Melee pits

[Sneakyhell 2]

Is it just me or are the melee pits challenges one of the most frustrating parts of this game?

I completed all the tutorials straight forward enough, and have completed 2 of the areas, but I have 2 melee pits left which will give me my last trophy and the platinum. 
It keeps saying "wrong input" which will soon be burned into my tv screen when it's not the wrong input. It's just not the correct millisecond it wants it pressed. 
Thornmarsh challenges are insane. I've only managed one of them (destroyer chain). I'm even doing on it on easy mode but it makes no difference to my ability.
Reap and clear (spinning scythe / half-moon slash / jump over) 

Energy Surge Chain (energy surge / half-moon slash / jump off)
These 2 are driving me Batshitzu cray cray. The spinning scythe in this i can only fluke 10% of the time but get it 100% in the tutorial. 

The half moon moves keep hitting someone before the move powers up, or i move away to get more distance and then time expires. 

If i do fluke it past the first 2 parts, the jump offs/ jump overs always fail because Aloy jumps backwards instead of forwards despite pushing up. 
 

The Bulwark I've done all except sustained breaker challenge is infuriating.

Block breaker / Half moon slash / Jump off followed by arrow. 

Easy in the tutorials and I've taken 2 weeks so far to lose my mind not getting it. 

 

I can't see anything online with commentary and tips about timing or doing the moves. Just videos of people doing what i can't and don't know how they are pulling it off with no commentary. 

 

Does anyone have any advice on these?
It's clearly a timing / technique issue.

 

Or would someone jump on and do these last few for me over SharePlay. 
It's annoying as heck to have done all the rest of the game and grinned out everything to have something as annoying as this stand in my way of my platinum. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Sneakyhell
Needed more detail to be clearer

[mega-tallica 792]

The last button input of a combo sequence acts as the first button input of the next combo sequence if it's the same button so you don't have to press the same button again which the game will detect as a wrong input if you do. 

 

The game explains this clearly in the description of the challenges, I don't understand why so many are having issues with it. All's you have to do is read the description, it literally tells you exactly what you need to do. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by mega-tallica

[Sneakyhell 2]

1 minute ago, mega-tallica said:

The last button input of a combo sequence acts as the first button input of the next combo sequence if it's the same button so you don't have to press the same button again which the game will detect as a wrong input if you do. 

 

The game explains this clearly in the description of the challenges, I don't understand why so many are having issues with it. All's you have to do is read the description, it literally tells you exactly what you need to do. 

I know. You'd think this would be easy and straight forward. When I follow the simple sequence on the screen it says wrong input. 

3 minutes ago, mega-tallica said:

The last button input of a combo sequence acts as the first button input of the next combo sequence if it's the same button so you don't have to press the same button again which the game will detect as a wrong input if you do. 

 

The game explains this clearly in the description of the challenges, I don't understand why so many are having issues with it. All's you have to do is read the description, it literally tells you exactly what you need to do. 

Are you pressing the buttons like a mortal kombat combo or pressing the buttons between each hit?

[mega-tallica 792]

7 minutes ago, Sneakyhell said:

I know. You'd think this would be easy and straight forward. When I follow the simple sequence on the screen it says wrong input. 

 

Because you're probably repeating the same input twice when you're not supposed to. At the end of the Half Moon Slash combo is an R2 input if I remember right and then you have to hold that to do the jump off or whatever the next combo is, you don't press it again. You're probably pressing it twice instead which is why you aren't passing any of the Half Moon Slash ones as they're all like that. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by mega-tallica

[Sneakyhell 2]

1 minute ago, mega-tallica said:

 

Because you're probably repeating the same input twice when you're not supposed to. At the end of the Half Moon Slash combo is an R2 input if I remember right and then you have to hold that to do the jump off or whatever the next combo is, you don't press it again. You're probably pressing it twice instead which is why you aren't passing any of the Half Moon Slash ones as they're all like that. 

That makes sense. So if for example it the first move is R1 R1 R1 R1, and the next move is half moon slash which is Hold R1, Do i press R1 4 times and hold the 4th time, or 5th time?

[mega-tallica 792]

Just now, Sneakyhell said:

That makes sense. So if for example it the first move is R1 R1 R1 R1, and the next move is half moon slash which is Hold R1, Do i press R1 4 times and hold the 4th time, or 5th time?

 

Yes, you'd hold it on the 4th press and that acts as the first input of the next combo sequence. I guess it's like a Mortal Kombat combo even though I'm not too familiar with fighting games. 

[takeshikitano3 8]

Those were absolutely frustrating.  I'm happy this game has expanded melee options, but ultimately outside of the pits all I really use is R1 R1 R2 or R1 R1 R1 R2.

[snakebit10 10,066]

I struggled with the melee pits more than anything else in the game. I was getting the same issue with wrong input. The guide and videos really helped me with correcting what I was doing wrong.

[Helyx 9,882]

You may want to read through this:

 

 

[Sneakyhell 2]

On 15/03/2022 at 4:09 AM, Helyx said:

You may want to read through this:

 

 

Thanks so much for this. It's annoying i only need 3 of these for a platinum. I seem to have flaked the other melee challenges but no luck with these ones.

[Sneakyhell 2]

Did it! Platinum has finally been earned. That guide above is brilliant to show what buttons to leave out of the sequence. This video from the master is also gold.

 

 

[Control_Fu 11]

Here, this video is quite helpful too. It has some written instructions too.

 

[dannyscun 31]

Have they patched the dodgy controls yet? Gave in after about a gazillion attempts at thornmarsh. Watched endless videos and tried everything and still couldn't do it.

[Blurrkup 27]

Thought after reading this thread I was going to struggle with Thornmarsh, but finished it in about 15 mins. Just need to follow the instructions.

[Stan Lee 11,836]

I struggled more with the races than the melee pits but I battled through them so I could

Spoiler

meet my boy Nil once again, knew it was going to be him!

 

Dunno how I got through the Pits so easily when others didn't, it's the like Watch Dogs drinking game all over again.

[cobaltTangerine 115]

Yeah, the first melee pit I tried was Thornmarsh yesterday, after about 20 hours into the game. I finished the first challenge after about 10 mins but quit on the second. I haven't used any of this in the game and it ultimately becomes figuring out and remembering the correct button-mashing sequence and timing. Watching the Wrong Input dialogue come up constantly had me worried about screen burn-in. Plus, why is there a time limit? Just let me continue doing it until I figure the right timing out. 

 

When I think about video game design, with these mini-games or obstacles that are so divisive, I always wonder how they made it past the testing phase. It is as if the melee combat programmer wanted you to learn the nuances of something you're not really going to use otherwise in an overall ranged combat game.

 

EDIT: The text and two video guides earlier in the thread are very helpful and definitely helped me with how the button sequencing works. Still don't like the melee pits.

Edited March 4 by cobaltTangerine

[mrmivo 93]

The melee pits were my least favorite part of the game. I did complete them eventually, but it was solely a “just for the trophy” thing that I didn’t enjoy and would not have done in an organic playthrough. I felt the whole combo button melee system was reminiscent of fighting games and didn’t fit in well with the rest of the combat system.

 

On the upside, the requirements for the hunting grounds trophy were lower in Forbidden West than in Zero Dawn.

 

It was still a memorable game, though.

[dannyscun 31]

Finally got the platinum after reading this guide and watching the video for thornmarsh.

 

https://observablehq.com/@mrfancypants/hfw-melee-guide

 

Just in time for the DLC