Stance

Melee Maneuvers Key Bindings

Stance
Crimson Dervish in the stance slot

Stance Mods are special mods exclusive to Melee weapons that provide bonuses and additional attack capabilities.

Similar to Aura mods, Stances can be slotted into a special Stance slot on melee weapons, and they increase a weapon's mod capacity. Stance mods with a matching polarity to the stance slot will double their mod capacity bonus, while non-matching polarities will have reduced capacity bonus. Leveling up Stance mods increases the amount of additional mod capacity they provide, as well as unlocks additional Melee Combos for use.

Melee Combos

The Melee Combo list on Crimson Dervish. Outdated as of Update 26.0 (2019-10-31).

When equipped, Stances change a melee weapon's animation set and unlocks the ability to perform Melee Combos that initiate different attack patterns with the weapon. Many Melee Combos allow weapons to perform attacks they are incapable of doing without Stances, like giving single-target melee weapons like the  Skana the ability to hit multiple enemies. They may also enhance a melee weapon's attacks with special effects, from increasing the weapon's damage per hit, to forcing Status Effect procs (i.e. 100% chance for a specific proc, like ), and enhancing mobility via lunges and jumps. Melee Combos are available when a melee weapon is drawn (holding F ) and can also be performed via Quick Melee attacks when using a Primary or Secondary weapon.

Melee combos are initiated by inputting different inputs of the Melee key (PC default E , see also Key Bindings) and various other keys, for example   + E    + E    + E , where the E  key is tapped three times in succession, whiling holding down the   key. As of Update 26.0 (2019-10-31), players can flawlessly switch between combos by changing the modifier key (i.e. forward   or block key RMB ) during a particular combo.

An equipped Stance's Melee Combo list can be seen on the "Melee Combo" button underneath the weapon's Stance Slot in the Arsenal, or in "Melee Combos" under Options while in a mission. Many Stances have a single basic combo consisting of simply pressing the Melee Key E  in sequence, and 1-3 more advanced combos requiring multiple inputs from different keys.

Combo Types

	Combo Type	Input	General Description
Stance Specific	Neutral	Melee button only	For single target elimination through hard hitting attacks. Last attack may have a Knockdown or stagger effect in the case an enemy doesn't die during the flurry of hits.
	Forward	Forward + Melee	Has attacks that don't interrupt forward movement. Attacks loop seamlessly.
	Tactical (Neutral Tactical; Block)	Block/Aim + Melee	Hard hitting attacks that finish with a or ragdoll effect. First attack has longer reach than others.
	Forward Tactical (Forward Block)	Forward + Block/Aim + Melee	Used to close gaps on enemies through high mobility. Beginning or end of combo may have slam effect for crowd control. Middle of combo will have sweeping attacks.
Shared Among Weapons of Same Class	Heavy	Heavy Attack button	Slow, yet strong attacks that leave the player vulnerable during wind-up time. Has two different attacks that are dependent on the direction the Warframe model is facing (left or right). Attack damage scale off of Combo counter.
	Slide	Melee while sliding	Low hitting attack that hits in a 360° arc, hitting enemies that surround the player.
	Aerial	Melee while jumping, Back + Melee while jumping, or Melee while Wall Dashing	Combo performed while mid-air without sacrificing movement. Players may hold in place by pressing the back button while performing this combo; this overrides the Slam Attack angle so players don't accidentally perform one.
	Wall	Melee while Wall Latching	Single attack that exits the player out of wall latches.
	Ground Finisher	Melee on knock-downed enemy	Lethal attack for finishing vulnerable enemies. High damage multiplier.

