Intrepid should go far beyond damage with combat

Diamaht

I'll keep this as short as I can.

Been playing a lot of SWTOR recently and had an encounter that reminded me of how important non-damage abilities are in combat. I was approaching a Sith who also had a few adds. In SWTOR you have companions, so the first thing a I did was send my companion after the adds to draw their attention. The second thing I did was Force Push the Sith to send him to the other side of the room, because I needed the adds gone first to stabilize the fight. He jumped back to me earlier than I would like so I Force Choked him, which sends him into the air while stunning and dotting him for several seconds, giving me more time. After finishing the adds I was about 20 meters from the Sith, so as the Force Choke was wearing off I was able to use Force Leap to get back on top of him. My companion was also able to Leap over and then used a stun of her own to lock him down while we were able to then burn him down with DPS.

The point of all this is: the abilities that had absolutely nothing to do with damage made that fight fun, engaging and rewarding. I felt like my actions and the order in which I performed them made the difference. It is critical that we are able to affect the world in meaningful ways that do not involve producing large numbers or mitigating down to small numbers. Otherwise, the newness of combat in this game will wear off after several months, and the game-play could feel stale.

ReLamas

I completely agree with your point about the importance of non-damage abilities in making combat more engaging and strategic. One of the things that makes MMO combat truly stand out is the depth that comes from having to think beyond just maximizing DPS.

Having a variety of crowd control (CC) options, positioning tools, and other utility abilities allows players to approach encounters in creative ways, adapting to different situations instead of just following a rigid rotation. This kind of complexity can keep the combat feeling fresh and rewarding even after many hours of gameplay.

In Ashes of Creation, it would be fantastic to see a strong emphasis on these types of abilities across all classes. Whether it's controlling the battlefield with well-timed stuns, repositioning enemies, or using environmental interactions, these elements can add layers of strategy that keep players engaged in the long term. After all, combat isn't just about dealing damage—it's about outsmarting your opponent and mastering the tools at your disposal.