 40% when used on a stunned or bound target, to an average of 147%.

Punish

Punish is a low damage basic dealing an average of 85% damage with a 24s cooldown. However, this ability will deal 2.5x damage if used on a target whose health is under 50%, leading to a very strong damage value of 212.5%.

Ability Synergy

Fury

Fury deals 120% average damage with a cooldown of 15s. When cast, the Critical Strike Chance of your next melee hit is increased by 25%.

Can be upgraded to Greater Fury via an ability codex - increases damage from 120% to 130% and changes the Critical Strike Chance increase from 25% to 100%.

Barge

Barge deals 85% average damage with a cooldown of 20.4s. When used on a target you will move to within 1 tile of that target, from up to 10 tiles away. Casting this will break you free from any binds, and will instead bind your target for 6.6s.

Can be upgraded to Greater Barge via an ability codex.

The movement and bind effects remain the same. The base damage also remains the same, but additional damage will be dealt to your target the longer you are not attacking, up to a maximum of 6s.

Additionally, if you have not attacked for 4.8s, when Greater Barge is cast you will receive a buff. This allows the first channelled ability used in the next 6s to deal its full damage without the need to channel it, saving you time.

Chaos Roar

This ability is obtained via a codex unlock.

Chaos Roar deals 95% average damage and has a 60s cooldown. When cast, your next melee ability within 7.2s will deal double damage. Bear in mind that for Channelled Abilities, this will only boost the first hit.