What game mechanic did you not realize you could use until far in a game?

[hwarang]

When I was a kid, it took me up until the boss fight with Maleficent that you could change your damn keyblade! I was literally doing a challenge run unknowingly lol.

I also didn't know you could "level" up in Baten Kaitos until I think it was the 1st time you fight Giacomo for the first time. It's impossible to beat him at level 1.

 

[Master Chuuster]

50 hours into Xenoblade 2 was when I finally bothered to understand and begin using Driver combos (and only because I was stuck on a boss).

 

[DecoReturns]

I didn't realize what the floating elemental Orbs in Xenoblade 2 meant until I tried pausing the game during a battle.

also realized what chain attacks were 🤷🏽‍♀️

Once that hit, the battle system clicked for me and became one of my JRPG Favorite games. Too bad it took until chapter 7 (or 6, but it was far along lol)

 

[Mexen]

30 hours into P3P, I realized that you can control party members in battle.

 

[Rytheran]

I beat Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire without realizing you could buy new ship types, so I played the entire game with a little bitty sloop

 

[JustJavi]

The combo system in Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 

[falconhoof17]

I can't be the only one who didn't work out shield surfing in BOTW until quite a few hours into the game

 

[Golden]

I didn't realise you could heal in fallen order until I was about half way through the game.

 

[Grapezard]

+1 on Blade combos from Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

 

[Jailer of Hope]

I let a friend borrow Panzer Dragoon Orta many years ago. I went over his place and watched him play. He was on the final level. After many minutes of watching him struggle I asked why he wasn't using his berserk attack. He turns to me and asks "what berserk attack?" He finished the game about 20 minutes after that.

 

[PuppetMinion]

I remember it took me quite a while before really understanding the gambit system in FF12. Loved it once i got it.

 

[Listai]

I played 15 hours of the Witcher 3 before I realised I could do the small dodge. I was rolling around everywhere.

 

[Stopmotionkai]

FF 13.
By pressing Y you could launch an attack before the ATB Bar fills up to attack and launch enemies into air juggles and keep their stagger meter from resetting.

I don't recall the game ever explaining that mechanic on any of my 3 play through. I could be wrong.

 

[OzBoz]

I forgot about the counter in Wind Waker until the final boss required it.

 

[Rei no Otaku]

It wasn't until about the last couple hours of Days Gone that I realized you can just drive your bike up to gas pumps and fill your bike rather than having to search for a gas can.

 

[trugs26]

Seems like something went wrong with Xenoblade Chronicles 2's combat system. Either in tutorials and/or combat design. I wonder how they could've done better at explaining a rather deep (or convoluted?) combat mechanic.

 

[Oregano]

Seems like something went wrong with Xenoblade Chronicles 2's combat system. Either in tutorials and/or combat design. I wonder how they could've done better at explaining a rather deep (or convoluted?) combat mechanic.

Click to shrink...

The only issue is that it tries to explain it as early as possible, but in the early game it's not really needed and hard to fully exploit. It continues to add mechanics even into the penultimate chapter of the game and makes sure it explains each one.

 

[Deleted member 24021]

FF 13.
By pressing Y you could launch an attack before the ATB Bar fills up to attack and launch enemies into air juggles and keep their stagger meter from resetting.

I don't recall the game ever explaining that mechanic on any of my 3 play through. I could be wrong.

Click to shrink...

I wish I knew this

 

[Doskoi Panda]

FF 13.
By pressing Y you could launch an attack before the ATB Bar fills up to attack and launch enemies into air juggles and keep their stagger meter from resetting.

I don't recall the game ever explaining that mechanic on any of my 3 play through. I could be wrong.

Click to shrink...

What
the
fuck

Bruh I didn't think anything could get me to replay FFXIII

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[DvdGzz]

Blocking while poking enemies with a wing spear in Demon's Souls. It was a game changer at the time before I got good and was ultra reliant on blocking. Eventually you don't even block at all. Gotta love how you progress in those games, from scared squire to knight with an UGS wrecking everything.