Advanced Combat
Advanced Combat is the direct successor to Combat, a fighting style you learn in the First Sea from the Secrets Master. It asks for no Beli, no Fragments and no mastery in other styles, but its timed island steps and random boss spawns make it one of the slowest styles to unlock. Its payoff is Ground Breaker, a single move with very high damage.
Advanced Combat
Quick questions about Advanced Combat
What moves does Advanced Combat have, and what are their cooldowns?
Advanced Combat moves, stats and Instinct
- Tap
- Four punches, identical to Combat: two hooks, an uppercut and a straight punch.
- Z
- A short dash forward that tackles enemies for decent damage.
- Like the Combat tackle, except you can aim it in any direction.
- X
- You slam the ground and make a crater.
- On a hit, the target is thrown into the rocks and then slammed back down.
- On a miss, the crater and flying rocks are only for show.
- C
- You pull your fist back and punch, sending out a shockwave.
- Hold the key for 2 seconds to release a bigger, longer shockwave.
- Tap
- Four punches, identical to Combat: two hooks, an uppercut and a straight punch.
- Z
- A short dash forward that tackles enemies for decent damage.
- Like the Combat tackle, except you can aim it in any direction.
- X
- You slam the ground and make a crater.
- On a hit, the target is thrown into the rocks and then slammed back down.
- On a miss, the crater and flying rocks are only for show.
- C
- You pull your fist back and punch, sending out a shockwave.
- Hold the key for 2 seconds to release a bigger, longer shockwave.
How do you get Advanced Combat?
Instead of a price, Advanced Combat asks for a long, partly timed puzzle in the First Sea. Follow the steps in order, and read the tips before you start the boss step.
- Finish all the island secrets in the First Sea. Then talk to the Secrets Master in Middle Town and choose "Tell me some stories". He tells three stories, each about an island.
- Use the Middle Town teleporter to visit those islands in the order he told them. Afterwards the Middle Town fountain water turns off for you, and the story option disappears.
- Use the teleporter again and pick the islands in this fixed order: Pirate Starter or Marine Starter, Jungle, Pirate Village, Desert, Frozen Village, Marine Fortress, Lower Skylands, Prison, Colosseum, Magma Village, Underwater City, Upper Skylands and Fountain City. Then teleport back to your Starter Island to get the final secret, which opens the Advanced Combat puzzle.
- Go to the Remove Blox Fruit NPC in the Prison and remove your fruit. Talk to him again and pick the new option "Remove my Fighting Style". That gives you Combat.
- Defeat one of each of the ten awakened bosses using Combat only. They are First Sea bosses that awaken once at the start of every hour when a player is nearby, and each one has its own small task before it can be hurt. In the last 30 minutes of the hour the Secrets Master tells you which boss awakens next. Each kill restores part of the fountain. When the fountain is whole again, the Secrets Master can give you Advanced Combat. It also earns you the Class S title (number 151).
Tips for the puzzle
- It has no level requirement of its own: the island secrets already give you the levels every step needs, even the Remove Blox Fruit NPC.
- For the awakened boss step, hop servers or restart a private server to get the bosses you still need. Upper Skylands has two bosses, so the Secrets Master can show the same message before different bosses spawn.
- A private server is also best for the timed island secrets, because you choose which island an event appears on.
- Ghost V, Buddha, the Cyborg V3 Energy Core and the Draco V3 Flash Step passive all make the awakened bosses much easier.
- Ghost V clones fight with Combat only while you hold Combat. If you switch to a sword or gun, they use that too and the attempt fails.
Where to find the Secrets Master
Middle Town: on the first-floor balcony of the central building.
Middle Town: on the first-floor balcony of the central building.
What are the best Advanced Combat combos?
Advanced Combat combos, easiest first
Dark C, Cyborg V3, Fox Lamp Z, sword or melee M1, AC X, Fox Lamp X, Skull Guitar Z, Flash Step, AC C, then Dark X, Z and Fox Lamp Z if you can (and spam it)
Cyborg V3 is heavily recommended, because Fox Lamp is easy to punish without it.
Gravity Blade Z, Magnet X, Z, Gravity Blade X, AC X, C
Beats anyone without a defense buff. You need a little prediction to land Charged Punch after Ground Breaker.
Portal Z, Kabucha X, Z, Shark Anchor Z, X, AC X, C
Needs Portal, Kabucha and Shark Anchor.
Dragon Trident X, Magnet X, AC Tap, X, Magnet C, look up, Magnet Z
Fruit stats. Done without the Strong Grip enchant on the Dragon Trident.
(Flash Step next to the enemy) Eagle X, C, V, AC X, Cursed Dual Katana X, Z, AC C
Try to predict where Ground Breaker lands. Use Charged Punch the way you would use the Cursed Dual Katana Z or the Godhuman Z.
Dark C, Cyborg V3, Fox Lamp Z, sword or melee M1, AC X, Fox Lamp X, Skull Guitar Z, Flash Step, AC C, then Dark X, Z and Fox Lamp Z if you can (and spam it)
Cyborg V3 is heavily recommended, because Fox Lamp is easy to punish without it.
Gravity Blade Z, Magnet X, Z, Gravity Blade X, AC X, C
Beats anyone without a defense buff. You need a little prediction to land Charged Punch after Ground Breaker.
Portal Z, Kabucha X, Z, Shark Anchor Z, X, AC X, C
Needs Portal, Kabucha and Shark Anchor.
Dragon Trident X, Magnet X, AC Tap, X, Magnet C, look up, Magnet Z
Fruit stats. Done without the Strong Grip enchant on the Dragon Trident.
(Flash Step next to the enemy) Eagle X, C, V, AC X, Cursed Dual Katana X, Z, AC C
Try to predict where Ground Breaker lands. Use Charged Punch the way you would use the Cursed Dual Katana Z or the Godhuman Z.
Advanced Combat strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
General
- Most of its attacks are good for grinding.
Meteor Tackle (Z)
- A short cooldown and good mobility, even in the air.
Ground Breaker (X)
- The hardest hit of any single melee move.
- Works as a stun when teaming, and drains dodges if the target tricks it with Instinct.
Charged Punch (C)
- A good combo finisher and reversal.
- High damage and a wide area when held.
Weaknesses
General
- A slow M1 and incredibly low range.
Meteor Tackle (Z)
- Low damage, and Instinct users can dodge it.
Ground Breaker (X)
- Hard to hit, with a small area, and the target lands in a random spot, which makes combos unreliable.
- Very high end lag if it hits, and the lag runs 0.2 seconds past the stun, so a well-timed Flash Step makes it nearly useless.
- Instinct users can trick it, and it will not pin a target tricked high in the air.
Charged Punch (C)
- Breaks Instinct only at the closest range.
- High knockback, low range, a long charge and a long cooldown.
Verdict
Learn Advanced Combat for Ground Breaker and the satisfaction of finishing the puzzle, not for its range. It is a short-ranged brawler with one very strong move.
Advanced Combat showcase video
Advanced Combat showcase
Advanced Combat showcase by ELKA on YouTube.
What changed in the Advanced Combat updates?
- Added to the game.
