User:Infinite/Hero AI

More detailed AI observation, for all skills, sorted by profession. Work in progress.

Any skills that are used in a unique or note-worthy fashion are suffixed with an asterisk (*) and repeated in a separate table at the bottom of each profession's section.

Some general notes:

• Skills that interrupt will often be postponed in use as long as the target's skill activation window remains visible.
  • The use of interrupting skills on heroes is therefore more effective against enemies that activate a lot of skills in a short timespan, as the heroes are enticed to preserve the interrupts.
• AI seems to mimic players' reaction time/speed, such as activating skills for which the condition is met just before activation, but removed before the skill can actually be queued.
  • This makes sense as heroes are designed to be substitutes for players, not overly-aware robots.
• AI seems to be vastly superior to players in terms of interruption time, suggesting an uneven split of replicating player intelligence.
  • When an interrupt moment arises, heroes will often react instantly instead of replicating human-like response times. Therefore using interrupts with no [or almost no] time to take effect will nearly ensure success.
• AI will consider bonus damage a valid reason to ignore other effects of skills, but still take them into account.
  • Death and/or pressure seems to weigh more than utilizing "secondary" effects.
• AI does not seem to think [active nor passive] energy management is an important task on its own and will sooner activate skills that can be afforded for other purposes.
  • Heroes with an abundance of energy management will generally outperform heroes with theoretically-sufficient energy management due to the low priority of managing energy.
• AI does often not seem to care about the potential of area of effect damage and other effects, nor will they decide to change targets to use such skills more effectively.
  • Whereas a player might consider saving area of effect skills for area of effect use, heroes most usually will not and therefore waste the potential of such skills almost by default.

Warrior

Skills that heroes use to their full potential

Axe Mastery
Skill	Usage
Axe Twist	Heroes will never use this skill if the condition is not met when activating.
Cleave	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Dismember	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged and the target is not already suffering from Deep Wound.
Eviscerate	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.
Executioner's Strike	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Keen Chop	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Penetrating Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Penetrating Chop	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Hammer Mastery
Skill	Usage
Auspicious Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.
Backbreaker	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.[verification requested]
Belly Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is knocked down.
Counter Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is attacking.
Crushing Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is knocked down.
Devastating Hammer	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.[verification requested]
Forceful Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.
Heavy Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is suffering from Weakness.
Magehunter's Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.[verification requested]
Mighty Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Mokele Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.
Pulverizing Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is knocked down.
Staggering Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged.

Skills that heroes use that could be used more efficiently

Axe Mastery
Skill	Usage
Agonizing Chop	Although heroes will not use this skill if the target is not suffering from deep wound, they will not always wait on a skill to interrupt. If heroes have applied a Deep Wound via another skill but the condition is removed before they start queuing up this skill, they may still queue it as if the condition for it is met. Occasionally heroes will postpone this skill if the target has recently activated a skill (as long as it remains visible in the skill activation window of the target).
Axe Rake	Heroes will use this skill sparingly when the conditional effect cannot be met, but with lower priority than skills with greater/additional effect(s).
Critical Chop	Heroes will often activate this skill on recharge, even if the target is not using a skill at that time. Heroes will not attempt to increase their critical hit rate prior to using this skill. Occasionally heroes will postpone this skill if the target has recently activated a skill (as long as it remains visible in the skill activation window of the target).
Furious Axe	Heroes will use this skill on recharge on the target, even if another nearby target could block the attack to fuel other adrenaline skills.
Lacerating Chop	Heroes will use this skill on recharge on the target even when the target is not knocked down, often wasting the additional effect.
Swift Chop*	Heroes will use this skill on recharge on the target, even if another nearby target could block the attack to apply Deep Wound. Heroes will not use this skill if the target is already suffering from Deep Wound and is currently using a skill that induces blocking.[verification requested]
Whirling Axe	Heroes will use this skill on recharge on the target, even if another nearby target has an active stance.
Hammer Mastery
Skill	Usage
Earth Shaker	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but will not change targets to apply the knock down to more foes via the area of effect.
Enraged Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but will not postpone the use of this skill to counter likely kiting.
Fierce Blow	Heroes will use this skill sparingly, but will not wait for Weakness on the target even if the condition can be applied by themselves or via party members. If the target is suffering from Weakness, this skill appears to take priority over other skills.
Irresistible Blow	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but will not change targets to apply the secondary effect on targets that are blocking.
Renewing Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, but only when the target is knocked down. Unfortunately successful use of this skill is often followed-up with another use of this skill, even if the target will have gotten back up before the attack lands, causing the skill to recharge.

Skills that heroes use poorly

Axe Mastery
Skill	Usage
Cyclone Axe	Heroes ignore the area of effect bonus of this skill completely. Heroes will often activate this skill on recharge, or as soon as energy is sufficient.
Decapitate	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, severely impacting the rest of their skill bar.
Disrupting Chop	Heroes will use this skill on recharge, completely ignoring its effect. Occasionally heroes will postpone this skill if the target has recently activated a skill (as long as it remains visible in the skill activation window of the target).
Triple Chop	Heroes ignore the area of effect bonus of this skill completely. Heroes will often activate this skill on recharge, or as soon as energy is sufficient.
Hammer Mastery
Skill	Usage
Crude Swing*	Heroes will never use this skill unless forced.
Hammer Bash*	Heroes will never use this skill unless forced.
Overbearing Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, ignoring the more potent secondary effect and will not wait for the condition to be met via other skills or party members.[verification requested]
Yeti Smash	Heroes will use this skill whenever it is charged, severely impacting the rest of their skill bar. Heroes will also not wait for conditions to be applied to the target or any targets adjacent to the user before using this skill, wasting its potential.

Skills that heroes use uniquely

Axe Mastery
Skill	Usage
Swift Chop*	Heroes will use this skill on recharge on the target, even if another nearby target could block the attack to apply Deep Wound. Heroes will not use this skill if the target is already suffering from Deep Wound and is currently using a skill that induces blocking.[verification requested]
Hammer Mastery
Skill	Usage
Crude Swing*	Heroes will never use this skill unless forced.
Hammer Bash*	Heroes will never use this skill unless forced.

Conclusion

Heroes are like toddlers, give them skills that either can't be used incorrectly or skills that focus on a single target without conditional secondary effects. While they can auto-pilot their way through enemies with the correct skills, more often than not will they power through them less effectively than a human team might. When using heroes, directing them will always increase their use. Fortunately the list of fail-safe skills is sufficient enough to create an effective hard mode set-up.