{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/melee-combat--t015","type":"mechanic","id":"melee-combat--t015","lang":"en","title":"Hack and slash","summary":"The player sustains attacks and chooses ability order to clear groups with different resistances and threats efficiently.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/melee-combat--t015/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/melee-combat--t015.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/melee-combat--t015.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Melee and combat systems","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-3817d420df0baa92","source-e7703f0b61e1f579","source-a11141c21255e5c1"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3817d420df0baa92","title":"Robert Nystrom: State","url":"https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-e7703f0b61e1f579","title":"Godot: AnimationTree","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/animation/animation_tree.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-a11141c21255e5c1","title":"Grim Dawn","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/219990/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player sustains attacks and chooses ability order to clear groups with different resistances and threats efficiently."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t015-variants\"></a>\n\n- Area damage: choosing a center and radius matters more than precise targeting. <a id=\"t015-v1\"></a>\n- Chain reactions: a destroyed or marked target passes effects to nearby enemies. <a id=\"t015-v2\"></a>\n- Short cooldown cycles: alternating abilities maintains tempo instead of repeating one action. <a id=\"t015-v3\"></a>\n- Priority targets: support units or dangerous shooters require a new route through the crowd. <a id=\"t015-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Against a group with a healer, the player opens a path with a dash, marks the healer and uses its defeat to trigger a chain explosion.\n\nPrototype check: In a dense group, test chain limits, affected-target counts and whether the next threat stays readable beneath effects."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Melee combat revolves around distance and the moment of commitment. Starting an action can temporarily remove the ability to defend, so opponents need readable preparation, reach and contact results. These overviews separate decisions about targets, continuing a sequence, choosing a defense and escaping a bad position. Start by testing one attack and one response without decorative effects. The dedicated boss reference remains available in the direction map; this catalog covers the other contact-combat topics. Sources illustrate state and animation-transition models rather than prescribing a universal combat formula."}],"relations":[{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/state-pattern","title":"State: Game Programming Patterns","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"melee-combat","id":"t015","title":"Melee and combat systems","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/melee-combat/#t015","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Hack and slash","description":"The player sustains attacks and chooses ability order to clear groups with different resistances and threats efficiently.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/priority-grim-dawn-00.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Grim Dawn","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/219990/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/219990/ss_163bf567dd0b246da53cf4d7d0724ac8d8a7e075.1920x1080.jpg?t=1791567021","credit":"Crate Entertainment","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"The hero uses abilities against a group of enemies","alt":"The hero uses abilities against a group of enemies","markers":[{"x":44,"y":63,"label":"Several targets within the affected area"},{"x":46,"y":96,"label":"Selected ability bar"}]},"tips":["Differentiate crowd threats and keep the hero visible among effects."],"examples":[{"title":"Grim Dawn","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/219990/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/melee-combat"}}