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I actually find the basic combat mechanics of TSW very good. It's a decently active and fast past system with a wide build variety that is actually loaded with viable options (TSW is probably the most flexible MMO I've ever plaid when it comes to build variety, as just about anything can work viably).

The problem; the system is incredibly clunky. It just... Doesn't feel smooth at all. There's a lot of QoL that could be done on the system but never has been, and nearly any combat encounter is effectively solved by "beat it till it dies" by just spamming your resource builder and resource spender... Just ignore the rest of those buttons. Probably won't them...

The range at which combat happens for most weapons is laughable, especially for the incredibly poor damage output that most weapons have. A pistol is only effective at 10m or closer, an assault rifle at 30, and you are almost never fighting single Mobs, it's often packs of three to five... and you do not auto-turn to face your new target. Worse, you pivot like a boat, having to spend several seconds shuffling your feet around while you turn to face the mob that's gotten behind you (because enemy packs, even those of mindless creatures, automatically attempt to surround you) that's hitting you in the back of the head.

This is coupled with the fact that many areas seem to be very "target rich" environments, which means that you cannot really make effective use of movement (despite the fact that the game tells you to do this) to minimize incoming damage. Running around and kiting is more likely to simply attract more mobs, and pretty soon you've got a train going.

I like the variety of weapons, though I find that the attack variety is actually pretty lacking, apart from appearances. You have ranged weapons that focus on a single target, or have a larger-or-smaller AOE cone. You have spells that are basically either a single-target burst DPS, a DOT, or an AOE. Your CQC weapons (swords, fists) are "hit one guy" or "hit all the guys in a cone in front of you" (and swords get a "hit all the guys around you").

The fact that every fight can be won by spamming 2 keys is why it's not at all active. The only thing you can really do for active defense is the dodge with its slow-as-hell cooldown, or by exploiting range/LOS mechanics (which sucks if you're lagging). Otherwise, it's all decided by the server.