All About Punishing: Gray Raven--Guide to Combat Mechanics

Gray Raven is an awesome action RPG that was first released in China in 2019, and was just recently released internationally. Despite adding a creative spin to the formula, Honkai Impact 3rd maintains fast-paced real-time combat. In this sense, while the gameplay in both titles is similar, PGR has its own set of nuances and aspects to consider if you want to stay alive and dominate your opponents.

This time around, we'd like to offer an in-depth look at Punishing: Gray Raven's combat, explaining the basic mechanics of how to move around and engage the enemy, while also giving a few beginner tips to ease you into the game's hectic gameplay.

Control is the key to achieving the best play

Gray Raven is an action game that focuses on free-form, combo-based combat. There are mostly stages in the game in which the player has to travel from one end to another while taking out the enemies that stand in their way. Players may be introduced to new combat mechanics and plot points in between sections, and although we won't go into details about the story, it's quite good, and a compelling reason to keep playing and exploring, especially if you're a fan of narrative games.

The big difference here is that since this is a real-time action game, you'll always be relying on swift moves and accurate execution of attacks to avoid the enemies' attacks and punish them when they do. As touchscreen controls are not very conducive to precise and fast movements, this could be a challenge when playing on a phone. Play Punishing: Gray Raven on PC with BlueStacks and enjoy the best graphics, performance, and controls of this mobile action game.

PGR is available on BlueStacks, the best platform for playing this action game. One of the most important features for this game is the Keymapping Tool, which provides a superior experience than playing on your phone. As a result of this feature, you can create custom control schemes that let you use your mouse and keyboard to control your actions with higher precision than on your mobile touchscreen. Alternatively, our platform supports native gamepad support, for those who prefer to hack and slash with a controller.

When you want to get the most out of Punishing: Gray Raven on PC, you should download the game first.

The Combat System in Punishing: Gray Raven

We're now talking about the combat in PGR on PC with the best controls and graphics.

All characters have access to a dodge skill that consumes 250 stamina every time it is used. Characters with melee attacks have 250 stamina total, while fighters with ranged attacks have 800 stamina. As long as you have some stamina left, you can dodge freely.

You must wait a few seconds for your stamina to regenerate completely if your stamina has been completely depleted. If you prefer, your stamina recharges at a rate of 100 points per second. In this game, you'll constantly encounter groups of monsters across multiple stages. You can use the spacebar to launch a barrage of attacks when you're within range of them. Characters may exclusively use melee attacks, and others may engage foes with ranged attacks.

Is it an orb or a skill

In Punishing: Gray Raven, each character has three skills that can be used in combat. When you hit an enemy with a basic attack, three different colored orbs appear.

There is a chance that a colored orb will appear above the attack and dodge buttons every time you land an attack. The color of these orbs is randomized and represents specific moves that can be used. Whenever you generate an orb, you click on it to unleash a special ability that deals damage, buffs yourself, or otherwise achieves different effects.

When orbs of the same color appear side by side in your queue, they can be chained to enhance the effect of the corresponding ability. It is possible to chain up to three orbs at any given time to unleash the most powerful version of the skill.

Skills for Assisting (QTE)

You can have up to three members on your squad in PGR. However, they occupy different color slots on your team, similar to the orbs of skills mentioned above; red, yellow, and blue. You can immediately summon a character of the corresponding color when you unleash a max-level skill (three orbs), so they can assist you before retreating.

It is important not to confuse this mechanic with switching characters in combat, which you can also do by tapping on their portraits. You will only be able to use these QTE attacks after unleashing a three-orb attack, and they will only be available for a short time. Using these skills correctly can help to keep the pressure on the enemy and is the key to winning the tougher battles.

Core Passives

Characters also have Core Passives. Unlike other skills that can be activated manually, these Core Passives are triggered automatically after a combination of orb skills are used. Once activated, these CP skills usually have very powerful effects that can help to quickly eliminate large groups of enemies.

A character's CP skills can be activated under different conditions. As an example, Lucia's Core Passive, Lotus Blade, is activated by activating a red orb four seconds after triggering a 3-orb skill. This skill allows Lucia to draw her dual blades, increasing her basic attack damage for a few seconds.

Understanding the CPs of your characters is also crucial to mastering the combat in Punishing: Gray Raven.

Modes of supercomputing

You should also be familiar with the Supercomputing Mode, which is automatically triggered if you dodge just before an enemy attack hits you.

In Supercomputing Mode, everything slows down, giving you ample time to punish your opponent with basic attacks. One of the most important aspects of SC mode is that every time you enter it, all your available skill orbs will glow for a few seconds. If you use a glowing skill orb, it will release it as if you had used three orbs.

The glowing orb bonus is important because it will count as three orbs for CP and QTE skills. If you use a single red orb within a few seconds of using a single yellow orb while playing as Lucia, Lotus Blade will automatically be activated. You may also activate your QTE skill for the character of the corresponding color if you use a single glowing yellow orb during Supercomputing Mode.

The ultimate skills

Whenever the ultimate gauge is full, a character can use their finisher move. It's represented by the blue bar under your HP, and fills up whenever you land a basic attack or skill.

If you have a charged Ultimate Bar, you can unleash your Ultimate Skill by pressing the button to the left of the dodge function. Depending on the character, this attack can deal a lot of damage to all enemies on screen. The true utility of the Ultimate Skill lies in its invincibility frames, not its burst damage. So, you're immune to damage when you're unleashing this attack. It can be used to avoid most enemy attacks while doing tons of damage to your opponent.

All of these elements combine into an incredible and deep combat system that only gets more complex and fascinating as you unlock more characters and add more variety to your roster. If you want to dominate the field, however, you should focus on mastering Supercomputing Mode and practicing your QTE and Core Passives. When using ultimate skills, these three elements can help to stay on the offensive and deal damage to enemies while avoiding most of their attacks.

If you have any questions about the combat in Punishing: Gray Raven, let us know in the comments below!