Notes

• Many Melee Combos deal varying amounts of damage from a single combo, for example  Crimson Dervish's Crimson Orbit combo has a damage multiplier of 300% whilst some combos deal less damage in exchange for faster attacks.
• Many Melee Combos perform multiple strikes from a single keypress, for example  Swirling Tiger's Winding Claws combo hits up to six times on the first attack.
• Combos feature stagger resistance during their animations, which helps in fighting units with powerful knockdown moves like Heavy Gunners or Shockwave MOAs. Similar to blocking, hits by knockdown attacks during a combo animation in mid-swing will push the Warframe back, but prevent the knockdown. Animations that have reached the end of a swing will not block knockdowns, however.
  • In the event that a Warframe is knocked down in the middle of a melee combo chain, the combo can still be resumed once the Warframe initiates melee as its first move upon standing up.
• Some combos feature forced Status Effect procs on certain attacks, which have a 100% chance to initiate regardless of the weapon's actual status chance or availability of damage type. Many combos, like  Iron Phoenix's Wings & Beak and  Sundering Weave's Rapid Current feature forced proc, while others like  Tranquil Cleave's Breathless Lunge and  Gnashing Payara's Pincer Strike have forced proc. Sometimes, an attack may force proc both and at the same time like in  Malicious Raptor's Jagged Gash combo.
  • Attacks may force proc , , and , or have a crowd control effect like or .
  • Rarely, attacks may open enemies up to front/back or ground Finishers like in the case of Dagger heavy attacks.

Stances

There are currently 53 available stances, which are divided among 24 different melee weapon types. Stances can only be used on the weapon type they are labeled for, i.e. a Sword Stance cannot be used on a Polearm, and vice versa.

Swords	Dual Swords	Nikanas
Daggers	Dual Daggers	Machetes
File:PointedWindModU145.png File:HomingFangNew.png	File:GnashingPayaraModU145.png	File:SunderingWeaveModU145.png
Fist	Sparring	Glaives
File:SeismicPalmModU145.png File:FracturingWindModU145.png	File:GrimFuryModU145.png File:BrutalTideNew.png	File:GleamingTalonModU145.png
Staves	Polearms	Whips
File:ClashingForestModU145.png File:FlailingBranchModU145.png	File:ShimmeringBlightModU145.png File:BleedingWillowModU145.png	File:BurningWaspModU145.png File:CoilingViperModU145.png
Scythes	Heavy Blade	Hammers
File:ReapingSpiralModU145.png File:StalkingFanNew.png	File:CleavingWhirlwindModU145.png File:RendingCraneModU145.png	File:ShatteringStormModU145.pngFile:CrushingRuinNew.png
Claws	Swords and Shield	Tonfa
File:MaliciousRaptorNew.png	File:EleventhStormModU145.png File:Harbinger.png	File:GeminiCrossNew.png
Gunblade	Nunchaku	Blade and Whip
		File:DefiledSnapdragonNew.png
Rapier	Warfans	Two-Handed Nikanas

Comparison

The following is a comparison of all PvE stance combos in the game, including shared combos amongst those of the same melee class (e.g. heavy, slide, aerial, wall, and ground finishers).

• Length is the base duration of a particular combo when melee attack speed is at 1.0
• Total damage multiplier is calculated by adding up a combo's damage multipliers
  • It can be used to calculate a melee's average damage per second (DPS) with the following formula:

$\text{Average DPS} = \frac{\text{Modded Melee Damage} \times (\text{Total Damage Multiplier} + \text{Total Slash Proc Multiplier})}{\text{Base Combo Length} \times \text{Modded Attack Speed}^{-1}}$

• Total proc multiplier is the damage multiplier done by forced procs in a single combo
  • It can be used to calculate total damage over time by slash procs in a single combo by multiplying it with melee's modded damage (excluding physical damage bonuses)

Notes

• As with Aura slots, Stance slots can be repolarized using Forma to give the slot the desired polarity for a particular stance mod. This is most essential for the  Grim Fury and  Homing Fang stances, which have no matching polarities on the weapons they can be equipped on.
• All Stances provide a bonus mod capacity of 5 when maxed, doubling it to 10 when placed on the matching polarity.
• All stances can be acquired from weekly conclave missions.

Trivia

• Introduced in Update 13.0 (2014-04-09) with the release of Melee 2.0.
• Most stance cards have portraits set within a Dojo garden, with the Garden Arch decoration in the background.
• Among stance mods equipable on weapons, the longest stance combos belong to  Vermillion Storm's Flurry Rose and  Carving Mantis' Rapid Incisions with having 6 inputs. The longest stance combo overall however belongs to the ability-exclusive Hysteria's Fervor combo, at 7 inputs.
• Prior to Update 26.0 (2019-10-31), stance mods have to be ranked up in order to unlock all the combos.

