I was just reading a Reddit post about melee in the Division 2 and it got me thinking about how it could be implemented. Reddit Post
So how would it work?
When an NPC is low health, the player can push the melee button to initiate a sync kill/execution animation.
Why do an melee finisher?
- Look at the Hunter. Case in point.
- Melee Finisher accolade (like the headshot and multi-kill accolades)
- Player talents that activate when a melee finisher is performed
- A Fear/Panicked debuff will be applied to surrounding NPC.
- The immersion. The Division's world is a brutal world.
- If you're about to die and it's a last ditch effort if the enemy NPC is close enough
What doesn't it do?
- It's not a high damage attack so pointless to spam.
- There is no builds around the melee mechanic.
Melee customization
- Different melee weapons archetypes (Hatchet, knife, grapple, gun butt, stun gun, trench shovel, ect)
- Model customization of melee weapon (Hollow aluminum hatchet handle, graphene tipped combat knife, ect)
- Melee finisher animation (Hatchet to the skull, hatchet around the throat, hatchet to the back of the neck, ect)
- The melee weapon could hang from the back pack, holstered on the leg or hip, ect.
Overall it'll look awesome.
Being locked in an animation in a game with high rate of fire guns is no fun. You could be taking an unnecessary amount of damage simply because a melee finisher looks cool. If getting shot interrupts the animation (like how emotes work), then there'd be no point in even attempting the melee. If you get invincibility frames when you pull off the melee, that would be broken. And, If the threat mechanic has been improved for Division 2, it might be a lot worse for those running out of cover.
Now, consider all of the above, but apply it to PvP, because you'll have to do that eventually lol. You might say "it won't work in PvP." Simply being unable to melee kill in PvP breaks continuity: if I can do it in PvE, why can't I do it in PvP if the option to presents itself?
Division 2 is moving towards a more cover based game. Since it will be impractical to try to heal out of cover (and if NPCs somehow have more out of cover damage), melee kills wouldn't be worth, despite how cool they might look, in my opinion.
Maybe, when there are less NPCs around, I can see it working there, but melee kills would then become more of a conscious effort because in the heat of the moment, your gun will be a lot more reliable.
Play legendary or facetank a Hunter. Trust me when I say melee attacks carry a lot of damage, just not ours. Why would they? We are only highly trained government agents. We can eat thousands of bullets, tank a grenade blasts, but nudge us with your elbow and it's lights out.Originally Posted by RushLoongHammer Go to original post
The fear/panicked debuff will help this.Originally Posted by Merphee Go to original post
Also I guess you could just cancel it or not do it while being shot at like a normal person :P
I also avoided PvP because that's just not my thing.
Like every system in the Division, there are negatives but I'm assuming if it were to be a thing, it'd work.
I went in knowing how melee works in Div1 and thought if a player had a melee attack, it'd have to be different.Originally Posted by YodaMan 3D Go to original post
Remember kneepads make you shoot harder :P
*snorted laughter*Originally Posted by YodaMan 3D Go to original post