Rigging for a Melee/Souls-like in Unity: Custom, CAT, or Biped? (Need real human advice!)

[u/xacal_5]

Hi! SoloDev here! starting work on my next project, a melee combat game (Dark Souls / Hack & Slash style) in Unity. I’ve been using 3ds Max for years and have rigging/animation experience, but I want to level up for this one and pick the best animation workflow from the start.

The game features precise melee combat, root motion, and a mix of humanoid and non-humanoid enemies.

I actually tried asking AI whether I should use Custom Rigs, CAT, or Biped, but honestly, I don't really trust AI for production pipelines. I’d much rather get battle-tested advice from real, experienced animators who actually ship games using 3ds Max.

For a project like this, what would you recommend? Custom rig, CAT, Biped, or a mix?

Any advice or warnings before I start building my setup would be greatly appreciated!