Summary

  • Diablo 4 offers simple hack-and-slash combat with focus on few abilities for an exciting RPG experience.
  • Torchlight features easy hack-and-slash combat with randomized adventures and simple hero development.
  • Cyberpunk 2077's combat is made simple yet thrilling with hacking abilities and reworked skill trees.

Action RPGs are some of the best for players who are looking for role-playing titles with intense combat. These games also tend to have players taking on countless enemies, either by themselves or with a party of companions.

However, while some of these ARPGs may have some complex combat for players to discover, there are a few Action Role-playing games that have simple yet exciting combat for the player to quickly learn and get lost in. These titles are the best for players who are looking for a great role-playing experience with simple but great combat that players are likely to get the hang of quickly.

8 Fable 3

Simple Melee And Interesting Spell Attacks

Fable 3
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Action RPG
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Released
October 26, 2010
Developer(s)
Lionhead Studios
Platform(s)
PC, Xbox 360
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Although combat has always been seen as the weakest part of the Fable franchise, it cannot be denied that its simplicity within this action RPG title makes it a great title for any player who is looking for an ARPG with simple but great combat. Fable 3 arguably has the strongest combat out of the three titles, with the third installment allowing players to become even more creative with the various spells available in the fantasy game.

Players are now able to combine their spells to create some incredibly overpowering effects. Melee combat is still entertaining in Fable 3, as players gradually make their character stronger by using swords or hammers and leveling up those skills.

7 Torchlight

Simple Hack And Slash Combat Against Waves Of Enemies

Torchlight
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Action RPG
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Released
October 27, 2009
Developer(s)
Runic Games
Platform(s)
PC, Xbox 360
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Torchlight is another great action RPG title that has simple, but great combat as players build their hero through earning countless treasures while crawling through dungeons. With each adventure being entirely randomized, every hero the player creates in Torchlight is likely to discover something new.

Besides the adventures to be had, the combat in Torchlight is easy to understand, with the player being able to decide between three heroes that they can then develop while attempting to save not only the town but also the entire world. The hack-and-slash combat that sees the player taking on huge groups of enemies only makes this adventure better.

6 Mass Effect 2

Shooting From Cover With Extra Abilities To Play With

Mass Effect 2
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Action RPG
Third-Person Shooter
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Released
January 26, 2010
Developer(s)
BioWare
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter

BioWare has created an assortment of action RPGs over the years, with some of the greatest being found within the Mass Effect franchise. Players who are looking for simple yet great combat should look no further than Mass Effect 2.

metaphor-refantazio-working-to-address-games-biggest-problem-before-launch
Metaphor: ReFantazio - Unique Combat Mechanics

Metaphor: ReFantazio brings a lot of gameplay mechanics from other Atlus games, but also has a lot of things that make it unique.

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Even at first glance, the combat of Mass Effect 2 is easy for the player to get the hang of, as the majority of battle scenarios will see a player and their two companions hiding behind cover, peeking over to shoot at their targets. While this may sound boring, players – and their companions – have an assortment of abilities to use alongside their weaponry, from telekinetic powers to various gadgets.

5 Fallout 3

V.A.T.S Makes Shooting Straightforward

Fallout 3
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Released
October 28, 2008
Developer(s)
Bethesda Game Studios
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Fallout 3 took the post-apocalyptic franchise in a new action RPG direction, and many players found learning the new combat to be quite straightforward while also exciting due to the various skills and mechanics.

V.A.T.S made shooting the various enemies the player encounters much easier for those who were new to first-person shooter-like combat as it stopped time and allowed players to highlight various weak spots of their target in the hopes of successfully hitting that point repeatedly in the hope of wounding them. This, alongside various skills that allowed the player to improve their accuracy with the various guns within Fallout 3, made for a great RPG to explore that made gun-play fun.

4 Dragon's Dogma 2

An Assortment Of Classes That Are Easy To Learn

Dragon's Dogma 2
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Released
March 22, 2024
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Action RPG

Although Dragon's Dogma 2 has an assortment of classes, better known as Vocations, the combat within this incredible open-world fantasy title is easy for the player to get a grip of and incredibly simple. Dragon's Dogma 2 begins by giving the player four vocations to choose from that are each straightforward to learn.

From here, players then unlock other vocations with various abilities that make each of them unique and exciting to play. Players are encouraged to experiment with all the classes to find a combat style they enjoy, though combining their class with others through the Pawn party system creates an incredibly powerful band of heroes to fight an assortment of foes in their ARPG adventure.

3 Diablo 4

Focus On The Same Few Abilities In Combat

Diablo 4
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Action RPG
Hack and Slash
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Released
June 5, 2023
Developer(s)
Blizzard
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Hack and Slash

Some of the greatest simplistic combat games fall into the hack-and-slash genre. Many of the genre's games mix the hack-and-slash and action role-playing genres to create titles where experimenting with different abilities and trying new classes each season is part of the fun. Diablo 4 is the latest in this franchise of simple but great combat ARPGs, with players having five classes to decide from to create their perfect character for the RPG.

Best Metroidvania Games With No Combat, Ranked feature image
Best Metroidvania Games With No Combat, Ranked

Certain Metroidvanias forgo combat entirely, opting instead to focus on puzzles, quick reaction time, or both as the core parts of their gameplay loop

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With the recent introduction of the Diablo 4 DLC, Vessel of Hatred, players now even have a sixth class to play with. Each class has its own assortment of abilities and plenty of builds that players can work from to make the perfect character while still being simple to understand.

2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Each Monster Can Be Tackled With A Variety Of Strategies

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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Released
May 19, 2015
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
Genre(s)
RPG, Action, Adventure

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is considered one of the greatest RPGs ever made, with many players deeply enjoying not only the story of this role-playing title but also the action combat that sees the player taking on human foes and an assortment of monsters, which is something every Witcher, like Geralt, is expected to do.

While the monsters have various weaknesses that the player must exploit for a better chance of killing them, even with these elements, the combat of The Witcher 3 is simple enough for players to quickly learn. There are countless strategies for dealing with each foe, giving players many ways to deal with the enemies they are likely to encounter.

1 Cyberpunk 2077

Hacking Leads To An Easier Time In Combat

Cyberpunk 2077
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Released
December 10, 2020
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
Genre(s)
RPG, Action

Besides a rocky launch, Cyberpunk 2077 has proven itself in recent years to be an impressive ARPG title. Recent updates to Cyberpunk 2077 even saw the various skill trees that make up the abilities the player can use in combat have been completely reworked to make them even more appealing and give new life to the various weaponry within this futuristic first-person RPG.

Combat in Cyberpunk 2077 is simple due to the majority of battles involving guns. However, the combat of Cyberpunk is made more exciting through the hacking abilities that allow the player to burn an opponent's mind, or even various skills that make the katanas even more lethal.

Yakuza Like A Dragon Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy 10
Turn-Based RPGs With Simple But Great Combat

Turn-based RPGs can sometimes be overwhelming to newcomers, but the following games keep combat simple and beginner-friendly.