How many skills/abilities/talents/spells do you typically actually use in a game?

[StaceyPowers]

In games which give you access to a ton of different abilities for combat, do you use a wide variety, or do you just stick with a few favourites?

I’ve noticed that in pretty much every game I play, I just find several abilities I like and use them over and over. I end up ignoring the vast majority of other combat options.

 

[killamch89]

I like to have multiple playing styles for a character because it helps me in various situations as well as mix up the action. I do tend to get bored doing the same thing repeatedly with a character so I always look for unique skills to add some spice to my character's abilities.

[StaceyPowers]

2 hours ago, killamch89 said:

I like to have multiple playing styles for a character because it helps me in various situations as well as mix up the action. I do tend to get bored doing the same thing repeatedly with a character so I always look for unique skills to add some spice to my character's abilities.

I also usually work up two or three skill trees for the same reason. I'm often surprised by how many people don't do this.

[kingpotato]

I also try to get a little bit of everything, the first time I played skyrim I focused on Single handed skill for the first 50 levels at that time it was becoming repetitive. Now I just try to upgrade a little bit of everything except crafting.

[The Blackangel]

The only game I play with these options is FF8. But it all depends on what point of the game I'm at. In the beginning I use a bit of magic and GF's. As the game progresses I quit using the magic and stock it only to junction it. Depending on what I'm trying to accomplish at the moment determines what abilities I have in play. If you junction 100 Full-Life's and 100 Ultima's to your elemental defense for example, all elemental attacks will actually heal you instead of harm you.

[killamch89]

4 hours ago, StaceyPowers said:

I also usually work up two or three skill trees for the same reason. I'm often surprised by how many people don't do this.

I'm usually a mage but I like unarmed combat as well.

 

4 hours ago, kingpotato said:

I also try to get a little bit of everything, the first time I played skyrim I focused on Single handed skill for the first 50 levels at that time it was becoming repetitive. Now I just try to upgrade a little bit of everything except crafting.

Crafting is so boring. That's why I have mods that let me pay the blacksmith to do it.

[LadyDay]

12 hours ago, StaceyPowers said:

In games which give you access to a ton of different abilities for combat, do you use a wide variety, or do you just stick with a few favourites?

I’ve noticed that in pretty much every game I play, I just find several abilities I like and use them over and over. I end up ignoring the vast majority of other combat options.

 

I'm like you (as usual 😄 ). My only experience so far is Skyrim so far, but I do focus on fewer abilities. I easily lose overview if I try to do a bunch of magic on top of the melee weapons (I've just focused on getting really good at two handed weapons), archery and shouts. Even here I use the sword more than the other things. So my character is really very specialized, as a result of my inability to multitask. It should be said too that my (current) character, who's by far the one I've played the longest, is only level 30. I have no doubt my focus will shift eventually, especially since I've filled the skill trees for two-handed weapons and heavy armor.  

[StaceyPowers]

14 hours ago, killamch89 said:

I'm usually a mage but I like unarmed combat as well.

Lol, I never seem to do unarmed combat. What makes it fun?

Usually I am two-handed melee combatant, but when something like Conjuration is available, I do that too. Summon something to bloody up my enemy, then rush in and finish it off. I'm such a coward, lol.

9 hours ago, LadyDay said:

I'm like you (as usual 😄 ). My only experience so far is Skyrim so far, but I do focus on fewer abilities. I easily lose overview if I try to do a bunch of magic on top of the melee weapons (I've just focused on getting really good at two handed weapons), archery and shouts. Even here I use the sword more than the other things. So my character is really very specialized, as a result of my inability to multitask. It should be said too that my (current) character, who's by far the one I've played the longest, is only level 30. I have no doubt my focus will shift eventually, especially since I've filled the skill trees for two-handed weapons and heavy armor.  

I picked perks all over the map the first time I played Skyrim (I didn't know what I was doing), and my skill trees were useless as a result. I noticed I was mainly using Conjuration and Two-Handed, so the next time through, I saved most of my perks for those as well as Smithing.

Specializing in games usually makes you far more effective in combat than being all over the map! So look at it as one of the plus sides of being a poor multi-tasker.

Incidentally, studies show that multitasking is an inefficient way to work for just about everyone owing to issues with task-switching. Folks like us just are more aware of its downsides than those who “excel” at it =D

[killamch89]

8 hours ago, StaceyPowers said:

Lol, I never seem to do unarmed combat. What makes it fun?

Usually I am two-handed melee combatant, but when something like Conjuration is available, I do that too. Summon something to bloody up my enemy, then rush in and finish it off. I'm such a coward, lol.

I picked perks all over the map the first time I played Skyrim (I didn't know what I was doing), and my skill trees were useless as a result. I noticed I was mainly using Conjuration and Two-Handed, so the next time through, I saved most of my perks for those as well as Smithing.

Specializing in games usually makes you far more effective in combat than being all over the map! So look at it as one of the plus sides of being a poor multi-tasker.

Incidentally, studies show that multitasking is an inefficient way to work for just about everyone owing to issues with task-switching. Folks like us just are more aware of its downsides than those who “excel” at it =D

Very true - I always tend to specialize or at least mix moves that synergize well.

[skyfire]

These are some mages in the MOBA or MMO where their passive has more spells and the abilities being used automatically. 

[StaceyPowers]

20 hours ago, skyfire said:

These are some mages in the MOBA or MMO where their passive has more spells and the abilities being used automatically. 

For some reason, passive abilities always confuse me, and I tend to forget to set them up to use in games where they exist. It’s almost like I see them as an administrative hassle =D

[skyfire]

Most of the MOBA that I actively play, the passive can be chosen at the start of the game then that only one ability remains till the end of the match.