Punishing: Gray Raven - Introduction to the Combat Mechanics
Punishing: Gray Raven is an awesome action RPG released originally in China in 2019, and that has just recently been released globally. The game combines fast-paced real-time combat similar to the one in Honkai Impact 3rd but adds its own creative spin to the formula. In this sense, while the basic gameplay is similar in both titles, PGR has its own set of nuances and aspects to consider if you want to stay alive and dominate your enemies in the battlefield. You can also Play Punishing: Gray Raven in your browser on your PC or mobile without downloading. Click and Play instantly!
On this occasion, we want to focus specifically on the combat mechanics in Punishing: Gray Raven, explaining the basic aspects of how to move around and engage the enemy, as well as give a few beginner tips and tricks to have an easier time getting used to the game’s hectic gameplay.
The Best Plays are Achieved With the Best Controls
Punishing: Gray Raven is an action game with a focus on free-form, combo-based combat. The game takes place mostly in stages where the player has to travel from end to end while taking down the enemies that stand in their way. In between sections, they may get introduced to new combat mechanics and plot points, and while we won’t get into details about the story, we want to point out that it’s really quite good and a compelling reason to keep on playing and exploring, especially if you’re a fan of games with good narratives.
However, since this is an action game with real-time combat, you’ll always be relying on swift moves and accurate execution of attacks in order to both dodge the enemies’ assaults, as well as to punish them when they open up. This is something that could be difficult when playing on your phone, as touchscreen controls are not very conducive to precise and fast movements. Luckily, you can play Punishing: Gray Raven on PC with BlueStacks, and enjoy this mobile action game with the best graphics, performance, and controls.
BlueStacks is the official partner for PGR and is the best platform for playing this action game. Our emulator has a variety of tools designed to provide a superior experience compared to playing on your phone, with one of the most important features for this game being the Keymapping Tool. With this feature, you can create customizable control schemes, which allow you to use your mouse and keyboard to control your action with much better precision than on your mobile touchscreen. Alternatively, our platform also has native gamepad support, for those who enjoy hacking and slashing with a controller.
Downloading and installing Punishing: Gray Raven on PC should be the very first thing you do if you want to get the most out of this awesome action game.
The Combat System in Punishing: Gray Raven
Now that you’re playing PGR on PC with the best controls and graphics, let’s go ahead and talk about the combat.
Fights in this game take place across multiple stages where you’ll constantly run into groups of monsters. To fight them, you must simply get into range and mash the spacebar to unleash a barrage of regular attacks. The range of these attacks will vary from character to character, with some of them being melee, while others may have ranged capabilities to engage foes from a distance.
Aside from your regular attack, all characters have access to a dodge skill that consumes 250 stamina with every use. Melee characters have a total of 250 stamina, while ranged fighters have a max of 800 stamina. You can dodge freely as long as you have some stamina left. However, if you completely deplete your stamina, you will need to wait a few seconds before it starts regenerating again. Alternatively, your stamina always recharges at a rate of 100 points per second.
Skills and Orbs
Every character in Punishing: Gray Raven has three different skills that they can use in combat. These skills are represented by orbs of three different colors that are generated as you hit enemies with basic attacks.
Every time you land an attack, there’s a chance that a colored orb will appear on the bottom right corner, above your attack and dodge buttons. The colors of these orbs are randomized and represent the special moves that you can use. Whenever you generate an orb, you click on them to unleash special abilities that can deal damage, buff yourself, or achieve different effects.
Whenever orbs of the same color end up beside each other in your queue, they can be chained to enhance the effect of the corresponding ability. Up to three orbs can be chained at any given moment to unleash the most powerful version of the skill in question. Play Punishing: Gray Raven on your PC or mobile without downloads! Click and start playing instantly for a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Assist Skills (QTE)
Your squad in PGR can consist of a maximum of three members. The slots they occupy on your team, however, are divided into three different colors similar to the skills orbs mentioned above; red, yellow, and blue. Whenever you unleash a max-level skill (three orbs), you can immediately tap on the character of the corresponding color to temporarily summon them to the field, where they will unleash a quick assist attack before retreating.
This mechanic is not to be confused with switching characters in combat, which you can also do by tapping on your characters’ portraits. These QTE attacks are triggered only after you unleash a three-orb attack, and will only remain available for a short period. Correctly using these skills can help to keep the pressure on the enemy and is the key to beating the tougher fights.
Core Passives
Another ability that all characters have are their Core Passives. However, unlike the other skills that can be manually activated, these Core Passives trigger automatically after using a combination of orb skills. Furthermore, once activated, these CP skills usually have very strong effects that can help to quickly obliterate groups of enemies.
Every character has different conditions to activate their CP skills. For instance, Lucia’s Core Passive, Lotus Blade, is activated by activating a red orb at least four seconds after triggering a 3-orb skill. When she triggers this skill, Lucia draws her dual blades, dramatically increasing her basic attack damage for a few seconds.
Properly reading up on the CPs of your characters is also an important aspect of mastering the combat in Punishing: Gray Raven.
Supercomputing Mode
Another basic combat mechanic you need to know about is the Supercomputing Mode, which is automatically triggered whenever you execute a dodge just before an enemy attack hits you.
Whenever you enter Supercomputing Mode, everything will slow down, giving you ample opportunity to punish your enemy with basic attacks. However, one of the most important parts of SC mode is that, whenever you enter this state, all your available skill orbs will begin to glow for a few seconds. Whenever you use a glowing skill orb, it will unleash it as if you had used three orbs.
This glowing orb bonus is important as it will also count as three orbs for CP and QTE skills. For instance, if you’re playing as Lucia and use a single yellow glowing orb during Supercomputing Mode, followed immediately by using a single red orb, you will automatically activate Lotus Blade. Similarly, if you used a single glowing yellow orb during Supercomputing Mode, you may then immediately activate the QTE skill for the character of the corresponding color.
Ultimate Skills
Every character has a finisher move that can be used when the ultimate gauge is completely full. This gauge is represented by the blue bar under your HP, and fills up whenever you land basic attacks and skills.
When the Ultimate Bar is charged, you can press on the button left of the dodge function to unleash your Ultimate Skill. This attack varies per character, and often deals a ton of damage to all enemies on the screen. However, while the burst damage is always a welcome addition, the true utility of the Ultimate Skill is it’s invincibility frames. In other words, while you’re unleashing this attack, you’re impervious to damage and interruptions. If timed correctly, you can use it to avoid the enemy’s most damaging skills, while dishing out a ton of your own damage in the process.
All of these elements that we’ve explained above combine into an awesome and deep combat system, which only gets deeper and more complex as you unlock more characters and add more variety to your roster. When it comes to dominating the field, however, we suggest focusing on mastering Supercomputing Mode, as well as practice your execution of Core Passives and QTE skills. These three elements are the key to always staying on the offensive and, in the case of ultimate skills, can help to safely deal damage to enemies while avoiding most of their attacks. Why wait? Play Punishing: Gray Raven instantly on your browser without downloading anything. Click, and start playing now.
Let us know if you have any questions about the combat in Punishing: Gray Raven in the comments below!
