The Midniter posted:

Most of the people in this thread know this, but for anyone who just picked it up or hasn't mastered the game, this is how you play:

(keep in mind this refers specifically to brutes with a stagger bar and bosses; peons with normal red health bars may be disposed of as you please)

1: mash heavy attack until stagger bar is depleted, while rolling to avoid damage from the enemy in between your own attacks
2: once stagger bar is depleted, immediately trigger a synergy attack to stun the enemy
3: use your highest DPS ability/synergy/EX until enemy is no longer stunned
4: rinse, repeat

It sounds simple but some of the more challenging fights turn into a kind of bullet hell where you're rolling a lot more than you're attacking. During combat, I really don't move with the left stick and almost exclusively roll. The invincibility frames during the roll will largely keep you from getting whacked by an unexpected attack/charge/explosive from an enemy.

Personally, I never ever use the guard move, where you sit still and still take chip damage.

I'm halfway through Ultimate difficulty and still having a blast with this game.