Media

Warframe - All Melee 3.0 Combos (Part 1 of 3)

Warframe - All Melee 3.0 Combos (Part 2 of 3)

Warframe - All Melee 3.0 Combos (Part 3 of 3)

Patch History

Update 26.0 (2019-10-31)

Melee PHASE: TECHNIQUES

By far, the biggest change you will see in the new Melee system is the alterations made to Stances, as well how Combos interact with one another. In the old (current) system, Combos are an effect of button presses, all leading into a chain of animations. In Melee Rework Phase 2, attacks are buttery-smooth and adaptable!

This rework of Combos applies to every Stance, not just the weapon types. For example, Tempo Royale (a Heavy Weapon Stance Mod) will still have different Combos than the Cleaving Whirlwind Stance, even though both Stances fit the Heavy Weapon melee type. The difference now, is that both share a design that uses common movements and attack types.

We also wanted melee attacks to feel more intuitive. For example, if you are aiming down the sights of a primary weapon or blocking incoming fire, and then hit the melee button, you most likely want to get in close! If you are not inputting a movement key while meleeing, it’s usually a sign you want to finish off your target. We wanted the new Combos to reflect that that existing movement, and so the new inputs reflect that situational awareness.

In most cases, the following improvements can be applied to any given Stance Mod equipped to a weapon (not just individual weapon types!):

• Forward Combo (Forward + Melee) - This allows you to attack without initially interrupting movement with the first 1-3 swings (depending on the weapon Stance). The last attack in the sequence will loop seamlessly into the first, so that you can keep a level of mobility while attacking.
• Forward Tactical Combo (Forward + Block/Aim + Melee) - This move is usually a distance-closing opener, bringing you closer to the enemy and getting you within range to continue a harder-hitting string of attacks. The beginning or end of this combo can have a slam effect, allowing you to control the enemy, and during the mid-point of the combo, attacks will be large and sweeping, allowing multiple enemies to be hit.
• Neutral Combo (Melee button only) - Hard hitting, movement-free attacks to allow a player to destroy their target. The last attack can either have a knockdown effect, or throw them into the air and hold them there, if one set of strikes does not finish the job.
• Neutral Tactical Combo (Block/Aim + Melee) - First hit will likely be a longer thrust or throw of a weapon to increase range. Further attacks will be hard-hitting, and will often finish in a ragdoll effect or a Lifting Attack, as opposed to a knockdown or stagger. Lifting attacks are detailed in Section 7 of this workshop.
• Air Combo (Melee while Jumping) - Perform a combo in the air without sacrificing movement.
• Hover Air Combo (Back + Melee while Jumping) - Holds the player in place while the combo completes, and overrides the slam attack angle to keep the action going!

Pro Gamer Move Example: Use the first, opening attack in the Forward Tactical Combo (Forward + Block/Aim + Melee) to close the distance on the target, then transition into either a Neutral Combo (Melee Only) or a Neutral Tactical Combo (Block/Aim + Melee) to finish off the target.

All of these fresh Stance changes has shone light on Whip Stances in particular not being as desirable in comparison to the others. We’re aware of this and are working on a new Whip Stance!

Smoother Combo Transitions

In the old system, only the first follow up attack inputted would remain in ‘memory’ and would execute at the end of the initial attack animation. Any kind of input entered after the initial follow up was ignored until the next attack had started. In the new system, the next attack is being constantly updated, depending on the last input received.

This allows for last-second decisions on combo changes to occur immediately after the first attack has finished. No more waiting for a combo attack animation to end before you can start spamming the attack button again! Embrace the fluidity!

“Ah, have you come to make a donation to my newest 'enterprise'...?”

Patch history is needed. Click here for instructions.

Update 13.0 (2014-04-09)

• Introduced.

See Also

• Melee
• Mods