(4e) No point in basic attacks?

[Ozreth]

So it looks like your basic attack has been replaced by at will powers. Other than opportunity attacks, is there ever a reason to use your basic melee or ranged?

[Reverent-One]

Though I could be missing some purposes for them, there are three main uses for basic attacks as I see it:
1. Opportunity Attacks
2. Attacks on a Charge
3. For attacks granted by a warlord (as a Warlord as a metric ton of powers that grant basic attacks)

[Delcan]

Basic attacks trigger on:

1. Opportunity attacks
2. Attacks granted by certain powers (Commander's Strike, Strikeback gauntlets, and others)
3. For fighters, enemies that provoke their Combat Challenge
4. Charging attacks
5.

For most characters, when it's their turn, basic attacks aren't on the menu; they'll be sticking with at-will powers at minimum. When it's not your turn, you'll most likely be interrupting enemies with basic attacks, if the opportunity arises. You'll see basic attacks used in situations like:

-Fighters hucking javelins at a flying creature,
-Ranged characters locked into melee and needing to do _some_thing, but not wanting to provoke opportunity attacks
-Someone who has a pretty good reason to use a basic attack, because it's being boosted by a power or item (i.e. my fighter for a little while, who had a Farslayer weapon and Bracers of Mighty Striking: i.e. your basic attack on your turn has reach 5 and deals +4 damage).

So, long story short: 95% of the time, basic attacks are opportunity attacks and desperation attacks, and on your turn, you'll be sticking with at-will powers.

[herrhauptmann]

Reverent's pretty much got the list.
ex: My dwarf fighter in LFR has a variety of different basic attacks.
-Ones he gets via combat challenge class feature.
-Ones he gets via regular AOOs. (different bonuses and damage from the combat challenge attacks cuz of feat selection).
-Warlords commanding strike (with damage boost due to his Int)
-Basics made during my turn:
---Charges
---Ranged basic attacks (if I can't reach the enemy to use a melee power)

[Ozreth]

Basic attacks trigger on:

1. Opportunity attacks
2. Attacks granted by certain powers (Commander's Strike, Strikeback gauntlets, and others)
3. For fighters, enemies that provoke their Combat Challenge
4. Charging attacks
5.

For most characters, when it's their turn, basic attacks aren't on the menu; they'll be sticking with at-will powers at minimum. When it's not your turn, you'll most likely be interrupting enemies with basic attacks, if the opportunity arises. You'll see basic attacks used in situations like:

-Fighters hucking javelins at a flying creature,
-Ranged characters locked into melee and needing to do _some_thing, but not wanting to provoke opportunity attacks
-Someone who has a pretty good reason to use a basic attack, because it's being boosted by a power or item (i.e. my fighter for a little while, who had a Farslayer weapon and Bracers of Mighty Striking: i.e. your basic attack on your turn has reach 5 and deals +4 damage).

So, long story short: 95% of the time, basic attacks are opportunity attacks and desperation attacks, and on your turn, you'll be sticking with at-will powers.

Hmm thats not so bad...but seems a bit over the top, using powerful attacks constantly. Ill get used to it.

[Doug Lampert]

Basic attacks trigger on:

1. Opportunity attacks
2. Attacks granted by certain powers (Commander's Strike, Strikeback gauntlets, and others)
3. For fighters, enemies that provoke their Combat Challenge
4. Charging attacks
5.

For most characters, when it's their turn, basic attacks aren't on the menu; they'll be sticking with at-will powers at minimum. When it's not your turn, you'll most likely be interrupting enemies with basic attacks, if the opportunity arises. You'll see basic attacks used in situations like:

-Fighters hucking javelins at a flying creature,
-Ranged characters locked into melee and needing to do _some_thing, but not wanting to provoke opportunity attacks
-Someone who has a pretty good reason to use a basic attack, because it's being boosted by a power or item (i.e. my fighter for a little while, who had a Farslayer weapon and Bracers of Mighty Striking: i.e. your basic attack on your turn has reach 5 and deals +4 damage).

So, long story short: 95% of the time, basic attacks are opportunity attacks and desperation attacks, and on your turn, you'll be sticking with at-will powers.

Agreed on most points. My players include an Avenger who thinks her Bracers of Mighty Striking make her basic attack better than any of her At-Wills (arguably correct, and she also gets at least two more boosts on a charge and her Oath of Emnity works fine in a charge or basic attack. I'd guess a barbarian might be even more charge-happy).

And amost all of my PCs have a longbow even if they're not proficient because they are well aware that I'm willing to throw fliers or fast movers with long range attacks at them (I've done it before, I'll do it again). Since only the Ranger actually HAS any longbow based powers everyone else is using ranged basic attacks.

[Ozreth]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

[FoE]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

Depends how you feel about Vancian casting. I'm of the group that doesn't miss it, said rude things at its funeral and then pissed on its grave.

[RebelRogue]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

TBH I do tend to miss the resource management sometimes. Specifically it sometimes feels a little contrived spending all you Encounter Powers each combat so there's no "waste". Overall, I really like 4e's game mechanics, though.

[Asbestos]

The Assault Swordmage also has a use for basic attacks.

[Tengu_temp]

Hmm thats not so bad...but seems a bit over the top, using powerful attacks constantly. Ill get used to it.

At-wills aren't powerful attacks. They're basic techniques.

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

Nope.

[Inyssius Tor]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

No. and that's all I have to say on the matter.

[R. Shackleford]

Nope. Basic Attacks are for OAs and charges and the like. And even then, I think some at-wills can be used in place of basic attacks.

The only time I ever used a basic attack was my first game, and I didn't know how anything worked.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

Since I don't play 4.0, I still get to deal with that.

[Kurald Galain]

So it looks like your basic attack has been replaced by at will powers. Other than opportunity attacks, is there ever a reason to use your basic melee or ranged?

Rarely, and for many classes basic attacks can be ignored entirely.

Opportunity attacks are a rarity because they're usually pretty easy to avoid. Warlords tend to grant basic attacks, but are usually happy if they have one party member to grant them to, so the rest of the party can still ignore them. Charging is relevant for characters that lack ranged capability.

[Foryn Gilnith]

At-wills aren't powerful attacks. They're basic techniques.

My reaction exactly. They're at-will specifically because they're not powerful. It represents a rogue who favors a left feint in a knife fight, and will make the move unless a better opportunity (encounter attack) presents itself. It represents the fighter fond of powerful stabs. It represents the wizard expending minor bits of magical energy to create a minor effect.

If I want to run on basic attacks when I run out of spells, I'd play 2e. (This isn't rhetorical.) 3.5 wizards have far too many spells to make basic attacks a feasible option, and 4e has at-wills.

[Hal]

For what it's worth, there's also a few At-Will powers out there that can be used as basic attacks. Though they're often not worth much on their own, they are big power boosters for classes that can't do much with a basic attack.

[Kurald Galain]

Dosent anybody miss running out of spells and relying on your pathetic (or sometimes strong) melee attacks?

Depending on your build, you may find that running out of encounter and daily powers gives you the feeling you now have to rely on your pathetic at-will attacks.