For the first question, there is always a general combat art regeneration bonus comming from concentration and an aspect based bonus comming from the character specific skills such as the dwarf combat art. The general is always less effective while the character's own is always better but it takes a separate slot for every aspect while general affect all from a single slot.

As for combat arts all of the cooldowns are shared in Sacred 1 (in Sacred 2 you can choose between shared or separate both with some advantages and disadvantages). This means using a combat art will put all the other arts on cooldown as well however the not used combat arts recharge faster than their normal cooldown. This is true for combos as well. Combos are basically a bit of extra cooldowns but allow you to perform a series of combat arts without waiting for their separate cooldowns. Especially useful if all the combat arts are from the same aspect because even if it means high cooldown it will ignore the normally high cooldown of the same aspect art use.

I'm not sure about the exact calculation method but the combo's cooldown is the combined cooldown of the skills just like if you used them separatelly, minus the shared cooldown. So if there is different aspects in the same combo it is practically the longest cooldown from the used arts plus the shared cooldown of each arts.

I found combos situationally useful especially for area of effect arts to free up my surroundings or to burst damage stronger enemies but separate arts proved to be better in general when I always need something to use against a group. In Sacred 2 the separate cooldown option opens up a lot more of options for combo though the shared cooldown option reduce the combo cooldown a lot. Whenever I return to Sacred 1 I really miss this option, Each character benefit from one or the another but in Sacred 1 there is simply characters that have better use of combos. Dwarf is one of those actually. Spamming mortar shots to clear complete screen of enemies or cannon blasts to eradicate bosses is still so fun even if a bit monotonous lol.

Thanks a million for taking the time to give such a detailed reply - it sounds like I've not ruined my dwarf completely yet!

I don't 100% understand Do you mean that Concentration affects all aspects (not just Combat skills, e.g. also affects Dwarven technologies like morter and landmine)? Or simply that choosing Weapon Technology is taking up a skill slot that could potentially be filled with something more useful?

Thanks!

Yes. Concentration affects everything that has cooldown making then recharge faster. The character specific ones have better recharge bonus but only affect that few combat arts.

Actually I'm not completely sure about the exact working of cooldowns but I'm glad it helped you.

[EDIT short answer: the dwarf has three independent cooldowns: the green, the blue and the yellow. Concentration is for the green Arts and Weapon Technology for the blue ones. Combos are yellow.]

I'm currently playing and learning Sacred 1 myself (with a wood elf), so cannot give a complete answer especially regarding combos. What is very obvious is the "combat arts" divide into two groups - special moves on the one hand, and spells (for the wood elf) on the other.

For the dwarf, there are seven icons on the left with green backgrounds, from Assault to Vehemence. Their cooldown is shortened by Concentration skill and by Physical Regeneration attribute (or so I'd expect), and by Special Move bonuses on equipment. Using one of them puts the other six in that group ("aspect"?) on cooldown too but not the nine in the "Technology" group on the right - the ones with blue background, which should be on a second, independent cooldown, shortened by Dwarven Lore and Weapon Technology.

For the wood elf, cooldown of the spells group is shortened by Meditation and Moon Magic skills and by Mental Regeneration attribute. The dwarf 's Mental Regeneration is zero. So does his Physical Regeneration apply to his technology as well as to his special moves, or does the technology get no cooldown benefit from any attribute?

Combos are on another cooldown again, the yellow one. It is shortened by drinking a yellow potion. Yellow potions should have no effect on green or blue cooldowns.

How is a combo's cooldown time determined? Now there is a question. My wood elf has three special moves with regeneration times currently at 9.0, 9.4 and 6.3 seconds respectively. And she has a combo of the three together with a cooldown of 118.5! Go figure.

OK, I've done an experiment. My wood elf has had her three-green-icons combo put together again from scratch when not wearing her belt and one of her rings. Then with the ring and finally with both. Conclusions:

- a Concentration bonus shortens the cooldown time of green combat arts but NOT the cooldown time of combos including them;
- +60% Special Moves Regeneration bonus shortens the cooldown time of green combat arts but NOT the cooldown time of combos including them;
- a Physical Regeneration bonus DOES shorten the cooldown time of combos that include green arts.

Thanks for all the details! That is odd that combos don't directly cooldown via skills. Seems to make it worth keeping individual combat arts slotted as well as combos

Yes, that is my thought as well. I'm rarely playing Sacred 1 but in Sacred 2 I'm using individual abilities more often than combos. And the few combos I'm using are all about clearing the weaker mobs around the character so I can fight the strong ones head on.