I often had to farm money for potions to get through tough encounters, which is a drag. Shields are all but useless until much later on, with some of the early ones only allowing you to take three direct hits instead of two. On top of that, there are too few effective options when you’re getting ganged up on in melee. Much like the original Elex, the scarcity of ammo and mana potions makes it very difficult to go for a pure ranged build – though being able to craft your own ammo helps a bit. Standing your ground usually gets you killed, since even basic enemies are flush with hitpoints and it takes Jax dozens of levels to feel more robust than a wet sheet of paper. I attack, then I stand back and watch the bad guy swing ponderously at the air, then I get to run back in and attack again. This creates an almost turn-based feel, and not in a good way. The poorly-balanced stamina system makes it difficult to smoothly transition between attacking, defending, and maneuvering, even after you upgrade your stamina regeneration much later on.
Combat in Elex 2 is not bad because it's too challenging – take that from someone who’s currently loving Elden Ring.
