Combo System (Bayonetta 2)

The Combo System of the second game, Bayonetta 2 is one of the key values measured during gameplay. Much like the first original game, combo points are earned every time the player attacks the enemies that face them. In order to achieve high medal rankings for Verses and Chapters, earning more points to lead to higher combo scores is vital.

Unlike the first Bayonetta, the combo system of Bayonetta 2 has some particular differences and tweaks when it comes to specific maths functions and mechanics.

Maximizing Combo Score
As stated previously, the key to getting Platinum rankings on Verses is partially down to the number of combo points that the player accumulates throughout the course of the battle.
 * Constantly attacking enemies is necessary to gain higher combo scores. Using to shoot nearby enemies is the primary method to prevent the combo from breaking. If there aren't any enemies in range, holding [[File:Bx lb.png]] or [[File:B l1.gif]] to taunt will also serve the same function for as long as the taunt is being performed.
 * Melee attacks give significant combo points without killing your enemies too quickly, making them very efficient combo point generators. However, the best practice is to both hit enemies with melee attacks and finish your attack strings with Wicked Weaves and rapidly gain multiplier bonuses to keep the combo score as high as possible. As in the previous game, using Torture Attacks on low health enemies can maximize your combo score if it is able to defeat them.

Calculating Combo Score
Whenever a combo is finished by "breaking" the combo or by ending the Verse, the combo score will be added to the total combo score for that Verse. Combo score is calculated by the following formula: Combo Score = Combo Points * Combo Multiplier
 * Combo Points increase every time an enemy is successfully hit with an attack. As a general rule, stronger attacks will give more combo points than weaker ones. In Bayonetta 2, the base value for standard kicks and punches is higher than in the original game (15 per punch, 20 per kick compared to 10 for either in Bayonetta). Visually, combo points max out at 9999, but the actual value can go much higher than this. As proven with Chapter XVI, there is no cap on how many combo points you can gain in a single combo.
 * Combo Multiplier is a value determined by how many combo points you have in a single combo string. The combo multiplier begins at 1.0 and increases every time you earn 100 combo points. Unlike the first Bayonetta which increased by factors of 0.1, the multiplier in Bayonetta 2 increases by factors of 0.05. This is most likely not only due to the rapid accumulation of points that can occur during the use of Umbran Climax, but also the increase in general combo points to start with. Much like the Combo Points, the Combo Multiplier visually maxes out at 9.99, but the actual value can go higher. There is no cap on how high your combo multiplier can go in a single combo.

Maintaining Combos
As long as Bayonetta continues to land attacks on enemies, the combo string will continue to be displayed on screen in the "queue" located below the combo point counter. Different types of attacks stay in the queue for different amounts of time: For example: shooting an enemy using will cause the combo value will stay in the queue for 4 seconds, meaning that your combo will not drop until then. As mentioned before, taunting pauses the timers of all attacks in the queue and can be a great way to preserve a combo when you can't attack enemies.
 * Melee attacks: 3 seconds
 * Strong melee attacks (e.g. knocking enemies into walls, extra points from Umbran Climax Infernal Weaves): 4 seconds
 * Wicked Weaves (incl. those summoned during Umbran Climax): 3 seconds
 * Love Is Blue bullets: 4 seconds
 * Torture Attacks: 4 seconds

Whenever a combo ends, you'll earn Halos equal to 10% of your total combo score (rounded down).

(Lack Of) Diminishing Returns
To discourage only using basic punches and kicks, the combo system of the first Bayonetta had a Diminishing Returns system where combo points for attacks would eventually decrease in succession after the first five hits. However, Bayonetta 2 has removed this system, so all attacks will be worth their maximum combo point value regardless of number of hits.

Conditional Bonuses
Under certain conditions, attacks may give more combo points than usual.
 * '''Witch Time: Combo points are worth 1.5x their normal value. If playing as Jeanne, this bonus becomes 2.0x. This bonus is multiplicative.
 * Combo points from Angel weapons are worth 1.6x their normal value.
 * This bonus doesn't apply to Torture Attacks.
 * Enraged Enemies: Combo points are worth 1.5x their normal value. This bonus is multiplicative.
 * This bonus doesn't apply to Torture Attacks.
 * Multiple Wicked Weave Hits (incl. Umbran Climax): Unlike the original Bayonetta's stacking bonus of 50%, if a Wicked Weave attack hits more than one enemy in Bayonetta 2, each hit after the first will be worth the original combo point value of the Wicked Weave.

Trivia/Speculation

 * Due to the larger number of fast paced battles in Bayonetta 2, that not only require large amounts of successive dodging to avoid damage (Sloth, Masked Lumen, Loptr) but also feature enemies that break combos frequently (previously mentioned, Accolade variants), the implementation of Diminished Returns in the game would likely be more of a hindrance to achieving a high combo score rather than a suitable encouragement for finishing combo strings in these situations. The faster and "breaking" enemies are most likely implemented to encourage the wider use of combos beyond basic kicks and punches (and more importantly finishing them with Wicked Weaves) through the use of Dodge Offset during regular gameplay. Since Dodge Offset allows the player to finish combo strings despite being interrupted by dodging an attack or an enemy's combo "break", this also means that Diminished Returns would not be a heavy contributing factor to encourage this technique if it was implemented, especially given how some enemies require Dodge Offset just to inflict appropriate damage on the highest difficulty.