Combat

Understanding the core systems underlying combat in Star Wars Galaxies is important to every player. Hardcore PVP'ers and casual hunters can equally benefit from knowing the basic equations and ideas behind attack speed, accuracy, template stacking, states, postures, and other combat-related topics.

Combat Equations
Like any role-playing game, Galaxies uses a set of mathematical equations that govern your interaction with the game world. These equations determine everything from item assembly success to attack hit percentage. Understanding these equations is vital to analyzing and fully understanding combat in SWG.

Unfortunately, we have yet to determine any equations post-CU. Stay tuned!

Inherent Combat Abilities
Even with no Novice Professions, a player will have innate abilities they can use.
 * Burst Run The ability to run quickly for 60 seconds, usually to escape certain death.
 * Melee Hit The most basic melee attack.
 * Ranged Shot The most basic ranged attack.
 * Duel / End Duel Allows a player to duel another player, if both use the command.
 * Deathblow Allows a player to kill another player they are fighting, while they are incapacitated.

Combat-Related Systems

 * HAM Display Knowing how to read the HAM is vital for anyone in combat.
 * Toolbar Utilizing and understanding the toolbar and how its timers interact in combat is essential post-Combat Upgrade.
 * Armor Once players get to an elite combat profession, they are ready for the extra protection armor can provide.
 * Accuracy The ability to hit your opponent.

States
When in combat, you are likely to be afflicted with a variety of "state attacks." These attacks change the abilities and modifiers of your character to either increase or decrease your effectiveness in combat. States that increase your potency are called "buff" states; "debuff" states generally hurt your character.


 * Buff states
 * Aiming
 * Berserk
 * Centered
 * Feigning Death
 * Tumbling
 * Under Cover
 * Debuff states
 * Bleeding
 * Blinded
 * Dead
 * Dizzy
 * Diseased
 * Immobilized
 * Incapacitated
 * Intimidated
 * Knocked Down
 * On Fire
 * Poisoned
 * Rooted
 * Snared
 * Stunned

Damage Types
Two primary damage types exist in SWG. Each player weapon will deal damage in either of these types: Kinetic damage is arguably more effective, as PSGs will only protect against ranged Energy attacks.
 * Energy damage
 * Kinetic damage

Additionally, many weapons have a bonus Elemental Damage associated with their attacks. Elemental types include:
 * Acid damage
 * Cold damage
 * Electricity damage
 * Heat damage

Combat Postures
The four basic postures in SWG affect player regeneration, aiming, defense, concealment, and movement speed. The only posture you cannot be in during combat is sitting. You can also be Knocked Down during combat. This is most often considered a state, but is depctited by the posture icon and can be "cured" by successfully standing up.
 * Kneeling
 * Prone
 * Sitting
 * Standing

Combat Posture Modifiers
While in combat there is two modifiers granted to the player: These modifiers take in consideration if the players is standing, kneeling, prone, still, moving, and how close to the equipped weapon's ideal range the target is from the player.
 * Accuracy
 * Damage taken modifier based on posture

Line of Sight
Line of sight is the system used to determine if characters can "see" their targets. If a target can be seen, then they can be attacked. If something is blocking the target, then they will not be attacked, and the player will receive a Flytext message saying "Can't see target."

Line of sight is calculated by making a line from the position of your torso to the position of the target's torso. If there is a tree, structure, wall, or any collidable object (something you cannot walk through) that crosses that line, then the line of sight is broken. Additionally, any terrain will break line of sight; you can no longer fire through hills.

Doors and furniture that can be walked through do not break line of sight, and thus provide no cover. Sometimes you are able to fire through walls if targets move quickly; this is often just an effect of lag: at the time of the calculation, the target was within the line of sight, but by the time you see the action the target is behind a wall. Note that most fences are collidable, and thus prevent attacking targets that are on the other side.