Video Game Tactical Index

This is an index, but it's also a handy guide to tropes specifically relating to common player tactics deployed in video games. Taking a read through these tropes may even give you some tips to try during play...

For tactical combat gameplay tropes, see Common Tactical Gameplay Elements.

Tactical Tropes include the following:

• Boss-Altering Consequence
  If you complete certain objectives or obtain certain items or abilities before fighting a boss, they can have unique effects on bosses that often make them easier in a manner aside from normal fighting.
• Button Mashing
  Don't know which button to press? Completely new to a Fighting Game? Press anything and hope for the best. Some educated guessing is advisable though, what did you think pressing forward and B would do?
• Cherry Tapping
  Less a tactic and more a form of humiliation. Deliberately using a weak attack or deliberately weakened character to defeat the enemy in the most embarrassing way possible.
• Combo Breaker
  Breaking big chains of hits with a special move.
• Confusion Fu
  Remember, predictability is a weakness. I hope you people who play Fighting Games are listening!
• Damager, Healer, Tank
  One character draws the enemy's attention, while the others heal them and backstab the enemy.
• Draw Aggro
  The art of focusing the enemy's attention on the guy who's actually capable of taking hits.
• Elemental Ignorance
  For when you just have to use fireball on the fire elemental.
• Fishing for Mooks
  Too many to deal with at once? Try luring them away one at a time and continuing the slaughter from the shadows!
• Gathering Steam
  Some weapons and enemies take a while to get ready, this opens up a window of opportunity for you.
• Grapple Move
  Grab the enemy to bypass its blocking of your attacks.
• Highly Specific Counterplay
  A very narrow option for counterplay.
• Hit-and-Run Tactics / Kiting
  Shoot, run away, shoot, repeat.
• Immune to Flinching / Super Armor
  Certain contexts where a character can endure attacks without flinching, getting knocked back, or having their own actions interrupted.
• Item Farming
  Grinding for items for whatever purpose.
• Knockback
  Getting moved or pushed around when you take damage, or for its own sake.
  • Ring Out
    You made your opponent step out-of-bounds. You win!
• Lead the Target
  Shoot along the path the target is likely to follow to avoid them "outrunning" your shots.
• Leeroy Jenkins
  The Berserker in video game form. (Though this is more an absence of tactics.)
• Level Grinding
  Committing mass murder of random monsters for experience.
  • Peninsula Of Powerleveling
    The perfect place for Level Grinding.
• Min-Maxing
  Unbalancing equipment, spell casts, armour, and any other stat-influencing items to privilege a specific trait to the detriment of another. A common tactic of a Munchkin.
• Money Grinding
  Get enough money for whatever purpose.
• Mucking in the Mud
  You know that when you see a mudpit or a mud bog, you can go through it. Just be aware that there are only a few safe spots, and there are some swamps in which you can go too deep...
• Ninja Looting
  Refusing to share the best items after a team effort has brought an enemy down. Very frowned upon.
• No Scope
  Not using the scope to aim on a weapon you would be expected to do so with (e.g. a Sniper Rifle).
• One Stat to Rule Them All
  Some abilities are so overpowered and / or versatile that you'll end up prioritizing them above all the others.
• Optional Stealth
  A video game mission where stealth is encouraged, but not vital to win.
• Path of Greatest Resistance
  The way to go is the way the enemies are coming from.
• Pause Scumming
  If in constant danger of death, pause often, giving you more time to react.
• Player Data Sharing
  Get more content from other players.
• Randomized Damage Attack
  An attack/ability that has its damage/quality etc randomized per each usage, forcing you to be wise on using it.
• Reduce Aggro
  Items and abilities that make foes less likely to go after you.
• Save Scumming
  If in constant danger of death, save often, minimizing loss of progress.
• Scissors Cuts Rock
  Having a type advantage doesn't necessarily mean that victory is even likely.
• Sequence Breaking
  Breaking the pre-determined order of events the game designers have laid out. May shorten the game considerably... or screw up your game file. A risky tactic, but valuable for completing Speed Runs.
• Shoot the Mage First
  Shooting the blaster of the enemy group to prevent them from doing major damage.
• Shoot the Medic First
  Shooting the healer of the enemy group to prevent them from healing the others/themself.
• Situational Damage Attack
  An attack that depends on some certain variable/action that can make it more powerful.
• Stats Dissonance
  A character's stats do not convey how they should actually be played in-game.
• Straight for the Commander
  Killing the enemy commander will win you the battle regardless of how the enemy army is doing at that moment.
• Strategy, Schmategy
  Being unpredictable because you have no idea what you're doing.
• Tactical Door Use
  Monster chasing you? Shut de do'.
• Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors
  Cavalry can run down crossbowmen, crossbowmen turn pikemen into pin-cushions, pikemen turn cavalry into horse-kebab. That sort of thing.
• Three-Strike Combo
  A basic combination of three attacks that form the basis of more complex tactical options found in many video games of different types.
• Throw the Mook at Them
  You can throw Mooks at other enemies/objects in order to damage them.
• Whoring
  Using only one narrow tactical option to devastating effect, often to the chagrin of other gamers. A common subset is "Turtling" (a passive defense where you do as little as possible, waiting for your opponent to move).
• Zerg Rush
  Sending waves upon waves of cheap, weak units in order to overwhelm a more tech-aware enemy with sheer numbers.

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