Arokhslair.net

Does anyone else find the Ryan on foot combat a bit crappy?
It 's a case of swinging your weapon with 9 misses and one hit , while watching your health slowly disappearing.
Though i have only played for about an hour,so maybe u get better weapons further in.

You do get better weapons. Also combo moves are better, and avoid being hit. Oh with better weapons comes more fierce wartoks and giants. Have fun, and when that's done, you can play the single player created lvls, they are awesome too!

Combat mechanics are pretty simple, but as AXE said, combo moves do spice 'em up. They also cause greater damage to the enemies.

Using the terrain can help quite a bit. The path finding skills of some of the enemies are their greatest weakness. You can use dips and creases in the ground to force an enemy to take a particular path. Keep a rock or a tree between them and you. Even a standing torch will work for protection. You should able to avoid their direct attacks and let you strike as they try to find a path around the obstacle. If fighting on a sloping path, get below them and keep low. You can hit them but their attacks will go over your head. Crouch down when fighting smaller npcs like spiders and ticks. Sneek up from behind and attack for some extra damage. Backstabs are very powerful, sometimes they're a one hit kill. Another weakness is that none of the npcs like getting their feet wet.

If you have to fight on a flat surface with nowhere to hide, KEEP MOVING! Use a circular side strafe and get behind them for more damage. You can usually turn faster than they can. If fighting more than one at a time, try to keep them in a straight line so only one can attack and the others can't reach you.

It's possible to kill a giant with a club if you can find a good spot in the terrain. (If you have the time and patience.) Look around for a good defensive area and you'll be gibbing those guys in no time.